The vast majority of people are good at heart and believe in an all-loving God. Honoring such a God in one’s life should lead to the same type of existence – one filled with love. There is a way to bring this into being and it’s called The God Pact. It does not promise to eliminate hatred or cruelty because they are part of life, but it has the potential to lessen them. Evil touches our lives in terrible ways and seems to be growing in this world of ours. This gives incentive for each person to take control of their choices and beliefs – and to do something. The God Pact allows you, as an individual, to stand up and recognize a God of love. It allows you to make a statement against random violence and terror by bringing the principles of a loving and compassionate God directly into your life.
One of the most daunting tasks facing governments in the world today is trying to prevent random violence or terrorism. This pact is not limited to individuals, or by borders, so it could help larger groups as well. Beyond improving people’s lives on a personal level, it could one day have an impact on terror throughout the world. Here is The God Pact in its personal form, meant for individuals.
THE GOD PACT
1) I believe in just one God, who is all-loving and prefers peace over war.
YES or NO
2) I believe that we, as human beings, are all God’s children.
YES or NO
3) I believe that an all-loving God is not biased or exclusive to any single belief system or religion, no matter what it might be.
YES or NO
4) If my religion or form of worship never existed, but all others did, I would still believe in God.
YES or NO
I HAVE MARKED “YES” AND AGREE WITH ALL THE ABOVE
I therefore bind myself with God by my signature below and from this day forward, pledge to conduct myself with love, compassion and mutual respect toward my fellow man, avoiding harm toward others unless engaged in the protective action of myself or others.
_____________________________
DATE __________________
5) Provisionary section: I have answered “No” to at least one of the above points so cannot sign this pact. But aside from my own views about God, I believe it is possible that adoption of this agreement between others could bring more peace to the world. Therefore, I extend support in this limited way by voting in favor of its adoption.
YES or NO
I HAVE AGREED WITH THE LAST PROVISION ONLY, WITHOUT
COMPROMISING MY PERSONAL BELIEFS
____________________________
DATE __________________
Must we wait for some far off date in the future for us to become much wiser, and respect all faiths? Or should we start doing it now? As individuals. In the distant future, governing bodies may be open to entering into agreements involving the mutual respect of God. This would be a first – which might explain much of the world’s problems today. Not once have we ever created a pact of any kind that shared the one true God among its signers. It is this that is being proposed. Today, some would say this is insane, to forget about it, and it will never happen. So far, this pact has not spread. Is it really that far-fetched? Is it really that crazy? The God Pact is not insane and meant to reduce the real insanity and cruelty that we inflict on each other today.
Terrorism will not go away but will likely increase – unless we do something. Fighting violence with violence often escalates into more violence, which is what has been happening today. However, peaceful means have been shown to work better and produce more lasting effects. Such proof remains from the work of great men like Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The world is a better place as a direct result of these people and others like them. The God Pact follows in the same spirit found in the work of these men.
History proves that great things can happen if people would only try. The movements that achieved the best results have often come from individuals or small groups who were so passionate about their goals that their ideas caught on and spread. The Internet and other grass roots avenues make such things possible today. Collective action by individuals rather than governmental bodies is becoming the best way to achieve positive change. Governments have grown cumbersome and new changes moving through their channels develop complexities that often short-circuit the original goals. This is why collective action in simple grass-roots form often works better.
Achieving world peace through government has never worked. World leaders and their governments have failed to achieve world peace because it is virtually impossible to satisfy so many complex goals of so many different cultures and religions worldwide. When our differences are the focus, peace is never possible. Peaceful coexistence becomes possible when the focus is moved from our obvious differences to the most positive things we have in common. The God Pact operates from within this positive realm. It’s worth a try.
Signing The God Pact makes our loving and compassionate God more accessible to people and puts the behavior in motion. Non-violent lifestyles can be adopted by people everywhere to create more safety in their communities. It could then spread. No one will argue that creating a small peaceful group is more than possible which, from its interactions with other groups, could spread the same conduct. Eventually, societies with violent tendencies would be forced to engage in non-violent actions whenever these peaceful coalitions reach a critical mass.
Governments try to enforce peaceful conduct between countries today, through sanctions against rogue nations, but this system is flawed. In the long run it rarely works and violence continues. Peace cannot be forced upon others – it must be voluntary. The God Pact agreement, if recognized, includes directly engaged people, thereby creating better results. Any government that truly represents their people would be more inclined to act on their behalf. Although world peace is a monumental task and seemingly insurmountable, first steps should be taken through something like The God Pact.
It should start with individuals and when enough interest is generated, communities or nations may wish to acknowledge it. Before politicians become involved, the people should be allowed to sign it or not sign it on a community level or ballot. Politicians will then know how God is acknowledged and perceived before any representation can be made. An all-loving God clearly wants peace in the world rather than violence and if recognized as such – and honored as such – then more peaceful behavior should follow.
Each and every person has a right to make a meaningful choice about their God in a direct way that matters. It should not be up to vested interests to speak for you before you can voice – and vote – on how you perceive God. After all, we have often found weapons manufacturers, politicians, bankers, investors, international financiers, and nations with barbaric fundamentalist leaders who still live in the dark ages, that have all claimed to support the view of a loving God, but have done nothing but spread hate and greed to achieve their own personal aims. The voices of all the people (and not their representatives) should be heard as a foundational basis. We have the RIGHT to express this and vote on it. So far, this has not been done. Let us do it now. If you have not reviewed or filled out the form, please do it now.
The Definition of God
The “God” referred to in this pact is based on modern knowledge and equates to something that goes beyond religion – so is inclusive to them all. The true and authentic God can be viewed scientifically, as an all-pervading connective force, or mystically, as the underlying cause for existence, but does not and should not take on the name of any supreme being designated by a single religion. Despite various dogmatic claims, no single religion holds exclusive ownership to the true and authentic God. So far, all that religions have done is to grope clumsily for God’s true essence. The God Pact can bring this essence closer to us. The pact itself can enhance our religions, but it should not necessarily operate from within them.
Why God Transcends Religion and Churches
The most devout fundamentalists should understand that their form of belief does not have a monopoly on God. Every religion has human founders and were created by men, despite what some may claim. God is not the founder of any church or belief system. People are – inspired people, and great people, but people nonetheless. If God were to found a belief system, He would have come down to earth and created one singular church, making sure to leave no doubt in the minds of men everywhere as to what it was, and there would be only one true religion to match the one true God. This has not happened. Yet the true God remains available to all people and all religions that seek Him. No one is “wrong” in their sincere effort to find Him and many countries rightly honor freedom of religion as a result of this fact.
God is clearly recognized by the U.S. government and many governments worldwide – found on coins, mentioned in many slogans, etc. This offends very few because no specific religion is promoted by the government, due to the separation of church and state. The United States honors God by putting “In God We Trust” on its coins and currency. As a result, people from any religion can agree with the statement “In God we Trust,” and not be offended. In this act alone, it is acknowledged that God transcends religion. Presidents often end important speeches with the words, “God bless America,” without mentioning a religion – because an all-encompassing God is being referred to. We already acknowledge the one true God and know that He is there. Let us, for God’s sake, approach Him! He is not a construct of any religion and, despite what atheists might tell you, He is more than an “idea.” God is there; we must stop ignoring Him on a personal level because of our limited views.
The limited, biased and proprietary view many have of God is often a construct of religion. This view, in effect, relegates Him to nothing more than an idea. Only the followers of the religion are willing to accept this “version” or idea of God. God is not limited in this way. We created our religions based on limited views. These limits are now being expanded. It is time to grow up. For example, we are learning to respect all faiths and belief systems as long as they do not harm other people or beings. Mankind is very diverse and there are good people everywhere who love and respect God. Your religion, whatever it might be, does not own Him.
Originally, we made God a religious instrument by inserting Him into small separate movements – movements that were eager to claim God for themselves in an attempt to gain converts and self-justification. We have since grown wiser and have begun to understand that we are all God’s children.
The term “God” should not automatically make this a religious issue. It is first and foremost a social issue – one that uses the universal term of “God” for everyone’s benefit. The true God or unifying force throughout the universe is sometimes observed in religion, but operates apart from it in many ways. God is within us and within nature, and should be expressed in social, scientific and spiritual ways rather than exclusively through religion. Religions tend to separate people due to differing beliefs, but The God Pact asks for a powerful recognition of the one unifying force, entity, consciousness, essence or being that binds us all together. We are being asked to look beyond religion in the execution of this pact. Doing so may allow us to transcend our current understanding of God – and ourselves.
You are invited to sign this yourself as a personal pact with God, honoring Him in a promise to live in peace. It’s your own personal recognition of God and, if you wish, send the blank form to others. Embrace each other in a peaceful “community” of your own. Eventually, signed forms might reach local representatives – or send a collection of names in petition form of those who have signed it and wish it to be recognized on a political level. If it should ever appear on any kind of ballot, it should be explained on the ballot that if one true God is recognized by the majority of people, the governing bodies in their jurisdictions are then obligated to represent the following points:
If agreement to the aforementioned points is made by a majority vote, the following agenda must be carried out by the representative governmental bodies:
1) Each governmental or ruling body agrees not to ban any form of religion or spiritual belief whatsoever unless such religion or belief system allows, performs or intends physical harm to others or, outside of this, infringes upon a person’s God-given right to believe as they wish.
2) Each signing nation, community or person agrees never to attack another signing entity unless they are attacked first, and agrees to never exceed a certain pre-determined limit of offensive and defensive weapons. If a signing party is attacked by any entity whatsoever, all other signers agree to come to its aid in every capable non-violent way, with violence being permitted for the purpose of self-preservation or to end on-going, severe attacks.
3) It is agreed that non-signing nations that engage in continued aggressive weapons accumulation, unwarranted violent actions, or domiciled terrorist bases or training centers would experience trade and financial sanctions by all signing nations collectively until weapons are eliminated or cut back to agreed amounts, violence is ceased and religious or spiritual beliefs can be freely chosen as a God-given right. A limited level of humanitarian aid, when deemed necessary, may occur as a gesture of good will and compassion.
Why it is Time for The God Pact
Some may argue that violence will always be a part of the world and we must learn to live with it. But each of us has a choice. We can accept that it exists – but we do not have to embrace it. Or support it. We do not have to go along with the crowd like sheep and choose to accept the violence around us just because it is there. We might not be able to eliminate it completely, but we can lessen its presence through our own actions and choices.
Before peace can exist among nations you must make it part of your own existence – personally, then locally, then internationally. That is what The God Pact is all about. This simple process can create peace in any jurisdiction, county, state, province or nation where people are allowed to make choices for themselves and are willing to work at it. It starts with our own personal connection to God – something we each have. The pact allows you to claim for yourself an all-encompassing God of love. This God is shared among all religions, but in different forms. It is time to share this actively among people, not just among religions as a distant and dogmatic figurehead.
No one up to now has ever created a clearly written pact between people and the one true God they happen to acknowledge. And never have people collectively gotten together, from different places or belief systems, and agreed to conduct themselves in accordance with God’s most obvious wishes, common to all faiths, which could be outlined in such a pact. A positive, loving, compassionate God can be the criteria for peace, which could be shared among its signers. It can begin with as little as two people, or between two island nations.
Discovering the Larger God
God no longer belongs strictly to religion, but exists within every part of our lives. Our understanding of God has increased. Quantum physics and advanced science points to us as being part of God, so we have a right to determine how we operate within the whole. God is still our guide but we are becoming more conscious of Him. We have a bigger version of God on our hands, which goes far beyond the conception of a great all-seeing man with a beard sitting on a throne in the sky, looking down upon us and judging us. Our newfound understanding, although less than complete, requires more thoughtful actions than we have previously exhibited in order to reach God or commune with Him peacefully. That is yet another purpose of The God Pact.
Most of us would agree that we all have a connection to God, whether it be through our souls, our religions or by simply being alive and part of nature. The highest God that encompasses all of creation is common to us all, and binds us together. It is the one special thing that we have, as individuals. Therefore, each of us has the God-given right to express this connection in a powerful, meaningful way that goes beyond our religious differences in a way that can be shared harmoniously, among us all. We have the right to live the way we want to live, based on our connection to God. Collectively, why should we not decide to live in peace once and for all, and to take steps to insure it? Our view of God, collectively, should be our guiding light.
Correcting the Misuse of God
God has been used to justify war for centuries. If The God Pact should become enacted among us, God would prevent war rather than cause it. Complete respect would be maintained for every peaceful, moral religion or form of worship no matter what it might be; all are equally respected. No individual is in any way coerced into giving up their faith – they are simply taught respect toward others, which everyone deserves.
The true God transcends all religions, yet is part of them all. No religion can logically lay claim to a monopoly on an agreed upon, all-loving, non-exclusive God. This overall view is briefly addressed in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, where it states “one nation, under God,…” The God Pact would go one step further and place “all nations under God” (that sign the Pact), whose people wish to live in harmony. It also puts in place a shared conduct agreement toward world peace, including compassion and mutual respect.
Mankind has been moving toward this conduct, trying to find a clear path. We have been learning. Immature children have a hard time showing compassion or mutual respect and can be quite cruel to their peers. Many adults have retained these shortcomings – sometimes in devastating ways. If, however, we can gain a better understanding of God, we may well improve our behavior.
We are all children in a vast kindergarten trying to spell God’s name with the wrong alphabet blocks. —Tennessee Williams
There’s been nothing wrong with God all this time. It’s what’s wrong with us that has been causing all the problems. To solve these problems, we need to acknowledge God, together. We need to acknowledge our shortcomings in observing Him, and begin to do so properly and respectfully, through formal agreement. Slowly, over time, world affairs would become less brutal.
How long will grown men and women in this world keep drawing in their coloring books an image of God that makes them sad? —Meister Eckhart
The true God is a God of love, not sadness. Why have we insisted on the negative? We have warped His image and connected Him to causes of sadness that shift the blame over to God and away from us. War and violence have made mankind sad – through our own doing. It is not God’s fault that we kill each other and it is time we grew up. We really are God’s children and because parents always love their children we are, as a result, slowly learning that God does not hate us or wish to be appeased with our blood. We have begun to understand that God is not responsible for war. It is, and has always been, us. We must take responsibility for our actions and put in place something that will express the love of God rather than the vengeance of men. Our ignorance has caused damage but we are learning how to correct it.
Slowly, over the centuries, we have become less barbaric. We no longer throw people to the lions in arenas or burn them at the stake. Certain groups still perform barbaric deeds, often magnified by the Internet, but in a collective sense we are evolving and growing closer to God. There is still further to go, but from a larger historical perspective, one can see that we have indeed progressed. Great people like Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have raised the consciousness of millions and made tremendous progress through non-violent means, while remaining close to their guidance from God. Today, we have reached the realization that the more collective an effort is made to stop violence, the more positive the results will be. Without a collective effort, progress will stall. The God Pact could be the most collective effort ever made. It could result in more acts of love and less acts of violence in both nations and individuals.
God as the Primary Example of Love
There is no shortage of teachings that reflect the love of God. Religious texts showing God as cruel and violent would be recognized as needing revision, based on the fact that early religious ideas required violent thoughts and actions in a world more barbaric and ignorant than what we have today. We now know that violent beliefs and wars only propagate more pain and violence. Far less is gained than what was originally envisioned by some of the early religious founders and their followers. History bears this out, and it is a lesson we should have learned by now. A nation, religious system or person is not capable of finding God by using violent actions. Violence is sometimes needed for self-preservation, through self-defense, but should never be done in the name of God or purport to be a reflection on the true nature of God. All great spiritual masters who have experienced God have said that the closest thing to describe it is love.
The Genesis of The God Pact
It is hoped that The God Pact will one day be presented to a few nations that would consider it. As little as two island nations could draw it up between themselves and sign it, making sure the wording will stand the test of time and allow for future signers to join the alliance. Or the wording could be altered to accommodate individuals who could first sign it on a personal level, anywhere in the world. Being aligned with God – the true God – feels good! You can treat your friends and neighbors accordingly, as the pact suggests. Did you sign The God Pact? Yes, I did. Maybe it will spread. With governing bodies, the agreement should include a clause allowing it to be integrated with one or more larger, similar alliances at a later time. Who will take these first steps? A meaningful, grass roots movement must start somewhere. Why not with you?
The Vatican represents the Catholic people and it is a nation unto itself – recognized as a national territory under international law. It has borders, coins its own money and maintains formal diplomatic relations with 174 different countries. Since they are supposed to be closest to God and serve as a representative in this respect, promoting such a pact would seem like a good opportunity for them. The word Catholic means “universal,” or “all-inclusive.” Such a pact would seem fitting for an organization that could then live up to its name and promote a new era of peace. Such a pact is not meant to “belong” to any one religion. It just asks acknowledgment of God as our universal, loving father among all people. The God Pact may still be too “radical” for them, but if the movement grows there could one day come a time for more serious consideration by them and among all representative bodies of religion.
Importance of The God Pact
Quantum physics and advanced sciences have proven that there is a God-force that connects all things. It exists. God really is connected to each of us, but we have failed to acknowledge it. In recognizing this truth it may be wise that we, as humans, make a unified effort to connect to this God-force. This one step, officially connecting to God via The God Pact, is a practical way to accomplish this. It offers a clear way to begin the unifying process by involving virtually everyone. The God Pact is not only an effort to achieve more peace in the world – it is an effort to realize the ultimate goal of religion, which is to connect us (and you) back to God.
The word religion means to “rebind.” “Ligio” means “to bind,” and “re” means to “do again.” We cannot rebind something unless we were actually bound to it before, in the first place. For example, to retie a shoe means it was once properly tied. Somehow we have lost our connection to God, and we are trying to rebind ourselves back to God through various forms of “re-ligion.” Based on the state of the world, with its violence, misery and degradation of the things that support life, we have clearly failed to gain back our connection to God. We cannot do it by going into a physical church, by reading out of physical books, or by binding ourselves with other church members, because all of that exists “out there.” Our connection to God is not “out there.” The kingdom of God is within you. It is one thing to teach that concept – it is another to find ways to realize it, to actualize it. Attempting to live it in a setting of peace, with help from The God Pact, may one day rebind us back to God. Relying on concepts, faith or prayer to accomplish this has failed. It is time to live it.
The world is in a mess and we need to get to the root of its problems. There are a million different ideas on how to proceed, with no real consensus. The God Pact can provide a consensus. Peace should be a natural state of affairs for nations. If all nations would agree to be peaceful, you are left with only radical sub-groups, which are more easily controlled. Building armies and having weapons are necessary for defensive purposes, so should certainly not be banned. Realities dictate preparedness against violence that will always exist – but the pact could allow us more control over unprovoked violence and terror.
Your Connection to God
What does The God Pact means to you, personally? From a spiritual level, this could be the most meaningful thing you ever do. If you do have part of God within you – this having been experienced by some and borne out by science – then what could possibly be more important on a personal level than to make a focused effort to align with it?
This approach to alignment and proper conduct, and then agreeing to abide by it on a social level, has been missing from the history of mankind. Doubters may ask, “How could such a thing really be enforced?” It can’t. “Enforced” is a bad word, because it includes the word “force.” In large part, The God Pact is not something that can be “forced” in any way on an individual. By agreeing to it, you are reflecting your very essence, which is connected to a loving God. You cannot force something that naturally occurs. You merely have to recognize it and abide by it. The vast majority of people have good hearts and this general goodness will be put into the public consciousness even more so, with the spreading of The God Pact. The only “forcing” that would result would be that violent war-mongering groups or people would, over time, have to align themselves more with the vast majority of mankind.
A Call for Action
Pacts are the same as contracts, and contracts are binding instruments. The God Pact, when signed, can “bind you back to God” through your own conscious choice. It can, at least to a certain point, accomplish for you what religions have been trying to do for centuries. It can also start what could be a process for world peace. Do you want to change the world and live in peace – or at least help create such a climate for your children? The God Pact is here.
If no groups or governments adopt it, at least you can. Sign it if you wish. Send copies to those you think would be interested. Pledging yourself to peace and aligning with God can’t be a bad thing. Former songwriter John Lennon once said, “Give peace a chance.” Maybe it’s time to give God a chance – and then more peace may result. Please spread the word and give The God Pact a chance.
Written & sponsored by
The Book Tree, San Diego, CA www.thebooktree.com
