History has shown that great things can happen if people would only try. Often times, the movements that have achieved the greatest results have come from just a few people – people who came out of nowhere, who no one ever heard of, but who were passionate about seeing results. We are entering an age of grass roots results, whereby collective action rather than individual leaders is becoming the way to achieve positive change. Achieving world peace at some future time would be a major positive change. Individual leaders and their governments have failed to achieve world peace, but certain actions can be taken by concerned groups to found non-violent communities or societies that could eventually spread. A peaceful small society is more than possible which, from its interactions with other societies, could spread the same conduct by example. The way it views others and operates with them would be important keys. Other societies with violent tendencies would be forced to engage in non-violent actions whenever they would come in contact with this peaceful group or its allies. Over an extended period of time, the possibility would exist for world peace. But for now, it simply needs to start somewhere. That is the purpose of the God Pact, and an initial draft can be seen below.

We are dualistic creatures living in a dualistic world. With every thing good, there is an opposite “bad” thing. Therefore, some will argue, you will never get the bad to go away. Violence will always be a part of this world and we must learn to live with it. But in recent years, something has changed. Something has begun to shift. People are waking up to the fact that each and every one of us has a choice. We do not have to learn to live with violence. 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 support the violence around us just because it is there. We can lessen its presence through our own conscious actions and choices.
Peace among nations can happen. But first, you must make it a guideline for your own personal existence. 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 to vote. It involves your personal connection to God, which is something each of us possess. Therefore, the only prerequisite to having a God Pact agreement in your life is to recognize an all-encompassing God – or to acknowledge that the God of your religion is also the God of other religions, but appears in a different form. 
To date, almost no one has ever created a personal, clearly written pact between themselves and the one true God they happen to acknowledge. This is the same God that all religions recognize and share in various forms. And never have people collectively gotten together, from different places or belief systems, and agreed to conduct themselves in accordance with God’s most meaningful wishes, which could be outlined in such a pact. This is the general criteria for peace, which could be shared among its signers. It can begin with as little as two people, or between two island nations.
In the United States it is official policy to keep church and state separate. This does not conflict with the God Pact because church and state are to be kept separate, not God and state. The true God that transcends all religions is not synonymous with any church. Churches are man-made creations with human founders in every single case, while God is not the founder of any church. If God came down to earth and started a church, He would leave no doubt in the minds of men and there would be only one recognized religion. This has not happened, so the true God remains available to all people and religions that seek him. No one is “wrong” in their efforts to find Him. Therefore, God can be brought into government without offending anyone, but individual churches cannot. 
For example, the U.S. government does not sponsor any one religion. It cannot. But it 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, we acknowledge the fact that God transcends religion, and we do it without abandoning the separation of church and state. Presidents often end important speeches with the words, “God bless America,” without stating which God – because an all-encompassing God, which recognizes everyone, is being referred to. We know that the one true God is not a construct of any religion and, despite what atheists might tell you, is more than an “idea.” The biased and limited view many have of Him, however, often is a construct of religion. This view, in effect, does relegate Him to nothing more than an idea, because only certain followers (those of the religion) are willing to accept the idea. God is not limited in this way. We created our religions based on our limited views of God. These limits are now being expanded. For example, we are learning to respect all faiths and belief systems as long as they do not harm other people or beings. 
The “God” referred to in this pact is based on modern knowledge and equates to something that goes beyond religion. The word “God” is being used for lack of a better term. It 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 recognized or worshipped by a single religion. What is being referred to transcends all religions that have so far groped 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 operate from within them. We made God a religious instrument by inserting Him into small and separate movements – movements that were eager to claim God for themselves exclusively, in a desperate attempt to gain converts and self-justification. We have since grown wiser and have begun to understand that we are all God’s children. We ask those who could act politically and move this pact forward, to understand that the term “God” should not automatically make this a religious issue. It is first and foremost a social issue – one that is forced to use the universal term of “God” so that the pact can be better understood by everyone. 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 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.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 all 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 on us and judging us. Our new-found understanding, although less than complete, requires more thoughtful actions than we have previously exhibited to reach God or commune with Him. That is an additional 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 our God. Collectively, we the people should decide to live in peace once and for all, and to take steps to insure it. Our own personal view of God, collectively, should be our guiding light. 
Before politicians or representatives get involved in any way or sign anything, the people should first be allowed to vote. This way, a majority voice will be heard from all involved about how God is acknowledged and perceived before any representation can be accurately made. An all-loving God, if recognized as such, will clearly want peace in the world rather than violence. Each and every person in this world has a right to make a conscious, meaningful choice about their God in a way that truly matters. It should not be up to vested interests involving weapons manufacturers, politicians, banking investments or international finance that might claim to support this view, or nations with barbaric fundamentalist leaders who still live in the dark ages. 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.
Each person is asked in the God Pact, on a ballot or home printout, to agree or disagree with the following:
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 AGREED WITH ALL THE ABOVE  _________________________________    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  __________________

A grass roots movement will likely have to precede the appearance of this on any type of ballot. So you are invited to sign this yourself in a personal recognition of God and, if you wish, send the blank form to others. Eventually you may want to send signed forms to your local representative – or a collection of names in petition form of those who have signed it and wish it to be enacted 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 take over on behalf of the people, whether the politicians agree with them or not, and 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 does physical harm to others or infringes upon a person’s God-given rights, as all people should be free 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. 
3) It is agreed that non-signing nations with 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 cut back, 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, would continue as a gesture of good will and compassion.

God has been used to justify war for centuries. To the degree this becomes policy, God would prevent war rather than cause it. Complete respect is maintained for every peaceful 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. He is not owned exclusively by any of them – no religion can logically lay claim to a monopoly on an agreed upon, all-loving, non-exclusive God. This view is similar to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, where it briefly acknowledges “one nation, under God,...” But the God Pact goes one step further and places “all nations under God” (who sign the Pact), whose goal is to live in harmony. It also puts in place proper conduct involving a path towards world peace, including compassion and mutual respect.
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 all 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, and begin to act accordingly in world affairs to reflect it. 
The God Pact is once again not an attempt to eliminate any religion, but to create mutual respect and an acceptance of God by them all. Worshipping the true God means to act in loving ways and to eliminate violent acts, as nations and as individuals. Any religion claiming to have a violent God in sections of its texts or belief structure would be recognized as needing revision, based on the fact that the early formation of religious ideas required violent thoughts and actions among followers in a world that was more ignorant and barbaric than the one we have today. We now know today that violent religious actions, beliefs and wars only propagate more pain and violence. Far less is gained through such actions and beliefs 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. Much of the world today is economically and spiritually bankrupt as a result. A nation, religious system or person is not capable of finding God by using violent actions, although these actions may sometimes be necessary for self-preservation, through self-defense.
The God Pact should be drawn up and presented to those few nations that would clearly consider it at this time. Often times ideas like this can be totally ignored by every single authoritative power in existence, which would be sad. But as little as two island nations could draw it up between themselves and sign it, making sure that the wording will stand the test of time and allow for future signers to join the alliance. The wording can be inter-changed to accommodate individuals who agree with it and sign it on a personal level only, whether local elections include it or not. You can therefore treat your friends and neighbors accordingly, as the pact suggests. Did you sign the God Pact? Yes, I did. Publicize it and it will spread. With governmental bodies, the agreement should include a clause allowing it to be integrated with one or more larger, similar alliances at a later time, if keeping with its main premise. We urge somebody, anybody, to take the first steps. A meaningful, grass roots movement must start somewhere. Why not here? 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,” so such a pact would seem fitting for an organization that could then live up to its name and promote a new era of peace. Again, such a pact is not meant to threaten any religion in any way; it just asks acknowledgment of God as our universal, loving father. Maybe someone should present this to them for their consideration. It may still be too “radical” for them to openly promote, but if the movement grows in other areas there could one day come a time when serious consideration by them could develop.
Quantum physics and advanced sciences are proving that there is a God-force that connects all things. God really is connected to each of us, but we have failed to acknowledge it. In recognizing this truth maybe we, as humans, need to make a unified effort to connect to God. This one step, connecting to God officially, via the God Pact, is the most practical way to accomplish this. It offers a clear way to begin the process by involving virtually everyone. The God Pact is not only a genuine effort at world peace. It is an effort to realize the ultimate goal of religion, which is to connect 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, at least consciously, and we are trying to rebind ourselves back to God through our various forms of “re-ligion.” Based on the state of the world, with its violence, misery and continued degradation of the things that support our life on the planet, 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, through mutual agreement among all peoples, may bring out such experiences. Concepts will never serve you as well as experience.

The world needs to get serious about its predicament and get to the root of its problems. This could provide a way. On the level of nations, peace is a natural state. You must make a conscious choice to be violent and to harm others. Building armies and having weapons are still necessary in today’s world for defensive purposes, so should not be banned. But we can work toward the lessening of their use. 
What does the God Pact means to you, as an individual? This could be the closest, most meaningful pact you can make. If you do have part of God within you – and this is being both experienced 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 to it on a mass level, has been missing from the history of mankind. Some may be skeptical and ask, “How could such a thing really be enforced?” Enforced is a bad word, because it includes to word “force.” In large part, the God Pact is not something that will be “forced” in any way on an individual level. By agreeing to it, you are reflecting your very essence, which is connected to a loving God. The vast majority of people have good hearts to begin with and this goodness will be put into the public consciousness even more so with the spreading of the God Pact. 
The God Pact, signed by each individual who can make a conscious decision, can also “bind you back to God” through a conscious choice. Pacts are the same as contracts, and contracts are binding instruments. 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 waiting. It has just been born and you have an early draft before you. Will it ever be considered? If no countries ever do it, you can. We all have that choice. We use money every day but ignore its stated message –  “In God We Trust.” Before you trust someone, you should know them first. These words are empty to us because we do not know God well enough yet. We blindly trust in God while doing foolish things, thinking He will guide us through. The point of the God Pact is get God’s guidance first, and then act. 
Please send this to those you think would be interested. It was John Lennon who once said, “Give peace a chance.” We tried, but that peace never happened. It is time to give God a chance, and then maybe that peace will happen. Please spread the word and give the God Pact a chance.

Written & sponsored by The Book Tree, San Diego, CA   www.thebooktree.com