Father Dave's Article Directory

Why is Jesus so Offensive?!

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Father Dave

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)

This, it seems, was the beginning and the end of the Saint Paul’s message – Jesus Christ – and not Jesus as some vague spiritual figure, but Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, saviour of the world, and, crucially, … the one who was crucified!

We forget how scandalous the crucifixion is. Lenny Bruce used to say that if Jesus had been born in the 20^th century, we’d all be wearing little nooses around our necks, and if He’d been born a century earlier, we might all be wearing guillotines!

We forget how horrific the image of the cross was in the first century. It wasn’t an ornament but a form of torture reserved for terrorists. If Jesus had died in a gutter, kicked to death by a mob, it would have been a more dignified way to go.

The most notorious use of the cross, to my mind, followed the rebellion of Spartacus, the gladiator, who led a slave uprising against the Empire that ended in 71 BC with Spartacus defeated and six thousand of his rebel comrades crucified – their crosses lining the Via Appian outside Rome for a distance of more than 100 miles!

I find it hard to imagine what a horrific scene that must have been, but if you were a resident of first-century Judea, crucifixion would have been constantly in your face! You couldn’t go out to the market without passing a gauntlet of dying bodies. The cross was not a metaphor. It was a horror, and it carried a message from the Empire: “This is what happens to those who stand up to us.”

Crucifixion wasn’t just execution — it was humiliation, degradation, and public shaming. It was never inflicted on Roman citizens because it was considered too degrading for a full human being. It was for slaves, rebels, subhumans … and Jesus.

We preach Christ crucified, says Paul, “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23). Yes, it’s a crazy message, and, quite frankly, it was very poor marketing!

I remember many years ago hearing a sermon on this verse from someone who was something of a ‘Prosperity Gospel’ preacher—big on teaching that God wants us all to be happy, healthy and wealthy! It was an odd choice of verse, but the preacher claimed that Paul’s ministry in Corinth didn’t get big results because of this—because Paul focused too much on Christ crucified. According to that preacher, Paul learnt, over time, to focus less on Christ crucified and more on the victorious, resurrected Jesus, and that’s when his churches began to grow!

That makes a lot of sense. It’s also a lot of nonsense! Paul did not change his message. He preached Christ crucified at the beginning of his ministry, and he preached Christ crucified at the end. He only knew one Jesus—the suffering, rejected, humiliated Jesus. The Jesus who meets us not at the top of the ladder but at the bottom—in the gutter.

And that’s a problem for the ‘Prosperity Gospel’. If your message is that God wants to make us all healthy, wealthy, and successful, what do you do with Christ crucified?

The answer is that you dumb Him down or you polish Him up. You turn the cross into jewelry, and you take Christ off the cross. You avoid the crucifixion, and you focus instead on the resurrection, the miracles, the glory—anything but the shame.

But Saint Paul refused to look away. “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Why? Because Paul knew that if we are going to meet Christ—the real Jesus Christ, and not the Christ of our fantasies or the Christ of self-help culture—we must meet Him where He actually is – not on a throne, not in a boardroom, not at a self-improvement seminar, but at the bottom, in the gutter, on a cross.

Of course, I’m not denying that Christ can deliver us and provide for us. I’ve seen miracles too. But as one man once said to me, “I’m sick of people telling me how Jesus solved all their problems. My problems didn’t start until I met Jesus!”

Christ crucified did not promise to make life easier. He promises to make us new!

When I work on these reflections each week, my practice for some months now has been to finish up by asking AI to design an appropriate graphic for me, displaying the key verse I’ve been working on so that I can use the image in our Sunday worship.

This week I gave AI today’s verse—“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”—and asked for it to be printed on an appropriate background graphic. AI started working on what I could see was quite a realistic depiction of Christ’s crucifixion as the backdrop to the verse, and then it suddenly stopped, and the image disappeared, and I got an error message:

“I’m sorry, I’m having trouble responding to requests right now.”

I asked AI where the image had gone and received an unexpected response:

“Unfortunately, that specific image style triggered a safety block due to its graphic depiction of suffering. I can’t regenerate it exactly as it was, but I can create a visually powerful alternative that still honours the verse and your message.”

I thought, ‘there you go—Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews, foolishness to gentiles, and unsafe to AI!’

As promised, AI did then offer three alternatives:

A symbolic crucifixion scene with a silhouetted cross and dramatic sky?
A painted sunrise over Calvary with the verse in bold?
A modern liturgical design with a stylised cross and warm tones?

Say no more!

Christ crucified is not easy to come to terms with—a stumbling block to Jews, foolishness to Gentiles, and unsafe to AI. “But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24)

First published on Father Dave’s blog – February 7th, 2026

1 Corinthians 2:2

Posted in Sermons: Epistles | Tagged 1 Corinthians 2:2, church, community, cross, crucifixion, Father Dave, Father Dave Smith, Palestine | Leave a comment

Does God Really Bless the Poor? (Matthew 5:1-12)

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Father Dave

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
“Blessed are those who mourn.”
“Blessed are the meek.”
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.” (from Matthew 5:2-5)

These are some of the opening lines from Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ and they’re amongst the most familiar words Jesus ever spoke. I’ve stopped halfway through the list of blessings, but I suspect you can complete the rest from memory, including the cheesemakers, who should always get an honorary mention.

These are ‘the Beatitudes’, and you’ll find them in the fifth chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. You’ll also find them printed on any number of posters, bookmarks, and inspirational calendars—often framed by a sunrise, implying that these are words designed to soothe and uplift.

Moreover, I’ve found these verses to be amongst the favourites quoted by preachers of the ‘prosperity gospel’, which claims that God wants to make all of us rich by blessing our efforts as entrepreneurs in God’s own free-market capitalist system.

I remember many years ago I purchased a translation of the Bible that had been published by some of these people. It was called “The Positive Bible,” and it promised “all the good stuff and nothing else”. It also said on the inside cover that you could read their whole translation in about half an hour, which I thought spoke for itself.

You’ve got to cut out a lot of the Scriptures before you can end up with a Bible that depicts God as your business partner. Even so, whatever they cut out, they left these ‘BE-attitudes’ in, as these were the sort of ‘attitudes’ you needed to ‘BE’ if you want to become the healthy, wealthy, and wise person God wants you to BE.

In truth, to get this from the Christian Scriptures, you not only have to cut a lot of the Bible out. You also need to trim down this list of beatitudes, which concludes with “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you” (Matthew 5:11). That’s not even an attitude, and, moreover, what sense does it make to say that you are being blessed when you are being cursed?

In truth, the more closely I listen to these words, the more difficult they become.

The people listed here are not those that we would normally describe as “blessed”, let alone (as some translations would render it) ‘happy’. Indeed, in almost every culture—including our own—these are the people we pity, avoid, and often think of as cursed! How can poverty be a blessed state? How can being sad make you happy?

I think, as a starting point, we need to drop the idea that Jesus is offering us a self-improvement programme here. This is not a list of spiritual techniques for becoming wealthy, successful and triumphant. If anything, these Beatitudes dismantle the idea that prosperity is a sign of divine favour. They point in the opposite direction.

The poor, the grieving and the persecuted are blessed, not because their circumstances make them happy, but because God is with them in their struggle. Their blessing is not their poverty or pain, but the presence of God in their pain.

This is the great reversal at the heart of the Gospel. This is the God that Jesus reveals to us – a God who is to be found not at the top but at the bottom – not in triumph but in struggle. Not in the palaces of the powerful, but among those who hunger for justice and cling to hope.

The prosperity gospel imagines God as a kind of celestial operations manager, rewarding all those who have the right kind of faith with worldly success. But the Jesus who speaks to us here from a Galilean hillside says something far more radical – that God has already chosen where to stand and is standing alongside those who have nothing to offer but their need.

In truth, the Beatitudes aren’t really attitudes at all, and they’re not even primarily about us. The Beatitudes speak to us of the location of God.

Where is God? Not at the top with the successful, but at the bottom with the broken.
Not with the powerful, but with the powerless. Not with those who have everything, but with those who have nothing but their need.

This is the great reversal at the heart of the Gospel. The Beatitudes invite us to look for God in the places we least expect—in grief, in disappointment, in the long and bitter struggle for justice, in the quiet perseverance of those who refuse to give up.

If we find ourselves poor, grieving, or pained at injustice, these words are a promise to us that God is near. And if, on the other hand, our lives are comfortable, insulated, and untroubled, perhaps these words are an invitation to adjust our be-attitudes, and to take a step closer to the places where God has chosen to dwell.

First shared in Father Dave’s blog – January 31st, 2026

Matthew 5:6

Posted in Sermons: Gospels | Tagged Beatitudes, Father Dave, Jesus, matthew 5, the Beatitudes | Leave a comment

They Thought They’d Joined the Resistance! (Matthew 4:12-23)

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Father Dave

“From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:17-20)

We’re at the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, and, as in the other Gospels, no sooner has Jesus proclaimed His message than He starts a recruitment program, beginning with Simon (Peter) and his brother, Andrew.

This appears to be the first time Peter and Andrew have met Jesus, yet as soon as He calls them, they ‘leave their nets and follow Him.” And they don’t just follow Him to the other end of the beach. These are their first steps on a long and arduous journey that (according to legend) will lead to both of them to painful and ignominious deaths! The obvious question is, why did they do it?

Of course, neither of them knew that they were stepping out on a path towards crucifixion, but they did know they were walking out on their jobs and their families, so why? The answer is (if I might use Robert Pape’s riff on James Carville’s famous slogan of 1992), “It’s the Occupation, stupid!”

Living as a Jew in first-century Judea was remarkably similar to living as a Palestinian in the same area today. First-century Jews had to deal with the Roman Occupation of Israel in the same way Palestinian people today have to deal with the Israeli Occupation of Palestine. In both cases we’re dealing with a brutal military occupation where the subject people are taxed, abused, and killed with impunity.

Just as every Palestinian growing up in Occupied Palestine today prays for the end of the occupation and yearns for independence, so the Jews of the first century dreamt of a world where there was no Rome – no soldiers on the streets, no tax officials taking their money, and no Empire murdering and abusing their people!

If we were living in Gaza today, and we’d seen so many friends and family killed by the foreign occupying forces, and a young charismatic preacher came up to us and said, “Things are about to change. God is about to act. “Follow me!” I reckon a lot of us would also drop whatever we were doing and say, “Why not?”

They dropped their nets and followed Jesus because they thought they were joining the rebellion. Whenever you’re reading the Gospels, keep the Occupation in mind as an interpretative key for understanding first-century Judea. “It’s the Occupation, stupid.” The point is not that any of us are really stupid, but that a lot of the New Testament doesn’t make sense until we factor in the Roman Occupation as the basic preoccupation of every character in the Gospel drama.

Jesus has proclaimed, “The Kingdom of Heaven has come near” or “the Kingdom of God is at hand,” and whatever else that means, what the people of first-century Judea heard was the end of the Roman Occupation.

“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:17-20) because they thought they were joining the rebellion, and this is confirmed, I think, by the only other recorded words Jesus spoke to those men, apart from “follow me” – namely, “I will make you fishers of people.” (Matthew 4:20)

When I was a kid at Sunday School, we’d sing a song about this verse, and it had actions. We’d sing “I will make you fishers of men” repeatedly, and we’d be symbolically casting a fishing line and reeling it in.

I think our understanding was that we were going to hook in more members for Sunday School. Our hearts were in the right place, but the problem with the fishing analogy is that when you pull in a fish, you don’t normally make friends with it. You kill it and eat it. Moreover, if Jesus was drawing on imagery from the Torah (as He always did), the metaphor of ‘fishing’ in the Hebrew Scriptures was always an image of judgement:

In Jeremiah 16:16, God sends “many fishermen” to catch Israel as part of a programme of divine judgement.
In Ezekiel 29:4, Pharaoh is hooked like a fish and hauled in for destruction.
In Amos 4:2: the prophet warns that the wealthy women of Samaria will be dragged away with fishhooks

The fishing metaphor is generally one implying the conquest and humiliation of your enemies, and I have little doubt that, whatever Jesus might have meant by the metaphor, this is what the boys in the boat would have heard.

Peter and Andrew followed Jesus because they thought they were joining the resistance, and yet they stuck with Jesus to the bitter end! Moreover, I suspect the other ten disciples all signed up for the same reason, and all but one of them stuck it out to the bitter end too (though Judas, of course, had his own bitter end).

Now, I appreciate that the reason you stay in a relationship isn’t necessarily the same as the reason you get into it in the first place. Indeed, any of us who have been in a long-term relationship know that the rationale of the relationship changes over time. Even so, if the disciples joined up to become freedom fighters, why did all but one of them stick with Jesus even after He was humiliated, tortured, and killed?

They thought they were joining a rebellion, and I think they stuck it out because they realised over time that they had joined the rebellion. They just hadn’t realised that Jesus’ rebellion reached far beyond Rome and that it confronted every empire, every domination system, and every power that grinds human beings into the dust.

They didn’t realise when they set out that their revolution would be fought with the weapons of forgiveness and compassion, and that victory would come, not through killing, but through a cross. This is still the rebellion Jesus calls us into today— a resistance that topples empires by transforming hearts, that breaks the cycle of hatred by absorbing it, and that builds a new world with the only weapons strong enough to really change things: truth, mercy, courage, and love.

First published in Father Dave’s weekly newsletter—January 23rd, 2026

Matthew 4:19

Posted in Sermons: Gospels | Tagged Bible, discipleship, Father Dave, Father Dave Smith, Jesus, Jesus disciples, Matthew 4:12-23, the disciples of Jesus | Leave a comment

Why President Trump should be disinvited

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Father Dave

I haven’t seen my friend, Dr Chandra Muzaffar, in person since the pic below was taken in 2014. Even so, we stay in touch and I had the privilege of having him join us on our ‘Palestine and Global Peace’ webinar last year.

Dr Muzaffar continues to pour his heart into the work of justice and peace, and this latest contribution – urging Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to formally disinvite President Trump to the upcoming ASEAN Summit reminds me that he is still on the cutting-edge.

God bless you and strengthen you, dear brother. You have extended Divine love and justice across the globe for so many years! If only more would listen to your wisdom.

Father Dave with Dr Chandra Muzaffar in 2014

DISINVITE TRUMP

3 October 2025.

Why President Trump should be disinvited.

The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) joins a whole host of Malaysian groups and individuals in appealing to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to formally disinvite President Trump to the forthcoming ASEAN Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur from October 26th 2025 to October 28th 2025.

JUST understands the difficult situation Prime Minister Anwar is in. Trump as the current US president, together with some other world leaders, has been invited by ASEAN, not Malaysia, to the Summit. Malaysia is chairing the Summit which is why the Prime Minister of Malaysia is playing the role he has to play.

Nonetheless, president Trump has been so deeply immersed in the on-going genocide of the Palestinian people that any positive gesture towards him, however symbolic, would be viewed with utter repugnance by a huge segment of the Malaysian nation. There are at least three reasons why such repugnance may be justified.

One, the US leadership is not just complicit in the genocide which has already claimed in modest terms at least 66,000 Palestinian lives in Gaza. Through its military, financial and diplomatic involvement in the genocide, the US government under Trump has been one of two principal authors of the brutal, barbaric massacre since early October 2023 (The other is of course Israel). To put it differently, without Trump’s involvement, there would have been no genocide. It is significant that of the 66,000 lives lost, 20,000 have been children. Should Malaysia play host to such a human being with such a cruel and callous record?

Two, in this regard, Trump has not once admonished in public the Israeli government or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for its systematic denial of the most basic rights of the Palestinian people. This includes in the context of the current genocide, their right to food, to shelter, to healthcare, indeed, to life itself. A leader with so little compassion should not be welcomed anywhere in the world!

Three, leaving aside basic rights, Trump, unlike a couple of his predecessors, appears to be totally ignorant of the Palestinian struggle for justice. He has no notion of their deep link to their ancestral land, of their culture that predates the arrival of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to the region, of how Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities interacted with one another in the past, and how a distinct Palestinian identity evolved over time. Why should Kuala Lumpur, why should ASEAN, embrace such an ignorant leader who at the same time doesn’t even have an iota of empathy for the Palestinian cause?

For all these and numerous other reasons, JUST would urge Prime Minister Anwar to send Trump a polite and dignified letter of disinvitation to the ASEAN Summit.

Dr Chandra Muzaffar,
President, International Movement for a Just World (JUST)

Posted in Social Justice | Tagged Anwar Ibrahim, ASEAN, David Sygall, donald trump, Dr Chandra Muzaffar, trump | Leave a comment

Echoes of Peace for Palestine

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Father Dave

My address at the ‘Echoes of Peace’ vigil for Palestine, given on September 27th, 2025 in Parramatta. The text below the video is of the speech as originally written. Not having a lectern on the night, the speech delivered was somewhat truncated.

Echoes of Peace – A Vigil for Palestine
September 27th, 6.30 pm @119 Macquarie St, Parramatta

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”— 2 Corinthians 12:9

This is Paul talking about how he copes with stress. He’s talking specifically about what he calls his “thorn in the flesh,” – a pain that he always carried with him and that he was never able to resolve. We don’t know exactly what Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ was, but we know what ours is. It is Palestine!

We carry the pain of Palestine in our hearts, and it is a pain that does not go away. We sense a connection to our dear sisters and brothers across Gaza and the West Bank and, to quote Saint Paul again: “when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.” (Corinthians 12:26). However remotely, we are connected to their pain.

We are wounded by their suffering, yet we must remain strong because we must fight on, so we draw on that other great spiritual resource that God provides – hope.

“Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”, says the same Saint Paul (Romans 5:3–5), and sometimes indeed suffering will produce hope in and of itself. Even so, let me tell you what gives me hope: it’s seeing the world slowly pivoting towards Palestine!

Let me name just a few signs of strength in the face of despair:

I feel hope when I listen to the volunteer doctors of Gaza

I watched a video this week of two young Australian nurses who have been working in the only hospital left in Gaza. Their stories were horrific, and they had been working in unimaginable conditions—without electricity, without medicine, and without sleep. They operate by flashlight, they treat children with bare hands, and they mourn those they lose while they save others. Their resilience is not just heroic—it’s holy. They remind us that compassion is more powerful than cruelty.

I feel hope when I see that the flotilla is still sailing!

Ordinary citizens from around the world have risked their lives to break the Gaza blockade, sailing in solidarity and defiance! These boats carry more than aid—they carry courage. They say to the world: We have not forgotten Gaza. And even when they are intercepted and harassed and targeted, they continue!

I feel hope when I look back on the Sydney Harbour Bridge march!

Just weeks ago, hundreds of thousands of us marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, waving Palestinian flags, chanting for justice, in the pouring rain! It was a cry of solidarity that reached the Heavens! It was a moment of unity for Christians, Muslims, Jews, and secular Australians, walking side by side. Can any of us even look at the Harbour Bridge any more without thinking ‘there all of Australia stood in solidarity with Palestine!’

I feel hope when I look around the globe and see the world shifting in compassion towards Palestine

From London to Jakarta, from Cape Town to São Paulo, people are rising up. Students are staging walkouts. Artists are painting murals. Faith leaders are speaking out. In Ireland, in South Africa, in Indonesian, where they are promising peace-keeping troops, and even in this country where the Australian government is finally going to recognise Palestine. In big ways and in small, there is no denying that the world is waking up!

“The arc of history is long,” said Martin Luther King, “but it bends towards justice.”

And we can see where that arc is leading us. We can see that arc of history bending towards Palestine.

The world is changing.

It is changing in the United Nations, where more countries are voting in favour of Palestinian rights than ever before.

It is changing in Chile, in Colombia, and in Bolivia as they cut diplomatic ties over the atrocities.
It is changing in the hearts of ordinary people, something is shifting. The veil is lifting. The propaganda is cracking. And the truth is shining through.

So yes, we feel weak, we feel overwhelmed, and we feel broken-hearted, and yet we remember Saint Paul’s words:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Our weakness is not a flaw—it is a doorway. It is the place where grace enters. It is the place where solidarity is born.

We are not strong because we are unshakable. We are strong because we keep showing up.
We are strong because we cry and still speak.
We are strong because we mourn and still march.
We are strong because we believe—in justice, in dignity, in peace.

And we believe that Palestine will rise.
Not just out of the rubble, but into freedom.
Not just above their grief, but into joy.
Not just from despair, but into hope.

So let us carry that hope.
Let us echo that peace.
Let us be strong in the face of the pain.

Amen.

Posted in Social Justice | Tagged Father Dave, Free Gaza, free palestine, Gaza, Palestine | Leave a comment

Spiritual Dialogues: Tony Robbins meets the Author of Hebrews

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Father Dave

Hebrews vs. Tony Robbins

Last week my reflection on Colossians 3:3 led me to compare the writings of Saint Paul to the teachings of the Maharishi Yogi, and I asked AI to generate an imaginary conversation between the two.

This week I’m working on Hebrews 11, and I thought I’d try to create a similar imaginary encounter between the author of the letter and self-help guru Tony Robbins.

Let me know what you think, and to get my angle on Robbins’ teachings, see my newsletter.

Spiritual Dialogues: Tony Robbins meets the Author of Hebrews

Tony Robbins:
Your chapter—Hebrews 11—is powerful. It’s like the original motivational seminar. But tell me, how do we turn that kind of faith into real-world results?

Author of Hebrews:
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. It’s not just belief—it’s trust in the unseen, anchored in God’s promises.

Tony Robbins:
I teach that belief shapes reality. You’ve got to see it, feel it, act on it. Is that what Noah did?

Author of Hebrews:
Exactly. By faith, Noah, warned about things not yet seen, built an ark to save his family. His action was rooted in trust, not in evidence.

Tony Robbins:
So faith drives action. That’s what I say too—take massive action! But your heroes weren’t chasing personal success. They were responding to a divine call.

Author of Hebrews:
Yes. Abraham left everything, not knowing where he was going. Moses chose suffering with his people over the pleasures of Egypt. Faith isn’t self-centred—it’s obedient.

Tony Robbins:
That’s a shift. I talk about modeling excellence, but your models were driven by something beyond themselves.

Author of Hebrews:
They looked forward to a better country—a heavenly one. Their lives were testimonies, not trophies.

Tony Robbins:
So you’re saying faith isn’t just about achieving goals—it’s about aligning with a higher purpose?

Author of Hebrews:
Precisely. These people didn’t receive all that was promised, but they saw it from afar and welcomed it. Faith is living in light of eternity.

Tony Robbins:
I say success leaves clues. You say faith leaves a legacy.

Author of Hebrews:
And that legacy speaks. “Though they are dead, they still speak.” Their lives echo through time.

Tony Robbins:
I’m inspired. Maybe I’ve been preaching faith all along—just without naming it.

Author of Hebrews:
Then let your message point beyond the self. Faith begins where self-reliance ends.

Faith is Trust made eternal

Posted in Interfaith, Sermons: Epistles | Tagged church, Father Dave, Father Dave Smith, Hebrews, hebrews 11 1 16, letter to the hebrews, tony robbins | Leave a comment

Spiritual Dialogues: Maharishi Yogi meets Saint Paul

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Father Dave

Saint Paul meets Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

I was penning some thoughts on Colossians 3:3 – “for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” – and reflecting on Saint Paul’s mystical imagery and language. It makes Paul sound like a guru, yet I just couldn’t see Paul sitting cross-legged, deep in Transcendental Meditation.

This led me to get into a conversation with AI, comparing the writings and teaching of Saint Paul with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi – the man who brought TM to the West. I asked AI to create an imaginary dialogue between the two men. I thought it was pretty good. Let me know what you think.

Dave

Spiritual Dialogues: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi meets Saint Paul

Paul: Peace to you, Maharishi. I see a stillness about you that is not unfamiliar, yet it draws from a different source.

Maharishi: And I see in you a fire—a devotion that burns even through suffering. Tell me, Paul, why do you embrace pain so willingly?

Paul: I do not seek pain, but I do not flee from it. “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,” I once wrote. In suffering, I enter into Christ’s crucified body, that I might also share in His resurrection.

Maharishi: A beautiful devotion, though one I do not echo. Pain, like thought, is something to transcend. Through Transcendental Meditation, we release from suffering and merge with the field of bliss consciousness.

Paul: Yet does not bliss risk becoming self-enclosed? My joy is not solitary—it is bound up in the body of Christ, in the redemption of others. In my weakness, I find strength not in escape, but in communion.

Maharishi: Communion may come in silence too. When the boundaries of self dissolve, we discover our unity with all that is. No need for crucifixion—only awakening.

Paul: But I am not seeking to dissolve—I am seeking transformation. The resurrection affirms the body, even glorifies it. I could never call suffering meaningless, for even Christ entered into it for love’s sake.

Maharishi: Love I understand. Bliss is love fulfilled. Yet your love is clothed in burden; mine, in release. You seek salvation through a man nailed to a cross. I seek it through the eternal self untouched by death.

Paul: And I through the eternal Christ who passed through death, conquering it not by avoidance, but by sacrifice. In Him, all things are made new—not by meditation, but by incarnation.

Maharishi: Then we walk different paths, friend. But perhaps in the stillness between words, and the silence beneath suffering, we touch the same mystery.

Paul: Perhaps. For now, I preach Christ crucified. And I pray even your silence might one day echo His name.

To see the text and video of my reflection on Colossians 2:3, see my blog post – “Set your mind on the things that are above“

Posted in Interfaith, Sermons: Epistles | Tagged Father Dave, Father Dave Smith, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Peace, saint paul, St Paul, the body of Christ, Transcendental Meditation | Leave a comment

Enough is Enough – an Appeal to the UN regarding Israeli Military Aggression against Iran

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Father Dave

The following letter was penned by Professor Saied Reza Ameli of IRAN and was submitted with 135 signatories, including many of my prominent activist friends, such as Miko Peled (52) and Stephen Sizer (54). I was also privileged to be asked (no.99).

To:

His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

Her Excellency Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO

Subject: Urgent Appeal for Action Regarding Israeli Regime’s Unlawful Military Aggression Against Iran

Your Excellencies,

The undersigned submits this formal protest regarding the Israeli regime’s sustained unlawful aggressions against Iran since 13 June 2025, constituting severe breaches of international law under the UN Charter. These systematic attacks endanger regional stability, civilian lives, ecological integrity, and global cultural heritage, escalating beyond mere geopolitical conflict into an international existential threat. The deliberate targeting of civilians, residential areas, and sovereign institutions undermines the international legal order, risking irreversible catastrophe. The situation demands urgent intervention before diplomatic and mitigative capacities are exhausted. It is earnestly urged that this appeal be regarded not as a matter of routine procedure, but as a solemn and final urgent call to action—one that necessitates the immediate and coordinated mobilisation of all juridical, diplomatic, and institutional capacities, in order to prevent the onset of an irreversible systemic disintegration of international institutional legitimacy and credibility.

Verified data confirm a systematic and deliberate aggression targeting Iran’s civilian population and critical infrastructure. This is not incidental warfare, but a calculated strategy designed to dismantle the functional pillars of civilian life—most gravely in the domains of healthcare, education, scientific advancement, energy, and cultural preservation.

To date, the Israeli regime’s aggressions across Iran have killed over 415 people and injured around 1,550, with civilians accounting for 90% of the casualties. The majority of the dead are women and children, and the attacks have also intentionally targeted prominent scientists and senior military officials. Strikes on residential zones, hospitals, research centres, and religious sites illustrate a pattern of indiscriminate violence carried out in the absence of legitimate military imperative.

As of the moment of this appeal, the Israeli regime’s forces have carried out 125 strikes across residential areas, civilian, governmental, scientific, industrial, and military sectors. The wide geographic scope and repeated attacks indicate a coordinated escalation that constitutes a grave violation of the principles of “distinction” and “proportionality” under international humanitarian law.

Material losses are extensive as well. Immediate physical damage is estimated at $3.2–4.9 billion, with long-term economic losses surpassing $10 billion due to infrastructure collapse and oil revenue decline. The destruction of key installations—including airports, water treatment facilities, refineries, and nuclear sites—has paralysed essential services and public life.

The Israeli regime’s sustained pattern of aggression observed constitutes a series of grave breaches—not only of the Charter of the United Nations but also of international humanitarian law, the laws of armed conflict, and universally recognised human rights norms. These actions have constituted a serious violation of the principle of national sovereignty and have had catastrophic consequences for civilian life, infrastructure, and international stability.

Under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, such use of force is prohibited unless authorised by the Security Council or justified under Article 51 as self-defence. The acts of the Israeli regime meet the criteria of aggression as defined in UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1975), and are further criminalised under the Rome Statute and the 2010 Convention on the Crime of Aggression.
.
Strikes have consistently breached International Humanitarian Law (IHL), especially the principle of distinction codified in Article 48 of Additional Protocol I (1977) and Customary IHL Rule 1. Attacks on civilian homes, hospitals, schools, and cultural sites violate Articles 51(2) and 52(2) of the Protocol, as well as Rule 14, which prohibits excessive incidental harm. Evidence suggests repeated breaches of Rule 103, prohibiting collective punishment.
.
The principle of proportionality under Article 51(5)(b) of Additional Protocol I has also been violated. Strikes on critical infrastructure such as water systems and power grids have produced humanitarian crises disproportionate to any military gain. This has led to blackouts, water shortages, and serious medical system disruption, exceeding acceptable collateral damage under IHL.
.
Attacks on nuclear and scientific facilities threaten global security and contravene the IAEA Safeguards Agreements under the NPT, as well as IAEA General Conference Resolutions GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533. Such actions violate Article 1 of the 1994 Convention on Nuclear Safety and parallel earlier condemned attacks, notably UN Security Council Resolution 487 (1981) regarding Iraq’s Osirak reactor.
.
Targeted assassinations of scientists and officials constitute extrajudicial killings, violating Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and qualifying as war crimes under the Rome Statute, particularly where due process is absent.
.
Strikes on sites containing dangerous forces—such as nuclear reactors and chemical facilities—violate Article 56 of Additional Protocol I and Customary IHL Rule 42, which mandate precautions to prevent widespread civilian harm and environmental disaster.
.
The destruction of universities, cultural heritage, and research institutions breaches Article 15(1)(b) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), directly undermining national development and global cultural and scientific heritage.

In view of the grave and escalating violations set out above, and in accordance with the legal and moral responsibilities vested in the bodies under your jurisdiction, we urge the immediate implementation of the following measures to uphold international law and avert irreversible harm to global order and the international society:

a formal and unequivocal condemnation of the Israeli regime’s strikes is required, recognising them as breaches of international law, including but not limited to international humanitarian law, human rights norms, and nuclear safety law, and as an affront to the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran and international peace and security.
.
we call for the urgent convening of an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council and/or General Assembly, under the Uniting for Peace framework, to address the legal and geopolitical consequences of the Israeli regime’s actions.
.
an impartial international fact-finding mission should be established under UN auspices, with input from relevant Special Rapporteurs, to investigate the legality and humanitarian impact of the strikes.
.
the aggressions must be referred to the International Criminal Court for preliminary examination under Articles 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute.
.
a binding resolution must be adopted demanding cessation of hostilities, reparations, and guarantees of non-repetition.
.
UNESCO must dispatch experts to assess damage to educational, scientific, and cultural institutions.
.
international safeguards must be issued to protect nuclear facilities from military attack.

This is not a national crisis, nor a regional matter but a grave assault on the legal and moral order underpinning our universal, shared foundations of international and civilisational law. Silence and inaction now ushers in an irreversible deterioration of the international order, endangering peace, knowledge, and the survival of humanity itself — a reality that has united the noble people of Iran in steadfast support for their nation and in profound moral revulsion toward the Zionist regime.

Now is the moment to contain it—decisively, lawfully, and without delay.

We urge Your Excellencies to act.

Respectfully submitted,

21 June 2025

Professor Saied Reza Ameli (IRAN)

Head of the UNESCO Chair on Cyberspace and Culture: Dual-spacisation of the World (UCCC)

(UNESCO No. 2015IR1107), Dean of Faculty of Studies – University of Tehran

Signatories:

Seyed Mohammad Marandi (IRAN)

Professor at the University of Tehran

2. Massoud Shadjareh (IRAN)

Chair of Islamic Human Rights Commission-London, consultative status at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

3. Scott Ritter (USA)

former UN Special Commission weapons inspector

4. Norman Finkelstein (USA)

Political Scientist and son of Holocaust-survivor parents

5. Richard Falk (USA)

Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and former UN Special Rapporteur

Jan Kavan (Czech)

President of the UN General Assembly 2002-2003, former Minister of Foreign Affairs

Yanis Varoufakis (Greece)

Former Minister of Finance, economist and professor at the University of London, the University of Sydny and the University of Athens

8.Denis Halliday (Ireland)

Former UNSG deputy and ex-UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq

9. Alberto Bradanini (Italy)

Former director of UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and UN Research Institute on Crime and Drugs, former ambassador in Tehran and Beijing, president of the Centre for Contemporary China Studies in Italy

10. Hans-Christof Graf von Sponeck (Germany)

Former UN Assistant Secretary-General and ex-UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq

11. Cindy Sheehan (USA)

“Peace Mom”, Antiwar Activist and author, 2012 vice-presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party

Raimondo Caria (Italy)

Retired general of the Italian Army

13.Ajamu Baraka (USA)

2016 Green Party nominee for Vice President, Director of Black Alliance for Peace

14. Aiman Athirah Sabu (Malaysia)

Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government, Former deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, former Member of Parliament

15. Alain Corvez (France)

Former advisor to the General Commanding the UN Force in South Lebanon

16.Ralph Bosshard (Switzerland)

Former Military Advisor to the Secretary General of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Mick Wallace (Ireland)

former Member of the European Parliament, Politician

Clare Daly (Ireland)

former Member of the European Parliament, Politician

Tommy Sheridan (Scotland)

former Member of the Scottish Parliament, Politician

20. Jean Bricmont (Belgian)

Theoretical Physicist and Philosopher of Science, Professor at the Catholic University of Louvain

21. Michael Springmann (USA)

former Diplomat, Attorney and Counselor at Law

22. David Barsamian (USA)

founder and Director of Alternative Radio (heard on 250 radio stations worldwide), Writer

Art Olivier (USA)

2002 Libertarian Party nominee for Vice President, former Mayor of Bellflower, California, Libertarian Candidate for California Governor in 2006

Pino Cabras (Italy)

former vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Parliament

Santiago Zabala (Spain)

Philosopher and ICREA Research Professor at the Pompeu Fabra University

Michel Chossudovsky (Canada)
Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Ottawa, Director of Centre for Research on Globalization

Farid Esack (South Africa)

Appointed by Nelson Mandela as gender-equality commissioner Head of the Department of Religion Studies at the University of Johannesburg and former professor at Harvard University

Hamid Algar (USA)
Professor Emeritus of Economics at of Persian studies at the University of California, Berkeley

Imam Suhaib Webb (USA)

Former imam of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, Former Resident Scholar of the Islamic Center of New York University

Iurie Roșca (Moldavia)

Former Deputy Prime Minister and former deputy of parliament for almost 2 decades

Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin (Malaysia)

Former Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government

Sara Flounders (USA)

Co-director of the International Action Center and Secretariat Member of the Workers World Party

Sheikh Ahmad Awang (Malaysia)

Chairman of the Alliance of World Mosque in Defence of Al Aqsa, former President of the Malaysian Ulama Association

David Swanson (USA)

Executive Director of World Beyond War, Antiwar activist

MP Suhaizan Kayat (Malaysia)

Member of Parliament who represents the National Trust Party, former Political Secretary to the Ministers of Domestic Trade and Living Costs

Mazin B. Qumsiyeh (Palestine)

Director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University

MP Mohd Sany Hamzan (Malaysia)

Member of Parliament, member of National Trust Party

Ramón Grosfoguel (Puerto Rico)
Sociologist and Professor Emeritus at the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley

Zareena A. Grewal (USA)

Historical Anthropologist and Professor of American studies, religious studies, and ethnicity, race, and migration at Yale University, documentary filmmaker

MP Mohd Sany Hamzan (Malaysia)

Member of Parliament, member of National Trust Party

MP Aminolhuda Hassan (Malaysia)

Member of Parliament

Abbas Edalat(UK-IRAN)

Professor of computer science and mathematics at Imperial College London and founder of Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) and the Science and Arts

MP Ahmad Tarmizi bin Sulaiman (Malaysia)

Member of Parliament, former Deputy President of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation

Alice Rothchild (USA)

former professor at Harvard Medical School, author, and filmmaker

MP Azli Yusof (Malaysia)

Member of Parliament who represents the National Trust Party

Jodi Dean (USA)

Political Theorist and professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, former Erasmus Professor of the Humanities in the Faculty of Philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam

Mohd Hatta Ramli (Malaysia)

Senator, physician and former Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development

Haim Bresheeth (UK)

Former Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the University of East London, Campaign Against Misrepresentation in Public Affairs, Information and the News

Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Malaysia)

Senator, former Minister in charge of Religious Affairs Foundation (SAF)

James H. Fetzer (USA)

McKnight Professor Emeritus of the philosophy of science at the University of Minnesota Duluth

Abdul Ghani Samsudin (Malaysia)

Chairman Secretariate for the Ulama Assembly of Asia

Miko Peled (USA)

Antiwar Activist and Author

Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz (Malaysia)

President of the Ulama Association of Malaysia, former Director-General of the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia

Revd. Stephen Sizer (UK)

former Vicar of Christ Church of Virginia Water in Surrey and director of the Peacemaker Trust

William O. Beeman (USA)

Professor Emeritus at the Department of Anthropology, the University of Minnesota

Lauren Booth (UK)

Author, Journalist and Antiwar Activist

Kevin B. MacDonald (USA)

Professor Emeritus of Evolutionary Psychology at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)

Lawrence Davidson (USA)

Professor Emeritus of Middle East History at West Chester University

Augusto Sinagra (Italy)

Professor Emeritus of European Law at Sapienza University of Rome

Claudio Mutti (Italy)

Former Professor at the University of Bologna, Director of “Eurasia, Rivista di Studi Geopolitici”

Claudio Moffa (Italy)

Former Professor of History of International Relations at the University of Teramo

Angelo d’Orsi (Italy)

Historian of Philosophy and Professor of History of political doctrines at the University of Turin

David Miller (UK)

Sociologist and former professor at the University of Strathclyde, the University of Bath and the University of Bristo

Jacek Bartyzel (Poland)

Professor of Political Philosophy and Political Theory at Nicolaus Copernicus University

Ali Hassan (UK)

CEO of Muslim Public Affairs Committee in the UK

Laurie King (USA)

Professor at Department of anthropology, Georgetown University

Maria Poumier (France)

Former Professor at the University of Paris (Sorbonne), Professor at University of Havana

Denis Rancourt (Canada)

former professor at the University of Ottawa, Co-Director of CORRELATION Research in Public Interest

Rodney Shakespeare (UK)

Economist and Visiting professor at Trisakti University

Bruno Drweski (France)

Professor at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Université Paris-Cité)

Pamela S. Murray (USA)

Historian and Professor Emerita at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

E. Michael Jones (USA)

former Professor at Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, founder of Culture Wars Magazine

Sandew Hira (Netherlands)

Founder of Decolonial International Network known for his decolonial theory, Director of International Institute for Scientific Research

Denijal Jegić (Lebanon)

Professor of communication in the Department of Communication at Lebanese American University

Konrad Rekas (Poland – Scotland)

Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University

Ladislav Zemanek (Czech)

Historian and Research Fellow at the China-CEE Institute, former Politician

Marta Araújo (Portugal)

Senior Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra

Daniel Estulin (Lithuania)

Writer and thinker whose main interest is the Bilderberg Group

Robert Fantina (Canada)

Board Member of Canadian Voices for Palestinian Rights

Alison Weir (USA)

Investigative journalist, Founder and executive director of If Americans Knew and president of the Council for the National Interest

David Rovics (USA)

Singer and Songwriter, Antiwar Musician

Jennifer Loewenstein (USA)

Antiwar Activist and Journalist, author at The Journal of Palestine Studies and CounterPunch

Pepe Escobar (Brazil)

Geopolitical Analyst and Journalist

William Rodriguez (USA)

Antiwar Activist

Rabbi Ahron Cohen (UK)

Spokesperson of the worldwide religious group Neturei Karta

John Minto (Scotland)

Co-Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

Yvonne Ridley (UK)

Journalist and Author, Antiwar Activist

Valérie Bugault (France)

Geopolitical Analyst and Journalist

Ahmed Bensaada (Canada)

Academician, author and Winner of Canada’s Primer Minister prize for High Education

Christian Bouchet (France)

former Politician and Antiwar Activist, PhD anthropology

Jean Michel Vernochet (France)

Former Journalist of Le Figaro Magazine, Writer

Kevin J. Barrett (USA)

Arabist-Islamologist Scholar, former Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Revd. Andrew Ashdown (UK)

30 years of Interreligious Initiatives and Dialogues in Africa, Middle East and the UK

Youssef Hindi (France)

Writer, Historian of religions and Geopolitologist

Rabbi Dovid Feldman (USA)

Member of the worldwide religious group Neturei Karta

Sander Hicks (USA)

Guitarist and Publisher, Antiwar Activist

Peter Koenig (Switzerland)

Economist and Geopolitical Analyst with more than 30 years of experience in the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the Swiss Development Cooperation

Imam Muhammad al-Asi (USA)

Former Imam of the Islamic Center in Washington, Research Fellow at the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought

Father Dave Smith (Australia)

Social Educator, Antiwar Activist

Jürgen Cain Külbel (Germany)

Investigative Journalist and Author

Greta Berlin (USA)

Co-founder of the Free Gaza movement

Eric Walberg (Canada)

Geopolitical Expert and Author

Merlin Miller (USA)

2012 Presidential Candidate and Independent Film Director

Howard Druan (USA)

Member of Green Party, Retired Member of the State Bar of Arizona

Adrián Salbuchi (Argentine)

Political Analyst, Writer

Dragana Trifković (Serbia)

Director General of the Center for Geostrategic Studies in Belgrade

Hafsa Kara-Mustapha (UK)

Journalist and Author, Expert of North Africa and UK relationship

Paulina Aroch Fugellie (Mexico)

Professor at the Department of Humanities, Metropolitan Autonomous University

Lorenzo Maria Pacini (Italy)

Head of the Department of Geopolitics at UniDolomiti of Belluno and professor at Libera Università

Nina Luxenberg (USA)

Politician and Member of the Green Party

Lucien Cerise (France)

Author of Governing by Chaos, Antiwar activist

Andrea Meza Torres (Mexico)

Professor at the Department of Anthropology, Metropolitan Autonomous University

Abdullah Sudin Ab Rahman (Malaysia)

President of HALUAN (humanitarian relief, education, and community development), former Chief Executive Officer at Darulnaim College of Technology for 12 years

Leslie Varenne (France)

Journalist and founder of the Institute for Monitoring and Study of International Relations (Iveris)

Daniele Trabucco (Italy)

Tenured Professor of Constitutional Law at San Domenico University Institute of Rome

Leonid Savin (Russia)

Geopolitical analyst, Chief editor of Geopolitika.ru (from 2008), founder and chief editor of Journal of Eurasian Affairs

Jeff Cohen (USA)

Retired professor at Ithaca College and Cofounder of RootsAction Education Fund

Caleb Maupin (USA)

Founder of Center for Political Innovation, Journalist

Zaher Birawi (UK-Palestine)

Chair of the Palestine Forum of Britain, Journalist

Muhammad Rabbani (UK)

Managing Director CAGE International, Cage Advocacy Group for Empowerment

Margherita Furlan (Italy)
Journalist and director of Casa Del Sole TV

Thami Khalid (Belguim)

Co-director of Justice San Frontieres

Jacob Cohen (France)

Academic, Novelist and Antiwar Activist

Richard Ray (USA)

Editor and Antiwar Activist

Ernest H. Wittenbreder Jr. (USA)

President of Power Electronics Innovations Laboratory

Mary Gleysteen (USA)

Member of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action

Shahridan Faiez (Malaysia)

Director of Think City

Balkhisa Bashir (UK)

Co-founder and director of Barwaqa Relief Organisation

Michael Spath (USA)

Founder of Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

Gordon Duff (USA)

Vietnam War Veteran and Antiwar Activist

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid (Malaysia)

President of Malaysia Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations

Ahmad Fahmi Shamsuddin (Malaysia)

President of the Muslim Youth Movement

Glen Milner (USA)

Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action

Wording Saidi (Belgium)

Co-spokesperson of Bruxelles Pantheres

Mouhad Reghif (Belgium)

Co-spokesperson of Bruxelles Pantheres

Posted in Social Justice | Tagged dr stephen sizer, Father Dave, Iran, iran and israel, Israel, israeli war crimes, Miko Peled | Leave a comment

What was REALLY Behind Trump’s Attack on Iran?

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Father Dave

I woke before dawn this morning in a cold sweat, emerging from a terrible nightmare. This is not something that normally ever happens to me, and then I read US President Trump’s tweet, indicating that he had just unleashed his nightmare on the world, bombing Iranian nuclear facilities! I’ve heard that others woke this morning in similar states. I suspect that the spiritual darkness unleashed today may well have reverberated and effected countless members of the human family across the globe.

What will Iran do now? That’s the question everyone is asking, and it is an important question. The other question though that we also need to ask is, “What on earth drove Donald Trump to initiate this attack?” This is also an important question because, if we’re going to get out of this mess, we need to know how we got in!

Most of the people I’ve been talking to put it down to Mr Trump being mentally unhinged, and that may be correct. Who, after all, would betray their own support base, break all their electoral promises, and risk the annihilation of the entire world except for a madman? The problem with this theory though is that at other times Mr Trump seems quite cogent. Yes, he is always egotistical and arrogant, but he is not normally completely irrational. What if it’s not stupidity? What if he’s being bribed?

Could there be some early video footage of Mr Trump on Jeffrey Epstein’s Island that would land him in jail if it were to be made public? Something like that would explain why the US President is behaving in a way that is completely incompatible with his ‘Make American Great Again’ agenda. It would also help explain why he ended his ridiculous tweet this morning with an ALL CAPS, “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!” It’s a statement that makes no sense when delivered right after you’ve dropped thousands of kilograms of explosives on someone, yet it does make sense if he’d never really wanted to drop those bombs but felt he was being forced to.

Musings like this may sound slanderous, yet these questions need to be asked. If Mr Trump is being manipulated, this means that some other person (or persons) control US affairs. It means that some unelected person really has their finger on the doomsday button, and that it’s someone whose face we cannot see. Maybe it doesn’t matter all that much whose human face it is, as we know that behind that face, the principalities and powers are at work –spiritual forces of wickedness!

Forgive me if I’m sounding a bit too mystical today, but I do believe that this is fundamentally a spiritual battle, and that’s why I believe our first response to this evil must be prayer. Further, if we’re going to beat this thing, we’re going to need to draw on all the spiritual weapons that God supplies – like truth and love and forgiveness.

World War III may well have begun, but we can still put an early end to it. It’s not too late to stop things escalating globally. It’s not too late for the west to start showing some respect for the Iranian people. It’s not too late to stop the Gaza genocide, and it’s not even too late to resurrect Syria (I believe), and it’s certainly not too late to shut down Trump.

Forgive me for being a preacher, but we’ve been letting the devil run this show his own way for far too long, and I call on my Christian brothers and sisters everywhere to take a stand for peace and for truth. I likewise call on my Islamic sisters and brothers to allow us to work alongside you so that together we might limit the violence and achieve justice through other avenues. I likewise call on my Jewish sisters and brothers to be true to the Torah and join us in working together for peace.

Spiritual men and women – Christians, Muslims, Jews and other people of faith – need to take the lead in this work because, well … if you put us all together, there are a lot of us, and also because we understand what the politicians fail to understand – namely, that this is, first and foremost, a spiritual battle.

May Almighty God grant us victory – a victory of peace with justice. Amen!

Posted in Social Comment | Tagged donald trump, Father Dave, Father Dave Smith, Iran, Israel, trump | Leave a comment

Why is Jesus so Offensive?!

Does God Really Bless the Poor? (Matthew 5:1-12)

They Thought They’d Joined the Resistance! (Matthew 4:12-23)

Why President Trump should be disinvited

Echoes of Peace for Palestine

Spiritual Dialogues: Tony Robbins meets the Author of Hebrews

Spiritual Dialogues: Tony Robbins meets the Author of Hebrews

Spiritual Dialogues: Maharishi Yogi meets Saint Paul

Spiritual Dialogues: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi meets Saint Paul

Enough is Enough – an Appeal to the UN regarding Israeli Military Aggression against Iran

What was REALLY Behind Trump’s Attack on Iran?

Search Articles / Sermons

Recent Articles

Categories

Our Sites