MANY PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME JUST WHAT MY RELIGION AND BELIEFS ARE. SO, I HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE SOME TIME AND TELL YOU ABOUT MYSELF AND HOW I GOT TO WHERE I AM IN MY BELIEF SYSTEM RIGHT NOW.
ACTUALLY I WAS BAPBTIZED CATHOLIC AT THE AGE OF TWO MONTHS OLD. NOW IF YOU THINK THAT IMPARTED ANY WISDOM ABOUT MY RELIGION PLEASE THINK AGAI. HOWEVER IT DID SERVE TO MAKE MY PARENTS FEEL BETTER. AFTER ALL THEY WERE BEING TOLD THAT IF GOD FORBID SOMETHING HAPPENED AND I DIED BEFORE BAPBTISM I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO ENTER HEAVEN SINCE I HAD INHERITED ORIGINAL SIN FROM ADAM. I WAS RAISED AS A CATHOLIC, SORT OF. MY PARENTS WENT TO CHURCH SPORADICALLY AND AT SUCH TIMES I WAS TAKEN ALONG TO LEARN WHAT I COULD. DURING THIS TIME OF CHILDHOOD I ALSO WENT TO SEVERAL OTHER DENOMINATIONS OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES. USUALLY THIS WAS WHEN ONE OR ANOTHER WAS HAVING A SUMER BIBLE SCHOOL AND IT GOT ME OUT OF THE HOUSE FOR AWHILE, OR WHEN ONE OR ANOTHER OF MY RELATIVES TOOK ME ALONG WITH THEM TO THEIR CHURCH. NEEDLESS TO SAY MY RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING WAS NOT REALLY VERY STRONG. WHEN I ENTERED THE SEVENTH GRADE MY PARENTS DECIDED THAT I SHOULD GO TO A CHATHOLIC SCHOOL AND SO I ATTENDED IT FOR BOTH THE 7TH AND 8TH GRADES. DURING THESE TWO YEARS I CAUGHT UP ON ALL THAT I HAD MISSED AS A YOUNG CHILD AND SOME THAT I COULD HAVE CONTINUED TO MISS WITHOUT COMPLAINT. BE THAT AS IT MAY, I BECAME VERY DEVOUT AND EVEN DECIDED THAT I HAD A CALLING TO BECOME A PRIEST. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME I HAVE AN INQUISITIVE MIND AND QUESTIONED TOO MANY THINGS INCLUDING WHY PEOPLE WERE INCOURAGED TO FOLLOW THE CATHOLIC DOGMA WITHOUT ACTUALLY READING THE BIBLE. NEEDLESS TO SAY NOT GETTING ANSWERS WHICH WOULD SATISFY ME LED TO MY NOT ONLY NOT BECOMING A PRIEST, BUT IN EVENTUALLY LEAVING THE CHURCH ALTOGETHER. FROM TIME TO TIME I WOULD TRY OTHER DENOMINATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY, BUT ALL OF THEM LEFT ME WITH MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS. IN TIME THIS LED TO MY BECOMING AN ATHIEST. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME THIS DIDN'T HOLD ANY ANSWERS EITHER. ALL IT LEFT ME WITH WAS THE SAME QUESTIONS, BUT STILL NO ANSWERS AS I JUST COULDN'T WRAP MY MIND AROUND THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING AROUND ME JUST HAPPENED BY CHANCE. THIS LED ME TO START STUDYING MANY FORMS OF PAGANISM. I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT THERE ARE VERY FEW OF THE ANCIENT RELIGIONS, BOTH ALIVE NOW AND DEAD THAT I HAVE NOT STUDIED AT LEAST A SMATTERING OF. STILL, WORSHIPING OTHER GODS WAS AS HARD FOR ME AS WORSHIPING THE CHRISTIAN GOD. I NEEDED SOME KIND OF PROOF THAT THEY ACTUALLY EXISTED AND HAD SOME DESIGN FOR MY LIFE. I STILL STUDY MANY FORMS OF RELIGION SIMPLY BECAUSE I LOVE TO LEARN. BUT THE BEST TRAINING THAT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED CAME IN THE FORM OF ONE OF THE SMARTEST MEN I HAVE EVER KNOWN AND HE HAD NO RELIGOUS CREDENTIALS WHATSOEVER. INSTEAD HE TAUGHT ME AN EASTERN PHYLOSOPHY THAT HE FOLLOWED. I STUDIED WITH HIM FOR MANY YEARS UNTIL HIS DEATH AND FINALLY LEARNED WHAT FOR ME HAS BEEN A WAY TO ACCEPT ALL RELIGIONS. HE TAUGHT ME SIMPLY THAT ALL GODS AND GODDESSES, OR ENERGIES, OR WHATEVER YOU WISH TO CALL THEM COME FROM THE SAME PLACE, BUT ARE SIMPLY INTERPRETED BY EACH INDIVIDUALS AS THEY ARE ABLE TO HANDLE THEM. HE ALSO SHOWED ME THAT ALL RELIGIONS HAVE BASIC PRECEPTS THAT PRECLUDE DOING WRONG OR HURTING OTHERS. IT IS UP TO EACH OF US TO DECIDE IN OUR HEARTS WHAT NOT DOING WRONG MEANS. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME NO RELIGION HOLDS THE TRUE KEY TO THIS AS RELIGIONS ARE CONTROLLED BY MEN AND INTERPRETED BY THOSE SAME MEN TO MEAN WHAT THEY WANT THEM TO MEAN. SO I HAVE HAD TO LEARN TO LOOK INSIDE OF MY OWN HEART AND SOUL FOR THE INTERPRITATIONS THAT WORK FOR ME. IS THERE A MEANING AND PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE? I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS, BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT I MUST CONTINUE TO STUDY EVERYTHING I CAN AND GROW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO FIND THAT MEANING AND EVEN THEN AS I CONTINUE TO GROW MY INTERPRITATIONS CHANGE. THROUGHOUT MY STUDIES I HAVE BECOME ORDAINED BY BOTH THE UNIVERSAL LIFE CHURCH AS WELL AS THE CHURCH OF THE SEVEN PLANES. I HAVE ALSO LED SEVERAL ONLINE COVENS FROM TIME TO TIME. I HAVE STUDIED MANY COURSES AND CONTINUE TO AND HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL DEGREES, SOME EARNED AND SOME HONORARY. I AM AT THIS TIME STUDYING THE APOCHRYPHAL ACTS OF THE APOSTLES WHICH I WILL BE POSTING ON THIS SITE AS I FIND IT VERY INTERESTING IF NOT ALL OF IT TRUE. SORRY BUT I FIND SUCH THINGS AS PAUL BABPTIZING A LION AT THE LION'S REQUEST A BIT HARD TO SWOLLOW. THERE ARE HOWEVER MANY ELEMENTS THAT I FEEL CAN HELP PEOPLE TO GROW. I AM ALSO STUDYING A COURSE CALLED SPIRIT EXPRESS WHICH IS A YEAR LONG COURSE,BUT I HIGHLY RECCOMEND IT. IT HAS OPENED MY EYES TO VERY MANY THINGS WHICH I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF BEFORE. IT IS A VERY POPULAR COURSE AS SO FAR WELL OVER 1,000 PEOPLE HAVE REGISTERED FOR IT AND IT WILL TRULY TEACH YOU TO SEARCH YOUR SOUL AS YOU LEARN. UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT POST THE CONTENTS HERE AS THE COURSE IS COPYRIGHTED, BUT IT IS WELL WORTH THE LITTLE AMOUNT THAT IT COSTS TO TAKE IT. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT IT SIMPLY CLICK ON THE LINK I HAVE PROVIDED ABOVE. I AM SO HAPPY WITH IT IN FACT THAT I WILL MOST LIKELY BE ADDING A LINK ON OUR HOMEPAGE. OF COURSE I AM ALSO CONSTANTLY STUDYING OTHER THINGS AS I COME UPON THEM, BUT THESE ARE THE TWO THINGS WHICH I AM STUDYING IN DEPTH AT THE MOMENT. SO I GUESS THAT IF I HAVE TO DEFINE MY RELIGION I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT I AM A CHRISTIAN PAGAN WHO IS ACCEPTING OF ALL RELIGIONS AND TEACHINGS AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT FOLLOW A PROFILE OR TEACHING OF HATE OR DEMEANING ANY OTHERS, BUT I AM CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AND SO ARE MY BELIEFS, SO IF YOU ASK ME TOMORROW MY ANSWER MAY CHANGE. I HOPE THAT THIS WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT ME, BUT IF NOT THEN PLEASE BY ALL MEANS FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL ME AND ASK. I WILL DO MY UTMOST TO ANSWER AS WELL AS i CAN.
IN LOVE AND LIGHT,
BISHOP TOM