Tag Archives: enlightenment

Religion in Genealogy Part 5: Buddhists

Buddhists are followers of a variety of practices and beliefs known as Buddhism. Whether Buddhism is a religion or philosophy is controversial. Some sources say that to be a religion, there must be a belief and worship of a supernatural entity, which Buddhists do not have. Other sources describe religion as an organization that practices beliefs based on a higher power or ultimate truth. Buddhism is based on the latter. Buddhism can be traced back to circa 563 to 460 BCE (or BC) in what is now called Nepal. Siddhartha Gautama, who is more commonly referred to as the Buddha, … Continue reading →

The Acorn People – Ron Jones

“The Acorn People” is a novella based on the true experiences of the author, Ron Jones, who spent a summer shortly after his college graduation as a counselor at a youth camp. He’d had visions of spending his days basking on the beach with adoring children at his side, and he was not in any way emotionally prepared for what was to come. Camp Wiggins was a camp for handicapped children, and he had never worked with the handicapped before. In the first chapter, we see his initial reactions of revulsion. Some of the children smell, many drool, some don’t … Continue reading →

Star Gazing

Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, “When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” Adversity sometimes feels like it’s surrounding us, darkening our outlook, casting shadows on all that we once believed or hoped. But when we’ve survived enough of it, we are blessed with more and more enlightenment. I’ve always loved star-gazing. Astronomy-buffs know that when you’re really interested in viewing the heavens, you’ve got to go where it’s darkest. Perhaps the mountains, or the desert. You must escape “light pollution,” which is the haze created by the human race–our porch lights, store lights, street lamps, and glowing … Continue reading →

Reading for Spiritual Enlightenment

The story of how Joseph Smith came to pray in the Sacred Grove is commonly known among those of the LDS faith. For those who aren’t familiar with the story, I’ll summarize. It was a time of great religious upheaval in America. Many new churches had sprung up and families had to choose what to believe and where to worship. In some families, half chose one church and half another, causing rifts in homes. Joseph Smith, a young boy of fourteen, wanted to choose a religion, but he didn’t know which church to join. One night he was reading in … Continue reading →