Each religion approaches the divine in a unique way. Here are ten universal paths practiced by devotees to find God and connect with the higher self.

Every path to God is a personal experience, a private journey. No one path is inherently superior, as all paths to God are valid and useful.
Jesus said, “I and the Father are One.” (John 10:30) Humans and God are one. As devotees draw nearer and nearer to God, the ultimate goal is to merge with the Divine in an intimately spiritual union. Sri Ramana Maharishi, the famous Indian guru who achieved enlightenment at the age of 16, asserts, “God, Guru, and the Self are the same.” (p. 10, Erase the Ego)
Meditation as a Means to Draw Near to God
When a devotee quiets the mind, the inner voice can be more easily heard and heeded. Meditation allows for the cultivation of the state of mind needed to achieve enlightenment.
Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and other religions use meditation as a means to quiet the inner chatter and hear the voice of God, or the wisdom of the Higher Self.
Prayer as a Communication and Primary Path to God
Prayer can take many forms, including recitation of a mantra or repetitions with a rosary. Prayer can be a silent plea to the universe or a specific, intimate dialog with a personal, living God.
Prayer can involve specific requests of God or the Universe; expressions of appreciation for blessings; and communications of thanks, or cries for help.
Temporary Vow of Silence to Find the Higher Self and God
Silence does not just involve resting the vocal cords. Many religions advocate silent retreats, such as Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists.
Ritual silence can be used as a religious tool to quiet the mind to a deeper level than a meditative session. Silence is a disciplined, unique way to connect with the Higher Self and with God.
Yoga as a Discipline to Reconnect the Mind, Body, and Spirit With God
This ancient discipline is a subtle yet powerful path to God. The root word “yuj” means “to join, to yoke, to concentrate one’s attention.”
According to the Sanskrit Glossary of Yogic Terms, yoga is “a method of practice leading to conscious union of the human being (atman) with the universal existence of Brahman.” Brahman is the Hindu Trinity Godhead, similar to Christianity’s concept of the Holy Trinity. (Yoga Publications Trust, 2007)
Tithing and Offerings to God
Flowers, money, and personal sacrifice (as Catholics practice during Lent) are all examples of devotees’ external expressions of offering a part of themselves. Devotion is expressed through offerings, gift giving, giving of oneself. Tithing and offerings are expressions of love.
Acts of Kindness and Compassion as an Expression of the Divine
Jesus preached the importance of loving others, including it as one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses. The Dalai Lama teaches that compassion can be learned, and calls all who wish to achieve enlightenment to practice compassion.
Forgiveness is a supreme act of compassion, and also shows emotional and spiritual maturity. To forgive is divine, and is one way to draw closer to God.
Study of the Holy Texts Illuminate the Path to God
The Jewish religion emphasizes study as a means to understand and draw nearer to God. Christians study the Bible, revering the sacred text as a manifestation of God Himself: “And the Word became flesh…” (John 1:14)
Healthy Love of Self and Emotional Maturity as a Path to God
If God and the Self are the same, then a healthy love of self is absolutely necessary in spiritual growth, devotion to and love of God. Healthy love of oneself is a step in reconnecting to the Higher Self and emotional maturity allows for synthesis of mind, body and spirit.
Ethical Decisions Draw the Righteousness Near to God
Ethics does not involve right vs. wrong or good vs. evil, but rather entails a consistency of moral code. While some religions may differ on ideas and philosophies of morality, ethics and righteousness prove a powerful path to God, as a disciplined approach to what one believes is right.
Rituals as an Outward Expression of Devotion and Commitment to God
Pagans, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others all practice religious rituals. Culturally, humans crave ritual to give order and increase meaning to outward acts of devotion. Rituals can provide structure and discipline to devotion. Some use rituals as a tangible lifeline that leads directly to God.
Devotees can use one, several, or all of these paths to God and to the Higher Self. For example, japa mala combines ritual with prayer and meditation.
Just as seekers approach the study of the Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, from different angles, so the seeker can approach and ultimately unite with the Divine, the One God, the Higher Self, or the Universe using any of these valid and powerful paths.

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That by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and by asking for forgiveness of their sins, the Gift of Salvation is there and waiting for them. No one knows the day or the time that our Lord Jesus will come to take up His Church. But wouldn’t you want to be ready? Or for that matter, for your loved ones to be ready, whether it is in this lifetime or not? Whether we have to suffer through the tribulation or not, why take the risk? Do you understand the risk of not accepting the Gift of Salvation? I will tell you:

“YOU RUN AN ETERNAL RISK OF BEING SEPARATED FROM GOD FOREVER.”

I, like many of you, have heard about and wondered about “The Rapture” of Christ’s faithful followers. Many believe that this day will come after certain events have taken place, some believe not at all in our lifetime. My own personal belief has been that the Rapture would take place once the Antichrist had shown his power to the world and after the beast had made his mark on humanity, sometime after the Tribulation. The Tribulation or “Great Tribulation” is an event referred to in the New Testament of the Bible in Matthew 24:21 (KJV and other passages): “For then shall be great tribulation…”

When I was a baby, I was baptized and grew up in the Methodist Church. I was confirmed in the Lutheran Church at the age of 30, but did not truly accept Christ until the age of 40, when I was at an all time low in my life. At the age of 44, I was water-baptized in the Pentecostal Church, and have learned to lean on God in all of my circumstances. So basically, what I am saying is, if you understand how detrimental it would be, to be separated from God, no matter what religion you are – but do not share this wisdom with your loved ones, you run the risk of THEM being separated from God FOREVER. It is in everyone’s best interest to open his or her heart to God and listen, and/or open the Bible and read.

MY READING SUGGESTION:

FIRST: Study the book of John, then Romans and then Matthew. If you have trouble understanding the Bible, try reading the New Living Translation (NLT) or the New International Version (NIV).

Scripture Indicating the Return of Jesus Christ:

Matthew 24: 23-31 (NIV), Matthew 24: 36-44 (NIV), 1 Corinthians 15: 51-57 (NIV), 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 (NLT)

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Learn about ancient mythology surrounding the modern Easter holiday.

Easter, to Christians around the world, is known as the sacred day that Jesus was resurrected three days after being crucified. Easter is a special day for Christians and probably their most holy celebratory day next to Christmas, which celebrates Jesus’ birth.
Is Easter a day that began with Christianity? How long has it been celebrated and where did it come from?
Ostara: The Norse Goddess of Fertility
To ancient Anglo-Saxon Pagans, Ostara (also called “Eostre”) was the Great Mother Goddess, responsible for the earth’s fertility. In other words, Ostara decided whether to bless the land with new growth and healthy crops. Any deity possessing such power would have been quite special to early agricultural societies, representing the difference between feast or famine.
Deities that represented fertility were revered and celebrated year round, but most of their honor was centered around Spring, in hopes that they would bless the land. Ostara lent her name to the modern celebration of Easter, but she wasn’t the only deity celebrated in ancient times for fertility. A few of the others were:
· Aphrodite in ancient Cyprus
· Ashtoreth in ancient Israel
· Hathor in ancient Egypt
· Kali in India
Some of the Norse mythological symbols connected with Ostara are the rabbit and the egg; the rabbit for its prolific reproduction and the egg as an over-all symbol of reproduction and fertility.
Cybele and Attis : A Phrygian Fertility Goddess and her Lover
In Phrygia (modern day Turkey), the goddess Cybele was worshiped as a fertility goddess. To shorten a very long myth that varies in the telling by region, Cybele fell in love with Attis, who was said to be born of a virgin on December 25.
Attis, already smitten over another woman rejected Cybele. In a jealous rage, Cybele made Attis turn mad; he then killed himself.
Cybele is grief stricken and carries the body of Attis to her cave, where he lies dead as he visits the underworld. On the third day, Cybele brings Attis back to life.
From the myth of Cybele and Attis, came yearly rituals to purify the body of Attis, taking place in the period between March 22 and March 25.
Modern Easter Celebrations
Most historians believe that the story of Attis was the inspiration for the story of Jesus. As times change, myths, stories, rituals and celebrations change with it to represent the needs of the people. It is probable that when humans began to have an understanding of science and weather, that the need for fertility deities diminished, leaving Attis to evolve in Jesus without Cybele.
The story of Attis and Cybele, combined with the Anglo-Saxon view of the pantheon meshed together in early Christianity to form the modern Christian story of Easter.
A Historical View of the Origins of Easter
This brief summaries here of the stories of Ostara, Cybele and Attis are just a small part of what we know about the Origins of Easter. The rest of the stories are quite interesting. View the sources on this page to learn more about this fascinating subject.
Sources:
ReligiousTolerance.org

Many traditions have been adopted in the celebration of Christmas. The decoration of a tree is one that goes back centuries. Germany is the country credited for starting the tradition of the Christmas tree and is a custom dating back as far as the sixteenth century. It is well documented that Queen Victoria’s beloved husband, Albert made the decorated Christmas tree fashionable when he introduced the custom to Windsor Castle from his native Germany, although the tradition had been observed by German families living in Britain for sometime prior to that
The Roman Festival of Saturnalia
Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a festival called Saturnalia. The feast was held in honour of the god of agriculture, Saturnus.
During this festival, houses were decorated with evergreens and traditional gifts were exchanged. These were coins to bring prosperity, pastries and cake for happiness and lamps to light the way on the journey of life.
The Christmas Tree and the Holy Family
As with many other traditions and customs, there are a number of stories associated with the Christmas tree, several of which date back as far as the time of Christ.
Legend tells how the Holy family were travelling to Egypt when they hid in a clump of cedar trees in an attempt to avoid King Herod’s men. In an effort to hide the family from view the trees miraculously sprouted needles and their berries turned from white to blue to allow Mary’s robe to blend in. From that day forward, evergreens, as we know this type of tree, have kept their foliage and colour all year round, and it is said that if you cut a pine cone length ways you will see the tiny imprint of the Christ child’s hand in its flesh.
Martin Luther and the Christmas Tree
Two slight variations of another story tell how Martin Luther was returning home after a sixteenth century Christmas Eve service. One version tells how he was so overcome with the beauty of starlight glistening in the icicles like diamonds hanging from an evergreen tree that he cut down a small tree and took it home.
It’s believed that Luther decorated the tiny tree with candles because it reminded him that Jesus was the light of the world. The second version differs slightly, in as much as Martin Luther was overcome at the sight of thousands of stars twinkling through the foliage of the evergreens.
Modern Christmas Trees
Christmas trees have been a tradition in Germany as far back as the 16th century. Families would place an evergreen tree in their homes and decorate it with food, small toys and paper decorations.
By the middle of the century Christmas markets were a regular occurrence. Here it was possible to purchase anything that was needed for the Christmas festival, from the goose for the feast to decorations, including tinsel. Tinsel was invented in Germany around 1610 and until the mid-20th century real silver was used having been pulled into wafer thin strips.
Today in Britain, the Norway spruce, which was the traditional choice for a Christmas tree, has competition from a number of evergreens grown for their colour, fragrance and ability to retain their needles.Examples of these include Balsam Fir and Colorado Blue Spruce. But whatever the choice of tree, whether it be a traditional ‘live’ tree or an artificial variety it is traditionally the focus point of many households over the Christmas period.
Sources:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
National Cristmas Tree Growers Association Christmastree.org.types
History Channel online
Christmastree.com/where
Christmasiscoming.co.uk
ChristmasArcives.com

With the commercialisation of Christmas, gifts are often elaborate and expensive. This hasn’t always been the case.

Part of the joy and beauty of a Christmas tree is the pile of presents placed beneath the branches. The tradition of gift giving at this time of year dates back to the Roman era and the festival of Kalends, which fell on the first of January.
Roman GIfts to Honour the Emperor
Officials of the Roman administration were expected to offer gifts known as Strenae to the Emperor during the festival of Kalends. Originally, the gifts were simpley branches cut from the evergreens growing in the grove of the goddess Strenia, but over time the gifts became more formal presents.
The Emperor Caligula, not renowned for his rational behaviour, declared that Roman officials and visiting dignitaries present him with gifts. Indeed, like an impatient child, Caligula is reported to have stood at the door of his palace, waiting for the officials to arrive with their gifts.
Mindful of the Emperor’s reputation, the dignitaries began to bring more than branches cut from the Olive grove, they brought gifts of cake and honey to symbolise a forth coming year full of sweetness, and gifts of gold, symbolising prosperity. On more than one occasion Caligula showed his displeasure if the gift wasn’t to his liking, Unfortunately for the gift giver, it often ment paying with his life! Fortunately, with the advent of the return/exchange policy of most shops, nowadays the gift giver isn’t risking their life in their present is inappropriate it can easily be returned.
The Christmas Festival
Traditionally, for Christians, the Christmas festival is a celebration of the birth of Christ and the giving and receiving of gifts originally symbolised the gifts brought by the wise men, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The word Christmas is believed to come from the old English ‘Criste Maesse’ which means the Mass of Christ.
The origins of the bringer of Christmas gifts, such as Father Christmas and Santa Claus, dates back to 300 AD with the birth of Saint Nicholas of Myra, (part of modern day Turkey). Nicholas joined the priesthood at 17 years of age. He was renowned for his kindness, both to children and adults alike.
One story tells of how a young girl could not marry her sweetheart as her family were poor and could not provide a dowry. One evening Nicholas spotted the girl hanging her stockings in front of the fire to dry them. Rather than cause embarrassment by offering to pay the dowry, Nicholas climbed onto the roof and gently dropped gold coins down the chimney into the stockings.