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I’m not selling anything except the idea of good will and peace. I’m not seeking donations - any contributions that are made will be used to the best of my ability to further spread the understanding of this message.
My name is Bill Rhoads.
I’m not a preacher. I’m not a politician.
I’m not selling anything except the idea of good will and peace. I’m not seeking donations - any contributions that are made will be used to the best of my ability to further spread the understanding of this message.
What I am is a highly concerned citizen of the United States, a husband, father, grandfather and friend. I'm also a Vietnam veteran and a messenger.
Through a message, I have been brought to the understanding that, in this world, man’s only possible path to peace (inner and outer), is through the Golden Rule - a concept that "Silly Man" has not yet learned to accept, although it's been around for more than 2000 years. I am here to pass "The Message" on to you.
First I want to thank Lisa Muriset - our able helper, Juanita Franklin - wise counselor of children, Rev. Alicia Riedy - our pastor and wonderful teacher, and Rose - my wife, helpmate and love for encouraging me and helping to start this blog.
The Golden Rule and variations of it go back more than 2000 years. It has been stated in the negative. “Do not do to anyone what you do not want done to you.” Jesus Christ stated it in the positive. “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Thoughts of the Rule probably have existed since the beginning of man’s interaction with man. I can envision early humans around the fire contemplating, on some level, the consequences of their actions on others and vice versa.
This Golden Rule is timeless and an essential part of all religious teachings, philosophies and man’s ethics. Its premise is the foundation of all human relationships and an inherent part of the structure of our American society. If followed, it requires us to consider others and how they will be affected by what we do and don't do. It encompasses all moral aspects of human relations. The Golden Rule is not weak, wimpy or teary-eyed. In fact, it is strong, forceful and demands personal control, conduct and responsibility to do what is right by its moral standard. It is a tough rule and it takes a lot of courage to even try to live by it. This rule is non-political. It is not liberal or conservative. It is neutral, honest and fair.
There are times when it's hard to know what is right or wrong in a given situation. Sometimes doing what is right is painful - but doing wrong intentionally is always painful. It is my hope that our discussions here will help those caught up in difficult circumstances make clearer and more moral decisions.
It is not my purpose here to attempt to explain or define the Golden Rule (although some of that becomes necessary). Most people can recite it and know what it means. But as one woman said to me, "I know it's right and it's easy to remember and say, but it's hard to live”. I believe that's well explained.
With that in mind and with the world population growing, cultures integrating and instant global communications, fairness and equality of treatment become more essential. We must find a way to live together peacefully or we will continue to try to destroy each other through war. The Golden Rule is that peaceful way! You might believe that the Golden Rule is a religious teaching, and it is, but consider this. Many atheists, including Benjamin Franklin, an undisputed wise man and one of our Founding Fathers, understood that religion and morality are essential to society. The Golden Rule is the basis of morality.
So my purpose is to:
First, bring this most important rule of life to the attention of as many people as possible.
Second, to bring about, through open and in depth discussion, acceptance and eventual adherence to it.
And third, to change the mindset of man from looking toward war to looking toward peace - from hate to love - from division and discord to unity and harmony – and from hopelessness to hope!
I believe that contributions and experiences shared by you and others in this blog will bring more understanding to all and especially encouragement to those who try to live by this Golden Rule. This is the only road I can see to peace and harmony with and in our world. How about you, see anything else?
Oh, if we could change the mindset of man - if we could only...
Don't write this off as childish nonsense - all things are possible when we decide they are! God wants us to live in peace. With God everything is possible.
Much the same as we must be concerned with the pollution of our planet, we must be concerned with learning to live together peacefully. Pollution of our planet occurs slowly, making it difficult to understand and recognize. We are only recently understanding man's contribution to pollution and its grave consequences. War, on the other hand, can happen quickly, is well understood and devastating. Man's history is written in war and it is spreading into all areas – fast and including to the U.S. mainland. Recently, we have developed the potential, through war, to quickly destroy our world society and possibly even mankind. Should war come about it can happen with little time for contemplation or preparation on the part of any citizens. So, much the same as with the pollution problem, we must begin now to learn, teach and live together peacefully before some catastrophic event occurs that sets society back a thousand years or possibly wipes out human existence. And, as with controlling pollution, we can't wait. Change of this magnitude is slow and takes generations. There is no time to leisurely consider changing our course. The consequences of inaction are too great. Our course change must be clear, swift and now, before it's too late. During this process we must continually keep our military and defense capabilities strong and ready, should they be required.
We must demand that leaders focus on morality as opposed to power and retention of power. We must teach our children, early, at home and in school, that it's right to be moral - that it's right to be fair and honest - that it's right to live by the Golden Rule and that it's right to treat others the way we want to be treated. We must demand and expect responsibility for what we and others do and don’t do morally. We must discuss and emphasize morality and the Golden Rule continuously - so we don't forget. It is not possible to pass laws that control every aspect of morality - nor should we try. Therefore, morality must be taught from the formative years of childhood. The Golden Rule is the way God commands, and the way man instructs us to live.
Following is "The Message", an explanation of the circumstances under which I received it and what we have done, so far, to deliver it.
Late at night in 2008 while I was brushing my teeth getting ready for bed, I heard a clear voice say to me, “The United States will soon face great trials and struggles that will threaten our existence. We will come through alright if we adhere to the Golden Rule.”
I believe that was the voice of God. I was told to pass this message on to those who would “hear”.
I immediately told my wife, Rose, but otherwise kept the message to myself for two to three years. At first, I was in shock, at having received “The Message”. Then I was afraid for my country and afraid to expose myself to the doubt and ridicule I knew would follow if I shared it. My faulty reasoning told me that I couldn’t know who would “hear” and that I wouldn’t be believed if someone did “hear”. I told myself that if I were not believed, “The Message” certainly would not be believed. In fact, I was disobeying God! But “The Message” would not let me rest. I thought and prayed about it constantly. Eventually, I sought advice from several trusted pastors and close religious friends and asked them what I should do. I was told what I already knew: I must do God’s Will. In time, and with the help of others I developed the courage to share “The Message” openly. With Rose’s help, we twice sent it (2011 & 2016) to over 600 people including our President, his cabinet, the entire Congress, Supreme Court Justices, governors, mayors of major cities, some nationally known celebrities and religious leaders. Reply was minimal. We also started passing out “The Message” to friends and acquaintances. I wrote a song about it and have performed it in churches and at various events at which I have spoken. On March 23, 2015, Rose sent “The Message” to Pope Francis. In his speech to our US Congress, September 2015, he quoted the Golden Rule and added: “Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated…the yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us…”. We continue our campaign to deliver "The Message" and have hired a part-time assistant to help us.
That’s my story about “The Message”. I pray that you will “hear” this Message and share your experiences, responses and ideas with us.
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