|
Author's Statement of Purpose by the author of this website, John N. Todd III, M. D. (link)
Selected from the on-going INTERNET BOOK, "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" ( http://www.terrific-tabs.com )
"Doctored".... 10/00; 6/01; 8/01; 1/02; 2/02; 4/02; 5/02; 6/02; 7/02; 9/02; 10/02; 12/02; 1/03; 3/03; 5/03; 9/03; 11/03; 12/03; 2/04; 7/04; 8/04; 10/04; 1/05; 3/05; 5/05; 7/05; 11/05; 2/06; 3/06; 9/06; 11/06; 12/21/06 CLICK HERE for a related subject: "About the AUTHOR" SEE also: INTRODUCTION to this BOOK CLICK HERE to go to the "FRONT PAGE" of "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" CLICK HERE for ALPHABETICAL INDEX of this entire WEBSITE CLICK HERE to EMAIL your thoughts to the author ( jtoddiii@bellsouth.net )
I have NO interest in attempting to persuade anyone to "believe" as I believe. I am not generating this website on behalf of any sectarian group, or denomination. I am a physician.... not a preacher, priest, rabbi, or imam. I make no claim to have achieved special spiritual knowledge, or insight....and I have no illusions about having "all the answers"; or about having deciphered the "mind of God". My basic purpose in "documenting" my personal spiritual understanding (acquired and developed throughout a lifetime) is simply to express myself, for my own "reflection", and satisfaction.... and to share my thoughts and "conclusions" with those individuals who have been "given" to me.... and with those who are now (or will be) a part of my existence.... as time and life inexorably progress. I never "argue" or debate "religious" (spiritual) issues. In all parts of this website, I am simply expressing and sharing and documenting my own personal "decipherings". Over a period of many years .... dating back to before my college-days.... I have frequently raised questions, within myself, about certain "churchy" terms that I have heard over-and-over, in various churches, of differing denominations. For example, early in my religious "listening", I often heard mention of religious concepts such as the Gospel (link); and the Kingdom of God (link); the chosen (link); The Trinity (link); salvation (link); SIN (link); THE Church (link); sovereignty (link); Christian (link); judgement (link).... and on-and on. (See link: Author's Creed Index.) I frequently heard conflicting usages and "definitions" of these numerous "religious" terms. So, gradually, I embarked upon a lifelong personal study and search for further understanding of these very, very important spiritual concepts.... for my own edification and gratification. My purpose was, and is, to satisfy "me".... about these confusional "preachy" terms (still widely used and obfuscated in various pulpits).... rather than to "select", and to "accept", and to rely upon the claims of one-or-the-other of the world's innumerable frozen "religions".... to dictate to me the "conclusions" which other-humans have adamantly decided to be "the truth".... "the one way".... the "only" way.... to acceptance by Almighty God. (See link Rigid Doctrinism.) My spiritual searching, and my lifelong ongoing studies, and my personal contemplation, and my prayers.... led me to a degree of "spiritual" satisfaction, which I decided to record, as an unpublished "book".... "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets". ( A scholar once wrote, in Latin: "Scripta manent; verba volant".... meaning "Written words remain; spoken words fly away." So, I decided to put my thoughts into "written words".... so that my evolving personal conclusions would not "fly away".... or "evaporate" with the passage of time.) Therefore.... with the advent of computers, and word-processors, and the Internet.... a quick-and-easy and inexpensive way became available for me to "publish" my personal discoveries and beliefs. In 1998, a few years after my retirement from the practice of Internal Medicine, I decided to share my thoughts and understanding with others.... emphasizing "to share"; not "to debate".... via the Internet. Thus, with the use of the incredible, God-given, and marvelous Internet, I (like others) have had the luxury of being able to "publish", update, alter, edit, "doctor", supplement, and revise my thoughts.... easily and instantaneously.... at any time of the day or night. Hence, this book.... my "on-going, online Internet BOOK". I must state again.... I have no interest in trying to "convince" anyone.... especially my own family and friends.... to agree-with or "accept" my personal "conclusions". I do hope that our Creator has directed me in my studies, and in my "decipherings".... and in my written portrayal of that which I consider to be "spiritually correct". (A somewhat peripheral purpose in my writing all this, is to honor my parents -- who were dedicated and proper and loving human-beings who spent their lives helping to develop my brother (Alton B. Todd, my only sibling) and me. It is interesting to recall that my father [John Norton Todd Jr. -- 1896 -1978] frequently mentioned his desire to compose and document his "philosophy", which he referred to as "Toddalism". He and my brother and I frequently had discussions about life, and "political" matters, and religion, and spiritual understanding. My father.... a very intelligent and talented self-educated man.... unfortunately was never able to fulfill his desire to document his thoughts.... for, in his day, there were no "word-processors", with easy revising and editing.... and so, my very studious-but-unschooled father found himself unable to express himself easily and adequately, in written form. Perhaps, therefore, my developing this website will reflect at least a part of what my father "passed-on" to me. (See link, Remembering "GRAND".) (My well-educated mother [Alton Thomas Todd -- 1903 -1999] was a talented musician, in piano and organ. She taught piano; directed church-choirs; accompanied my father's professional singing; played the organ in a large Methodist church; gave highly-admired book-reviews; taught Sunday-school; professionally directed a "Youth Club" for underprivileged chlldren.... and served for several years as "Director of Religious Education" ["DRE"] at the First Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In her younger days, she played the piano at various "dancing schools", in Montgomery.... so as to supplement our family income. [I have seen her, on many occasions, walking to and from "dancing school", when we had no available car to transport her.]) My mother never attempted to instruct (force) my brother and me, "formally", in our religious beliefs and understanding.... although she routinely "trained" us, and guided us, by example. She instructed our family with the following "motto", which she wrote in my "autograph book" when I was 10 years old: "Success ends, when ambition dies". And so, my mother ("Mama T", as she was known to her grandchildren) remains a source of great comfort and remembrance, for me. Her thoughts and actions became a profoundly important part of me.) If there is still another motive in my writing about "religion" and "spiritual" matters, and about God-the-Creator.... that motive would be to expose -- and hopefully to lessen -- some of the almost-absurd denominational (doctrinal) squabbles, which hostilely separate loving-and-caring "Godspeople" from each other. (See link -- God's people.) (And, see link: Doctrinal Rigidity.) If anything I compose (or quote) in this website is beneficial to a reader who may be "searching" (as most of us humans are) for further spiritual understanding.... I am delighted to be able to share my thoughts, and my beliefs. A reader may copy or quote or print any part of this website, without restriction. As I state on the "FRONT PAGE" of this website, "No rights are reserved" (see link). My feeling is that even when a reader disagrees with my spiritual understanding -- that reader will perhaps benefit by solidifying his personal "spiritual" position -- when his own ideas and "beliefs" are evoked, within himself, for "internal" reflection.... and "debate". In other words.... if any thesis I express is "antithetical" to the doctrine of a reader, perhaps that reader will be able to augment his own spiritual thinking, by contrasting his opinions with mine. I prefer that a reader compose, and write, his own opinions.... for himself to save and read and "re-contemplate" -- and to share with others (including me).... rather than "critiquing" (or criticizing) my spiritual understanding, as documented in this "website". If a reader communicates his written opinions to others -- then all of us will grow in our pursuit of God's "TRUTH" (see link). (It disturbs me that some "church-goers" will never scrutinize or challenge or re-evaluate their own "beliefs", or their church's doctrinal "position"..... seemingly because of an almost "superstitious" dread that by spiritual "analyzing", they may be offending God, or "sinfully" questioning God.) Naturally, I do hope that there are those who will read my compositions and "conclusions", as expressed on these pages -- but my purpose is not to proselytize, or to "build temples", or to argue rigid "religious" principles. I believe that "church-building", and revelations of spiritual truth -- belong to God. God may "use" you and me -- but He does not need our "prodding" -- nor our assistance. ( See link: About the Author.) (See also: Personal beliefs of the author.) |