A faulty conception of god
Have you ever considered or wondered if your religions’ conception of god might be faulty? You probably never have and I can understand how and why because religion after all is entrenched deeply into the psyche of its adherents such that their religion has become a part of their identity and anyone who dares challenge their belief instantaneously is perceived as an enemy or as godless
It is good I make clear from the outset, that my intention is not to pick a hole in your belief but rather to encourage you take a holistic view of teachings that has formed the basis and foundation of your religious belief thus far and to show you why an examination is deemed necessary.
God in the eye of the religious or the theistic god
Against this back drop I now proceed to make my case. A cursory look at theistic definition of god leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth as god is made out to be this angry and vicious entity who metes punishment, death, hex, curses etc. on those who dare disagree with him, this longstanding conception of god is faulty and is responsible for far more anguish in the world than one would like to admit. Even though religion has contributed towards socio-development of societies still the armies of god leave much sorrow and destruction in its wake.
We have had:
People commit heinous carnage chanting god’s name.
People promoting Political ideologies as gods will
Men kill other men to preserve dogmatic tenets; the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin comes to mind. The brutalities that religion and its fanatical adherents have wrought in god’s name are innumerous.
Religious people always claim how those in their rank who promote militant & political ideologies under the guise of religion are not true believers the question then is, what are the faithful moderates doing on their part to end this blight that threatens our peaceful co-existence and our humanity?
It is frighteningly disturbing that in the 21st century god’s children still hold onto dogmas that are clearly outdated and serve no meaningful purpose.
Given how man has progressively evolved over millennia by constantly improving upon all facets of existing systems of socio- cultural, geo-political, socio-economic etc. Is it then out of place to demand that adherent of faith based religions subject their dogmas, doctrines & texts to scrutiny and prune away elements of it that are insulting to the human intellect? Scrutiny of religious dogmas and doctrines will bring about a much needed reformation and possibly an understanding that scriptural stories are nothing more than allegories written by sages of old who understood that in preserving esoteric wisdom it was best to hide in it plain sight and hence employed a system of symbolic language to construct scriptural stories
For example the book of genesis is essentially the evolutionary unfoldment of man from infancy to maturity I cannot affirm the same for the Koran as it is widely known to be mostly plagiarized but deconstructing its message as myths will greatly help expunge some of its very archaic and backward preachment e.g. the treatment of women as inferior to men
Many religious people are quick to point to out how their belief or faith is a way of life and not a religion, and I argue that either way your conception of god is limiting. So if you believe or do any of the following you are religious:
If your concept of god is an external entity to whom you direct your prayers.
The dogmas or doctrine of your faith infers those outside your faith are inferior or are doomed to eternal condemnation
Your Faith pits you against other people of other faiths and belief
You believe your faith is superior or right and others are wrong and false
You are expected to conform to dogmas of your sect or faith
God takes side and can become angrily jealous and demands adulation
The notion that god has a polar opposite in the devil is ridiculous and childish. Literal rendition of any religious text is dangerous and must be avoided.
As earlier explained the intention is to provoke thinking and steer you towards self-driven emancipation and at this point I would recommend Charles Fillmore’s Mysteries of Genesis. I urge you to read it without judgement, laying your preconceived ideas aside for a moment. Take cognizance of the fact that a closed mind is reactive and an open mind responsive. I advise you do not react to the literature but respond honestly to the questions it will no doubt raise in your mind. Remember the mind like a parachute works only when open.
As a race of people we have made incredible progress since the earliest Homo sapiens arrived on the scene. We have through painstaking efforts inched our way through varied ages and lo! We have reached yet again a fundamental crossroad in our evolutionary journey. The future beckons we must hearken to it by exploring and harnessing the opportunities the technological age presents us; the expansive library of information this age provides must be used in constructive and meaningful ways accelerating our flow onto spheres and worlds of infinite possibilities.
What then is expected of us to set this new world into motion?
We must each examine what we swear allegiance to in the name of religion or faith and consciously acquire information that will help our collective emancipation from the clutch and grip of ignorance that threatens our humanity. Without the requisite knowledge we cannot launch the paradigm shift necessary to propel humanity to its next evolutionary leap. Each of us must rethink and reexamine our world-view, beliefs, dogmas, doctrines and the way we interpret them. Failure to explore and harness the opportunities present in our current age will basically undo the work of the many giants upon whose shoulders we stand. Our collective destiny is spiritual in its nature and nature itself earnestly awaits the manifestations of the sons of god.
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The mind is the final frontier
Thank you for reading
yeye
yeye
yeye is an agnostic pantheist who borrows a leaf from all known perennial wisdom traditions, a chela that drinks from the cups of wisdom presented by custodians of ancient traditions. She lives life on her terms.
