I would have blogged yesterday but I was flat on my back with a flu bug. Saturday we had a party for Elijah's fourth birthday. One or more of those little guest was a carrier. We all suffered some degree of gastrointestinal difficulty. For me, that part was minimal; I was just laid out. I was able to do my chores but I spent about twenty of twenty-four hours laying down. Today, I am much better.
Saturday night we attended a Solstice Party. It was great. We had a wonderful time. A conversation I had leads to this blogs discussion.
The question comes up; why God? What is behind the question? I can't get into the minds of all atheist, but as a one time atheist myself, I have some insight. Many are reacting to the punitive and illogical experience of religion and they have not reached the point of realizing there is little connection between God and religion.
Religion is always a man-made institution used to control the population. Since they are often based on a genuine "Teacher of God" they may carry some truth and there certainly are serious seekers among the adherents. I perceive the truth in the worlds major religions.
Religion as an institution has been used to control people in many ways. It often teaches us that body function are evil; that being in a body is an inherently negative thing. That God will punish you for wrongdoing. Not only punish you, but send you to hell for all eternity. Then they say, that the only way you can be saved, from this fate, is to adhere to their particular beliefs. If you are a sensitive soul, what refuge would you have besides atheism?
On top of this, religion purports God to be all loving and all forgiving. Huh, how does that fit with the paragraph above? I know there are religious group who base their beliefs only on Christ teaching and avoid the worst of these problems; but, even then guilt finds its way into the system.
One thing we need to realize is God did not make religion. The great spiritual teachers did not found any religions. They tried to teach us to love one another. That this life on Earth was largely illusionary and could be what we wanted it to be. They tried to express its transient nature and that we were eternal beings only having a brief sojourn on Earth.
I do not see how the logical mind can prove or disprove the existence of God. When I was an atheist I could not comprehend how people could believe that ethical behavior arose from religious belief. In my experience the most ethical people were the ones who were more apt to question the legitimacy of religion. Now, as I can view it from both sides, I don't think the question is relevant. We all carry the truth inside us {again a major teaching of the great ones}; we don't need religion to tell us what is right or wrong. We do know.
We will not solve the problem of the existence of God in the logical mind. At least not yet. We can pile up evidence on both sides, but never enough to overcome whatever your convictions are now. And why does it matter? If God doesn't exist; He/She isn't. If God does exist; He/She isn't concerned about your conclusions, because God is Unconditional Love and only wants what is best for you.
The logical mind is hopeless in solving the question of the existence of God. It is not a matter of belief, it is a matter of discovery. There is no need to believe in something you haven't discovered yet. If there is validity in the left brain/right brain dichotomy; it is definitely a right brained function. It is led by your intuition. Begin by asking yourself, "Who am I" "What am I doing here" "Do I have a purpose" As you can ask these question, without your logical mind kicking in, you will get answers. Over the centuries, meditation has been the commonest and most useful tool in seeking answers.
Using the word God can, itself, be a problem for some. Great Spirit, All There is, Unconditional Love, The Great Void, The Silence and many other words attempt to express the unexpressible.
Love and Peace, Gregg
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