God

God and feta cheese

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Can God Seeker Guy develop a kinder, gentler approach to religion in the new year? While he would like to soften his approach in his search and perhaps become more open in his thinking, to date he has found little or no encouragement to do so. But let’s give it a try.

Most of the worlds people adhere to some kind of religion, so there must be something that causes them to believe in the divine. What is it? I have no idea, however here is my best guess.

The human ego demands that there be something more to life than work, play, sleeping and shrimp cooked with tomatoes, onions and covered in Feta cheese. Do you as believers need religion just to get through the day or is your faith an honest effort to understand yourselves as a Homo Sapiens? You tell me!

Most religious adherents appear to believe blindly, which becomes apparent  when trying to engage in religious conversation. In depth religious dialogue is rare, rigid opinions and bizarre explanations are the norm.

“The most obvious answers is that we never have to choose…”

To be sure there are those who genuinely try to explain their faith. For example, the Mormons are very patient and never raise their voice in a conversation about their faith. Many Muslim acquaintances have proven to be very intelligent and are much more tolerant than the media suggests.

While the Jewish community is less inclined to explain itself, and has difficulty separating religion from politics, we should remember that all of the great religions are born of the Jewish faith.

So what to believe? What to embrace as a lifelong guide? The most obvious answers is that we never have to choose, we are born with our religion and for the most part die with it.

If born in a Christian country to Christian parents does that make one a Christian? If so then religion is simply an accident of birth and geography. There is nothing divine in that, nothing supernatural, it is a fluke of nature. If there is only one right faith then the Almighty should have done a much better job of explaining himself, thus we could have avoided a great deal of human misery.

GSG (God Seeker Guy)

Oh hell!

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“There are degrees of punishment in Hell depending on the severity of the offense.” (Lk. 12:47-48).

This quote from Luke is very reassuring to those of us who have taken the odd fall in the sinning dept. It’s good to know that a small lapse in judgment while briefly coveting a neighbors spouse will not elicit the same punishment as the serial killer, or maybe it will, we’re not really clear on that point.

Apparently we are born sinners, guilty before proven innocent, condemned before the crime is even committed. Many live in fear of retribution from some unseen entity, a tool created by humans to put the fear of God into other humans. What was perhaps a simple control mechanism designed by the likes of Moses when he downloaded his commandments from the cloud, has evolved into a universal tool for manipulation of the faithful.

“How can we believe in genetics, the cosmos and the merits of tofu and still adhere to directives concocted at a time when few people could even read or write.”

We can free ourselves from fear and self-loathing by simply recognizing that man created God, not the other way around. That religion was simply an uninformed effort to understand science and is fast losing its relevance.

How can we believe in genetics, the cosmos and the merits of tofu and still adhere to directives concocted at a time when few people could even read or write. If education had not been controlled by the church it’s demise would have come much sooner.

Civil law keeps us in order, the fear of a parking ticket is more powerful than the fear of punishment  in Hell, at least on a day to day basis. It is indeed a tragedy that many of us live in fear of vengeance in an afterlife.

To be sure humans crave something bigger than ourselves for guidance, but do we need an all-powerful somewhat miserable God? Author Stephen Prothero talks about history’s most dangerous idea “that human beings can solve the human problem on our own without recourse to God or divine revelation.”

The bible of course has an answer- ” I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon, let us take our fill of love until the morning.”  (Proverbs  7:17-18 )  – just be careful who you’re coveting.

 GSG (God Seeker Guy)

Fried scientist!

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Catherine Fahringer was an American activist born in 1922 who campaigned for the separation of church and state in the United States. She once observed that: “We would be 1,500 years ahead if it hadn’t been for the church dragging science back by its coattails and burning our best minds at the stake.”

“Good news indeed, it was well worth the wait to have science confirmed by faith.”

Arguably the most famous example of the Christian church’s ignorance in regards to science is the story of Galileo. More than 350 years after the Roman Catholic Church condemned Galileo, it has now admitted that it was in error and after a thirteen year investigation, accepted that Galileo was correct in his assertion that the earth revolves around the sun.

Good news indeed, it was well worth the wait to have science confirmed by faith. Of course, it’s a bit late for all those brilliant minds that didn’t have the foresight to keep quiet about their discoveries.

Religions the world over cling to ancient beliefs that are becoming ever more redundant in a world that demands basic proof such as that which can be provided by science. The generations to come will no doubt be ‘dragged back by their coattails’ but technology will surely demand that those doing the dragging be held accountable for their conduct.

Science is now close to proving that the concept of God as we teach it is obsolete. Yet, even now, the churches of the world are denying what will no doubt be confirmed by scientists in the years to come—that God needs a makeover. While burning at the stake is no longer available, the intent is still present in the church in the form of intellectual persecution.

It’s time for future  generations to take the lead, and use the science and technology readily available to bring church leaders to accountability. If churches are half empty as one reader discovered over Christmas, that may well be a good sign. It does not mean God is dead, as she notes, but perhaps we have decided to look elsewhere to fill the god gap.

-GSG (God Seeker Guy)

Godless guy?

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Finding a place in the religious realm is not impossible, however  to resolve the issues inherent in searching for faith, surely we must keep an open mind. God Seeker Guy has been accused many times of being godless, however there are some diehards  who claim he is spiritual under the sarcastic façade. We shall see.

If we have the rare option of choosing our faith rather than having one thrust upon us at birth, we have a daunting task ahead. All of the world religions demand attention and thoughtful inquiry.

“Blind faith is embraced when logic is abandoned…”

It has been said extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. While some of us claim to make a great soufflé – an extraordinary claim indeed-  the proof can be found in the oven, proof of God must be found  elsewhere.  While there are many recipes for the Divine, how we collect and combine the ingredients will determine whether we create a useful product.

Faith is a strange thing, we’re often reminded that we must believe that our children love us, we must have faith. However this is a love that can be confirmed when we see the smile on their faces when we give them money. God also needs huge amounts of money, but it never seems to be enough and smiles from God are difficult to elicit, wrath is more common.

Blind faith is embraced when logic is abandoned so there must be better arguments for belief than those offered by most religions.

As W.C.Fields once put it: “Everybody’s got to believe in something. I believe I’ll have another beer.”

-GSG (God Seeker Guy)

‘Tis the season to be wise!

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New! New! New! Buy! Buy! Buy! If there is such a thing as an antichrist, surely he sits on a board of directors of some consumer oriented conglomerate. God Seeker Guy has come to the conclusion that we’re lost in a wilderness of blatant consumerism and need to find our way to a more frugal lifestyle. Perhaps we simply need to learn the meaning of contentment.

The real evil of consumerism, is the manner in which it keeps us dissatisfied with what we already have. The Christmas season is particularly wrought with danger as we’re often forced into buying indiscriminately or even in panic mode, every corporations idea of heaven.

Even though we are buying for others at this time of year, and of course our hearts are in the right place, we might consider if the expenditures on items willingly provided by well-lit malls is necessary to celebrate Christmas? Far more of us attend the malls than attend church. What does that tell you?

Shopping has become a new religion, it seems to fill the needs of  shoppers that cannot be met anywhere else. Even buyer’s remorse is not a strong enough motivation to stop a process that many need to find quasi contentment.

Genuine contentment is hard to find when we’re constantly reminded that our stuff is out of date. The latest toy is a must have as is the latest gadget, our clothes are out of style and Fred next door makes more money . (There is always a Fred around, but quite often he is on the threshold of bankruptcy and his BMW is on the verge of repossession.) Be careful who you try to measure up to, you may wind up living another person’s lie, a lesson learned by many congregations after their church leaders were arrested for fraud or other nasty crimes.

A lack of contentment appears to have gripped our relationships, companions and mates are replaced with the same regularity as our latest gizmo. The quality of just about everything is determined by short time spans, new is the god of modern times.

Most of us have what we need to be content, but it’s difficult to recognize it through the fog of relentless advertising and peer pressure. What’s the point of owning a high definition TV when your life is so low definition you can’t see clearly?

-GSG (God Seeker Guy)

 

 

 

God and dodo birds

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Author Stephen Prothero talks about history’s most dangerous idea “that human beings can solve the human problem on our own without recourse to God or divine revelation.”

Can we in fact do without religious faith as we know it? probably not, but why? If religion is merely an uninformed effort to understand science, why are we still in the clutches of religious dogma seventy thousand years after the beginning of the cognitive revolution.

It looks very much like there is a desperate need deep within the human condition that craves for some kind of religious experience. Perhaps we just need someone to be in charge, someone or something to do our thinking for us, so we can go to the game or hang out in the pub without concern for the truth.

Man’s conceit demands there be more to life than our assigned number of heart beats.If we’re so eager to embrace some kind divine revelation, why do we waste so much time, energy and human life squabbling over who or what is  the correct form. Maybe the Greeks had it right and we’re just playthings to be forsaken when the gods get bored, like the Dodo Bird and Thylacine (look it up!)

-GSG ( God Seeker Guy)

 

Divine defects

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Why are we here? Is the human condition important? The answer of course is yes, we’re obliged to think so or we would have difficulty getting up in the morning to make coffee. The gods, however, could have done a much better job of constructing humans. We rust very quickly, most of us non-ecclesiastics are flawed, and few of us can resist the evils of jam-filled doughnuts.

Nietzsche said “woman was God’s second mistake” – meaning of course that man was his first. If God was just practicing when creating man, his efforts backfired. He should have given Noah plans for a leaky boat and left the planet in peace.

After Eve’s epic picnic with Adam, the human race has endured a rocky relationship with the divine. We struggle constantly to measure up, but never seem to satisfy the demands of our heavenly hosts. To be sure, we are not perfect, but if the gods created us, they should take some responsibly for their flawed design instead of blaming us for their faulty workmanship.

Although we all eventually end up at the return counter, in the interval, it seems we’re obliged to endure endless reminders that we are failing at the herculean task of being human.

-GSG (God Seeker Guy)

Poisoned fruit

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“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”

Granted Nietzsche was probably a manic depressive lunatic, but he did make a few good observations, this is one of them.

The western world has become so ‘politically correct’ that we’re terrified of speaking our minds, which fosters interaction on a very superficial level. Whenever God Seeker Guy expresses his opinion, even in a mild diluted manner, he is accused of being ‘poisoned fruit,’ apparently a Christian catch-all for anyone with opposing views.

Obviously, we must have respect for others and treat others in the same manner in which we wish to be treated ourselves. (God Seeker Guy will do doubt be hearing about that last line!) However, that does not mean that we are required to hold back our opinions just because we might offend someone’s sensibilities. God Seeker Guy welcomes a challenge; the only way to test an opinion is to defend it.

It seems there is a universal fear among anyone attempting to communicate, which includes most blogs, and undermines the opportunity for honest and perhaps risky opinion.

Reaching out on the media platforms available to us should create a diversity of views, and generate interesting and controversial dialogue. Why does that not happen? Why do we see so much saccharine stroking and little honest feedback?

It seems social media has become dangerous zone in which to establish a presence. GSG has been reminded that every word written is sent off to cyberspace, and at some point, we lose control of our declarations. We’re constrained by the fear of retribution from family, colleagues and bosses who often make quick judgments without much thought.

Online communication is in danger of becoming victim to the same controls that religious entities hold over their followers, except the weapon of choice is insidious political correctness. Technology, it seems, is a double-edged sword. We have the tools to stand above the crowd, but prefer to remain regulated by the tribe.

-GSG (God Seeker Guy)

Let’s play God!

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There has been a lot of talk in the past about bringing the dinosaurs back to life with the help of DNA manipulation. While most of the religious community cringes at such a scenario, playing at God may have a certain amount of value for future generations. Rather than clone some creature that would probably end up in a theme park, perhaps we could bank the DNA of near-extinct species.

If we can’t  save the tigers and pandas, conceivably, we could plan ahead in order to preserve what we may soon push to extinction. At least we would be fixing the damage we have done rather than rebuilding what nature has already seen fit to extinguish.

-GSG (God Seeker Guy)