Monday: It is intuitively obvious

Beth could not reason upon or explain the faith that gave her courage and patience to give up life, and cheerfully wait for death. Like a confiding child, she asked no questions, but left everything to God and nature, Father and Mother of us all, feeling sure that they, and they only, could teach and strengthen heart and spirit for this life and the life to come.
in Little Women, chapter 36

I think that before I could walk God has been a part of my reality. The only issue was as I grew and learned more about the world, I began to question is this just an illusion or is there a divine spirit that has an impact on mankind and our world.

I finally was able to resolve the issue when I was about the age of 28 or 30. I came to realize that it was pretty impossible to scientifically prove a divine power. I also came to realize that religions do have a function in the reality of humans. However, recognizing function did not mean that God existed. It only demonstrated that religion and the belief in God had a potential for a positive function in people’s lives. Of course, the most obvious reason is that it helps us deal with the absolute truth that everyone dies and it is easier to cope with the idea of death if we can project a special place where death is not the end of a journey but a continuation of a journey. It is very hard for human beings to accept that they do not exist after death.

Religion is not based upon proof or even truth but upon need to help us go through the markers of life such as birth, death, illness, suffering and celebration of events like marriage (and perhaps today, with divorce). The rituals bring a sense of stability and comfort in coping with a very chaotic and basically unpredictable reality in which we find ourselves.

As I thought and theorized about this concept of God and humanity, I came to some conclusions that have helped me over the years to rationalize my own personal needs to connect with the divine. If I don’t believe and God is real, it will not change the reality of God. If I believe and God is not real, it will not change the reality of God. However, I do find my life is more fulfilling and more comfortable to believe in a God and even sometimes in a Goddess. I think that I find it most comforting to believe that a divine spirit sparks the universe. Overtime, my relationship with this concept of divine mind has definitely changed and mutated to the place where I am now in my choosing to have faith in the face of the illogical or perhaps my inability to perceive a concept of infinite mind and that life in some form or another continues and is a part of my perceived reality.

However, another issue that has continued to haunt me over time is that most people when they choose to become religious have to take ownership of God and say that their God is the only God and their beliefs are the only reality. I have read and seen that all kinds of atrocities have been committed by one culture or another who hold the belief that only their beliefs are the gift to the true believer. That illusion can be as true of the atheist as the theist.

Many mainstream religions actually have built in defenses of the faith where critical thought is seen as the seduction of evil. The story of Adam and Eve and the eating of the Apple of the Tree of Life which would give them knowledge and thus isolate them from the safety and security of God is a perfect example about how most religions can only exist in a state of unchallenged belief and the avoidance of critical thought. Critical thought is considered the work of the devil, Satan or the anti-Christ. In many religions including Christianity and Muslim to think and question one’s faith is heresy and thus we have a history that to think and question divinity and especially the divinity of one’s personal faith is heresy and in many cases can result in death and public execution.

While there have been many free-thinkers and critical thinkers through out history, they usually had to write their words in parables and metaphor in order to stay alive. It is a lot easier to die for the faith than to die for the lack of faith.

I have seen many miracles through out my life. Miracles that I could not explain. However, while I can say I have experienced these I cannot definitively say that they are connected with a god. I can only say that out of chaos and I saw some order arise for a few moments in time. But do I still have faith? Yes. Why? Because I chose to believe that there is more to the many dimensions and infinite realities than what I see in our four dimensional reality. Is it logical? No. But it is intuitively obvious.

In closing I would like to say that it is not as important to worry about life after death as it is to consider insuring that life before death is as happy and joyful and content as possible. Now, that definitely is intuitively obvious.