Snortin' Norton

Getting Rid of God

   Einstein, on the topic of God, once said, "I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. My God created laws that take care of that. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws." I will go a few steps further and say that if there is a God, and I believe there is, it was not God who created the laws that govern the universe, but rather the other way around. It is these very immutable laws that created God. Nor is this God's universe but rather an endless expanse of which "God's Universe" is but a tiny part. But, man cannot comprehend the eternal.
   Humanity has always needed Gods to explain the unexplainable. The more primitive the man the more Gods he is likely to have that will make and control that which he cannot explain. So once upon a time there were Sun Gods and Moon Gods, forest Gods and water Gods, etc. Yes, primitive man had plenty of Gods to help him explain the world around him.
   Still, if there is a God then where did God come from? Is God a manmade invention? The answer to that question may be both, "yes," and "no." It is not even reasonable to think that primitive man would have come up with the concept on his own. Focused on his survival I doubt that he would have given even a passing thought to the existence of a God. Certainly, he wondered from time to time about that all consuming question that we still ponder on, even in this supposed enlightened age. The question of "why?" Why do we exist, why are we here, what is the purpose of life, how does it all work, and what happens next (afterlife)? Primitive man would have looked up at the stars and wondered but I doubt that he would have invented something that did not already exist to satisfy his need to understand the "why" of things. He would have just shrugged his shoulders and then got back to the business of feeding himself.
   Enter the Human Condition. Human greed and ambition, the desire for wealth and power. If the Gods were made then they were made by men seeking to control other men for their own gain. Here again this (God) is a hard product to sell if something like it did not already exist. You would have to convince a disbelieving people that something that could not be seen existed. A little parlor magic goes a long way, but it is easier to sell a product if a similar product already exists. Manmade religion is big business and their followers are fanatics.

Proof
   There is no real hard data either way to prove God exists. A farmer carrying on a monolog with a tree or an immoveable rock in the middle of his corn field is not likely to inspire millions of followers (worshipers), fanatics or otherwise. Science cannot say with absolute certainty that there is no God. The genetic diversity on this planet is almost an argument for intelligent design as chance does not lend itself well to logical progression and the kind diversity that exists on this planet. To think that a microbe far more primitive than a modern day virus, brought to life by a bolt of lightening could over time become the sophisticated DNA based living computer that can build a living organism with the capacity to radically alter its environment (move mountains, alter the course of rivers, etc.) in order to survive and so complex as to reach a high level of self-awareness enough to question its own existence. That is a hard stretch for a few molecules aligned by chance to the intricate DNA strand of a human being without some kind of help. That is the equivalent of the first simple handheld calculator evolving on its own into the super computers we know and love today.
   We tend to ignore the mythos and religious writings in our search for proof of God’s existence. Regardless of what they may say, or how they differ from one another, they all tell us that the belief in some kind of "Supreme Being" is universal and this belief has been with us from the very beginning. There has never been a society that has not at least acknowledged the existence of some kind of God (or Gods) in one form or another. Even to say there is no God is to acknowledge that the belief in God exists; a belief deeply rooted in the past. Some myths have their basis in fact. Whatever those facts were they have evolved into the God mythology or rather theologies we have today.
   The human desire for wealth and power has always searched for the means to exercise a measure of control over others. Out of this two castes were born, kings and priests. The war between them for control over the minds of men has always been a delicate balance. Kings controlled the body while the priests controlled the spirit. As kings warred with one another so too did the priests. The end result was a plethora of Gods to worship. When the priests did not have any Gods of their own, they borrowed (stole) them from somewhere or somebody else and changed them a little bit and gave them new names.
   For more than 4000 years monotheism has stood out against the grain. A tiny speck floating on an endless sea supported by the priests and their Gods to whom they were devoted. The Holy Bible (the bloody chronicles) a record of endless monologs to a non-existent God to some, the words of God given to the prophets to others; whatever one thinks of this book it is relatively historically factual. The degree to which one believes those things which have been written is what separates the believers from the unbelievers. No matter what category you fall in the Bible's historical accuracy is without question until we cross into the realm of those parts that are considered to be more mythos (Adam and Eve story, etc.) than factual.
   The unbroken chain of prophets of monotheism each testifying to the truth that came before them while adding a little more to expand our understanding of the nature of God and the Laws that govern the Great Expanse. These are our witness for God; men who have stepped into the stream (of knowledge of all things) and came out changed by the experience. Were they all lunatics willing to die quietly for the sake of their duty to God while carrying on the same monolog for 4000 years? I don't know, but somehow, I doubt that the monolog of some poor farmer with a natural obelisk sitting in the middle of his corn field gave rise to all the Gods.
   What happen to all the Gods? Slowly, they were killed off one by one by science. Apollo and his chariot of fire gave way to a ball of fire that revolved around a flat Earth, which of course at some point they realized they had that a bit backwards and some of the other facts were wrong too. Is this the fate of all Gods, to be killed by science? As long as a mystery remains unanswered man will fall back on God as the explanation. This is simply the nature of man. You cannot get rid of God until all the questions are answered.
   Is there a God? There is still no definitive answer either way. It is all a matter of faith for the most part. The Laws of the Great Expanse (universe) force us to make a choice. For God to prove that he exists would take away our free choice and if God would do that he would cease to be God. God neither makes nor enforces the Laws that govern the Great Expanse. He is bound by those rules just as we are. If he were to break them he would cease to be God.
   Still, there are a few that have stepped into the stream and tasted the water. To stand for even a brief moment in the light will forever destroy the logic and knowledge of men. The near death accounts of thousands from every corner of the world, from every walk of life, from every race and belief system recount the exact same phenomenon. It is a phenomenon that cannot be tested, measured, or observed but it has changed every last person that has experienced it whether or not they believed in God. What these people have learned is that the mortal life we know may not be as real as we think it is and that there is something more beyond Death's door and the fear that death holds for the rest of us was forever erased in these people. There are still others who have stepped into the stream without having to taste death; they have all encountered a similar phenomenon to those that have had a near death experience. I am one of those people. Tell me there is no God all you want, I know better. Ask me to explain it and there are just no words that could make you see what needs to be felt in order to be comprehended (see the movie Contact with Jodie Foster).

The Question
   You cannot get rid of God until you answer the question, "What is the meaning of life?" Who are we and why are we here? What is my purpose on Earth? Why? Until science can truly answer these questions as to leave no doubt in the mind's of men you cannot get rid of God.
   The prophets have answered these questions if you know which prophets and where to look. But, if you do not believe in God these are answers you can never accept. The fact is these are answers that even most of the organized religions of the world are unwilling to acknowledge. So, enter the world of the religions of man. Religions built by man for man, devoted to a God no one really believes in anymore. Religions espousing great devotion to God on the outside while ignoring even the most basic precepts given by God to man through his servants the prophets. Prophets whom they killed.
    During the Crusades the Christians bathed in the blood of their enemies in the name of God and Jesus. What part of "Thou shalt not kill," was unclear to them? Or, my favorite (from Jesus), (Mt.5:44:) "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." What better example can I find to prove that man does not listen to God or the prophets? What more proof do I need to show that man is willing to hide behind anything including God to justify his atrocities? God is powerless to act in the face of the free choice of men. One cannot blame God for man's inhumanity to man no matter what shield they choose to hide behind, be it God or the spread of democracy and the American Dream (capitalism).
   Millions of children (women and men) die horribly every day. How can God let this go on? If God does not exist, then we are asking the wrong question. Man's inhumanity to man it has nothing to do with God. Don't go looking for God's mercy either. The mercy of God can kill just as easily as it can give life. God is not responsible for the actions of men, and he does not view life the same way we do. Man is a mortal creature, and he views life from a mortal viewpoint. We cannot even begin to imagine the endlessness of eternity. God is an eternal creature and views all life from an eternal perspective. To God we are but caterpillars dreaming of mortality while awaiting the change that will transform us into something more glorious than anything we can possibly imagine. We see the bodies and cry tears of sorrow. God welcomes each child back home with tears of joy.
   If God can do nothing, then what can he do, miracles? Miracles require faith, no faith, no miracle. The rules prevent God from interfering in the affairs of men in such a way that might have an effect on the (free) agency of Man. This is college and Mom and Dad are not coming to bail you out if you get into trouble. We are stuck with however life goes down. What has God done for us, nothing, and everything. God did not build the world on which we stand any more than an architect will build a skyscraper he designed. If you want to know who built our world go look in the mirror.
   If God can do nothing, then just what is his function anyway? To borrow a scripture, I remember from somewhere: "This is My work and My glory to bring to pass the eternal life and the immortality of man." This brings us back to the question, What is the purpose of life? The answer is simple; the purpose of life is to learn to live life in abundance and to live a quality life to its fullest. But, that answer is too simple. What God wants for us has been clearly laid out in the scriptures by all the prophets, but most choose not to follow that which has been written searching instead for another way that would circumvent the Laws of the Great Expanse (Laws of God). We, in our quest for power and wealth, want nothing to do with God, so we try and get rid of Him.

Getting Rid of God
   If you are going to get rid of God, then get rid of him. Stop seeing him as the one responsible for all of man’s problems. Stop blaming God for man's inhumanity to man. Stop making God responsible for all the bad things that have happened to you. Take responsibility for your own actions and get rid of God and all the other excuses you use for not accepting the Human Condition. Death is part of life and God is not the one doing the killing. We can change the world, or we can destroy it. God is only a dispassionate observer.
   The Muslim religion today is so far removed from what the Prophet Muhammad taught as to almost be a perversion of what was given to the Muslims. Yes, they go through the motions (form) but they have lost the spirit of the meaning behind their actions. They have gotten rid of God (Allah) a long time ago and now they (the few) fight among themselves for power to control those (the many) they would keep in darkness in the name of their God. The Muslim religion is a hollow shell, an empty form of what it was once.
   Can we say Christianity is any better? No. The Christian have been without guidance even longer than the Muslims. They have gone out of their way to keep their followers in darkness where they can easily be controlled. They are even more willing to butcher any who stand in their way than their Muslim brothers. Christians got rid of God long ago so now an individual can pick and choose a sect of Christianity that is inline with their current values and morality of the moment so they can have a convenient excuse to justify their actions. Christianity is a lifeless blob without form or function.
   The Children of Israel like the Muslims are a hollow shell, an empty form of what it was once only it is an empty shell filled with cobwebs. They got rid of God a long, long time ago, so long ago they have ceased practicing most of their religion altogether.
   Having got rid of God so long ago it is crazy to think that we are still willing to kill in the name of a God we no longer truly believe exists. God is a convenient shield behind which a few hide as they try and dominate their fellow man. Make no mistake it is not about God, it is about the total domination of humanity by a handful of men who will stop at nothing, use any means of persuasion including the name of God and the prophets to accomplish their goals. What is at stake is the very (free) agency of man. But, then that’s what happens when you get rid of God.
   Theology got rid of God a long time ago, but they kept the rights to the name. I have read the words of God (scriptures) given to the prophets. These are words that the theologies have dismissed long ago substituting their own understanding in their place. Theologies, manmade religions, are the works of priestcraft. The priests have learned that they can vie with the kings for control of the people. In this day and age, priestcraft have replaced whole governments and when they have done so they force their flawed manmade dogma on the people stripping the basic (God given) freedoms from the people at the same time all in the name of God. Every abomination God himself has condemned has been justified by the dogma of men "acting" in his name.
   Even if you could get rid of God tomorrow nothing would change. Certainly, the kings would all jump for joy to be free of the priests for a while. But, in time, the priests would all go out and find a new religion and someone else’s name to take in vain.

Who or What is God?
   God is the father of all in that he set the creative process in motion. How he did this is not something that can be readily known at this time although we can catch glimpses of the mechanics of the process. Through scriptures what is known is that God did not create us and the only thing he did was start a process that we ourselves could not begin.
   From that point on the creation of our universe was a self-creative process. Yes, from time to time he has pushed and nudged here and there without making his presence known to the world at large except through the prophets. We call our universe a universe of God's design, but I think the truth of the matter is that is just the way things work and the architect took credit for a skyscraper someone else built. I suspect God explained the creational process to us but did not actually build anything but rather let space transform itself according to the natural process of such things.
   We may be made of the same material (stardust) but we have never really been part of the planet on which we stand. Everything has intelligence. There is nothing, no plant, no animal, or mineral that does not have the capacity for intelligence to one degree or another. Don't believe me, go ask a quantum physicist. With that intelligence come some form of self-realization. It may well be a mistake to assume that just because we are more than 2000 times the size of an ant and can make tools and cover ourselves with cloth that we are more intelligent. If they had developed powers of the mind, they could have visited other planet while we were still scratching around in the dust, and we would never know it. We are so convinced of our superiority over the earth, over the animals, and sometimes even over each other. The knowledge of a God must really chap our hide knowing that there is someone superior to us. Now, if we could just get rid of God...
   There is a thing called the "Eternal Round of God." What this means is that the God created at the end of the creational process (space transforming itself) is the same God that jumpstarts the transformation of space at the beginning of another creation by "God." It is an endless cycle that puts the end at the beginning. Is it the same God? Doubtful, very doubtful, but it also means there has never been a time when there was not a God. This does not make sense if God were free to come in and make up the rules as he goes along. However, if the Laws that govern the Great Expanse eclipse even God things begin to make sense. A super being with knowledge well beyond our understanding sets in motion a creational process and space begins to transform itself according to the immutable Laws that govern the Great Expanse. Space will continue to evolve on its own until all the energy of the creational process is used up. When that happens the universe as we know it must collapse back on itself fusing the radiance of the mind (the spirit) with the body (matter) and in the process create a new God(s). Then the process begins all over again. This is the Eternal Round of God.
   Would you call this intelligent design if the set of blueprints God laid out before us at the beginning for all to see was the same blueprints that had been used more than a trillion times before? Space transforming itself, can we call God our creator if we were the ones who built the very world on which we live? Just who is God? Can we get rid of him, or do we even need to bother? Like any father who gave birth to us he is worthy of our honor and respect. But, when we take that too far, abuses happen in the name of God just as abuses have happened in the names of other people too.

The Human Condition
   All the good and bad in man, all his weaknesses and strengths, all his wants and desires, all his joys and sorrows, all his passions, all his indulgences, all the darkness and light that he possesses is all part of the Human Condition. It's called life and it comes at you at the speed of light. It can lift you up or drive you to your knees in the blink of an eye.
   Life, death, and suffering is what the Human Condition is all about. It is about opposites and the choices that must be made between them. It is about the trials we face each and every day. It is the pain of watching someone we love die slowly and it is the joy of watching new life come into this world. Yes, blame God for all that if you like, but if you are here, it is because you chose to be here. In coming to this world, you chose to accept the Human Condition and all that goes with it. You want to blame God for your own poor choices and that of other men, go ahead for all the good it will do you.
   Life is about finding balance in a world filled with every kind of possible indulgence that can be imagined. When we take the things of life to extreme is when we begin to have problems. Finding balance is about moderation. There is nothing really wrong with anything if done with moderation, but man rarely does anything in moderation.
   The Human Condition when taken to excess leads to hyper-consumption, waste, pollution, environmental decay, inequity, social and cultural separation, intolerance, xenophobia, violence (war), misery and despair. Politics, theology, and mysticism when taken to excess creates fanatics and inevitably leads to intolerance, xenophobia, and war. Overindulgence has a domino effect. Hyper-consumption leads to waste, which causes pollution and leads to environmental decay. Then there is the social impact of hyper-consumption and the inequity it causes and all that follows that, social and cultural separation, intolerance, etc.
   However, when you go to the other end of the spectrum and embrace a hyper-lean alternative you can stifle human advancement. This impacts academia, the development of new innovations, the arts and sciences and again leads to misery and despair.
   Moderation in all things gives us just enough of a push from behind to keep us going forward. It gives us the time to study the impact before we make a choice. It is an unhurried pace that gives us the chance to reflect on the ethereal and anything we may find there. Moderation in all things does not sacrifice personal comfort but rather it keeps it at a more realistic level. Moderation leads to equality on multiple levels and sweeps aside intolerance and xenophobia with a better understanding of who we are in this world.

Laws That Govern the Great Expanse
   Like God we are eternal creatures subject the same immoveable immutable laws that made and govern God with all that implies. For a moment part of who we are is living a mortal life; a test of character, a chance to show what we are made of, free to make our own choices unclouded by the past eons in which we have lived. We are a physical being wrapped around a spirit core of which we have no memory.
   This is the only case where ignorance of the law is the only acceptable excuse; for where there is no law there is no punishment. It is said the day will come when we must all stand before the judgment bar of God to be judged according to our deeds, but it will not be God who judges us.
   The Laws that govern the Great Expanse hold all things in balance. It is the Law that will demand and execute the justice that will be done upon us on the Last Day. We will stand before God in judgment of ourselves. Exposed to the light will be the lies and excuses of this life; they will be melted away in the light of unchanging truth. We will judge ourselves harshly, standing in and surrounded by the light of an all knowing father's unconditional love. It is the Law that will drag us off to suffer the unending torment of our failure to be all that we could have been in this life. There will be tears in the eyes of God and his heart will be broken as we are taken away. He will be powerless to stop the Law from executing judgment and implementing the demands of justice.
   For now, we are mortal creatures with no knowledge of any of this. We cannot remember what our life before was like. We have no knowledge of what awaits us in the future. It is this ignorance that keeps the Law from extracting the full measure of justice. Here we are just mortal creatures with freewill unable to comprehend the eternal implications of our actions.

Signposts
   Along the way there have been guides to keep us upon the path. Sacrifices have been made and blood spilled, now it is up to us as to what we will do. Getting rid of God would only be a symbolic gesture nor would it change the outcome or the Human Condition. Man would still find a reason to kill his fellow man. Old age and diseases would still take the lives of our loved ones. Accidents would still happen. Getting rid of God would change none of this.
   Getting rid of God would have little effect on the state of the world. The desire for power and wealth (greed) the true reasons for the suffering in the world would still remain; so, man's inhumanity against man would also continue. At the most getting rid of God would eliminate one excuse men have used for killing one another. I have no doubt men would find another one.
   It would be better to get rid of the ignorance in the world. Better still would be to eliminate the need for money. Getting rid of God will not solve the problems of the world but a better understanding of who God is and the wisdom, unfettered by human corruption, he has shared with us just might bring about the desired change. You can read the signposts or ignore them and remain forever lost. Getting rid of God will not change that.

Posted April 26, 2022