(no subject)
I asked the universe "What is God, and what do I do about his incorrigable followers?"
The universe asked me "What do you think God is?"
I asked the universe "Is it you?"
And lo, the answer came:
"If you think so, yes. God is whatever an individual thinks god to be; a symbolic expression of the archetypal form of ultimate authority, as well as ultimate love. Man inherently needs the order and certainty that comes with confident belief, thus he created the idea of God as a means to comfort and motivate himself and become focused in his conviction. For many, the need for something larger than themselves, for both reward and punishment, is great. The deism associated with God and gods is well intentioned, albeit misguided, idolatry; There is no danger in the beliefs of God's followers, so long as their belief allows for the changing of ideas that come along with time, therefore they should not be shunned simply because they need to believe. It is only when their god's directions are in direct conflict with the rules of nature that their belief warrants caution.
"Respect that their path in life is different than yours, and though you may find the rites associated with god unpleasant and archaic, do not forget that to certain eyes, God is as real as the sun in the sky, and demands the conformation of his worshippers. Take care to respect the level of commitment to one's belief it takes to attend mass, supplicate and praise so often, and reflect on what you may learn from God's followers."
The universe asked me "What do you think God is?"
I asked the universe "Is it you?"
And lo, the answer came:
"If you think so, yes. God is whatever an individual thinks god to be; a symbolic expression of the archetypal form of ultimate authority, as well as ultimate love. Man inherently needs the order and certainty that comes with confident belief, thus he created the idea of God as a means to comfort and motivate himself and become focused in his conviction. For many, the need for something larger than themselves, for both reward and punishment, is great. The deism associated with God and gods is well intentioned, albeit misguided, idolatry; There is no danger in the beliefs of God's followers, so long as their belief allows for the changing of ideas that come along with time, therefore they should not be shunned simply because they need to believe. It is only when their god's directions are in direct conflict with the rules of nature that their belief warrants caution.
"Respect that their path in life is different than yours, and though you may find the rites associated with god unpleasant and archaic, do not forget that to certain eyes, God is as real as the sun in the sky, and demands the conformation of his worshippers. Take care to respect the level of commitment to one's belief it takes to attend mass, supplicate and praise so often, and reflect on what you may learn from God's followers."