Due to a glitch in navigating WordPress yesterday, I had to cut short my comments—my apologies. Today, I will continue with my conversation about faith and how it relates to Religion.
To begin with, just what is ‘faith’? Strictly stated, faith is the acceptance of something as being true without concrete evidence of that truth. In addition, there are two basic kinds of faith, ‘implicit’ and ‘explicit’.
A common example of ‘explicit faith’ would be a warranty on a new automobile—from past experience and hearsay, we know that manufacturers typically stand good for their stated warranty. So, we are legitimate in having explicit faith that they will again.
A common example of ‘implicit’ faith is demonstrated in our willingness to believe that when we get on an airplane, it will take us to our destination safely. We know from historical experience that commercial airline crashes in the US are rare. However, we are willing to ‘take that’ chance under the umbrella of ‘implied faith’ that all will be well.
Understandably, you may say ,’what’s that got to do with God and religion?’—and I would say ‘everything’, and here’s why. Those, among both the ancients and relative neophytes, who have concocted religions, have done so based on their version of ‘explicit faith’. In other words, God has ‘revealed’ to each of then a set of absolutes. So what then? Gradually those ‘absolutes’ demand interpretation and in that process of ‘implied faith’, a gazillion different religions have been formed (created). In truth, every human who ever existed has had a different faith and a different religion.
You may object, saying ‘I know twenty people who go to Saint ‘so and so’ Catholic church, and twenty more who go to ‘such and such’ Baptist Church, and so on and on and on. That may be absolutely true—-they go to a certain church, but no two of them have the same identical ‘faith or religion’
The reason for all that is very simple indeed—each of them knows (visualizes) a different God, because as I stated yesterday, no one before me has defined the ‘essence of God’. Therefore, not one of them knows the God about whom they think—each of those billions of gods are pure myths—they are like Santa—each similar but different, and all mythical.
It is impossible to know about any entity or concept without first defining its essence. Jesus didn’t know ‘particle physics’, but in his brilliance he recognized that the Spirit of God pervaded all existences—otherwise nothing could be. He set about to enlighten (Christ) the world about the universality and Perfect Love of God—that activity got him killed. He knew it would, but seeing himself as the ‘sacrificial lamb’, he willingly chose an ignominious death so that the world might be ‘enlightened’ (I am the light of the world) to the truth of God’s essence—Perfect Rationality.
It seems very doubtful if anyone either understood his message, or if they did understand, were willing to accept it. Remember, The Jews killed him for treason—teaching anything contrary to the Jewish religion was treason. Guess what—the formation of so-called Christianity followed in the Jews footsteps. They set themselves up in hierarchal arrangement. I guess one might call it ‘trickle-down power. Regardless how one may perceive it, the result was/is the same—power, control, money.
So what are the implications of defining God’s essence as Perfect Rationality. Very simply, something perfect cannot be changed. Time is a measure of change. Since God is perfect he exists in eternity, a state of no change nor time. God cannot be hurt. God cannot be pleased. God cannot possibly ‘change his mind’ about anything. So all of this praying, sacrificial ritual, begging God to change his mind, etc.. could, in fact be considered blasphemous. However, God’s Perfect Love precludes any possibility of ‘retribution’ on his part.
In fact, out only justifiable prayer, while not expected by God, but to keep us humble and appreciative of his love, is a great big ‘Thank you God for your loving acceptance of me , a selfish sinner’.
So where does religion fit in? My belief; it is the most major deterrent to tranquility and peace that the world has ever known. It is also the most ‘monstrous’ money machine the world has ever known.
I mentioned my two books about these subjects yesterday. I will attempt to insert info about them.
WILDERNESS CRY by Hilary L Hunt MD 