Sunday Musings - February 5, 203
When God quits learning
The average age of those attending Christian churches in the United States keeps rising. If this trend continues, in the not too distant future, the Christian Church in the United States will wither and eventually die. At the same time the average age of those attending Muslim services and regularly practicing that religion are in their twenties. (Pew research center).
With both the Muslims and the Christian Churches there is a concerted effort by some to hold on to “traditional/conservative beliefs without regard to what advancing knowledge of science is teaching us about the spiritual world. For a variety of historical and cultural reasons Muslims, as a group, are apparently being more successful in this effort although there are certainly plenty of Muslims who, in their very private lives, question the Muslim beliefs on such subjects as the role of women in society and sexuality.
There are also a variety of theological positions about the role of violence in creating a more just society. This is true for those wanting to remain within the general framework of the Christian, Muslim and religious frameworks.
Historically, we humans have posited many different concepts or ideas of the purpose of this life journey. Often, in viewing the seemingly absurdity of this brief life journey, many have posited a god or gods who are using this life journey as a test or to have fun at the expense of we humans. If we now look back over the past 6000 or so years there are many names for god or the gods with varying degrees of acceptance of our human nature and various requirements for how we humans obtain and retain their favor. Sometimes it is envisioned that one’s reward is in this life journey and other times it is envisioned that one’s reward for living life which is pleasing to god or the gods is eternal rewards. To fail to please god or the gods may, some believe, result in enteral damnation or living in limbo between “heaven and hell”.
Sadly, those who limit knowledge of God and his or her demands to a few wise people (frequently men) cannot envision these wise people attending classes on history, science, physics, biology or anthropology. Once intoned as sacred beliefs no new knowledge or understanding seems to be allowed. While other plants, animals or even larger ecological systems adjust and are perfectly content with how they affect and are affected by changing knowledge or conditions, we humans often hold steadfastly to a concept of a god or gods and what he, she or it demands. It is as if we humans are determined to not allow our god or gods to attend graduate school where new visions and understandings are possible. That God or gods, must not open to the possibility of the equality of women; to the fact that sexual attraction for all animals, including humans, has great potential for fun as well as procreation; that gender is fluid; that energy which is neither created nor destroyed takes many forms; that quantum physics provide a different way of understanding the universe; that there may be many possible universes; that love is always a more effective servant than hate; that sharing/socialism benefits all; that art in its many forms births the soul; that religious frameworks are but temporary constructs; that all institutions must follow the same trajectory as other life forms - being born, living and dying to make room for the rebirth; that math is merely a fun language to talk about relationships; that one cannot accurately envision a person, organization, institution, object, or even mineral without honoring the system as a whole; that possibly god or the gods are also a system of unfathomable number of parts playing with each other in a passionate symphony of notes, some of which may seem dissonant.
The real question is what it will take for us humans to honor the need for god or the gods to apply and be accepted into graduate school; be that in a formal institution or the school which encompasses the act of being. I am not suggesting that all wise people we may label as prophets should be ignored or discarded. I am suggesting they are not god or the gods; that my homeless neighbor, my three year old friend, the most violent of gang member, the one who is labeled as mentally ill may be the “professor”, the scientist who is teaching the class god or the gods most need to attend.
Written February 5,2023
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
When God quits learning
The average age of those attending Christian churches in the United States keeps rising. If this trend continues, in the not too distant future, the Christian Church in the United States will wither and eventually die. At the same time the average age of those attending Muslim services and regularly practicing that religion are in their twenties. (Pew research center).
With both the Muslims and the Christian Churches there is a concerted effort by some to hold on to “traditional/conservative beliefs without regard to what advancing knowledge of science is teaching us about the spiritual world. For a variety of historical and cultural reasons Muslims, as a group, are apparently being more successful in this effort although there are certainly plenty of Muslims who, in their very private lives, question the Muslim beliefs on such subjects as the role of women in society and sexuality.
There are also a variety of theological positions about the role of violence in creating a more just society. This is true for those wanting to remain within the general framework of the Christian, Muslim and religious frameworks.
Historically, we humans have posited many different concepts or ideas of the purpose of this life journey. Often, in viewing the seemingly absurdity of this brief life journey, many have posited a god or gods who are using this life journey as a test or to have fun at the expense of we humans. If we now look back over the past 6000 or so years there are many names for god or the gods with varying degrees of acceptance of our human nature and various requirements for how we humans obtain and retain their favor. Sometimes it is envisioned that one’s reward is in this life journey and other times it is envisioned that one’s reward for living life which is pleasing to god or the gods is eternal rewards. To fail to please god or the gods may, some believe, result in enteral damnation or living in limbo between “heaven and hell”.
Sadly, those who limit knowledge of God and his or her demands to a few wise people (frequently men) cannot envision these wise people attending classes on history, science, physics, biology or anthropology. Once intoned as sacred beliefs no new knowledge or understanding seems to be allowed. While other plants, animals or even larger ecological systems adjust and are perfectly content with how they affect and are affected by changing knowledge or conditions, we humans often hold steadfastly to a concept of a god or gods and what he, she or it demands. It is as if we humans are determined to not allow our god or gods to attend graduate school where new visions and understandings are possible. That God or gods, must not open to the possibility of the equality of women; to the fact that sexual attraction for all animals, including humans, has great potential for fun as well as procreation; that gender is fluid; that energy which is neither created nor destroyed takes many forms; that quantum physics provide a different way of understanding the universe; that there may be many possible universes; that love is always a more effective servant than hate; that sharing/socialism benefits all; that art in its many forms births the soul; that religious frameworks are but temporary constructs; that all institutions must follow the same trajectory as other life forms - being born, living and dying to make room for the rebirth; that math is merely a fun language to talk about relationships; that one cannot accurately envision a person, organization, institution, object, or even mineral without honoring the system as a whole; that possibly god or the gods are also a system of unfathomable number of parts playing with each other in a passionate symphony of notes, some of which may seem dissonant.
The real question is what it will take for us humans to honor the need for god or the gods to apply and be accepted into graduate school; be that in a formal institution or the school which encompasses the act of being. I am not suggesting that all wise people we may label as prophets should be ignored or discarded. I am suggesting they are not god or the gods; that my homeless neighbor, my three year old friend, the most violent of gang member, the one who is labeled as mentally ill may be the “professor”, the scientist who is teaching the class god or the gods most need to attend.
Written February 5,2023
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
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