Sunday Musings - July 7, 2024
God is????
Religions can loosely be described as an attempt by we humans to make sense out of what seems to be a brief life journey often accompanied by every form of pain. On the surface this journey makes no sense beyond being born, living, and dying. Most of we humans don’t live longer than a century. Many do not live that long. A few live longer.
As far as can be determined we humans are the only life form which grapples with the question of purpose. Other animals seem to be content being born, propagating, raising their young (often for a short period of time) and dying. Plants may bring beauty, an ecological balance, provide food/substance, or, at times, especially if removed from their “natural habitat”, create disharmony. As far as we can tell neither plants nor other non-human life forms worry about the past or the future, how long they will live, how they compare to other parts of creations or create a system for exploring metaphysical or epistemological questions. I have spent hours listening for a rose or other flower to complain about its appearance, comparing itself to another flower, agonizing over the length of its life or questioning its spiritual purpose.
We humans compare ourselves to other humans, argue about truth, and the meaning of this life journey. We compete for power, prestige, the accumulation of knowledge, objects, sexual conquests, or other “proof” of our relative worth.
We posit the existence of god or gods who in the mind of the human creator demands allegiance and a belief that they are the one true divine being(s).
If one googles the number of religions since recorded history began, one finds estimates of between 4000 and 10000. Some are very similar, but most, if not all, assume their god are the one true one(s). The fact that there have been many concepts of God prior to the creation of their God seldom deters one from faith in their god. A few religions leave room for a plurality of Gods or no God or Gods. One of these religions embracing people of various or no belief in a god are the Unitarian Universalists. The Hindu religion embraces multiple gods. Some Hindu scholars suggest 4 main gods while other suggest 10. The ancients Greeks had a plurality of gods. Many so-called primitive tribes had various concept of gods.
In the United States there is a strong history of Christianity as well as other religions. In spite of the National legal separation of church and state, there remains a committed group of individuals and groups who are insistent on identifying the United States as a Christian nation. They are committed to imposing their beliefs on all citizens. This was the intent of the enactment of the recent law in Louisiana requiring the posting of The Ten Commandments in every school classroom in that state. The anti-abortion movement, the anti LGBT movement and ironically the gun ownership/second amendment lobby is often fueled by self-identified Christians. The most political conservatives of these are loosely identified as the Christian Nationalists. Currently, there is a conservation majority in the United States House of Representatives and the Supreme Court of the United States who are determined to push what they posit as Christian values to guide legislative decisions and the law of the land. The fact that their personal behavior often strongly conflicts with what many consider the teachings of Jesus seems to pose no cognitive dissonance for them.
According to “populationeducation.org” there are currently around 10,00 distinct religions in the world. Over three-quarters of the global population adheres to one of these four -Christianity (31%), Islam (24%), Hinduism (15%) and Buddhism (7%).” A slightly smaller, but powerful group, are Jewish (possibly as many as 6.2%). Atheists may comprise 7% of the world’s population. The figures vary according to sources. but the rough estimate is nearly the same by all who attempt to measure such groups.
The late Colton Pearson whose life is depicted in the popular movie “Come Sunday” was a very conservative, mega church pastor until he decided that the God he had been preaching was either a monster or not the one true god. He came to believe that only a monster could withhold knowledge of itself and then punish billions of individuals for not worshiping he/she/it. Colton was evicted from the mega church he pastored and the religious association to which he belonged. He then aligned himself with the Unitarian Universalists in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The questions remain. Is there a god or gods? What is the nature or God(s)? Do we humans have a purpose which is essentially different than other parts of nature? Are we part of a magical interconnected whole. Must we do our part for the whole to work? What if we could do our best to honor all parts of the whole, including our fellow human(s), the animals, pants, insects, minerals, water, air and all that is? Do we need to argue about the nature of that whole or assign human qualities of greed, jealousy, anger or other symptoms of an immature teenagers to our concept of that whole? Have there been and are there many wise teachers including some humans such as The Buddha, Mohamed, and Jesus? Do we need to make gods of them and wrap them in exclusionary rules? Is it enough to know that we thrive together or perish together?
Written July 7, 2024
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Feedback
God is????
Religions can loosely be described as an attempt by we humans to make sense out of what seems to be a brief life journey often accompanied by every form of pain. On the surface this journey makes no sense beyond being born, living, and dying. Most of we humans don’t live longer than a century. Many do not live that long. A few live longer.
As far as can be determined we humans are the only life form which grapples with the question of purpose. Other animals seem to be content being born, propagating, raising their young (often for a short period of time) and dying. Plants may bring beauty, an ecological balance, provide food/substance, or, at times, especially if removed from their “natural habitat”, create disharmony. As far as we can tell neither plants nor other non-human life forms worry about the past or the future, how long they will live, how they compare to other parts of creations or create a system for exploring metaphysical or epistemological questions. I have spent hours listening for a rose or other flower to complain about its appearance, comparing itself to another flower, agonizing over the length of its life or questioning its spiritual purpose.
We humans compare ourselves to other humans, argue about truth, and the meaning of this life journey. We compete for power, prestige, the accumulation of knowledge, objects, sexual conquests, or other “proof” of our relative worth.
We posit the existence of god or gods who in the mind of the human creator demands allegiance and a belief that they are the one true divine being(s).
If one googles the number of religions since recorded history began, one finds estimates of between 4000 and 10000. Some are very similar, but most, if not all, assume their god are the one true one(s). The fact that there have been many concepts of God prior to the creation of their God seldom deters one from faith in their god. A few religions leave room for a plurality of Gods or no God or Gods. One of these religions embracing people of various or no belief in a god are the Unitarian Universalists. The Hindu religion embraces multiple gods. Some Hindu scholars suggest 4 main gods while other suggest 10. The ancients Greeks had a plurality of gods. Many so-called primitive tribes had various concept of gods.
In the United States there is a strong history of Christianity as well as other religions. In spite of the National legal separation of church and state, there remains a committed group of individuals and groups who are insistent on identifying the United States as a Christian nation. They are committed to imposing their beliefs on all citizens. This was the intent of the enactment of the recent law in Louisiana requiring the posting of The Ten Commandments in every school classroom in that state. The anti-abortion movement, the anti LGBT movement and ironically the gun ownership/second amendment lobby is often fueled by self-identified Christians. The most political conservatives of these are loosely identified as the Christian Nationalists. Currently, there is a conservation majority in the United States House of Representatives and the Supreme Court of the United States who are determined to push what they posit as Christian values to guide legislative decisions and the law of the land. The fact that their personal behavior often strongly conflicts with what many consider the teachings of Jesus seems to pose no cognitive dissonance for them.
According to “populationeducation.org” there are currently around 10,00 distinct religions in the world. Over three-quarters of the global population adheres to one of these four -Christianity (31%), Islam (24%), Hinduism (15%) and Buddhism (7%).” A slightly smaller, but powerful group, are Jewish (possibly as many as 6.2%). Atheists may comprise 7% of the world’s population. The figures vary according to sources. but the rough estimate is nearly the same by all who attempt to measure such groups.
The late Colton Pearson whose life is depicted in the popular movie “Come Sunday” was a very conservative, mega church pastor until he decided that the God he had been preaching was either a monster or not the one true god. He came to believe that only a monster could withhold knowledge of itself and then punish billions of individuals for not worshiping he/she/it. Colton was evicted from the mega church he pastored and the religious association to which he belonged. He then aligned himself with the Unitarian Universalists in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The questions remain. Is there a god or gods? What is the nature or God(s)? Do we humans have a purpose which is essentially different than other parts of nature? Are we part of a magical interconnected whole. Must we do our part for the whole to work? What if we could do our best to honor all parts of the whole, including our fellow human(s), the animals, pants, insects, minerals, water, air and all that is? Do we need to argue about the nature of that whole or assign human qualities of greed, jealousy, anger or other symptoms of an immature teenagers to our concept of that whole? Have there been and are there many wise teachers including some humans such as The Buddha, Mohamed, and Jesus? Do we need to make gods of them and wrap them in exclusionary rules? Is it enough to know that we thrive together or perish together?
Written July 7, 2024
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Feedback
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