[For the international visitors to this site, reference is made to a bridge that collapsed in the U.S. this week and the subsequent thoughts, words, and deeds that have followed.]
Regarding one character in a Michael Connelly novel: "He was long past believing in God—the horrors he had seen documented had little by little sapped his stores of faith.... And in those seemingly final days, as his own heart withered and tapped out its final cadences, he did not grasp desperately for his lost faith as a shield or a means of easing the fear of the unknown. Instead, he was accepting of the end, of his own nothingness. He was ready. It was easy to do."
Regarding one character in a Michael Connelly novel: "He was long past believing in God—the horrors he had seen documented had little by little sapped his stores of faith.... And in those seemingly final days, as his own heart withered and tapped out its final cadences, he did not grasp desperately for his lost faith as a shield or a means of easing the fear of the unknown. Instead, he was accepting of the end, of his own nothingness. He was ready. It was easy to do."
F.: Some of the e-mail which arrived this week compared those rushing to God for comfort around a fallen bridge with other persons who, in the post-9/11 days, filled religious building for a few weeks and then emptied out just as quickly—all to demonstrate to their god their “faith as a shield or a means of easing their fear.”
Other e-mail came from some religious persons who have visited the site in the past to try to spread their particular religious beliefs. Their e-mails generally had a tone of, “See what we tried to tell you non-believers. Maybe now you’ll understand that our God will not be mocked.” (According to them, any investigation by engineers trying to determine "cause" would be useless. Their god caused the bridge to fall as part of a "divine plan.")
Other e-mail, along with a stream of comments from U.S. citizens who have been afforded an opportunity to express their faith to a national audience, have revealed their programming and conditioning with comments such as:
“He works in mysterious ways.”
“It’s all according to His Overall Plan.”
“We must turn to Him during these times" (meaning to the very one who, according to some believers, is the same one who orchestrated the event).
“There are things we can’t always immediately understand about the way that God governs, but the meaning behind this will be revealed.”
“You cannot escape the effects of bad karma” (a claim which reinforces the dualistic beliefs in “reward vs. punishment” and “singular and direct cause and effect”).
In reference to a relative missing for 24 hours: “We have been praying all night and all day, and I know God is going to bring her back. She’ll be coming home.”
Others were less devout:
“Where is God now?”
“God’s ways might seem to be very harsh and cruel at times.”
“I’m very angry with God right now.”
What could account for such diversity in persons’ concepts regarding their God?
While experiences as adults can continue to condition persons, the beliefs that shape their concepts about god are rooted in childhood. The diversity in all of the nonsensical beliefs about god is understandable if you realize that the believers' concepts regarding “A Universal Authority Figure” are usually based in the personality traits of their "Earliest Authority Figure." Usually, that would be parent(s) or guardian(s).
Was your earliest authority figure cruel and cold and hard and perfectionistic and rigid and punitive? Was that authority a strict disciplinarian that punished you for even the slightest of mistakes? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Was your earliest authority figure co-dependent with you, blaming you if he/she was sad or unhappy? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Was your earliest authority figure unpredictable and unstable? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Was your earliest authority figure capable of doing really insane and destructive and harmful things at times, things that made no sense at all? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Was your earliest authority figure weak and a pushover who gave you anything you wanted if you asked or begged? Guess what kind of god you will conceive? Does a “Celestial Santa”-type concept sound familiar?
Was your earliest authority figure there for you at times but unavailable for you at other times? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Were both parents completely absent, either physically or otherwise? Guess what kind of concept of god you will conceive?
What mental and emotional chaos is generated by the childhood nonsense that is carried into adulthood and held to be sacred truths and absolute facts. It is that nonsense that prevents persons from “being accepting of the end,” from “being comfortable with their own nothingness” and the nothingness of those they see as “others”; from “being ready” for whatever happens, from “accepting everything as easy." (Tomorrow, the discussion will continue with the topic: “A UNIVERSE OF ACCIDENTS OR A UNIVERSE OPERATING ACCORDING TO PLAN?”) Please enter the silence of contemplation.
While non-duality’s “not two” teaching eliminates the possibility of “one relating to another,” every aspect of the relative existence is marred by “relationship problems” until Full Realization happens. The following book identifies the roots of “relationship problems” and provides a holistic treatment plan for healing, for applying non-duality principles, and for ending such relative problems.
THE 15% OFF SALE ITEM THROUGH TODAY IS CASTING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE OF RELATIONSHIPS. FOR INFORMATION:
Other e-mail, along with a stream of comments from U.S. citizens who have been afforded an opportunity to express their faith to a national audience, have revealed their programming and conditioning with comments such as:
“He works in mysterious ways.”
“It’s all according to His Overall Plan.”
“We must turn to Him during these times" (meaning to the very one who, according to some believers, is the same one who orchestrated the event).
“There are things we can’t always immediately understand about the way that God governs, but the meaning behind this will be revealed.”
“You cannot escape the effects of bad karma” (a claim which reinforces the dualistic beliefs in “reward vs. punishment” and “singular and direct cause and effect”).
In reference to a relative missing for 24 hours: “We have been praying all night and all day, and I know God is going to bring her back. She’ll be coming home.”
Others were less devout:
“Where is God now?”
“God’s ways might seem to be very harsh and cruel at times.”
“I’m very angry with God right now.”
What could account for such diversity in persons’ concepts regarding their God?
While experiences as adults can continue to condition persons, the beliefs that shape their concepts about god are rooted in childhood. The diversity in all of the nonsensical beliefs about god is understandable if you realize that the believers' concepts regarding “A Universal Authority Figure” are usually based in the personality traits of their "Earliest Authority Figure." Usually, that would be parent(s) or guardian(s).
Was your earliest authority figure cruel and cold and hard and perfectionistic and rigid and punitive? Was that authority a strict disciplinarian that punished you for even the slightest of mistakes? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Was your earliest authority figure co-dependent with you, blaming you if he/she was sad or unhappy? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Was your earliest authority figure unpredictable and unstable? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Was your earliest authority figure capable of doing really insane and destructive and harmful things at times, things that made no sense at all? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Was your earliest authority figure weak and a pushover who gave you anything you wanted if you asked or begged? Guess what kind of god you will conceive? Does a “Celestial Santa”-type concept sound familiar?
Was your earliest authority figure there for you at times but unavailable for you at other times? Guess what kind of god you will conceive?
Were both parents completely absent, either physically or otherwise? Guess what kind of concept of god you will conceive?
What mental and emotional chaos is generated by the childhood nonsense that is carried into adulthood and held to be sacred truths and absolute facts. It is that nonsense that prevents persons from “being accepting of the end,” from “being comfortable with their own nothingness” and the nothingness of those they see as “others”; from “being ready” for whatever happens, from “accepting everything as easy." (Tomorrow, the discussion will continue with the topic: “A UNIVERSE OF ACCIDENTS OR A UNIVERSE OPERATING ACCORDING TO PLAN?”) Please enter the silence of contemplation.
While non-duality’s “not two” teaching eliminates the possibility of “one relating to another,” every aspect of the relative existence is marred by “relationship problems” until Full Realization happens. The following book identifies the roots of “relationship problems” and provides a holistic treatment plan for healing, for applying non-duality principles, and for ending such relative problems.
THE 15% OFF SALE ITEM THROUGH TODAY IS CASTING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE OF RELATIONSHIPS. FOR INFORMATION:
