MAHARAJ AND THE RELIGION VS. SCIENCE DEBATE

TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS

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MAHARAJ AND THE RELIGION VS. SCIENCE DEBATE

"Science will someday advance to the point that it will confirm the validity of all of the non-dual teachings."

--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

The following comparisons and contrasts were shared on this site more than ten years ago but they remain relevant to the current topic:

1.

Religion usually claims that its teachings can identify the individual cause of each and everything.

Science (as is the case with Nisarga yoga) teaches that the cause of all is all, that what is happening now—or what is now—is merely that which is at the ever-moving, ever-expanding “end” of an infinite series of happenings.

2.

Religions, (twenty-three in total) have claimed that their “leader” or “savior” was born of a virgin; thus, Christianity was not the first and only religion to claim its "savior" or "prophet" was "born of a virgin" but is, instead, the 23rd to make such a claim.

Science (as is the case with Nisarga yoga) explains exactly how impregnation happens, and it involves the vaginal, not the virginal.

3.

Religion claims that a god or gods are involved with what is called “birth.”

Science, again, makes clear that nothing more than an act of friction and an exchange of fluid is involved (as is the case with Nisarga yoga).

4.

Religion has persons believing that a god or gods are involved with what is called “birth.”

Science makes clear that nothing more than an act of friction and an exchange of fluid is involved.

5.

Religions teach tales of destruction by god-arranged floods, by god-sent fire and brimstone, by god-arranged wars, by god-made cracks opening in the earth and swallowing thousands. Some teach that devastation by hurricanes, floods, etc. are set into motions and guided by “negative karma.”

Additionally, some philosophies (such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Transcendentalism, Taoism, Empiricism, Marxism, Nihilism, Primitivism, Existentialism, etc.) have near "religion-like" or near "spirituality-like" elements and would have the masses believe what they believe.

Science proves the actual cause of floods and earthquakes and, in the case of hurricanes, how it is that oceanic temperatures, the earth’s rotation, global torque which accelerates a hurricane’s movement toward the pole of the hemisphere where it forms, and other weather systems determine the course of hurricanes.

6.

Religion would have you believe that it is a sin to masturbate.

Science shows that anything that is natural (that is, anything that no one had to teach you to do) may well be quite normal.

7.

Philosophy claims that "life" can be defined and that "the meaning of life" and "the purpose of the life" of each person can be known.

Science says that, since a word cannot be accurately used to define itself, life cannot be specifically defined. At best, the characteristics of cells can be named, but to say that “life is a state or mode of living” or that “life is the experience of being alive” do not meet the standard.

8.

Religion tells you that the body that decays or is burned until only ash remains will re-form and be able to experience joy and suffering as well as happiness or physical pain such as that produced by fire.

Science explains that when the elements of a body return to the universal pool of elements, they may cycle as something, but a former body is not included among the possibilities.

9.

Religion would tell you that it is better to die than to have protected sex and waste “the seed,” a message that has worked for centuries to increase membership and income.

Science suggests that the sane and reasonable approach would be to practice safe sex.

10.

Religion wishes to control people and tell them what they can do and cannot do with their bodies. 

Philosophy often tries to present arguments that can lead people to “living a better life.” 

Science offers facts and then steps back and allows humans to make their own decisions (i.e., “Unsafe sex has been shown to kill “x” number of people annually” as opposed to “Don’t have unsafe sex”).

11.

Religion claims that humans can live in a supernatural fashion.

Science claims that a human’s existence can happen naturally or unnaturally (the latter including efforts to live supernaturally).

12.

Religions come and go and the teachings and dogma vary from one time to the next although a core set of myth-based tales are usually retained and provide a common link in many cases.

Science deals with facts that are unchanging and eternal and unequivocal.

13.

Religion opposes both innovation and discovery. 

Science seeks and supports both.

14.

Religion teaches that doubt is a sin.

Science sees doubt as an asset that can lead to discovery and understanding.

15.

Religion is based in fear, is marked by activities intended to avoid or be free of what is feared, but at the same time continues to feed the fears of its members.

Science is based in fact.

16.

Religion is closed to possibilities outside its defined beliefs and rejects facts and proofs even when they provide concrete evidence that certain beliefs or theories are false.

Science assumes no belief before investigating to find fact.

17.

Religion disseminates false tales and superstitions as truth.

Science disproves or disputes false tales and superstitions.

18.

Religion thrives on emotional and spiritual intoxication.

Science thrives on reason and logic.

19.

Religion requires life-long participation in rituals and ceremonies and services. 

Philosophy does not discourage endless discussion and dialogue. 

Science focuses on questioning and investigation until facts emerge and that ends the focus on that subject matter.

*****

No one is truly free if anything or anyone has a grip on them, and billions are being robbed of their freedom because they are most definitely in the grip of something or someone (though often unconscious of the gripping or the effects or the toll of being in the grip of).

Many are in the grip of drugs or alcohol or spending or gaming or gambling or food, ad infinitum; many are in the grip of boredom and, as a result, end up in the grip of chaos in order to trigger an adrenaline rush which makes them feel alive and / or excited;

many are in the grip of egotism-inspired hatred; many are in the grip of learning more and more; many are in the grip of seeking; many are in the grip of accumulating things or people or sex objects or sex partners; many are in the grip of Big Name or famous persons; many are in the grip of "falling in love" but not necessarily in the grip of "staying in love";

many are in the grip of stylishness; many are in the grip of image-fabrication and image-maintenance; many are in the grip of a controlling parent; many are in the grip of controlling spouses who act as if they are the parent of their mate and as if their mate is a ignorant child;

many are in the grip of body identification and mind identification and personality identifications  and in the grip of trying to allay each persona's often subconscious fears and trying to satisfy each persona's subconscious desires;

but, with 97% of the humans on the planet claiming a religious affiliation and with millions more bragging "I am not religious - I am spiritual!" nothing has a grip on more people than the dogma-based belief systems of the planet's religions or the dogma-like belief systems of spiritual groups whose ideas and concepts and theories and tales and teachings, (a.k.a., "beliefs") have been passed down to the masses by sleepwalking parents who were similarly programmed, conditioned, etc. or by associates who are presently in the grip of whatever they have been pulled into and are now "selling."

RITUAL-FREE LIVING, DOINGNESS-FREE LIVING, 

SPIRITUAL-EXERCISE-FREE LIVING, 

and

NATURAL LIVING

Certain non-dualists also attach to a guru or an ashram and involve themselves in life-long devotion or study or rituals, burning this or ringing that, etc.; some involve themselves in extended occupation with study and the teachings; a few take the nisarga approach which suggests that you “go back the way You came, find truth, and then be free and enjoy the remainder of the manifestation.” 

The “going back” is a seven step journey that in almost every case now requires a teacher to explain the steps, after which all study and “spiritual work” can end and natural living can begin. 

Of the three options discussed here that persons turn to in a search for a vehicle that might facilitate the traversing of this relative existence with Peace and Unity and Love and Light and sanity and logic and reason . . .

. . . one fosters emotional intoxication as its primary “hook”; 

. . . one offers an opportunity to talk about dozens or scores or even hundreds of possible ideas and concepts regarding the questions some humans raise about “life” and “meaning” and “purpose” from dozens or scores or even hundreds of theorists; 

. . . and one offers an opportunity to cast aside emotional intoxication; to find certainty in an excess of ambiguity and improbability; to be free of a surplus of theories and theorists; and to tap into the only one of the three that points toward truth. 

And by using that scientific, questioning, objective, logical, investigative and open methodology, one set of teachings circumvents the inventions and fantasies of myths and superstitions and fables and tales. And in the process of being free of belief in falsehoods, only one set of teachings uses that objective questioning methodology to point toward truth. 

And among all the sets of teachings that circumvent invention and fantasy and myth, only one subset endorses ritual-free living, doingness-free living, spiritual-exercise-free living, and natural living. 

For those awakening to even a slight degree, the sane and logical and reasonable approach is apparent; for the remaining masses, religions and philosophies will remain the vehicle of choice. 

So it has been for 5000 years, and so it is now. While the hold of dogma and ideology is fading, their efforts to form and control minds is likely to continue for a considerable period. So that is too.

Recent surveys show, however, that more and more persons are seeking religious and / or spiritual sobriety and truth by searching outside the “traditional boxes.”

To be continued.

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 Here, with those who are still driven to talk about "god," the "Son of god," the "Holy Spirit," "Buddha," "Krishna," etc., etc., etc., the invitation to them is to view those as verbs, not nouns. 

THE EXPLANATION 

If looked at as nouns, they point to illusions and are, therefore, a total waste of time to even discuss; if looked at as verbs which are resulting in certain sane but rare behaviors among humanity, then they are worthy of some attention during the relative existence. 

Meaning? There are members of certain groups who say things such as "My concept of god in the past was of a weak god, an absentee god, A Santa Claus-type god, a mean, punishing, vindictive god, etc. Today, I am in close contact with a loving and caring god whom I worship and praise and glorify and give thanks to." 

The reply to that usually goes like this: "If you are in contact with a god that wants to be worshipped and praised and glorified, then you're dealing with someone like yourself - a narcissist - and hanging out with narcissists will never bring an end to your narcissism (that narcissism evidenced by the fact that you think you are "godly"). 

Next, in the phrase 'loving and caring god,' any supposed god that truly had her or his act together would tell you that the totally irrelevant part of that phrase is 'god' and that the only part that is relevant is the "loving and caring" part. 

"That is, a non-narcissistic their god / their goddess would say, "I care not an iota about being worshipped and praised and glorified by you or anyone else. How arrogant and insecure and needy would I have to be to want that? Forget the man-made, dreamed up noun 'god' and focus on the 'god as a verb' understanding and then go forth and let loving and caring be verbs - not adjectives - and let them generate the act of love and the act of caring and let those actions manifest through you." 

Yeshu'a (Jesus) and Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis were spot on: 

"No one shall ever see 'the kingdom of heaven.' It is within" 

--Yeshu'a (Jesus) 

and 

"Heaven and earth shall fade away." 

--Yeshu'a (Jesus) 

and 

"Heaven and hell are not geographic places 

but are states of mind, nothing more than 

concepts dreamed up by men." 

--Pope John Paul II 

"There is no hell." 

--Pope Francis, the current pope 

in an interview with journalist Eugenio Scalfari, 

a writer used by the Pope to issue off the record 

teachings which become a part of the Papal Magisterium. 

[That said, would that the popes who have shown the courage to reject a core concept of their dogma - namely, "hell" - would find the additional courage required to question the very existence of their institution in light of the centuries-long cover-up of their history of raping children and in light of the mental and emotional and psychological scarring of billions of their members past and present. 

And that need for courage also applies as questions need to be asked about why so many other sky cults are still being supported and allowed to continue to exist as well. When certain types of programming and conditioning have been shown to blind the masses, they should end. Will they? Not likely. Why? 

Because what the masses think and say and do is most influenced by the international crime families which hold sway over the masses as criminals conduct their planet-wide operations. What are the major international crime families and which are the most influential and have the largest memberships? 

The Mafia / La Cosa Nostra; the Catholic Church (with it 1.2 billion followers) whose Vatican Bank worked for decades with the Mafia while laundering mob earnings (for a 15% all-profit charge by the Bank); Protestant and Evangelical Churches (with over 1.2 billion followers) like the one I was raised in where the youth director molested and sexually assaulted young girls; big business which has long created environments in which people have been abused; powerful political bodies like the U.S. Congress, etc., etc., etc.) 

With all of those crime families, neither the followers nor the leadership ever voluntarily step down or shut down their criminal activities. Be they gangs, organized crime families, religions, big business, politicians, etc., they all want control and they all want power and they all want money, and nothing internal will interfere with the driving forces at play. 

The masses must demand that all those in charge must step down and their groups and institutions must shut down, and there's the real problem because the continuation of their crimes are enabled not as much by the people running such crime organizations as they are enabled by the masses of people who - wanting some perceived "payoff" - remain involved with them and give them money and support them and aid and abet the continued existence of those criminal enterprises and thus facilitate the ability of church criminals and political criminals and other types of criminals to continue to commit their crimes.] 

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