Obstacle #13: ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL OBSTACLE OF ALL: God, Religious Beliefs, Dogma

TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS

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2. 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. See the green text after today's post for the full meaning and implications of that.

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Consider the enormity of the obstacles which one who works for 20 or 40 or 80 years with seekers of the non-dual understanding will witness:

Of the non-dual understanding which Maharaj offered, what might explain why he initially estimated that "only 1 out of 100,000 will ever get this" but later said that "only 1 out of 1,000,000 will ever get this" and eventually - after decades of working with seekers - modified that guesstimate to "1 out of 10,000,000"? 

Consider the enormity of the obstacles which one who works for 20 or 40 or 80 years with seekers of the non-dual understanding will witness: 

Obstacle #13: ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL OBSTACLE OF ALL: God, Religious Beliefs, Dogma

AS DISCUSSED EARLIER, THE MOST INFLUENTIAL OBSTACLES OF ALL INCLUDE:

#4: Beliefs about relationships and how those whom one is in relationship with should think and talk and behave. 

#3: Beliefs of a xenophobic nature about how fellow citizens should think and talk and behave. 

#2: Beliefs about politics, political parties, political leaders, and how "all others should believe what I and my political fellows believe and should accept the agenda of our political party." 

TODAY'S DISCUSSION: 

#1: Beliefs about "God" or "gods and goddesses" and "what is right and what is wrong" and "what is moral vs. immoral" and "which religion is the single right one and why all of the other religions are wrong." With 97% of all persons on the planet claiming a religious affiliation, of course their beliefs are the most predominant. 

Impartial Witnessing can make clear that nothing has generated as many falsehoods, thoughts, ideas, concepts, notions, views, theories, inklings, perceptions, (a.k.a., "beliefs") as religions. 

Historically, the core belief among the religions has been this: 

There are either 12 gods and goddesses or 59 gods and goddesses or hundreds of gods and goddesses or 382 gods and goddesses or 33 million gods and goddesses or 330 million gods / goddesses 

 or 

There is - and has always been - "Only One True God." 

After that core belief in gods and goddesses and God came, then millions of other beliefs came from humans who claimed to know exactly what the God or god and goddesses want in terms of how people think and what people can touch or not touch and what people can eat and not eat and what people can look at and not look at and what people can say and not say and what people can do and not do and what people should do and not do.

Also historically among the followers of thousands of religions and tens of thousands of sects and denominations and spinoffs and thousands of cults and sky cults, there have been limitless inconsistencies and diversities and contradictions and variations as humans explained what the gods or goddesses or God of their faith wants or expects or demands. 

HINDUISM 

In the late 1960's, a man from India tried, sometimes, to answer certain of my questions about Hinduism. Overall, this is what I came away with from our conversations: 

"Some will tell you there are 33 million gods and goddesses in the Hindu religion." 

"Some will claim there are 330 million." 

"My view is that no number matters because the deities are all manifestations of a principle which recognizes no gender and which allows one to focus on Brahman (which points to the many aspects of Reality . . . of the Ultimate Reality)."

Another said of Hindus, "The goal of many of us is not the worship of 1 or 33 million or 330 million deities. The goal is 'Moksha,' to be shown the path to enlightenment and Moksha" (that is, release from the cycle of rebirths and being driven by the supposed law of karma").

[Early on, Maharaj spoke of rebirth and karma, but later he rejected the validity of both.]

More research revealed that there is (A) "hard polytheism" (which holds that whatever number of gods and goddesses are believed in are "actual, individualized beings") and (B) "soft polytheism" (which holds that whatever number of gods and goddesses are believed in are ultimately a part of a single greater whole). 

Later the first man added, "Then there are many who no longer believe in any gods and goddesses and have become atheists, just as the Greeks and Romans no longer believe in all of the gods and goddesses whom their ancestors worshipped." 

Finally, I asked, "So that's the commonly-held view throughout India and among all Hindus?" to which he replied:

"Oh hell no. There are many in India who will tell you that I don't know what I'm talking about and who would disagree with everything I've told you!" 

GREEKS 

Also "hard polytheists" were the early Greeks who believed in 14 (not 12) Olympian deities; others were added by one religious group or another and one list reached a total of 382. 

Today, none of those gods and goddesses are believed to be real, much less worshipped. 

ROMANS 

The ancient Romans were "hard polytheists" as well who believed in 12 major deities along with 59 others that were added along the way as well as a near-infinite number of divine personifications, demi-gods, and divis (deified mortals). 

Today, none of those gods and goddesses are believed to be real, much less worshipped. 

At times throughout history, many religious people have been willing to torture and kill and die in the name of the deities they worshipped, including many today. Some built huge temples to honor their deities. They were preoccupied with their deities and their expectations. They sought current and eternal rewards from those deities. Today, not a single thought is given to any of those deities. 

See, at one point or another, everyone on the planet eventually becomes an atheist whether they admit it or not. 

["Yes, we all believe in Zeus" shifted to "Well of course none of us believe in Zeus! Give us some credit!]

There is not likely a single person today who is worshipping Zeus, much less punishing or beheading or otherwise killing people who do not believe in Zeus.

Now, the so-called "God of Abraham" is the one being worshipped and the one inspiring wars and beheadings and killings among the three religions which grew out of the teachings of Abraham - specifically, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - with the following membership totals: 

Christians: 2.44 billion 

Muslims: 1.226 billion 

Jews: 14.5 million 

However, just as the belief in many Hindu gods and goddesses and Greek gods and goddesses and Roman gods and goddesses has been cast aside, so too are many nowadays casting aside a belief in "the One True God of Abraham."

But there was a major rub as the people on the planet transitioned from a belief in multiple deities to a belief in one deity.

The deities of the ancient, polytheistic religions fell for the most part into three general categories: 

Creator gods 

Sustainer gods 

Destroyer / Punisher gods 

So Abraham comes along after the masses had believed in the gods and goddesses in those three categories for thousands of years and says, "No, there is only one God. Basically, you must become atheists in terms of the gods and goddesses you believed in for so long. Give up all belief in them. Then, to replace them, you must now become believers in the One True God of my conception."

The reply, droning as if from a group of sleepwalking zombies: "Yessssss, oh master Abraham. Weeeeee shalllllll believeeeeeeeeee only in the oneeeeeeee God of your conception." 

Then, 

"But wait, master Abraham. If there is only one creator god, who shall take care of humanity's business that is involved with the other two categories?" 

Abraham (pausing, stuttering): "Uhhhh, yeah, okay . . . let's see . . . uhhhh . . . oh yeah! Eureka! Got it! The One True God - which by the way is male (sorry ladies, no female goddesses anymore) - is . . . omnipotent! Yeah, that's the story, and I'm sticking to it! The One God takes care of creating and sustaining and destroying!!! He's a Full Service God!!! Pretty cool, huh?" 

(Dull, lifeless, no-understanding stares from the crowd. Looking at each other questioningly and doubtingly.) 

Abraham, seeing their questioning: "And by the way, DAMMIT! If you don't believe that, He will be offended and will cast you into the burning flames of Hades for eternity!!" 

The crowd (pausing, looking about, and then finally, acquiescing enthusiastically): "Well, sure, since you put it that way, then . . . .

Praise be to the One True God!!! Praise be to the Almighty who can do the work of thousands and millions of gods and goddesses!! He is, indeed, glorious!!! 

Then one young lad from the back of the crowd stepped forward and asked: "But master Abraham, would that not make Him schizophrenic or make Him suffer from having alter-egos or from the Multiple Identity Personality Disorder? I mean, isn't it a little crazy if there's a God Who creates us and claims to love us and Who is supposed to sustain us but who can be pissed off by us (meaning He's also got the Co-Dependent Personality Disorder and allows us to determine His mood) and is then willing to kill us and burn us forever? You know, just asking." 

Abraham (at first stunned into silence, looking at the crowd and seeing doubt beginning to manifest in their eyes, suddenly comes up with an answer to being challenged): "Children of the One True God! Hark! Listen not to this young boy!! He is obviously a New Age Agent of Satan, a representative of the God of Evil Who Wants You To Be Cast Into Eternal Flames!! STONE THE BOY TO DEATH!" 

The crowd (pausing and then responding in its original dull, zombie-like voice): "Yes, O Master Abraham. You are right!!" Then one in the crowd shouts,

"Fellows believers, we must hasten to gather large quantities of stones. Let us purge this Agent of Satan from our midst!! Kill him!! Kill him now!! 

(Hundreds and hundreds of stones begin flying. Soon, the lad is dead.)

Abraham: "We are rid of this troublemaker. Praise be to God Almighty!!" 

The crowd: "Yes!! Praise be to God Almighty!! Praise the One True God!! Praise God!! Praise God!! Praise God!! And praise Abraham, His representative on earth, as well!! AMEN!! 

[Years pass]

Eventually, thousands of years later, a man living in a rural part of India would move to Bombay and open several businesses and arrange for a flat for himself and his family and then would built a loft overhead and would welcome those seeking something different from the religious nonsense passed down for thousands of years.

He would clarify what had been going on throughout those thousands of years in terms of beliefs about religion and gods and goddesses and One True God and the true motive of all of those religious people by saying:

"First of all you identify something as being good or bad for yourself. Then, in an effort to acquire good or to get rid of the bad, you have invented a God. Then you worship such a God and . . . you pray to that God for something good to happen to you." 

--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj 

“I have no faith in anything which has ever been told, not even what has been told by the Vedas. Only my own experience.” 

--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj 

"I take my stand in the original state where I was not aware that I am.” 

--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj 

And to those claiming "I am Hindu" / "I am Jewish" / "I am Christian" / "I am Muslim" etc., etc., etc., he said:

“From my angle, you are nothing. You have no identity.” 

--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj 

Either there is one, or there is duality and / or multiplicity. Either there is a prime cause and creation (and therefore a prime causer and creator) or there is neither creation nor destruction. Science has proved that there is neither creation nor destruction. All is energy / matter, and energy / matter can be neither created nor destroyed. 

How can there be a belief in a causer / Causer or a creator / Creator when the reality of scientific evidence offers the most basic understanding about energy / matter? 

The cause of all is . . . all. Where is there any possibility of a creator (or a creator-sustainer-destroyer god) when that which is has always been, when that which is cannot have been created, when that which is cannot be destroyed, and when all merely cycles . . . or not? 

Persons who are programmed to believe that their bodies-minds-personalities shall last "for infinity after death" do not pause to consider that, if infinity is a possibility in that > "direction" on their timelines, then it must also be a possibility in that < "direction" on their timelines. 

Infinite is infinite. Whatever has the ability to exist "forever after" also had to have the ability to exist "forever before." And that means energy / matter, not a bunch of dreamed up, conceptualized gods and goddesses or a god.

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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