"Okay? Fun interesting read, now what am I supposed to do with it? What is it actually about? And so on. In responding I was down to, ‘it’s about perspectives and how we process the information that’s flowing through our senses.’
Thinking on it some more I know that it's about much more than that. It's about grasping for an appreciation of DeepTime, Evolution, and the dance of life and geology that created this world we were born out of and will die back into. Something that offers individuals a path to understanding their own place in time and the universe within a sane reality based over-arching perspective.
Something that offers peace in the face of our individual mortality and that eternal question of “Why?”.
Something that offers spiritual fulfillment through a visceral appreciation for how time and life on this Pale Blue Dot created us and this world we inhabit today and will return to upon finishing our short dance across life’s stage. Why isn't that cosmic gift enough?
Something that can offer rationalists and atheists a sense of our own spiritual fulfillment - in contrast to the faith-shackled's nonstop trumpeting about praising EGO and being intolerant towards others.
Something that offers us Children of the Intellectual Enlightenment the inner moral foundation and spiritual fortitude to step up and lovingly, constructively, challenge and confront those sad brainwashed souls eye to eye.
All of us have them in our lives, why not discover ways to ask them how they live with the cognitive dissonance inherent within their “my way only” religions?
Maybe slow down those self-certain ME FIRST Trumpkins from steamrolling rationalists into oblivion. Listen to them, lordie knows it's what they’re dreaming of doing. We had better stop ignoring that or a genuine horrendous civil war will unfold in parts of our country. They haven’t been stocking piling those straw men and contrived angry passions and weapons and ammo for nothing! (4/3/19) But I digress. ..."
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"... The missing key to NOMA is appreciating the fundamental “Magisteria of Physical Reality” - and recognizing that both science and religion are products of the “Magisteria of Our Human Mindscape.”
Science seeks to objectively learn about our physical world, but we should still recognize all our understanding is embedded within and constrained by our brain's mindscape.
Religion is all about the human mindscape itself, with its wonderful struggles, fears, spiritual undercurrents, needs and stories we create to give our live’s meaning and make it worth living, or at least bearable.
What’s the point?
I think it’s about better appreciating our ‘frame of reference’ - and especially recognizing that we aren’t the center of creation.
I think it’s about better appreciating our ‘frame of reference’ - and especially recognizing that we aren’t the center of creation.
This is important today because some have convinced themselves that they actually have a personal Almighty God in their back pockets, when in fact our Gods are as transient as governments and the human species itself.
Religions, heaven, hell, science, political beliefs, even God, they are all products of the human mindscape, generations of imaginings built upon previous generations of imaginings, all the way down.
Destined to be swept away by the hands of time, while Earth and life will continue its dance.
Here we are, 2019, sober assessment of physical facts is out of fashion and self-destructive fantasy thinking in the service of ruthless avarice is in.
Now it literally threatening to topple USA’s government Of The People, By The People, and For The People, in favor of a Me First, profits are more important than reality, oligarch run machine.
All the while the actual physical creation outside of our conceited little minds keeps on unfolding, following well understood geophysical rules regardless.
Ignore at our own peril.
…
So that’s my essay.
But it wasn’t finished.
I was asked what good is this essay?
What can people do with it?
Why should they care?
Well, lets start by thinking about our country and how over the past few decades easily a third of our citizens have been brainwashed into believing they actually know God’s Will.
Sadly, their God’s Will seems to be focused on envying, fearing and hating their fellow countrymen and the way we want to live.
They are blindly self-certain of their God and there is only one way. Their way. That’s Ego, not God at work!
It doesn’t matter to them that America was founded as - and has always been - a pluralistic nation.
It’s hideous. Now I’m no atheist, it's a meaningless concept to me. A personal 'almighty god' does not exist, that's Ego - manmade god through and through. Period!
But, beyond that? I’m too intimately familiar with evolution and biology’s utterly mind blowing ways and means and the story of how she got here. I don’t care how much my science pals howl, there’s a direction, randomness is ordered, and there is a ‘will’ going on.
But, beyond that? I’m too intimately familiar with evolution and biology’s utterly mind blowing ways and means and the story of how she got here. I don’t care how much my science pals howl, there’s a direction, randomness is ordered, and there is a ‘will’ going on.
Definitely way beyond my comprehension! But like 'dark gravity' we see its result without knowing what it is. Call it what you want.
I’m good with notions of God, but She's a whisper, an unknowable something beyond our mindscapes.
For me God is Creation,
all four and half billion years of her, unfolding one day at a time.
Our individual unique relationship with God is the most intimately personal humans have - but it’s a nontransferable relationship - to nurture or squander as our own numbered days unfold.
But not to force others to fit into. That's tyranny, a human thing.
Which is why people always make god's in our own images. Seeking god to hide their own avarice behind, we're so transparent.
Hell, the Biblical Book of Job even warns believers:
God is beyond human understanding,
PERIOD!
FULL STOP!
But do they listen?
There’s no denying that religions bring communities together and they help us feel the spirit in our hearts. But what they offer is shadow plays and ritual.
Nothing’s wrong with that ! We need it !
But, for God Sake stop mistaking that
with down to Earth Physical Reality !
God is in our hearts and souls, why isn’t that enough?
How did it get this bad?
I think it’s because no one called greed driven evangelicals on their insane hubris and amorality!
We’ve been giving them a free pass since this hostile takeover attempt got serious with Reagan’s ruthless political strategists marrying some Me First power hungry evangelicals that had learned how to pimp Jesus for cash and power.
Now more than ever we need to stop talking past that part of our nation. We need to start confronting them, even if they and us find it uncomfortable.
Not with anger, but with intelligent spiritual challenges of a more constructive way to look at religious certainties versus physical certainties.
Why not make them question themselves?
But, that message has got to come from your heart.
I believe a fact based Earth Centrist appreciation for Evolution and our place on this Earth and in this time offers opportunities for us individually to develop our own intellectual/spiritual awareness, grounding, strength.
That in turn, will help us develop individual constructive and challenging messaging towards the faith-shackled people who exist within our own circles.
Why not challenge them to question their self-certainty?
Why not challenge them to rediscover religious faith as something reflected in how we live our individual lives, not in how we demand everyone else to live theirs.
Least we can do is demand that geophysical facts and down to Earth reality start being respected and taken seriously."
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