Foundation #1 - Happenstance or Intellegent Design
This foundation module ask if the universe of matter is an arbitrary fluke or whether it is the…See More
The mixing of religious and non-religious beliefs in an individual.
God is beauty - my road to belief.
My background is cliched to the point of banality: I was raised in a christian household, but lost my engagement in the religion, along with my belief, as an adolescent. I was guilty for my doubt, I wanted to believe in god, but the existence of god, especially as framed by mainline christianity, seemed first improbable, then just irrelevant. I read voraciously about god and gods, various religious traditions, philosophies, theologies and eschatologies, always in search of a truth I could hold to, but there was always the doubt, the bloody edge of Occam's razor. My baseline was an existentialist humanism, the notion that there is no warmth or caring in the universe apart from the actions of individuals. Once, at a party, I explained my situation to this beautiful quaker dyke, and she summed it up this way.
"It's like you're looking for a coat to wear, because it's cold out and you've been naked for so long. But you've got these huge spikes growing out of your back, which means nothing quite fits. You can a) Find a coat you like and make alterations to it or b) make your own coat." (I feel like this encapsulates the whole point of RG)
I eventually found a way to reconcile my doubt with my yearning for belief by segmenting them into different domains: doubt is an asset in the objective domain, but a liability in the subjective. likewise, faith can be a liability in the objective world, but it is the core of subjective.
The subjective domain, the internal feminine dimension of the human experience, unites the things which are variably real from to different people at different times: Art, magic, mind, love, spirit - and beauty.
Beauty isn't something you'll ever be able to measure in test tube, or weigh, or prove logically. It doesn't exist in the way, say, toasters exist. Nonetheless, seeing it is an undeniable component of what it means to be human. I came to the conclusion that god was the same way. Seeing things aesthetically is a choice, as well as a skill that can be cultivated (or possessed innately). I decided to try and see beauty everywhere, to gather the divine sparks in all things (rebbe luria's tikkun olam).
Kierkegaard likened true faith to riding a wild horse - it is intense and uncontrolled, leads you where you never expected to go. The wall I built between subjective and objective truths, to incubate my faith and protect it from doubt, eventually became a hindrance. I began to see (in the manner of dialectical monism) the diad as in their synthesis given birth to a pure, unified monad: Although objective reality is primary in that it exists apart from the human mind (hypothetically), it cannot be perceived except by subjective awarenesses. As lao-zi put it "Being and non-being create each other." The wall was broken, and suddenly god was everywhere, no longer a subjective truth but the definition of existence.
I won't say I'm a believer in the sense that the religuous usually are - I see belief as a matter of perspective, like seeing the glass half full or half empty, no right or wrong involved. But I can say that falling in love with God has utterly changed my life.
My mythos, which is to say literally my story, is a work in progress, and I live life for the excitement of where the wild horse of belief will take me next.
"It's like you're looking for a coat to wear, because it's cold out and you've been naked for so long. But you've got these huge spikes growing out of your back, which means nothing quite fits. You can a) Find a coat you like and make alterations to it or b) make your own coat." (I feel like this encapsulates the whole point of RG)
I eventually found a way to reconcile my doubt with my yearning for belief by segmenting them into different domains: doubt is an asset in the objective domain, but a liability in the subjective. likewise, faith can be a liability in the objective world, but it is the core of subjective.
The subjective domain, the internal feminine dimension of the human experience, unites the things which are variably real from to different people at different times: Art, magic, mind, love, spirit - and beauty.
Beauty isn't something you'll ever be able to measure in test tube, or weigh, or prove logically. It doesn't exist in the way, say, toasters exist. Nonetheless, seeing it is an undeniable component of what it means to be human. I came to the conclusion that god was the same way. Seeing things aesthetically is a choice, as well as a skill that can be cultivated (or possessed innately). I decided to try and see beauty everywhere, to gather the divine sparks in all things (rebbe luria's tikkun olam).
Kierkegaard likened true faith to riding a wild horse - it is intense and uncontrolled, leads you where you never expected to go. The wall I built between subjective and objective truths, to incubate my faith and protect it from doubt, eventually became a hindrance. I began to see (in the manner of dialectical monism) the diad as in their synthesis given birth to a pure, unified monad: Although objective reality is primary in that it exists apart from the human mind (hypothetically), it cannot be perceived except by subjective awarenesses. As lao-zi put it "Being and non-being create each other." The wall was broken, and suddenly god was everywhere, no longer a subjective truth but the definition of existence.
I won't say I'm a believer in the sense that the religuous usually are - I see belief as a matter of perspective, like seeing the glass half full or half empty, no right or wrong involved. But I can say that falling in love with God has utterly changed my life.
My mythos, which is to say literally my story, is a work in progress, and I live life for the excitement of where the wild horse of belief will take me next.
Views: 10
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Sahareth on -
This story is...beauty.
I need to think on it, it might hold something key for me. I know I am missing a vital piece somewhere, it might be here.
-
Permalink Reply by doug on -
A comment on your post on your Christian background. Perhaps appropriate, maybe inappropriate... only you can say. I have seen this many times in my own interactions with people from the Christian faith (and from others), that because of what you are exposed to in The Bible (to use this example) might be somewhat limited (because of resources...people and related books) and this might seem like it encompasses all possible knowledge on the Bible (or a particular subject in the Bible)...when actually it's scope is rather limited (for whatever reason), it makes it seem like there's a wall that you can't go beyond, though you just KNOW there is more beyond that wall. So you "environment" is restraining you from "developing" within the realms of christianity, so to speak. There really was/is more...and it caused you to get mired in banality, that you didn't have this available to you...or that it wasn't made known to you at that time in your life.
-
Permalink Reply by Sahareth on
-
Or, perhaps, this limitation allowed one to see past the obvious. Gave one enough doubt to start investigating and finding all the other glaring difficulties that one might find, if one looked. So that one had an eye to many possibilities by the time one looked more deeply into the actual subject.
Hence the 'at first improbable, and then irrelevant'.
-
Permalink Reply by Jeff H on -
One of my favorite stories of Jesus happened right after the Tranfiguration on the Mount. He came down, and found His disciples had a problem. They had been healing people and casting out demons with great success...except for one.
A boy was possesssed with a demon that the disciples couldn't handle. They brought him to Jesus, and He said to the father of the boy that if he believed, the demon would be cast out.
The father's response is classic. "Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief" He new Jesus could do it, but had the doubts we all face of whether or not it would work for him. So often we think God's good things are available to everyone but us for one reason or another. I know I did.
Jesus however, being human at the time, knowing our mind, our frailties, our doubts, counted the man's belief as enough, and made the boy well. God's doesn't hold out for us to believe perfectly. He meets us where we are, if we are willing and open to Him.
-
Permalink Reply by gneognostic on -
It was actually critical bible study that first inculcated my doubt. I was blessed with a thoughtful, literate community of faith in my childhood and adolescence - through them I learned about the bible in its historical and textual context, and I came out of much of this with the impression that the bible is an incredible collection of works, but that it is utterly human in its provenance. I've continued bible study well past the point when I would really consider myself a christian.
-
Permalink Reply by gneognostic on
-
great story, although I'm not sure I see the relevance to the post.
-
Permalink Reply by gneognostic on
-
I agree - also, the question of whether its ubiquity is anthropogenic or inherent is a fascinating one.
-
Permalink Reply by Jeff H on
-
It was simply to say that God understands our doubts. They are part of growth as well.
-
Permalink Reply by doug on
-
Not to purposely demean your thoughtful, literate community, but perhaps they were limited in what they knew and were able to inculcate. I've been blessed to quite the opposite result, and see the Bible as an incredible trove of treasure and wisdom, that is almost inexhaustible.
-
Permalink Reply by Khem the Is Real-ite on -
All beauty definitely comes from God. This is the key to acquiring the spirit of discernment.
-
Permalink Reply by James Germiquet on -
She missed the most obvious solution. Take the spiles out of your back. Even though you were raised in christianly and studied religion, Jesus teachings and the Spirit of Christ have nothing to do with 'religion' . Jesus said there will be those who clained to hve done everything in his name and he will say to them 'depart from me for I knew you not'
Yes you are cold and need a coat and there are spikes on your back.
Those spikes are the lies of satan about who god is and what he is telling you to do to find happiness. Stop eating from the tree of the knowledhe of good and evil, this is the worst problem of religion in general and christianiy in particular.
jesus taught do not judge others or you will be judged in like manner, forgive others not of the judgement you have laid on them but of any judgement they have layed on themselves for doing wrong,. tell them god loves them and has provided forgiveness for them. but you cannot get that forgiveness until you take down the wall of judgement you have put up by partaking of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Who are you to judge good and evil? Accept gods forgiveness and do the good you really want to dol stop doing things you do not want to do. read romans 7 with a new mind that understands you do not have to give in to the fears that stop you from doing the good you want to do. Today you can be a new creation an entirely different person. Live and let live. Do not judge others and do not judge yourself. Accept forgiveness for the mistakes you have made in your past life , then realize that past life is forever gone and carry on in a new life of freedom to do good and love others . there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in christ spirit of forgiveness and truth and love.
-
Permalink Reply by James Germiquet on
-
I see God as being simple.
God is the spirit of treating others in a way you would want them to treat you.
God is the spirit of trying to understand others the way you want people to understand you.
God is the spirit of doing things that are in the best interests of everyone not just your own.
God is the spirit of forgiving people when they make mistakes just as you would want to be forgiven if you made a mistake.
How many of us allow such a spirit to be the ruler of our own spirit?
How many of us claim to have such a spirit?
How many of us ever sincerely reflect on our own spirit and ask ourselves, am I as kind, tolerant, patient, etc. with others as I would want them to be with me (If I were as ignorant as they are,lol).
God is this spirit of love and understanding and forgiveness that we have a choice to make the ruler of all that we do.
Just mention Open Source Religion, Proprietary Religion, Belief Genome, Belief Modules, or Prerequisite Beliefs in a tweet to appear in this twitter feed.
Latest Activity
Sidian M.S. Jones replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion Belief Genome Update"You'll be the first Kernel."
Kernel John replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion Belief Genome Update"Looking forward to it Sid. Let me know when testing begins."
Khem the Is Real-ite replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion It Matters Whether You Believe in Will Power"ibid.
"
Khem the Is Real-ite replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion It Matters Whether You Believe in Will Power"ibid.
"
Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion was featuredBelief Genome Update
Just a short message here to let everyone know that code work on the Belief Genome is coming right…See More
Kernel John replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion It Matters Whether You Believe in Will Power"Sid, I read the article. Thanks for sharing it.
Yes, willpower is the name that we give…"
Kernel John replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion It Matters Whether You Believe in Will Power"Khem,
Ibid? An lame way to deepen or expand discussion. . . or perhaps that's as deep as…"
Khem the Is Real-ite replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion It Matters Whether You Believe in Will Power"ibid.
"
Kernel John replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion It Matters Whether You Believe in Will Power"The Occult Law of Gravity that you refer to sounds like it is based on myth and superstition. …"
Khem the Is Real-ite replied to Sidian M.S. Jones's discussion It Matters Whether You Believe in Will Power"The non-entity who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him.
"
© 2012 Created by Sidian M.S. Jones.
