As for sig quotes, I think mine is one I shall never find myself at odds with. Voltaire was a bit of a smart-ass, but in this case, the many
anthropomorphisms that result in the "
Buddy God" phenomenon ... speak for themselves. Notwithstanding my own rejection of the "personal" aspects of the Christian YHWH (for such a being would be the
very antithesis of touchy-feely sentimentality and such pettiness as jealousy, anger and an
ego that demands its own worship) ...
Kevin Smith was perhaps onto something with his
Buddy Christ! 
I display mine proudly for all the Missionaries to see ... although, whether Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Baptist or Catholic ... I suspect no one sees it (
Buddy Christ) quite like
Kevin Smith.
Okay, okay, there are others ...
Anyway, no offense is inteded, as even Kevin Smith demonstrated a more
believable and
personable God-figure than I think the Christian Church has
ever managed to do ...
Alanis is my hero, and if one must insist on the whole
"personal relationship with Jeeeeeeesus" bit, then I'd rather it be Alanis than the Jesus I keep hearing about.
But that's just because I don't think the
Christian version of Jesus is much like the (actual) man at all. Again,
that is my opinion (and sincere hope) - not meant as a jab.
ummm .... okay, focusing on pure aspirations here, I agree with Silverbackman in that
if we're daring to speak of
The One About Whom Naught May Be Said ... or any aspect of this being greater than our
Planetary Spirit (the Divine
Repesentative for our little planet, so to speak) ... let's ditch the "Him" word. We do know that
Deity is beyond gender, and while "He" is comfortable for some, "She" is much more suitable for others. Language is completely irrelevant, for if "God" (or let's just say, Christ or YHWH) has even a
fraction of these supposed powers we ascribe to
Him ... then even
before we have entered into prayer,
our communion has already occurred.
Perhaps we should think about what
Deity actually means. You know,
God. That word. That conception of
Being, or of
A Being. These two (`
Being' and
`A
Being') can be the same, related, or entirely different. I would suggest that
all three are true of God. We must learn to consider a
different idea of God than the one we're used to. Why? Because if you've
settled on something - on
anything - as your "God" ... I got news for you.
You're in for a shock!
Bound to be upsetting, downright nasty even, for some - but I think we can rest assured that
God just keeps getting
better and better. The really unsettling news, I'm afraid, is for the folks who have
most concretized their understanding, conception, or image of God ... as well as for those who have utterly rejected the notion - when they should know better. This means that those
who are truly ignorant (not meant pejoratively, just as a condition of
un-awareness) ... are off the hook. No, not
blissfully,
GOD no! Anyone who thinks ignorance is bliss, has
obviously never experienced
spiritual BLISS. But for a hint, it is that
state and type of consciousness, of which
Christ's Love and the
Buddha's Compassion are but the
faintest, earthly reflections. Or, to relate it to the most wonderful sex a person might have ever had ... the
best orgasm is like experiencing only a tiny, tiny fragment - maybe a thousandth of a percent - of what the
Love-Bliss-Consciousness of God is like. And yet, this is only relative to
Earth's tiny God(YHWH) ... since we could know
nothing of the Bliss-Consciousness of more exalted beings!
It's no wonder the 60's swept so many spiritual seekers away with all the influx of Eastern Teachings into the West, and I'm beginning to sound like Swami Beyond-Anandana myself!
But it's easier to focus on this
Love thing that Christians talk so much about,
as personified through the example of Jesus of Nazareth ... that to get lost on power trips or
angels dancing on pinheads. Bandit can show you a thing or two about
pinheads, and I just sat here speechless while ago, realizing what a
human being can do - in prison, mind you - if devoted enough and ...
inspired. Ask Bandit ...
At any rate, I don't think a long dispute would be useful, Quahom, regarding the relative merits of Christian Missionizing versus the contributions of the Buddhist tradition. But if the usual
novella of mine isn't preferred, I could gladly list for you,
in bullet form, a few
slight offenses (oh, you know, the
Inquisition, Witch Trials, & Crusades, to name a few) ... that somewhat tip the scales. No ... I think organized relgion
in general has been a
blight of evil upon the face of this earth -
not due to the founders, or to the faithful, but to those who ... in their own words, again & again, have simply said, "We're doing this for your own good, to save your soul, to help you know & meet God, who
loves you!" (this said, as they light the wood at your feet, tossing on a few cats for good measure ... or
tighten the thumbscrews).
Errr, uhhh, ahem!
Long days of yesteryore, is
that when all these offenses occurred. I disagree. The so-called
Missionizing, though intended in the best of spirits, I am sure (usually), is
not welcomed by these
poor, heathen, godless primitives - who were obviously so ignorant & foolish before they heard of Jeeeeezus ... that their
precisely-aligned and
expertly-constructed monuments, solar observatories and
TEMPLES ... were clearly just an accident of
ignorance! dangit, GO FISH
Pardon my actually becoming
passionate about an idea for a change ... but I think I've about had it with the
we're Holy and Saved bit, and
we offer this lovely free gift if you will only come worship with us, and tithe, and help form part of our little clique mentality. Yes indeed, excuse me for actually agreeing with
Didymus... who said in this case, eloquently, beautifully and non-offensively .... what I have tried to suggest again, and again, and again on these forums. We
all missionize here, a bit, and in the true spirit that it was intended, that is right and proper. I do not suggest that all Christian Missionaries are zealots and usurpers ...
... but to get back to my point about Buddhism, name me some of the
big Buddhist massacres of history. Okay? Go ahead. Make a bulleted list. Tell me about the
missionizing that Buddhists do wherein beliefs are
imposed on others. Tell me about tortures, and power trips, and the whole nine yards. Mmmmm-hmmm. Thought so ...
Let me just suggest, that God is a bit more like this: God Loves, God forgives, and God knows all about
Responsibility. He is the best example, after all - even if,
so poorly understood. But that's our shortcoming, and in time, we'll learn - and every mistake,
if accepted as valuable, can serve to bring us closer. Nothing but
Opportunities for Learning and Growth. Strange concept for some, increasingly obvious for others.
And as for outer creeds and observances? You do what you like, God isn't sitting there with Google, or
Bruce Almighty's AOL-mail,
filtering out prayers from Christians, or Jews, or Buddhists, or people
who always pray standing upside down, or whatever. And I really don't think it matters what you're wearing, or why. But if you wanna think a bit about what God
might be like,
if you could meet Him, try thinking of Morgan Freeman's character in
Bruce Almighty. In simple, Christian terms, that's a good starting point for God.
And what's next? How about the fulfilment of a new chapter in Human Self-Understanding,
and in Divine Self-Understanding? Our society is undergoing the delicate, important process of
coming together in so many ways, focused increasingly on interrelationships, interdependencies, and the strength that comes through cooperation & a United Approach ... nevertheless there remain such strong pockets of separatism, exclusivity, and elitism. We do, of course, have materialism, and
poor leadership to blame for much of our woe, but in the last analysis, it is about
Right Human Relationships ... and I would sumbit that if we don't take heed at this point, then we can
stop looking Heavenward for our hopes & answers.
If you've lost your faith in the
Spirit of Mankind, then try looking for it again. If you
must think in these terms, then just consider that
we are all the Children of the Divine ... and that means
EVERYONE. Wanna know who, and what, Satan/Evil is? It's the force/energy/part of you that wants to say, in this case, "
BUT-" Try telling (it) to
butt out for a change.
Another way to say this, is that
GOD is
Immanent, as well as
Transcendent. Immanent means
present, already - without groveling, and chanting, and
even without believing. What? You don't think so?
You darn well better HOPE so! Use your HEAD - as well as your heart. It's
not just sittin' there for food intake. God is present
within every single atom. God is the force that
creates, sustains, and eventually destroys - matter itself (converting it
back into ultimate energy, a
subtler form of God). Yet God is also the force that
binds matter together, in
whatever configuration ... and yes, obviously these various forces are malleable. But with forms of greater complexity, and increasing resemblance to their ultimate wielder, a greater
measure of the Divine can manifest. And this is why it is true to say that the mineral is
literally alive with the Divine Life, even though from our point of view the God-Consciousness slumbers. It has a
long time before it awakens, but for it, time is not. Nor for the vegetable, and even animals are not self-conscious (as we are),
yet in them there is evidence of the Divine Soul, emerging into the Light of God's Loving Attention and Awareness.
None can escape it, except in the darkness of human ignorance, hate, and separativeness. And as has also been said,
"The mind is the great slayer of the Real."
So do not destory this Truth:
Christ, Buddha, other Great Ones (before their day, and yet to come) are not different than us, in Essence, only in
measure.
The reason, and the proof of this, is God Immanent. And we must learn to distinguish between God Transcendent, and God Immanent. St. Paul offered help, yet he is misunderstood, or else I notice that people
stubbornly refuse to heed his words.
God Immanent means that Christ is
already present within us ... and for one in whom the Christ Presence has begun to awaken,
this cannot be denied, and
is known on no uncertain terms. It is only those who have been misled through the use of
FEAR - the weapon of the dark forces - who are frightened to learn & hear of the Presence of
God Immanent. For this is the
sure promise, the
inevitability, of the defeat of evil. It occurs within each individual, as well as within groups, within nations, and eventually within Humanity as a whole.
THAT is the Heaven on Earth which Christ spoke of, and which can develop, as
God Immanent slowly starts to awaken - and approach God Transcendent. It is imminent!
The Mystic understands this curious relationship, but the Esotericist knows that the
Mysteries of Identity are among the most sublime secrets any person can ever know. Only those who have
conquered ego, and fully awakened the God Immanent ... are able to attest to the Truth. Yet we can gain insight by learning to understand more about
ourselves - knowing both our potential, and our weakness, and focusing on the
Good. The Hermetic Axiom is `
As above, so below,' and the Oracle at Delphi gave the injunction, `
Man, Know Thy Self.' But more recently still, the poet Alexander Pope phrased it thus:
"Know then thyself; presume not God to scan;
The proper study of mankind is man."
Indeed,
know God??? We don't even know ourselves!!!
Consider Shakespeare:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet (Act I, scene v)
"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages."
- As You Like It (Act II, scene vii)
Shalom,
andrew
