Topics Related to Religion and the Soul

Love lost because of Blind Faith
~ James Dunn

Inspired by: A couple was dating and when they found one was Christian and the other Muslim, they broke up. The names are omitted as well as their thoughts, because their privacy belongs to them, not me. But the subject is important.

Both beliefs (Quran & Bible) are based upon the writings by people, both texts are flawed. God is supposedly perfect and all powerful, so these texts can not truely represent the words of God. Two people who love one another should be able to love one another enough to explore religious insights together, regardless of how they were educated previously regarding religion. When all people die, they will know little, if anything, more about God than they did when they were born. Any person that says otherwise is being deceptive to themselves and/or to others, is mentally incompetent, or simply chooses not to use their mind to think.

Blind religious faith is for fools; similar to blindly investing money into land on the Moon. Of what good does it bring; eternal life? Not if you believe in the wrong religion! Are you not grateful to God for having the opportunity to live? Are you not grateful for having experienced some of God's creations? How can people be so selfish as to expect God to give us eternal life when God has given us so much already! Mankind in-general is selfish and self-centered. People who are selfish, self-centered, and those who destroy God's creations do not deserve eternal life; but that is just my perspective. Maybe the Devil cherishes people with these qualities!

The Devil itself could have inspired the writing of many books. Could anyone truely know the difference? The Devil is supposedly far superior in intellect than any human. The writings could be beautiful and even make a little sense; and still be far from the truth. How willing are you to have "Faith" in the works of the Devil? Wouldn't God want you to use God's creation, your brain, to the fullest in understanding; rather than simply accepting by "Faith"? If not, you would have been born with Faith in God, there would be no question. This information can be genetically programmed into a person; but this is not the case.

Just because you were forced by your parents to be "Educated" in a particular way of thinking about God, doesn't mean that any part of it is correct; it is just ONE perspective of many such perspectives! In Islam there are sunni, shiite, sufi, baha'ism, black muslims, kharijitis, wahhabi, ismailis, ismaili druze, assassins, and others. Under the Bible there are Yeshivish, Zionists, Orthodox Sematism, Dati/Chareidi, Catholic, Protestant, Angelicans, African Indigenous Sects, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Jehovah's Witnesses, Adventists, Latter Day Saints (Mormon), Apostolic/New Apostolic, Stone-Campbell, Christian Science, Brethren, Mennonite, Quakers, and others. While those are just the ones based upon the Quran and Bible; thousands of other religions exist.

People can NOT "Reasonably" believe that their Faith, is the ONLY faith! If these works revered as Holy are devinely influenced by a perfect being, then they should not be in conflict with one another over any point. So which ones are the works of men, or the Devil? Which one is true, if any? How do people justify within their mind that they are right when so many say they are wrong? Most likely, everyone is wrong; man can not understand the complexity of Gods' wishes.

For those that believe in the Bible, the ONLY words ever directly transcribed by God were the Ten Commandments. Directly it states that no man shall speak in God's name. So the Bible itself is a travesty of God's will. Whose interpretation are you thinking of?

Having absolute Faith does NOT make anyone closer to God, especially when they have absolute Faith in a subject that is counter to God's wishes. But how would ANYONE know the difference? One's own personal mental comfort? Does anyone really think they were given a fully functioning brain when they were born to simply have Blind Faith?

People trust in the words and writings of other men before they will take the time and effort to question their own insights. People are willing to lie to themselves rather than to be critical of their own weaknesses. No person can know what God wants, our brains are too small to ever hope to experience the expanse of even a single thought that God might have. How can I make this statement?

The gravity of each atom affects the force between that atom and every other atom in the Universe. If God is all powerful, then God is aware of what the consequences are for every atom that moves, every virus, bacteria, plant, animal, and person. Babies and children dying and suffering play into a much larger understanding; an understanding that exceeds why a baby would be allowed to suffer and die without ever living a life that would know God exists. How could we ever know what God desires on even more complex issues?

The foolish think that God only has an interest in humans. The great expanses of the Universe that excede our perceptions would be a great waste. Why would God be limited to humans? If you believe in angels, the Devil, spirits, demons, ..., then you must accept that God has an interest in creating beings other than humans. What other forms of life exist that we as yet have not been exposed to? Most of life was unknown to us 2000 years ago, 1387 years ago, and even 200 years ago. Almost everything we have come to know has occured in the last 200 years; yet we base our beliefs in flawed writings that mankind has manipulated for over 2000 years.

In both the Quran and the Bible, people are the center of faith. Yet these writings dismiss the importance of God's other creations, and allows people to destroy all of God's creations. Can you possibly believe that God would want us to destroy God's creations? Love being one of the most difficult to experience.

The Quran and the Bible are the works of people, not God. They are too flawed to be the work of the Devil.

Love lost because of blind religious faith is a love lost because of foolish ignorance.

I hope that all people discover that learning about God is a journey, not a faith. Unethical Clergy and Clerics will deceptively influence their followers to believe based upon "Faith" rather than by broad understanding. Faith is a set of stories to support the circular logic of those stories. (I can see the edge of the world from this mountain top. The ocean ends and the sky begins. I look in other directions and I can see the edge. A flat surface has edges. The world must be flat.)

If God exists in any form that we can possibly perceive, then God knows all about everything related to the past, present, and future. If you choose to love, have creative thoughts, and NOT to destroy God's creations; then God has always known this about you. If you choose to hate, have destructive thoughts, and continue to destroy God's creations, then God has always known this about you. Do you think God cares one way or the other? Interesting where that may put you in God's assessment of your worth.

What do I believe? I don't believe in anything, belief is the same thing as Faith. I shall always remain critical of everything I believe to be true. I tend to suspect certain aspects about creation that my meager brain can "reasonably" relate.

Our brains are far too small to amass the knowledge necessary to understand even the simplest thought of God.
Our senses of sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing are far too restrictive to sense everything that happens within the Universe.
Within the lifetimes of two (2) people living to be 105 years old, mankind has caused the extinction of over 50% of all known species of Gods' creation.
Mankind finds destruction easier than creation.
Mankind in-general has little or no respect for God's creations.
Mankind in-general is self serving and self centered.
Mankind in-general attributes the words of men to the desires of God; even when it is forbidden, even when it makes no sense.
People want people to have Faith.
Mankind can not know the will of God.

Therefore:

Mankind fights to take possession of assets controlled by other people by using God's name, through destructive practices (weapons), and by manipulation of the laws that rule the people.
Mankind is ignorant because we know little, if anything, about God. Our ignorance is one of our weaknesses and is part of being human.
Mankind is contradictory in words and deeds related to religious beliefs.
Mankind chooses its' own interpretation of religious texts to suit their selfish desires.

Therefore:

Mankind can not know God's wishes, but we each can revere Gods' creations with respect.

God's Creations:

Everything you see, touch, taste, smell, and/or hear
Our ability to think
Empathy
Our ability to Love

The Journey as it Relates to your Soul
~ James Dunn

Inspired by: Lao Tzu

Setting and consistently achieving goals are an important part of success in anything. The journey is far more important to the soul than the goals themselves. Goals are like markers along a path to let you know that you are still on your "chosen" path. But the journey where you experience the beauty around you, the sounds that draw your interest, the sun and cool breeze upon your skin, the taste and smell of the air, the beating of your heart, and the thoughts that fill you with passion, are by far more important to your soul than the markers along the way.

What happens when you arrive at a fork in the path of your life? You choose! Each path will lead you home if you travel far enough, some are shorter, others longer; but each has it's own burdens and beauty to experience. There are many paths to travel, and we can return to travel the same path after traveling another.

Any path can be chosen, one is no more correct or valid than another. Each one of us must choose our own path. To force and/or deceive anyone to follow another's path is to corrupt and steal their soul; the journey feeds your soul.

Developing your thoughts related to God can enrichen your life and your soul. Allowing yourself to be forced to follow the religious beliefs of "men", allows those men or deities they represent to stifle or steal your soul. They are the devil. They speak as though they understand God's-will when they know no more than a new born baby. People are easily confused by the works of men because they truely want guidance to find the next guide post along their path. Unfortunately, any work provided by any person, can not lead you to a place they themselves have never found.

People confuse contentment with "loss of interest". People are very much influenced by social peer pressure. Always guard your soul from contentment and peer pressure. Contentment as it relates to the unknown is always an indication of losing interest. So if you are content with your faith, you are only faithful because of peer pressure; not because you have found God.

Self deception allows people with a good heart and a corrupt soul to live within their own skin.