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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IN_GOD_I_TRUST who wrote (20806)	9/16/1998 6:53:00 AM
From: Sam Ferguson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

The more I think of it, said Ruskin, I find this conclusion more impressed upon me--that the greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something, and tell what it saw in a plain way. Every adult might well distinguish between religion and theology; we need to separate the two in our minds and realize that many of the doctrines and beliefs we have inherited were formed centuries ago for the purpose of strengthening and perpetuating the powers of the priesthood. The real Truth hurts, but it is time we seek it, for, as has been wisely said, there is no religion higher than Truth. Behind the universe with its multitude of suns and worlds and underlying all the cosmic activities, guiding the evolution of life itself, is a Power, Force or Mind which is recognized as First Cause. This Supreme Being is spoken of as God. Philosophers in all ages have pondered the problem and have come up with the conclusion that God is unknowable. Yet theology teaches that if one will pray, entreat, solicit or beg to this God vigorously enough and with sufficient faith, He may be persuaded to grant one's requests, irrespective of their merits. But this God whom the priesthood claims to represent is not a God within human reach. That Infinite Power and Mind must reside in the center of creation, no one will doubt. It touches all forces and all life flows from It. But man has no communication with it, i.e., none that can be initiated from this end. The assumption that prayers are heard and answered by a Cosmic Divine Power is entirely groundless and should be abandoned for a saner hypothesis. Within each individual is a spark or unit-share of God's own life. This inner spirit is nearer than breathing, closer than hands and feet. That is the God with whom man can communicate. Both the human and divine elements are within each person's range of cultivation. This inner spirit resides within each individual person giving it life and consciousness. Call it soul, subconscious mind, superconscious mind, ego or by any term you wish. When we address Our Father in Heaven we address this inner spirit-life of ours, which is the only Divine Spirit with which we have any communion, and may be said to be talking to ourselves. To the extent that the prayer is wholesome and serves to suggest to our inner-self certain desirable conditions which our own conscious efforts might aid in bringing to fruition, it is harmless and may even be answered--if we do our individual part and duty. A prime point is the value of righteous action and self-reliance. What the human individual needs most is to take himself aside and give himself a few swift kicks in the seat of the pants and make something of himself instead of begging to God to do his work for him and save him from his own ignorance and it is not the my purpose to undermine any form of religion but rather to point out that the only true form of religious-living is the individual development and perfection of one's own life. A major error of theology has been the teaching that one may obtain blessings for the asking (in prayer), with insufficient emphasis upon the obvious fact that no other person can do the work of life-development for you; each person must do his or her own soul culture. BE YE NOT DECEIVED, said Paul, GOD IS NOT MOCKED: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Gal. 6:7). In his attempt to avoid the troubles which his own mode of living has brought upon him, man has fondly held the belief that an appeal to Divine Power will result in a better and happier state. But whether such state arrives depends, in the last analysis, upon what the man himself does to improve his mode of life. Is it any wonder this false dogma of easy retribution and the excuse to take advantage of weaker persons creates suich a following? Steve there "AINT NO FREE LUNCH IN YOUR RELATION TO GOD & SELF"!!!