reply to post by Astyanax
He sure did. The statement I referred to was this very famous one: 'If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.'
I like this quote from Einstein also (who is correct? - Perception & life experience?):
"It's better to live as though there were a God and find out there isn't one, than the other way around!"
This was the fact that our sense of ourselves as willing agents in control of ourselves and aspects of the world around us is forever being
compromised by the fact that we are, at times, nothing of the kind. I'm not getting into a free will debate here. I'm simply pointing out that
strong emotions, generated by powerful unconscious, instinctual drives, often seem to take over from our rational, willing selves and force us to
behave in unexpected, unpredictable ways. Reason, like consciousness, is associated with the self; hunger, lust, fear and anger often shoulder reason
out of the way and take over the controls themselves.
Yes, but is there a point in-between? I work in mental health/recovery. You see the above especially with environmental or organic disorders. I am
very pragmatic and logical. My husband,
is actually more emotional than I am, yet, I have the stronger spiritual connection to God than he does.
Was it by my design? No, but that is a very deep subject and one that I guard.
Most tend to be black and white, either - or, in thinking, whereas, often the real truth lies somewhere in-between.
Man likes to connect to extremes, at times. Does it tend to give us more definition and security? Does it make us feel "right," "better," or
"smarter?" Hence, the evolving of religion in all of its manifestations. Man in his very imperfect state requires authority and then rebels against
the very thing he craves or asks for.
Anytime one thinks outside the box, one faces judgment by his fellowman. Most cannot take the judgment, most MUST fit within a group consensus. This
is any group!!
I have come to learn with my very expansive life history, that when the majority believes or follows the crowd (however big or small) they are putting
themselves at risk for being, or becoming automatons. Man can be easily swayed especially if ones emotions are triggered and are duped to buy into a
group conscious lie.
To emergent, reasoning consciousness, these moments when it was shoved aside by instinct must have been threatening and uniquely terrifying.
How could they be understood? One answer would be: as other, alien consciousnesses. Thus the concept of possession, of other minds - gods or spirits -
that could enter a body and sieze control from the mind that inhabited it. The first gods and demons, I suspect, were not anthropomorphizations of
external phenomena but personifications of our own inner drives.
Have you ever experienced anything remotely like what you have just described? Witnessed anything paranormal? Have you been around evil? You are
applying rational reasoning to an irrational situation, the very thing that a good therapist is trained to NOT do. Why? Because there are things that
cannot be explained through logic or science. I speak from vast knowledge and experience. It is the very reason why no one has the intellectual
reasoning to overcome my experience of reality.
With all that said, there are innumerable examples of those who have been manipulated by psychosis that springs from trauma in childhood or exposure
to evil that transforms the persons equilibrium psychologically.
I cannot attribute knowledge or experience to another just because I have experienced many things. It is the very mistake most of us make in
understanding the mind, and a persons experience, so we generally look for ways to accept situations or phenomena, through detached academic
explanations. It is a coping mechanism to ward off that which makes us feel uncomfortable or judged.
So we create laws, morals and manners to regulate our behaviour, and police forces and other authories to enforce them; collectively, we call
these inventions society. But the most important device we use to tame our instincts is religion, because it is by far the most powerful. Unlike other
institutions, which work to restrict the external manifestations of instinct, religion works like - is, in fact - operant conditioning that causes the
instinct to manifest itself in some kind of displacement activity. And it works extremely well: the legions of the hashishin, kamikaze and modern-day
jihadi suicide-bombers bear witness to this.
Yes, totally agree. But then again, aren't we just lemmings?
I know you're one of those people who thinks belief in God is okay but religion is not. Well, there's no denying that all religion is corrupt
and may, indeed, be so by definition. But it isn't, after all, God that humanity needs; it's religion. God is marginal to our requirements; religion
is, it appears, central.
Concur!
Now, here are my thoughts put a little synoptically;
We live in a world of; cause and effect, choices and consequences. The "air" is made up of dark energy and light (subjectively). Either one is part
of the problem (dark) or part of the solution. The Gods exist in whatever your choice is. It is up to us to make choices, and this is where free will
comes in, albeit, limited.
Are we living in a time of massive earthly evolutionary changes? What is the energy like in the world today? You can witness people falling into
categories. Is this healthy or...predictable? Are there levels of understanding that ARE available but most chose to stick to their comfort zones?
Will many fall into the gaps with these changes? And...does God really have much to do with it, or is it a natural occurrence that he encourages?
A persons "senses" can determine what the air of the world is and can take stances that are required to live in the light. Religion is dark and
hence, have the largest masses. So that can tell us that the world has a great deal of dark energy around it. Dark energy is easy to access as it is
the most discernible.
Light energy requires getting away from the masses and tuning into a higher knowledge that is not easily accessible. Those who choose this higher
knowledge attract the light and hence, let go of the rudimentary human ways of thinking. It is our choice to seek higher levels of understanding and
that divides us, and confuses the whole God issue.
No, I am not New Age! No I am not Gnostic, although I think the earliest simplistic thoughts were correct, but man makes a religion out of every
belief.
I put thoughts down on my thread below, simplistically, but nevertheless, a bit of what I think is reality. "Is God Cruel or Just Misunderstood?"
[edit on 23-3-2009 by MatrixProphet]
There are too many children on here who like to argue
for the sake of arguing, and I like to learn. 
