Searching For God (Updated from 6/8/2014)

 

"Faith is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof.  Atheists and theists have faith, but they have the same problem - little or no proof. Theists care about the eternal souls of the atheists.  The atheists care about proving the theists wrong.  Atheists don't want to see the promise, and theists can't force them.  Personally, I care about there being a "next great adventure" after this life.  The atheists won't be there, so it won't be as crowded."

-- F.A. Villari

Try to write.  Try?  Master Yoda was correct, "Do or do not, there is no try."  This I evidence here by not trying, and the words simply pour out.

Try to search for God.  There are a lot of people not seeing the forest for the trees.  In trying to search for a God that is everywhere and in all things, every avenue must be examined.  Upon examination, many of these avenues are taken in the search for a deity, and rarely the appropriate one.  I recommend stopping the search and considering acceptance.  

Do or do not, there is no try.  You either believe in God, or you do not.  If not, then stop wasting your time searching.  If so, then have some faith.  Accept that God is already with you… and always has been.  The rest is minutia and the truth will be revealed in due time.  We have so very much time; in this life and in the lives that follow.  God will be revealed to each of us, in a manner that each of us will understand, and at a time when we are ready to understand it.

Faith is simply a belief in something for which there is little or no proof.  Atheists and theists have the same problem.  Both have faith in their beliefs, and both have little or no proof to back them up.

Let's assume theists are right.

 

So, which religion is right?  If God reveals to each in accordance with their own ability to comprehend, then it really doesn't matter who is right, unless you choose to ignore God and follow a "religion" like lemmings to the sea.  What God gives to each can be similar to the blind men and the elephant.  One of them feels the leg and comprehends it to be a tree while another feels the trunk and comprehends it to be a snake, and so on.  To each, there is a different truth, and yet they all miss the whole.  Only upon feeling the entire elephant might one of them understand the whole.  God is a very large elephant.

Search for God?  Why?  If a person feels the need to search for God I would ask them why they feel the need.  It is vastly more important that we open our minds to understanding ourselves.  Understanding God will benefit us nothing as God will continue to exist whether we understand or not.  

Doesn't it seem a tad egotistical to think we could ever find, comprehend, or even understand God?  Instead, try understanding who you are and, more importantly, why you are.  Understanding your place in the universe is so much easier as a first step to just comprehending there is a God, but comprehending is not the same as understanding.  We comprehend the actions of God and still do not understand the divine reasoning behind them.  And yet, each Sunday, priests, rabbis, and imams would cultivate the belief that they understand better than others.  Who would God consider the blasphemer, the so-called “vessel” of God on Earth, or the empty vessel that is the common man ready to be filled with the true spirit which is known only to each person and to God?  

Consider one rule virtually all religions force their parishioners to break, from Matthew 6:5 we read:

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men."

I see a basic humbleness here.  I guess I view a spiritual guide in a different way.  It is a trait of the new pope, Pope Francis, that I like as we seem to see eye to eye on it.

I view it this way:  Teach me that I may teach others.  Bless me that I may ask the blessings of others.  A humble man learns from the smallest of God’s creatures and asks for blessings from the most humble of men.  I offer that one should not kiss my ring, though I am pope.  Rather allow me to wash your humble feet and gently kiss them as you relate for me the details of your own journey so I may learn.  Are we not all equal in the eyes of God?  The high and mighty have nothing but further to fall, yet a humble “king” can sit on a throne for eons, remembered for all time by the faithful.

Have faith, and do not worry so much about finding and understanding.  Comprehension begets faith, and faith is enough... for now.  The rest will be revealed to everyone, I hope, in due time.

As always this is just my humble opinion, and I offer it as food for thought.  I could very well be wrong.  I hope you consider your own opinion, and share it with others.

“Many seekers start "overdoing" it. They become like a fish that desperately wants to get out of ocean. Calm down. Fish can't get out of ocean. Ocean is all there is. And you're the ocean, not a fish.”

-- Shunya 

“I'm always intrigued by the different ways people decide what to believe. I mean, look at this -- they're taken from all over the place. Celtic knots, Eastern philosophy, the New Age. Past and present collapsed into a buffet of equivalent options all in pursuit of the divine.”

-- Katherine Howethe

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions offered. After over twenty years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance... he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center. 

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com