EXPLAIN GOD, PLEASE
- Details
- Category: ReneDescartes
- Created: Thursday, 02 July 2009 02:00
- Written by ReneDescartes
My pastor wouldn't or couldn't.
Compiled by Rene' Descartes, June 2009
God is a very abstract and difficult thing for the human mind to fathom. To paraphrase the ancient teaching - ‘The God I am talking about cannot be talked about'. It means that God is really impossible to explain, or truly understand intellectually. But with that in mind, we will endeavor to explain the unexplainable.
People have often ‘person-alized, or human-ized the concept of God. Whether consciously or subconsciously, many people think of God as having a human-like appearance - a great big man with long silver hair and beard that lives ‘somewhere out there' beyond the sky in Heaven. That has always bothered us.
There are several reasons people think of God in this way. Partly, it is due to how hard it is to grasp such an infinite and abstract concept as God. But unfortunately, sometimes this human-like idea of God was deliberately fostered as: 1) A means to gain wealth and power over the masses; 2) A means to justify cruel or horrible things some men wanted to do (like war); 3) A means of propagating sexism; Or, 4) All of the above.
Unfortunately, with that kind of human-like conceptualization of God, also comes assigning human-like personality traits to God - and some of them are the very human-like "negative" personality traits, such as anger, jealousy, and vengefulness. The followers of many different religions have their own personalized versions of a humanized God. Some versions of God have similar personality traits, but there are various differences. Subsequently, the rules that people believe "He" has given for us to obey, are sometimes similar, and sometimes very different.
Is that a problem though? Why can't people all have their own ideas of God if it makes them happy or fits into their culture?
They can. They are welcome to it. We don't care about what name of God, or idea of God they believe in. If it helps them become better, kinder people, that's our only concern. But think about it. People will even go to war, because their personalized version of God is different than someone else's, and of course, each side in the war always believes ‘God' is on their side. Understanding the universality and oneness of God eliminates this, and many other tragic acts. You need to understand the various concepts of personalized Gods, in order for you to reveal that there is more to God that goes beyond what most think.
Many things about various personalized Gods just don't make sense. This includes both the things God does, and the things God doesn't do (allows). For instance, animals and innocent children are suffering on this planet. Why? If you accept a human-like version of God, why doesn't He put a stop to this? Many people who have limited views of God, can understand this when you explain it to them, as long as they have the slightest open mind, and the Spirit of God is present in you when you explain it to them.
Now let's consider God in a different, un-humanized way.
The old teachings teach that God is ALL, and includes ALL. It is the One that includes the many. It is within us, without us, and we are individual parts of the whole of it. While many religions have similar to identical concepts of the One God in their scriptures, they may still use the idea that their God is different from the others', as a reason for war or killing. One of the problems is that while many religions do teach that God is One, is all things, is everywhere, etc., they still propagate the concept of the human-like God in the Sky, and thus the religion's followers still seem to think of God that way. They also sometimes teach that it is only their religion that has the One God, rather than that God IS the One, the Oneness of All.
But some religions don't teach that? Even if the religion isn't propagating the humanized God concept, people still usually think that way. We will explain why in a moment, but first let's look at the consequences of thinking of God in a humanized fashion, regardless as to why they do. Unfortunately, the humanized God idea naturally leads to thinking of God as an individual of sorts. Then a person's or a religion's God can be given all kinds of personal traits, that either the individual, or the religion wants God to have, in order to justify their human behavior.
But that whole idea goes against the ‘God is everywhere and everything' concept, because if God is thought of as an individual, it also leaves us with the impression that He is separate from us, and the Universe. But if there is One God, which is all, and is everywhere at all times, etc., it can't be separate from us, or the Universe. So it can't be an individual in any normal interpretation of the word (other than if you consider everything in the Universe, the entirety of the Universe itself, as One Universe, and in some sense then, as an individual).
So God is an individual also in some sense. Let's contemplate that for a moment. We know the Universe is One huge, probably infinite, ‘something' that is everywhere and everything - all existence as we know it, etc. Even our bodies are comprised of ‘stardust' - ‘the stuff of the Universe'. Doesn't it stand to reason then, that the One God must also be the very Universe itself? And if that is so, and there is some sort of design, consciousness, and energy that pervades the entire Universe - all of creation - wouldn't that be ‘God's Spirit and Consciousness'? Thus the consciousness of God IS the consciousness of the Universe. ‘Universal Consciousness' then, is a consciousness that is one and the same as ‘God's'.
And thus the ‘Spirit' of God, the life force that is all of creation, IS the Spirit of the Universe - ‘The Universal Spirit'. Once, some time back, all humans had the consciousness of their Oneness with The Universal Spirit, and that is why you are here - to regain that Universal Consciousness, and Oneness with God. Then you will be the lamps to help others regain their lost way also.
So for clarity, in the majority of this book, "God" is often referred to as "The Universal Spirit" (and sometimes as "the One"). It helps clarify that when we are speaking of God, we are not referring to "The Big Guy in the Sky" concept of God. But even though using the words "Universal Spirit" helps prevent the confusion with the humanized God concept, the term God will still be used from time to time. When it is, just keep in mind what that means to us. To summarize, The Universal Spirit, rather than being an ‘individual' as we know it - is a ‘multiplicity' that is ‘One'. It comprises, and is, all things in the entire Universe, together as One. It is the ‘beingness', energy, essence, and life force that is everywhere and everything in the Universe, including us, including nature - and including the Universe itself. And it has a consciousness.
Also included as part of the One Universal Spirit (and the Oneness that is the Universal Spirit), is a ‘hierarchy' of spiritual beings who exist on many different levels. You might think of them as angels, guardian angels, ascended masters, adepts or saints who have ‘passed on', etc. Being free from the limitations of physical life, they exist in spiritual form, and share the same consciousness as the Universal Spirit (‘Universal Consciousness').
They are consciously part of, One with, and an aspect of, the Universal Spirit. Hierarchical beings thus act in harmony with the Will of the Universal Spirit, as if they were ‘arms' or extensions of it. Yet, they are somewhat related to us, and thus close to us also, so they are ‘links to' the entirety of the Universal Spirit, who can help guide us, and have certain influences in our lives. That is what some people call ‘guardian angels'? And it is just one of the many beings that form the link of the hierarchy. And the Universal Spirit is also comprised of this great link of Oneness.
As you study the ancient biblical texts, you will find that an early name for God in some of them, or perhaps I should say God was referred to in some of them, as ‘Elohim'. The word Elohim, is plural, and both masculine and feminine. Thus it includes the concept of a hierarchy of spiritual beings that also comprise God, and insinuates that God is neither an individual person, nor a ‘He'. This also leaves room to include all creation, all beings, including humans, as being part of God. Thus the Elohim concept of God is similar to The Universal Spirit, and you may find this helpful in your work someday.
The teachings were not created for the purpose of being "enshrined" or "worshiped", nor to influence the reader to worship any religion, book, or religious leader. These ancient teachings are thus "non-denominational", and/or "omni-denominational". They are not from, or by, any religion - and they are not "religious" teachings. Yet they do teach about the Universal Spirit, our relationship to it, and our place in the Universe.
It is our hope that publishing this book will help people in several ways: to regain their connection with The Universal Spirit; to regain their place in the "order of things" in the Universe; to become free from that which creates suffering (for themselves and others); and to become Unselfishly Loving, compassionate, kind, and harmless.
The teachings of, what can best be called and are translated as "the Children of the Law of One" were developed by beings who were "One with God and The Universe". You could call them angel's incarnate, enlightened people, fools, masters, Children, true teachers, saints, sages whatever, - it doesn't matter. Regardless of what you choose to call them, they had "Universal Consciousness", and thus an awareness that included the "spiritual" realms (which permeate, and are the foundation of all physical things in the Universe). This "high" or "spiritual" consciousness gave them a great understanding of everything in life, including us, God, and Universal Laws & Truths (we also refer to these Laws and Truths, as "Universal Principles").
The teachings are thus "reflections" of these greater understandings of "the Big picture", and present the Universal laws and Principles within them. They are a kind of "the facts of life" in the Universe, that most people have lost touch with, and are thus living out of harmony with. These Universal Principles are also aspects of The Universal Spirit. They are all things we once knew, and were aware of - because we also, were once higher consciousness beings. But that was in a time when our spiritual natures were dominant, and we were still in a state of Oneness with The Universal Spirit (this has been explained in depth in an earlier chapter).
But now, the spiritual nature within most people is so suppressed, that their awareness of these things is "blocked" to one degree or another. Most people have lost so much awareness, that they aren't even aware of the fact that they aren't aware that they are part of this One Universe. But all people still have some awareness of their lost heritage deeply "buried" within them - it is just "asleep" or "suppressed". This is one area where the ancient teachings are important - because of what they can do to help put us "back in touch".
The words, teachings, and understandings expressed in this book can be a catalyst for positive change, and stimulate spiritual inspiration and awareness. They can also help you gain an awareness of the Universal laws and Principles that are the fundamental guiding forces of all creation, including human life.
Being exposed to the Universal Principles within the teachings, may "resonate" and stir "lost" buried feelings and memories from your suppressed spiritual nature. These feelings and memories are often first perceived as a sort of vague "knowingness" or "awareness" within you (at least those of you who are more receptive to "awakening" to their true nature, and the reality of life). It's kind of like a person with amnesia, regaining their memory as they hear and see familiar people and sights (although it's not so dramatic and obvious). And you don't need to fully understand the teachings intellectually in order to recover from your "spiritual amnesia" - just reading them and grasping the spirit of them, can still have an effect.
The teachings may also act as a partial catalyst for your "Inner Voice" (the still silent "voice" of The Universal Spirit within you). Even though blocked, your Inner Voice will still react when exposed to the right catalyst - such as being presented with the spiritual truths of the Universe. Thus the teachings will stimulate it, and get a positive response from it. However, the awakening or "unblocking" of the Inner Voice may not get a positive response from you in general.
It all depends on the kind of person you are and have made yourself into, and whether or not you want it to remain blocked. So the subsequent reaction may be positive, and one of "joyfully quenching of a desperate thirst" (which brings "awakening"), or the reaction could be negative, and one of repulsion, anger, and deeper blocking. But one thing is certain - all people will react.
Thus this book has the potential to inspire, awaken, and nurture, their "higher" consciousness, or "Universal Consciousness" in those who read it, and thus their own inner sense of spirituality. (Some people refer to Universal Consciousness as "God Consciousness" or "Christ Consciousness" or "Enlightenment").
Having Universal Consciousness means many things other than being consciously One with, and aware of, all things in the Universe, including The Universal Spirit. Most readers won't understand such abstract concepts at this time (and you can't ever really understand it until you achieve it). Universal Consciousness is explained more in depth earlier in this book, but fortunately, there is a very simple, easy way to understand what Universal Consciousness means to us, and the world -indirectly.
You can understand it, recognize it, and appreciate how valuable and important it is - by observing its effects. There are very real, tangible, and clearly identifiable changes that can be seen in the life of a person whose higher consciousness is awakening, or who has fully achieved Universal Consciousness. They are "real world" changes that every decent person can relate to, and agree are "good". What are these changes, and how do they come about? Having an awakening of consciousness like we've just talked about, results in TRULY becoming more "spiritual".
As you begin to expand your consciousness beyond your self, you start realizing (not just believing or "having faith") that there is more to life and the Universe than meets the eye. Creation isn't just haphazard. There is One Great Something behind it all. And it pervades everything, including you, including all other people, animals, life, even the Earth and the Universe. As your Universal/Spiritual consciousness continues to grow, you start understanding the underlying connection of everything more and more, until you eventually have the realization that others are actually part of you, and you a part of them, and you are ALL one. Brothers and Sisters - all Children of One Universal God, all created in His image. As your spiritual consciousness grows you also feel, and manifest, Unselfish Love, and the ‘real world' spiritual virtues that are reflections of Unselfishly Caring, Kindness, Compassion, Giving, and Harmlessness. THESE are the things that ARE truly important, and the earmarks of TRUE SPIRITUALITY.
Oddly enough, it works in both directions. Even though developing spiritual consciousness brings forth Unselfish Love, Unselfish Love also brings forth spiritual consciousness. In fact, one of the main things that develop spiritual consciousness is, developing your Unselfish Love for others, feeling Unselfish Love, and practicing kindness, caring, giving and harmlessness. So most importantly, the teachings have the potential to stimulate and inspire the reader to do what it takes to actually manifest in their lives, these true spiritual qualities.
If such a spiritual change takes place within you, then all the people you come into contact with as you walk through your life, will be better off from having known you, and then they too will have the opportunity to change, and spread the beauty of Unselfish Love to others still - and on and on. Like multiple ripples in a pond that go on and on from throwing just one rock, your Unselfish Love can make you a part of, and a vehicle for, the Universal Spirit, as it moves through you, us, and thus throughout the world.
Many people place too much importance on spiritual knowledge itself, and don't concentrate first on the basics of simple goodness, such as the virtues of Unselfish Love. Knowledge is meaningless without this.
Using imagination and visualization, we can make a ‘mental illustration' that clearly demonstrates this.
There is an ancient technique that can help you perceive, understand, and contemplate the value and impact of a person's character. We'll use this technique to compare the value of knowledge, as opposed to goodness. Here's how it works: Think about a person's qualities and traits, and then imagine what the world would be like if it were entirely populated by, and run by, billions of identical duplicates of that one person.
Keep in mind that if the entire world is populated by ‘so and so's' duplicates, some of them will also be in powerful political positions. There is an old saying, ‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Having power tends to nurture the darkness within people.
Even a little separateness and selfishness is like a dormant cancer that can grow unchecked when fed by power. Some people behave well when they're ‘held in check' by lack of wealth, lack of a position of power, and constrained by society's moral standards and laws. So when you imagine a world full of ‘so and so's', you need to consider what they might become if they were also in all the various positions of power - police, judges, head officers of giant corporations, presidents, kings and queens? You get the idea. The overall feeling and image you get of an imaginary world populated by any given individual, will give you invaluable insight about them.
So for our knowledge vs. goodness contemplation, let's think about what it would be like in two different imaginary worlds. In this case, we don't actually know the people involved, but we can still use the technique to help us understand the comparison. Let's say the first world is entirely populated by duplicates of the one person with the most, and greatest spiritual knowledge on Earth.
Keep in mind that this person, is still basically selfish (as most people are). Thus they may be nice and friendly when things are ‘going their way', and when nothing is required or asked of them. But these ‘clones' aren't Unselfishly Loving, and have spent their time and energy more on acquiring spiritual knowledge, instead of focusing on developing, and practicing, kindness and harmlessness above all else. Thus their world is full of people that aren't particularly kind, are definitely not harmless, happy, etc., and likewise, the population is definitely not self-sacrificing when another person is in need. Yet they are all ‘egoed out', each person thinking they are very wise and ‘know it all'. So world #1 is still full of inequities and injustices of all kinds, still has children starving to death needlessly, still has torture, wars, and all the other evils, problems and destruction, that go along with a ‘look out for #1', ‘dog-eat-dog' world. We know those of you here don't want to live in that world, and many other people don't either (yet isn't it virtually the same as the outside world is that we have now). So how useful is great spiritual knowledge alone?
For our second imaginary world, let's think about what the world would be like if it were entirely populated by duplicates of one REALLY ‘good' person. Someone with little knowledge and intellect, but with a ‘good heart'. Someone who is compassionate, kind and harmless, and really cares about others. And they also have an attitude of ‘live and let live', regardless of what others believe, think, and do (as long as they don't hurt someone else). That's not too much to ask is it? Now, wouldn't this world be an incredibly better world than the one that people live in now? It would obviously be a beautiful, happy place - no starvation, no hurt, no war, no economic or physical enslavement, and no infringement on freedom.
So even in regard to the practical aspects of day to day life (and the condition of the world in general), isn't it obvious that the virtues of kindness and giving, are far better (and truly ‘spiritual') than any spiritual knowledge? And just imagine an entire world populated by Unselfishly Loving ‘enlightened' beings - it would be paradise, Heaven on Earth.
Such is the problem with all knowledge, including the teachings in this book. Intellectually, we can only point out the simple, obvious facts of how to live in harmony with Universal Laws and Principles. The philosophy and teachings can perhaps tell you how a good, caring person should behave, or how to become a good caring person. But just ‘knowing how', does not make you a good caring person. Locked within good spiritual knowledge is the potential for real spiritual change, but just ‘knowing' is merely being a human library. Even the greatest information is meaningless, unless it has gone from knowledge to positive realization - to being acted upon inside you, and outside you, in a way that makes for a real and beneficial change in your life and the lives of others.
The teachings don't exist to be a mere library of knowledge. They exist to help you, and urge you, to actively change into an Unselfishly Loving being who is One with All. To that end, the teachers don't offer you mere knowledge - the authors of these teachings have water to share with you also.
While there are certain exceptions, if you are already "enlightened", it is very, very unlikely that you would even be reading this script right now. You would likely have no need or interest in reading this script, because you would have achieved all you need. The searching stops. Those who have attained enlightenment, Universal Consciousness, or whatever you want to call it, generally no longer read books about spiritual teachings or philosophy, because they are of no use to them - they don't need them anymore. And when you don't need the things you once read in a book, you change to where your interest in them falls away. (You may still need books on plumbing, but that's a far more serious and interesting subject). It's not like being a doctor or something where you have to keep up on the latest advances. Sure, you could say there are degrees of enlightenment, and you might read something to achieve a greater degree than you have. But there is one "biggy" enlightenment that is like a light switch and it's either on or off. So if you are reading this, and that "big" switch isn't turned on yet, for your own good, please put aside whatever you already know, just for a while at least. Even more importantly, please put aside any ego that could "get in your own way". This could prevent you from getting a seemingly insignificant "little piece of something" out of this script that might help you become enlightened. Just read with an open mind, and see where this takes you.
Even if you were enlightened, and found a book that "sounds interesting", which is certainly possible, you wouldn't have the time to muse over it. When you become enlightened, you are very, very busy, helping others to attain the same freedom, peace, and Unselfish Love you have found, or you go on and ascend to a higher vibrational plane. If you stay, you "work" for the Universal Spirit, so to speak. You align your will, with Universal Will, and thus you become very busy doing your little part in the "Universal Flow". For example, at this point in our life, we don't read any spiritual or philosophical books. We no longer have the inclination, let alone the time. We did need to write this script though, because it was both our "job" to do so (in the service of the Universal Spirit), and our desire to help you. So we hope you get something out of it that will help you. A long time ago we discovered the hard way that it doesn't pay to be egotistical, self-centered, or "cocky" about what you already know. Humility never killed anyone, but cockiness has. Humility will get you to peace of mind and "enlightenment" faster than anything else. A "spiritual ego" will prevent it.
For more se The Force of Destiny.