Contemplating Gods
It has been my established belief that no “God” or gods existed and were, in fact, often a dangerous concept in which to believe.
Christians have done scary things with the idea of “God” for millenia now. On a practical level, I don’t believe in a heavenly entity that looks like a human and punishes or rewards us based on our actions. I don’t believe that we should live in fear of some imaginary being and that we should do ‘right’ in the world because we’re Afraid of that being. That’s Bullshit.
On a political level, deities that punish and reward have been manipulated by men as a form of control, of power play, for millenia, and that’s also bullshit. I hate that. It’s a means to keep commoners down, to keep people imprisoned in beliefs that rob them of self-esteem and the important need to feel capable and in control of your life and destiny.
Very similar to these two notions are things that I DO believe in – 1. that the natural forces that exist on this planet Will eventually screw you over if you’re a jerk, and 2. that if humans had stronger feelings of capability they would feel empowered enough that they wouldn’t need to cower before a demanding God to do good in the world.
Deities can be useful constructs, I’ll admit to that. They are useful in that they provide a common image for people to share when they’re referring to collected energies. But, perhaps from a somewhat luddite perspective, I’m inclined to Avoid deities because of the HORRIFIC amounts of evidence that deities CAN and WILL be used by humans to control others, and that is Wrong.
I suggest an Amish approach. Look at gods/technology. Avoid most of them because of their mass-production and potential to completely and utterly ruin your way of life before you’ve even had time to realize what was happening. Give us time as a species to adapt to the abrupt changes of the last several centuries. Look at the opportunities for appropriate ‘deities’ – gods of the land in your area, the energetic spirit of local plants or animals, of a local forest collected into one idea. These deities are a practical way to relate to your surroundings – it’s helpful to recognize them as energetic beings in your environment, to respect them and honor them as you pass through their territory just as you would want others to do if they passed through your land/home. It’s nice to get recognition, for people to say – ‘hey! it looks like someone lives here, let’s be kind to them and respect their creation and their safety and right to a comfortable home.’
I’m diverging. Maybe this isn’t a one-post issue. I’m sure I’ll post about it again, as I’ve specifically Not believed in gods for awhile, but this is the first time I’ve approached the idea from this perspective, and it brings a layer of complexity to the issue that makes me want to give it more consideration.
I suppose, in summation for the night (my birthday, now officially over for two hours), I’ll just say that life is not a system of punishment and reward, that it’s many more infinitesimal shades of gray, and that humans should understand themselves as inherently involved energetic beings in a world full of other energetic beings before they look to any deity as something by which to be ruled or controlled.
Definitely time to stop before I continue losing coherence. Thanks. Have a nice night 
And for those of you who’ll see the solar eclipse on the 1st, enjoy!
