FROM MY CORNER

Law & Order vs The Universe

An acquaintance and I recently exchanged emails about god – or God with a capital G, if you wish. He knows I do not personally believe gods or God exist. He also spent a sentence or two casually addressing his concept of God. It concluded with me promising him to explain in more detail my belief about this touchy matter.

I thought I’d also share with you my viewpoint. To put my “cosmic” views in perspective with my “earthly” views, I have to draw a picture for you of how I envision the issue inside my own head.

It begins by imagining I am simultaneously in two places: one is several million light years out in space – far beyond our own planetary system. The other is right here on earth, this tiny insignificant speck of life in the essentially limitless Universe.

When I am hanging out in dark space millions of miles away, I note there are no other people about. I am utterly alone. Therefore, no one is telling me that a god or God exists. No one is talking about Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, or any other prophets, or alleged creators of the Universe.

The entire concept of god or God does not exist either outside or inside of my mind. I see clearly that I am in a dark gigantic Universe with other physical bodies scattered out aboout me, visible mostly only at night when the millions of shining suns known as stars become visible.

The consequence of this experience is that I am mentally unencumbered by the concept that gods or God exist somewhere at some undefined location called Heaven – a concept that 90% of all humans carry heavily on their shoulders.

Since I actually live on the earth where the art of science has evolved as mankind’s best attempt to objectively and tangibly fathom the mystery of the Universe, when I am imaginatively out in space, my inclination is not to propose that some invisible being exists who made me.

Rather, I am inclined to look for facts that I may study and use to attempt to determine where I actually am, where I came from, and what is going on.

Contrarily, when I return from my space exploration, and am on the earth, I am constantly barraged in my own country with the endless repetition of the 2000-year-old mythology of Christianity. Also Judaism and Islam, and 1,000 other alleged religions.

These mythologies originated at least two millennia ago in the extremely-barren hot deserts of the middle east. They were created by people 90% of whom were primarily goat and camel herders. And today, after massive accumulation via science of millions of facts no one knew at that time, 90% of all people still allegedly accept these mythologies as valid.

This is permissible and legally acceptable in the United States. Thomas Jefferson’s first Virginia law of religious freedom permits all to believe as we wish. That intellectual freedom is allowed and encouraged. Rightly so

However, I do not believe it reflects tangible reality. I see today a leader of our own country claiming Christianity who violates every precept of doing unto others as you would be done unto – in the name of Law & Order!

In a world where our own military has helped create millions of homeless and refuges of war, this “Christian” leader does everything he can to block assisting desperate people.

The Laws of government are being used to protect a mythology and an economic advantage possessed by our culture. They are being used to marginalize the poorest and most destitute people on the planet.

This is largely being done in the name of Christianity. The hypocrisy of it is astounding. America, could easily take in every refugee on earth and integrate them into our economy.

As a matter of fact, doing so would place us in a far stronger economic position globally vis-a-vis China and other countries. America needs more people to rationally manage its resources, not fewer. Blocking refugees is irrational.

This irrationality of our culture is weakening our sense of integrity. Our nation cannot resist helping desperate refugees, and deporting innocent young people, while awash in massive wealth for a fraction of our population.

Even America’s middle class is awash in excess wealth. Everyone rents a self-storage space to keep unneeded objects. It these were emptied and their contents shared, they would likely be able to recover all of our own homeless, at the very least.

What has this to do with the concept of god or Gods? Everything, particularly when that concept includes the Christian mythology. A people cannot pretend to believe something as vital to their integrity as their religion if they cannot live it.

I believe we need to be obsessed with using our own brains to live a culture that tangibly and proactively focuses on helping all other people on the earth to have an existence devoid of suffering, suffering largely caused by our own self interest.

When I see Christians doing that, I shall begin to consider their belief potentially valid. Until then, I do not. Does a god or God exist? I am not god or God. I do not make such a final judgment.

I say only I do not believe such a god or God exists. I believe if he or she or it existed, people would possess the power to live their belief. I believe in our tangible real Universe. I believe it is reality. I believe we may earn the luxury of pursuing religious speculation after learning how to sustain 100% of us on this planet.