What is God? Jung (and others) proposed a "Universal Mind". This Mind is composed of all the unconscious minds of all of humanity, dead or alive. This is the "river" which some few very sensitive persons can tap into. Cayce, Nostradamus, and other prophets or mystics got their "answers". To me, this makes more sense than a bearded manlike creature sitting on a cloud.
Our unconscious mind "knows" much more than our conscious mind. What we call "Instinct" may very well be this unconscious "knowing". Most of us can "know" when someone is watching us. It also accounts for instant like or dislike of others at first meeting. After years of study as a psychologist, I have an enormous respect for the unconscious mind.
At around 10 years of age, my father said to me, "The Bible says that God created Man in his image". "But, isn't it more logical that man created Him in man's image?" In my opinion (even at that age), this made more sense than the other. (At that time, my father was "officially" a member of the Episcopal Church, and I was a choirboy in the local church.)
I found a long time ago that every religion known to man breaks down to the "Do unto others" basic rule. And it's THE rule that makes human society possible. It really has nothing to do with religion! How many of us follow even this simple dictum at ALL times?
If every priest, minister, mullah, shaman, or any other proclaimed Man of God preached this simple rule, what then? When religion gets organized by Man, and becomes political, as indeed it must, given the nature of Man, then it begins to corrupt at the top, just as politics does. Control and power over other persons would seem to be "built in" to Man. Every "Empire" in history has fallen because of corruption at the top, and this United States is falling now!
Religion is used to get young impressionable persons to fight a war is what I call "the GMAC plan" - for God, Mother, and Country. Wars are fought for economic conditions, and other selfish reasons, but one thing I am sure of, they are never fought for God
My favorite bumper sticker reads, "Dear God, please protect me from your followers". So appropriate in this age of terrorism and bigotry.
Jung also said something to this effect, "If a man has no religion, he will invent one." Look at history. There are dozens, nay hundreds, of different "Christian" religions (and other religions as well). Because one person didn't like a particular tenet of the religion he was born into, he invents a "better" one (at least to him). If he is charismatic enough, it takes hold, and spreads. Which is right - the original or the modified version? Or, are both wrong, and another religion right? Or, horrible thought, "Could it be that all are wrong, or have been perverted by Man"?
What about you? Are you really what you say you are? Do you really believe EVERYTHING that the particular church you belong to preaches? If not, and this is the case in the huge majority of people, you are hypocritical at least, and you may actually be an agnostic! Do you have your own beliefs, maybe slightly different with your church, but you are able to change them if something comes along that proves one or more to be wrong? (If this is untrue for you, what are you doing reading this?)
When you study all the religions, even superficially, you find similarities - myths and miracles designed to "impress" the followers. This is not that dissimilar to Madison Avenue advertising.
The Christian myth of the "Virgin birth" is not unique. Most of the North American Indian tribes also have a similar myth. The legend of Hiawatha is a similar story. The fact that Mary had been married to Joseph for some time is conveniently ignored, as it is in other similar religious myths. Miracles help make ignorant peoples believe, and increase the power of the "church".
Religions supposedly teach morality, but in reality, it all too often teaches that "anyone who does not believe as we do" is a "bad" person. Bigotry is the end result of much religious teaching. "Christians", particularly the "born again" type are actually taught that only "believers in Christ", can go to heaven. Thus, conveniently ignoring the fact that less than 1/3 of the world believes that Christ was the son of GOD. Whether or not the person is a moral person, and a "good" person, is immaterial. This is blind bigotry in my humble opinion.
Then, we have the atheists. They are pretty stupid (again in my opinion). To say that there is no God, or higher power, when we do not, and cannot, KNOW is dumb. I have been an agnostic for most of my life. I profess that "I do not know", but I do have certain beliefs that seem logical to me. If other facts come along, I can change my beliefs. I am not stuck with just non-logical "faith".
I do not know what God looks like, but as my father said, it's pretty egotistical to think that all-powerful entity looks like puny man. The universal unconscious is more logical to me, but I'm not entirely convinced of that either. Since I cannot offer proof of such, I have to say, "I do not know". Many ignorant persons think that an agnostic is the same as an atheist. Nothing could be further from the truth. The word "Agnostic" means "unknowing". The Gnostics of the bible were "knowers of truth". (Pretty egotistical!)
Very few of the persons who go to any Christian church are true followers of Christ, from the few bits of history we know about him. If much of what we know is true, he was a very tolerant person. Would he be happy keeping 2/3's of the world population out of heaven? Does that make sense to you? It doesn't to me.
Only the most devoted (rabid or brainwashed) of Christians believe in all the myths and rules of even the particular church they belong to. As a result, the "rabid" types ascend in the church hierarchy. The so-called "Christian Moral Majority" is a prime example of this. (And, it's definitely a "minority"). Another example is the fanatics in the Muslim world who want to kill those who believe differently than they do. Still another horrible example are those "Christian" idiots who oppose abortion by killing doctors and women who have them! Killing in the belief of "Pro-Life is an insane absurdity.
This abortion issue has been made divisive by the term "Pro-Life" which implies that someone who is "Pro-Choice" is then IN FAVOR of abortion (i.e. Against Life). This is another "spin" on words. I am in the Pro-Choice majority, but like almost all others in that group, I am definitely against abortion. As a man, what right do I have to tell all women what to do? I am also against the alternative. Making it illegal simply denied to the poor this option, and "wire-hanger" deaths were also a result. Going back to those days is not a good option again in my opinion.
By the way, you are free to disagree with anything I say, as these are only my "beliefs" founded on my interpretation of the facts as I know or think I know. I am an agnostic which means "I do not KNOW". But, as an agnostic, I can believe certain things that seem logical to me. I believe in a higher power (perhaps that "river"). There is too much evidence of same.
The mistake often made by "religious" people with good intentions is thinking that we can legislate morality. We have failed on every try to do so. Prohibition made for more drinking and more alcoholics than previous. It also created the Mafia and more crime than before.
The War on Drugs was not only lost, but it created more drug addicts and more drugs than ever before. Prohibiting something only makes it attractive to some, including, especially, teenagers who "have" to rebel to become individuals. The cigarette makers know this well, and targeted their advertising both overt and subliminal towards this group. Even today this teenage group is still smoking to rebel. (Who says teenagers are smart in their rebellion?)
For most of my adult life I've advocated making drugs legal, and taxing them, so that the government gets the profit instead of the criminals. Look at the benefits. Half of the felons in prison are there for drug related crimes. No more overcrowded prisons, plus tax income. Let's do it!
Those are the thoughts of an agnostic. I believe in logic, not faith. I freely admit that I do not KNOW, but I do have opinions that I can change if logic and facts show me that I should. All too many "religious" persons do not have this freedom.
Phil Bate PhD - Retired Orthomolecular Psychologist
Inventor and Patent Pending Holder for
Brain Wave Amplitude Changing via Auditory Training
http://Subliminals-Training.com
http://BateAudio.com
http://Alternate-Health.com
Retired Orthomolecular Psychologist - Inventor and patent holder of "Brain Wave Amplitude Change via Subliminal Training". full resume at:
http://Subliminals-Training.com
or at:
http://Alternate-Health.com