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God is a Whale

Tuesday September 23, 2008 at 10:33AM

Folklore teaches us to avoid conversations about politics, money and religion. I think these are the things we must discuss.

Imagine with me, a world with no physical attributes. A non-physical world.

I will call the non-physical reality, god. I do not capitalize the word, god. I do not use anthropomorphic terms for it. I do not give it amazing or frightening powers. It is simply, a name for the non-physical world.

Non-physical and physical worlds change and evolve. The non-physical and physical are united: they are one. Maybe the non-physical manifests the physical. Maybe god is all there is. There is no thing that is not god. Perhap god is a whale, a tree, or you, or me.

We have no way to sense or measure or describe a non-physical reality. Humans have created stories and things to explain the unknown. Some of these stories evolved into systems of belief with terrible consequences.

I think belief is a dangerous phenomenon. Religions, especially those with histories that go back to Abraham, are all wrong. I am not opposed to spiritual study or any path to understanding. I am opposed to belief that is not based on reason.

No point of view is perfect; but every view has value. I hope my interpretations will combine with others to build better descriptions of our world.

19 Comments / add your comment?

lubman says:

Je ne pense pas que ce soit la croyance, en elle même qui est dangereuse. C'est l'usage qu'en font et en ont fait les adeptes de ces croyances. Comme tu le dit dans ton article dieu peut être une baleine, un arbre ou soi même. Le principal n'est il pas de le trouver au fond de notre être, quel que soit le nom qu'on lui donne ???

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink / translate )

Chat Loupe replies:

Le principal n'est il pas de le trouver au fond de notre être, quel que soit le nom qu'on lui donne ???

Ou bien de ne pas prendre en compte du tout cette notion... Je n'ai pas besoin d'imaginer un dieu ou un quelconque monde non-physique...

Effectivement, l'univers et la vie n'ont aucun sens. Je m'en accommode comme je peux.

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink / translate )

SPW Rogall says:

Interesting thoughts! But what is a whale? (:-) (sorry, I could´nt resist. However, I believe (am convinced) that defining a whale is beyond our possibilities. (even)

Can`t cite this on english...."Du sollst Dir kein Bildnis machen von dem was im Himmel oder auf der Erde ist ............"and so on....

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

* san * says:

Well, nice thoughts here. I agree.

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

Marie^pro says:

God is as the Inhabitant of Arles de Bizet, we speak about it a lot but we never see him! I have no more the faith since a long time but if God such as some people believe in it can help to make good things then yes. If he serves for making wars not !

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

Desmond C says:

We are as one on this my friend.
9/11 would have been impossible without organised religion.

"You know, if it turns out that there
is a God, I don't think that he's evil.
I think the worst you can say about him
is that basically he's an underachiever."

Woody Allen

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

SPW Rogall replies:

Hey! We are FREE! As this is not the garden even, we are free to crash planes into buildings WITH (perverted) belief, or free to build Auschwitz or the siberian Gulags WITHOUT religion. Is it possible (this is not an insult) that at least some of those who deny the presence of a god ("god") do this out of dissapointment about the state of world & mankind rather?

We are free to decide about right ore wrong since beeing kicked out of paradise......... we may kill each other in the name of god as well as in the name of something else . We are our own penalty.

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

Chat Loupe replies:

I agree completely with your comment...

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

Chat Loupe replies:

9/11 would have been impossible without organised religion.

Well, as say SPW Rogall, what about Auschwitz or gulags ?

I'm deeply atheistic, and I hate many aspects of religions... But I don't think we can say that only religions can do such things...

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

Jen Wahl replies:

lol... wow, that's a much nicer way than I would have put it.

Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )

MaxKafe says:

I love Woody Allen. Max

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink / translate )

SPW Rogall says:

Ah, by the way..... I haven`t seen a whale in my lifetime yet. Do they exist? For me, a whale is waht people tell me it is, because of having no personal first-time-impresion of this animal. Also, my "whale" might be pretty different to my neighbour`s "whale". And no, I can`t prove that either the whale or my neighbour do actually exist. I am, so far, convinced that I exist, but the whalemay simply be there because I´m mad . "So far" means that I recently read some articles about a pretty long gap between the decision of my brain to "do" something an the moment it becomes present to "me" (measured by activities of brain areas) Very confusing, because what is "me" then, I`m apparently only observing myself.

Back to start:

Learning this and beeing not so shure what "I" am now, I agree that everything is in the flow & it makes no sense to do any portraits of "god" except as a tool. A tool which as mentioned may also be used to smash someones skull. Sadly.

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

SPW Rogall says:

And one more: CONGRATULATIONS to opening this blog. I love to see the development of all sort of comments. THank you!!!

Posted 14 months ago. ( permalink )

Jen Wahl replies:

what is your icon? sorry... totally off the topic, I know!

Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )

Adam Essene says:

Hi Max - nice to meet - The Rainbow Church of God traces its origin to Noah but leaves out what happened between then and now, just taking the legend of the event of the flood as a starting point for the end of the last age, and assuming that every good person who ever did anything to help a suffering humanity was genuine and sent from God in a natural way rather than being appointed by man, is worth honouring for their service to humanity and for the worth of the teachings they brought with them. All wisdom is worthwhile - if its not wisdom its worthless. Some wisdom has been hidden, but there is a lot from the past that makes logical, what I would call SCIENTIFIC SPIRITUAL truth.

I also know (I wont use that "belief" word) that it is fatal to believe anything that we havent experienced, so if someone asks me if there is life after death, I normally say I will tell you if i experience it, yet what is interesting is that some have (my mother included) died and been recucitated and most have suprisingly similar experiences.

Nice pictures you got - have you put any up on the Berlin big screen? you should, theyre good.

Love and Light
Adam

Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )

MaxKafe replies:

Yes. I did add some photos to the Berlin group. It would be fun to see them. Thanks. Max

Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )

Jen Wahl says:

Well, I teach yoga.... and, what I teach is that we must find the higher being in ourselves... it's there. We can be what we want... evil or good. Naturally, I push for us to be good! ;o) Nothing like folding yourself into a pretzel to give you some serious insight on who might be lurking in there... lol.

I liked the saying about Woody Allen... but, I'd have to say, it seems that god is not an underachiever but that he couldn't careless.

Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )

Salvatore says:

i've looked your stream and i could tell that it was good, very good for me.
I imagined your story and I have admired it
now I find this very interesting and I like it very much.
THANKS

Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Evelyne Cole^pro says:

Well, all this was 6-8 mo ago. I find it great! God is still under the same umbrella!

Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )