My starter post for this blog.
I actually started thinking this blog might be a good idea to expain to my Baha'i friends (I still have some) to help them understand where I'm coming from - or should that be where I'm going to.
I actually started thinking this blog might be a good idea to expain to my Baha'i friends (I still have some) to help them understand where I'm coming from - or should that be where I'm going to.
If you have stumbled upon this blog and you don't know me, then welcome, and I hope you find it interesting. But it's not up for debate, so no comments allowed. I'm just musing, if anything, which may help other people make their own decision about faith, god, religion and all that sort of stuff.
When I was a teenager I decided I was an atheist, but my reasoning then was quite, quite different from what it is now. In those days I was rebelling. Now I have given long and careful thought to the processes and concepts - and have made this decision from a position of strength.
I prefer to call my self a spiritual non-theist, because 'atheist' has so many other connotations.
I was a Baha'i for over 30 years (check it out if you must have a religion), and deciding to move on might be considered a strange thing to do after all that time. However, I don't believe we ever stand still in our spiritual growth. This was the right move for me.
So, just why have I decided there is no 'god'?
Logic. It doesn't make sense for there to be a god - period. Besides, if there was such a being as a god, wouldn't there be more than one of them?
We, this planet, we humans, are not the centre of the universe, so why would any great being hang around for millenia waiting for us to come of age so that he/she/it could govern over us - and at the same time make out we still have free will and can do what we like. Guilt trips if we get it wrong, guilt trips for feeling good when we get it right. Bit of a conflict there.
If each religion thinks it is the right one, then why do people from all different religions claim they have received the very latest word, inspiration, revelation from god - which just so happens to lead to their own religion. Funny that. There can only be one truth - they can't all be right.
Comfort. I don't need or want to have a supreme being making me feel comfortable with everything that happens in the world, whether it be good or bad. I can draw on my own inner resources to get that. Taking it away from me makes my efforts seem puny and worthless. In fact, we all have tremendous inner strengths and abilities we can draw on. These inspirations come from within us, fed by the world around us.
Spirituality. That 'epiphany' moment. I get that just by looking at and becoming one with the world around me. I had them when I became a Baha'i and I've had them since I decided to move on.
Inspiration. Comes from everything around us and everything that has gone before and that we can imagine will come in the future. I trust my self to be inspired and I draw on that.
And what's all this about 'moving on'?
That's how I see it - my journey. In fact, apart from the obvious anachronism, I almost think that Baha'u'llah (founder of the Baha'i Faith) has been preparing us for the non-existence of God (I've deliberately put a capital G here). Mind you, Baha'is are told there is no such thing as evil - just the absence of good, and no such creature as the devil - just a concept. Yet why then, does even that faith keep referring to evil and the devil?(Grrrrrr!) For me, there is no such thing as evil, or the devil - or their opposites - period.
I was a Baha'i for over 30 years (check it out if you must have a religion), and deciding to move on might be considered a strange thing to do after all that time. However, I don't believe we ever stand still in our spiritual growth. This was the right move for me.
So, just why have I decided there is no 'god'?
Logic. It doesn't make sense for there to be a god - period. Besides, if there was such a being as a god, wouldn't there be more than one of them?
We, this planet, we humans, are not the centre of the universe, so why would any great being hang around for millenia waiting for us to come of age so that he/she/it could govern over us - and at the same time make out we still have free will and can do what we like. Guilt trips if we get it wrong, guilt trips for feeling good when we get it right. Bit of a conflict there.
If each religion thinks it is the right one, then why do people from all different religions claim they have received the very latest word, inspiration, revelation from god - which just so happens to lead to their own religion. Funny that. There can only be one truth - they can't all be right.
Comfort. I don't need or want to have a supreme being making me feel comfortable with everything that happens in the world, whether it be good or bad. I can draw on my own inner resources to get that. Taking it away from me makes my efforts seem puny and worthless. In fact, we all have tremendous inner strengths and abilities we can draw on. These inspirations come from within us, fed by the world around us.
Spirituality. That 'epiphany' moment. I get that just by looking at and becoming one with the world around me. I had them when I became a Baha'i and I've had them since I decided to move on.
Inspiration. Comes from everything around us and everything that has gone before and that we can imagine will come in the future. I trust my self to be inspired and I draw on that.
And what's all this about 'moving on'?
That's how I see it - my journey. In fact, apart from the obvious anachronism, I almost think that Baha'u'llah (founder of the Baha'i Faith) has been preparing us for the non-existence of God (I've deliberately put a capital G here). Mind you, Baha'is are told there is no such thing as evil - just the absence of good, and no such creature as the devil - just a concept. Yet why then, does even that faith keep referring to evil and the devil?(Grrrrrr!) For me, there is no such thing as evil, or the devil - or their opposites - period.
Perhaps I'll write about that more specifically next time, but I won't be quoting scripture - if it can't be said from my own words I'm not going to say it. Then again, I may decided to write about the absolute joy of the world and all that's in it, on it and around it - yes, even people are amazing!
Until next time.
Lynda
Until next time.
Lynda
(The following PS is NOT for my Baha'i friends, who are all lovely people and being true to their faith, would not dream of reacting in such a way.)
PS So why have I not allowed for comments? I know all you uber-fanatical, self-righteous, born-again religious guys and gals out there (sadly, most of you mistakenly purport to be 'Christian'), would just love to bombard me with all kinds of religious scripture and goodness knows what to put me in fear of my soul for not believing in a god - ok God. Actually you are just trying to make yourselves feel good. But you can't make me fear something that does not exist - so forget it. You are so, SO wrong (I'll be kinder - misled!). I'm not going to have you waste your time and my blog space spouting off stuff which to me is utter rubbish and totally insulting to me as a person. Go and set up your own blog if you really must. I wish you all well, but DO start thinking about what you believe in - the conflicts in your faith would make Jesus weep!
