esrosedotblog

NONES

Here we are at one of the "religious" (or not) times of the year asking the same questions about God. And religion. And politics in religion and religion in politics. The alleged "war" on christmas which, it is interesting to note, is no longer the subject of public discussion. Here is what stimulated my thinking today. We have been down this road before.

Americans and God

The writer enters the perilous waters of religion versus god. In which he conflates religion and spirituality. I guess that is what he calls "god".

A "none" is someone who does not have a religion. I would qualify for that.

But I would have to say that I do believe in a personal Higher Power who is with me every day. This minute, now.

Wow. More confusion. If god is religion then I don't have a god but if religion is just a way of seeing god then maybe that will do. But I still don't have one.

I do agree with him that the almost complete integration of church and state has roiled the waters to such an extent that we must start over again.

Actually, I think that is going on already and has been for a very long time. Faith is fungible. It exists outside organization. It is portable. I had it when I was a little kid and, actually, I still have the same faith. He just hasn't tried that other road.

I sounds as though he got sick, got scared and went to church and he got something that was alien to him and didn't help him out of his what? Depression? Fear? Worry" Alienation?

Shit, I could have shown him dozens of places he could have gone. Unorganized, often pagan, practices and procedures and even communities that would pull him up and out to a higher plane.

A church is, more often than not, the last place you can deal with these things. There are exceptions but they are hard to find or spot.

Why? Because you have to also sign up with a system or belief and pay some money and join something and relate to an interpreter of the religion and, as he points out, probably sign up for some political philosophy or other.

So complex when meditation is only a step away. So simple.

Anyway, even if you don't believe in Mary and Joseph and the little baby Jesus and the rest of it, it is worth thinking about. God. The universe. How to find a serene happy life, All that.

I like the idea of finding a new Steve Jobs to start a new religion. Steve Jobs already had done that. Read the book. Did it make him a nicer guy? I think so. He had it inside himself where the higher power lives for everybody.

Others may differ. That's is the point! Otherwise it is more politics.

Labels: spiritual life