I can truly only write what my mind dwells on. I often quote my inspiration Spalding Gray who said, "I can not make up the lie that tells the truth." That seems to be my mantra and my limitation. I am baffled by writers who can write about a world so different from themselves and make that fantasy believable. They also seem to be the ones who become the most successful.
About three weeks ago, I posted a blog about a frightening moment I experienced on board an airplane. It had a happy ending and I got to write about it. Double Bonus. A gift to this compulsive writer albeit a little macabre to think of it. But this philosophical frenzy did not start because of some "near death experience" on that airplane, it began after I wote about the event.
I received this comment on the story: "Jay, as your friend, if you had died in a plane crash yesterday, do you know where you would be spending the rest of eternity? and why?"
That is a philosophical "essay question" if I ever heard one. It's the last word that hooked me, "WHY".
I considered the question very carefully before posting an honest response in the same comment section of that blog. But the word "Why" will always lure me to deeper considerations.
Instictively I knew the subtext of the comment, which is: Was I "saved?" Not saved from a near tragic areonautical disaster, but "saved" in the Christian sense of the word. I knew the response this reader was looking for. As a child I grew up repeating this answer to similar questions. "I am saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and absolved of all of my transgressions because he died on a cross for my sins."
I am an Absolutist.
I am Absolute in that I am
I believe conscious existence (God by whatever name) is Absolute, and man is individualized confirmation of that Absolute existence. Man is Absolute awareness of Absolute existence.
That's it. That is my life's philosophy.
For the last few weeks I have been waxing philsophical, examining what I believe, thinking about religion and what it means, especially to me. I would love to write some funny anticdotes and I am sure I will later but for now all that I can really consider is the heady concepts of eternal life and consciousness.
I know why dwelling on this particular thinking has engrossed me. This is how the current journey began.
About three weeks ago, I posted a blog about a frightening moment I experienced on board an airplane. It had a happy ending and I got to write about it. Double Bonus. A gift to this compulsive writer albeit a little macabre to think of it. But this philosophical frenzy did not start because of some "near death experience" on that airplane, it began after I wote about the event.
I received this comment on the story: "Jay, as your friend, if you had died in a plane crash yesterday, do you know where you would be spending the rest of eternity? and why?"
That is a philosophical "essay question" if I ever heard one. It's the last word that hooked me, "WHY".
I considered the question very carefully before posting an honest response in the same comment section of that blog. But the word "Why" will always lure me to deeper considerations.
Instictively I knew the subtext of the comment, which is: Was I "saved?" Not saved from a near tragic areonautical disaster, but "saved" in the Christian sense of the word. I knew the response this reader was looking for. As a child I grew up repeating this answer to similar questions. "I am saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and absolved of all of my transgressions because he died on a cross for my sins."
But then there's that word "Why".
Why does the death of a self proclaimed Rabbi two millinea ago have any affect on my relation to Deity or Consciousness of eternity? Other than just accepting the concept of cosmic sacrifice at face value what do I really think? It is much more difficult to craft my own concept to sync with my inner truth. That is because when it comes to these spiritual matters I was taught WHAT to think not HOW to think. I was taught WHAT to say but not HOW to think about it. I am grateful to Universal Mind for the gift of a rabid curiosity. It compels me to seek my own answer to WHY? Why am I supposed to think that? Why does it only work that way? Thanks to a comment on a blog I can think of little else for now. Words in any language are insufficient to describe the spiritual or the eternal qualities of Life and labels tend to confine the larger picture. The idea of God is too great to be contained but, here it is as simple as I can express the way I feel.
I am an Absolutist.
I am Absolute in that I am
I believe conscious existence (God by whatever name) is Absolute, and man is individualized confirmation of that Absolute existence. Man is Absolute awareness of Absolute existence.
That's it. That is my life's philosophy.
Knowing this you can read on - over my shoulder if you wish. Although I am not sure the person who started this philosophical avalanche is reading now, it is of no matter... I have to explain it to myself any way.
If you do continue reading....."keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out." - Walter Helmhurst
If you do not wish to continue reading- have a great day. Know that nothing stated here will change, increase, influence or affect your relationship to the Omniscient- Omnipotent existence of Absolute Truth. Absolute remains unchanged either way. Namste.
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Here comes the HOW. How does Jesus fit into Absolutism? WHAT I was told to think is this: The horrible execution of a Jewish Rabbi 2000 years ago was a surrogate and substitution for my own horrible death and eternal punishment. That event was the ultimate cosmic sacrifice. WHY? Why would Absolute Omniscience have need for the ritual of a physical sacrifice. I can't think of a reason Why.
Abolute life has no beginning and no end. Absolute Conscious existence does not end with death nor start with conception. Eternity is the constant consciousness of my individual connection to the Absolute Truth.
ab·so·lute
I believe the substance of conscious existence is Absolute Truth. Absolutism by its own nature and definition has to be Monotheistic. In whatever form you wish to visualize it and by whatever name you wish to call IT, the influencing animating force of all Life is Absolute, "Complete" "Total" "Perfect and "Pure". A Supreme Being has to be Absolute or It is neither Supreme nor being.
But, that differes from WHAT I was told to think in Christian teaching. Rather than Absolute Power I am supposed to give God the relative position of a Father. A rather forgetful Father who needs to be asked politely and specifically for all favors big and small. A Father who needs to be reminded of even my most basic needs. His protection and Love are conditional on the observance of rules and rituals that differ greatly among all the established Monotheistic religions. And this Father God needs to be thanked constantly for granting my needs. If I ask in the right way, and thank him for his Love and my prayer is not granted, only then do I accept that God is Omniscient and knows what is best for me.
These "relative conditions" can not exist in the mind of Absolute Supreme Being. Omniscience is neither forgetful, uninformed nor can it be withholding. Absolute is Absolute.
Here comes the HOW. How does Jesus fit into Absolutism? WHAT I was told to think is this: The horrible execution of a Jewish Rabbi 2000 years ago was a surrogate and substitution for my own horrible death and eternal punishment. That event was the ultimate cosmic sacrifice. WHY? Why would Absolute Omniscience have need for the ritual of a physical sacrifice. I can't think of a reason Why.
Absolute Truth would say that the life of Jesus is much more important than his death. Did he die so I could live? Or did he live to teach Absolute Love so I could understand HOW to exist in that consciousness too? Taking away the idea that Jesus died for humanity does not diminish his contribution to my salvation, in fact it makes it more important that I practice his ethics. His mission was to teach me HOW to think, not WHAT to think in order to avoid my own responsibilities. His lessons, his life examples his Absolute commitment to Truth would be unchanged if I knew nothing of his birth or death. He lived in constant contact with the Absolute and gave us the mission to do likewise, not to do the work for us.
Abolute life has no beginning and no end. Absolute Conscious existence does not end with death nor start with conception. Eternity is the constant consciousness of my individual connection to the Absolute Truth.
I can hear the crackling noise of Bible pages turning to find rebutal to this Absolute Philosophy. Fair warning, I am not interested in passages from an ancient text that once again tell me WHAT I should think. I am only interested in Why.
As you were,
Jay
As you were,
Jay
Right up my alley, my friend. We must share this in conversation some day. Thanks for this.
ReplyDelete"God created man in his own image. And man, being a gentleman, returned the favor."
ReplyDelete-- Rousseau
Answering your question in the Facebook feed: The question is Why? Why would Omniscience require a barbaric human sacrifice as a condition for granting Love.
ReplyDeleteMary Watts Kevin T Boekoff, you dropped the ball God Omniscience never required a human sacrifice. When He asked Abraham to take his son to the alter of sacrifice, He already knew - because of His Omniscience - that Abraham had enough faith to do it. He only wanted ABRAHAM to know that ABRAHAM had that much faith. Which is why at the last minute God provided a lamb instead. Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father didn't sacrifice God the Son on the cross. God the Son, the Lamb of God, GAVE Himself. Now, if you fell on a grenade to save your fellow men, you would be a hero - because you gave yourself. Falling on a grenade is pretty barbaric, but you're still the hero! God "took a bullet" for you. He's a hero! And you should be just as humble about it as you would be about your best friend dying so that you could live.
Now as to your blog. (Sorry, we've been wandering the deserts around Tucson and there's not a whole lotta cell signals out there, LOL!)
ReplyDelete"A rather forgetful Father who needs to be asked politely and specifically for all favors big and small. A Father who needs to be reminded of even my most basic needs. "
Nah, God the Father is not forgetful. WE are the ones who are forgetful. One of the many ways He uses prayer is to remind US that we don't need to look to the world for answers or help. He has all of the answers and all the help we will ever need - and he wrote them all down in the Bible. I've been studying that puppy for decades and it is STILL revealing truths to me. (Just one of the many ways it is amazing. And it's still the #1 best selling book worldwide. Check the stats.)
Mary Once again you are telling me WHAT to think... not HOW to think to figure out WHY consciousness IS. You keep describing a God that doesn't seem that much different than the Roman Sky Gods.
ReplyDelete