75 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
75 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
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58/100: Here it is -- "What Is God?" (GOD.TXT)
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Name: Belladonna #2 @5413
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Date: Tue May 21 07:51:30 1991
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From: The 286 Express PIN (Louisiana)
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What is God?
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God is That Which Is, the intelligence and energy which manifests Itself in
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creation. It has certain forms which are repeatedly used; these forms are
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recognised world over as sacred symbols. Morality and sense of purpose come
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from this Source. People who say, I wish God would show himself to me, are
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tripping over their own feet. God is showing itself all the time, in all
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things. God is the only Being; all that is, is part of God.
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God shows Itself to many people in the form of insight according to that
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person's temperament and understanding. Thus, monothiests of various
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stripes (Christians, Jews, Moslems, etc) perceive an anthromorphosised
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figure, often male. Pagans, in contrast, perceive two or more divine
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figures, more or less anthromorphosised, often male and female. In Wicca,
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a popular form of paganism, devotees venerate a dual divine principle,
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[PAUSE] male and female, a horned god representing the male aspect and a maiden /
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mother / crone representing the female aspect. Many pagans draw upon
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the roots of pre-christian mythology and nature worship in relating to
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the divine principle. Followers of New Age spirituality often perceive
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the divine in a less anthromorphosised form; instead, to New Agers,
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God is The Force, The Is, the Higher Self, or (borrowing a term from
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the aborigines of this land), The Great Spirit. To many people, whether
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they believe in one god or many gods, whether they believe in an
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anthromorphic god(s) or a "Force", the divine principle is always near,
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within. It gently suggests the right thing to do, and those who heed
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Its suggestions find that it guides moral choices, protects one from
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danger, and suggests opportunities for growth and other good things. Then,
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in quieter moments, It suggests deeper insights and wisdom, and one who
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heeds Its suggestions grows in understanding of the subtle principles
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which govern the universe.
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In the face of all this, how do we know that we are dealing with the
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right God? This question bothered me for some time, and recently I
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had the opportunity to discuss this with an elder Native American.
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(We who live in this country inherit the land of the American aborigines
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("Indians"), and the wise old spirits of the red men are patiently waiting
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for us newcomers to acknowledge them. So I was grateful to discuss this
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with an elder of this land). I asked him about the different religions,
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[PAUSE] and he said, "We are all children of the Great Spirit, no matter what
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color or where we come from. He made different kinds of people
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with different ways of living and understanding, and revealed Himself
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to different peoples according to their understanding." I asked him
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what about Jesus, and he said, "We knew about Jesus before the white
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man came, although we called him (he used a four-syllable word here,
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which promptly slipped my mind) "....". He came to teach us love.
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You see, we are all children of The Great Spirit, but we have left
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His yard. He came to teach us to love, that love is the way to
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return to His yard." His words rang true, and I realised that this
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is what all of the religions are trying to tell us. I realised that
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reincarnation is a way for cause and effect to work itself out, and a way
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for souls to develop in wisdom and love until we realise in truth that
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"love is the way to return to His yard." I realised why Jesus and many
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of the other great teachers, speaking in the name of the Divine, say,
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"I am always with you." I realised what "salvation" really is, why Jesus
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claimed to be the way, the truth and the light, why all people of good
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will know God, no matter what their religion or lack of religion, and
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why, in the long run, there is no waste and no contradiction. God Is.
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All else is merely detail.
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The above essay was written in responses to a fellow student asking
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me "What is God?" It seems my teachers and my fellow students are
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[PAUSE] always asking me this, so I wrote it out according to my understanding
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at this time.
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Read:(1-100,^58),? : |