If God exists, and God is perfect, is it not then reasonable to suggest that everything emanating from God, us and our lives included, is also perfect?
But who amongst us is seeing their lives and world around us as perfect?
If fact, some say the material world is imperfect. Flawed. A place of suffering, a struggle for existence, a place of birth, death, old-age and disease. …
Continue readingNotwithstanding the pain / horror of the experience, existence of a victim for me is a major philosophical problem.
My song Forgiver In The Rough lays bare my struggle with this.
My problem begins with my conviction that not a blade of grass moves without the sanction of God. The all powerful and benevolent God
We find it relatively easy to dismiss as false or deluded the truths of others … especially when they don’t tally with our own. We might consider them ridiculous, unbelievable, inconceivable, implausible, or even insane. No more thought required.
But what if the same processes apply to us that make such ‘wrong’ truths acceptable, or even absolute, to others? In other words, our finding something believable – real – true, no matter how implausible to another, is arrived at in fundamentally the same way as theirs is. …
Continue readingYou can’t say no to God. At least not if you subscribe to the traditional notion of God. You cannot say that God can’t have something God wants. After all, what sort of God would God be if some things are out of bounds? Forbidden. Where would be the divinity in that?
But what about us? What if our not being God does not mean we have lost our divinity? …
Continue readingMany would agree that to achieve freedom from judgement of others is a worthy goal. My song Preacher is about the struggle a person-of-faith likely faces in this endeavor. But regardless one is a person-of-faith or not, I believe the path to freedom from judgement of others has a similar set of obstacles.
At the heart of the challenge always lies conviction there exist ‘truth-absolutes’ of good/bad, higher/lower, worthy/unworthy, should/shouldn’t … in terms of individual attitude and action. …
Continue readingWhen something is conditioned that means it is made ready for something … conditioning is the process of making ready. Generally that is a good thing.
Perhaps a conditioned soul is therefore simply a soul prepared for their chosen objective. Let us consider this possibility without judgement. After all, if the soul is divine (of God, one and different), and choice of objective is divine prerogative … i.e. …
Continue readingIgnorance and ignorant are weighted words for me. To be ignorant, or to be absorbed in ignorance, … neither are things to be proud of :(. For me the weightedness of these words has gradually grown over my lifetime. Due, at least in part, to my being born in 20th century England, and growing up within Christian-esque culture.
Yet it seems to me our whole existence is permeated with ignorance. …
Continue readingA made-up term yes, but actually one intended to explore a fairly serious philosophical proposition. My song of the same name, and associated online form, being two previous explorations.
It really comes down to the question of cause and effect.
My proposal is that this present life (e.g. our place of birth, parents, type of body, disposition of mind, events in our life story, etc. …
Continue readingA note of caution: It is fine to say of oneself ‘I am not a victim’, but to say of another, that is another thing altogether. I know if someone had suggested I was not a victim during a difficult earlier chapter of my life I would not have appreciated … nor could I have imagined a time when I might see things differently *. …
Continue reading… a very interesting mindset for one who is control of everything. Yes, it facilitates the both the forgiveness and revenge adventures for sure … but are those adventures really attractive enough to explain the widespread permeation of victim/blame culture on this planet at this time? …
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