The Problem With Karma Posted in: God On Our Side, Suffering and an all-powerful benevolent God, The Self Divine

One often finds the sanskrit word karma translated as action or work. But sometimes, and especially in the western mind, people take it to mean reaction rather than action, or something subtle that binds one to the cycle of birth and death (samsara) — administered by some sort of unseen cosmic debt collecting task-force requiring balance in the universe be restored. …

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Abortion and the Bodily Concept of Life Posted in: The Self Divine

What if life is not something that comes about because a body in a womb has reached enough maturity to survive outside the womb? What if life exists even prior to conception? If this is true, how does it change the way we understand termination of pregnancy? Let us not cloud the discussion with religion. Let us neither cloud with rape, nor liberation and equal rights for women. …

Everything flows from desire Posted in: Divine Expression

At least this idea feels compatible with the notion of self-divinity. Compatible in the sense that there be no out of bounds, no area that cannot be explored, no experience that cannot to sought. Everyone at all times is simply expressing their divine. Contributing automatically to the completeness of God. Perfectly. And regardless of judgement imposition of worthy vs. unworthy desire choices. …

How is it perfect now? Posted in: Perfection in Seeming Imperfection

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. …

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Forgiver In The Rough Posted in: Aggressor-Victim

Notwithstanding 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

If this is true then the idea that the victim is purely a random recipient of adversity, with no cause beyond their being at the wrong place at the wrong time, is obviously unacceptable.

The Fallacy of Perceived Truth Posted in: Belief and Truth, God On Our Side

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. …

You Can’t Say No To God Posted in: Aggressor-Victim

You 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? …

Freedom From Jugdement Of Others Posted in: Freedom From Judgement

Many 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. …

Conditioned Soul – a good thing? Posted in: Divine Expression, God On Our Side

When 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. …

Weighted Words Posted in: Divine Expression, God On Our Side

Ignorance 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. …

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