Split infinitives aside, one of the great tragedies of our culture is the gulf between the domains of "science" and "religion". Building bridges across that gulf is an urgent task that remains undone. But thanks to people such as Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, at least the work is underway. Below is an quote that highlights Roddenberry's pantheism.
I think I've gone through quite an ordinary series of steps in life. I began as most children began, with God and Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny all being about the same thing. Then I went through the things that I think sensitive people go through, wrestling with the thoughts of Jesus -- did he shit? Did he screw? I began to dare to believe that God wasn't some white beard. I began to look upon the miseries of the human race and to think God was not as simple as my mother said. As nearly as I can concentrate on the question today, I believe I am God; certainly you are, I think we intelligent beings on this planet are all a piece of God, are becoming God. In some sort of cyclical non-time thing, we have to become God, so that we can end up creating ourselves, so that we can be in the first place.
(Quoted on p 232 in "Science Friction" by Michael Shermer, Time Books, first edition, 2005.)
And my point is? My point is there doesn't have to be a point. But there can be if you make it so.
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I think it is arrogant of any human to believe that we can understand the true nature of deity. I think that it develops our minds to work on understanding the way things work, and we understand that via science. I think it is certainly positive and viable to try and understand the nature of deity, the forces of creation, life and death, and so on. But to postulate that we know just what deity is? I think the word arrogant is appropriate here.
I don't happen to believe in the god of the Fundamentalist Christians. My brilliant nephew pointed out that this god is only a parroting of their own beliefs. He happens to believe just what they believe, thus, he backs up their created set of dogma. But let us say for the sake of argument that he exists.
As one of my cousins pointed out, if he exists, he is the Demiurge, the blind, insane god. He is an egomaniac. No deity worth its salt NEEDS humans to worship it. The same cousin pointed out that we would be as insignificant to such an advanced being as a deity as bacteria are to us. Most of us do not require worship from bacteria!
The Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard said that he wants nothing to do with any god that requires worship from him, and that if there is a god, he believes said god will judge him on his actions.
This is pretty much how I see it. I believe that a higher power exists. I don't believe that it requires for me to worship it. Whether or not a higher power exists, it is still the best thing for the planet for me to be a decent person. I don't need any religious doctrine to tell me that!
This is one of my favorite blogs, BTW. Strange how some of the best ones get very few comments.
Delighted to know that Gene Roddenberry was another pantheistic solipsist. As for Adam's comment: it comes across as far more arrogant to accuse Gene Roddenberry of arrogance than if he were to accept the fact everything and everyone is essentially God - and that the word God as it has been passed down the generations has turned onto red herring that merely serves to cudgel us into submission to the spurious notion that big is better... or the unknown is superior to the known. In any case I was seriously distracted by the sheer arrogance of Adam's name Everhard which I assume was originally Eberhardt. That's a state I wish I return to myself, after limping along as Sometimeshard for years. Takes enormous self-esteem to name oneself Everhard or Eveready (like in Eddie the Eveready).
Names are important keys to a true understanding of existence itself.
Put these two names "Adam" and "Gene" together - and we already have the makings of Genesis.
Adam, thanks for your detailed comments and the compliment, I greatly appreciate it.
There's a lot in your comments to respond to: a good startiung point would be to say, beware the dangers of language and thought! They tend to lead us astray, grievously. They can be useful tools, in limited circumstances, under the supervision of a trained expert. But mainly they conceal more than they reveale, language and thought. They make us mistake the map for the territory, confuse the name of the thing with the thing itself.
Anyway, We're all just making this all up as we go along... and each and every one of us has our personal little quirky belief structures... to which we're absolutely welcome.
I must admit I have a fondness for some of the ideas and concepts in the gnostic writings, concerning the demiurge Jehovah, the self-admittedly wrathful and jealous being. Sometimes known as Saklas, the fool, a foul and bestial entity who requires parents to murder their children to demonstrate their faith...
So I'm in fierce agreement with much of what you have to say. More at this link, if you like: http://cosmic-rapture.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/of-ungodly-gods-and-unreal-realities.html
Thanks for stopping by...
Hi Antares, yes yet another one, pantheistic multiple ego solipsist, I mean. Along with Einstein, Jesus and many others... Indebted to you for introducing me to the Heinlein reference in the first place. :)
Re Red herrings and cudgels: Bigger may sometimes be better, but better is less than best! Or something. {|:} Thanks for your comments, Cheers, MM
COMMENTS? Come on... gimme your best shot!