Once God is gone, the world shines more brightly

I've flown both ways.

For many years I Iooked upon the world through a conceptual prism where my belief in God, a being unseen and unknown, altered the perspective from which I saw things.

Now, I do my best to cast off the filter of spiritual imaginings, desiring to view reality as clearly as possible as it is rather than how I'd like it to be.

I've discovered something interesting: when I don't try to fashion the world into a place that it isn't, full of illusory ideas about salvation, divinity, soul, eternal existence, and such, what is turns out to be wonderfuly satisfying.

Not nirvana. Not perfection. Not an idealized Platonic realm. But a glorious fully natural godless corner of our vast mysterious cosmos.

Sure, it's easier to feel this way in beautiful locations.

Recently I walked along the Metolius River in central Oregon, where I took the photo above. The sun was setting. I wasn't aware of the beam of light making its way through the tall Lodgepole pines until I transferred the iPhone image to my laptop.

What should we call such moments? Spiritual? Elevating? Transcendent? 

Or just... experiencing how the world is.

I fully understand the lure of adding fantasized extras on to existence as it is known to be. Death is scary. Suffering sucks. Disappointments abound. The gap between is and should be begs to be bridged by theological consolations.

All I can say is that I've tried both ways of living: with and without religious beliefs.

I've enjoyed the feeling of having a special relationship with God, one that promised me both eternal life after my stay here on Earth and a way of looking upon happenings as having cosmic significance because of God's plan for me.

I'll admit that sometimes I miss the warm spiritual blanket, woven of pleasing beliefs, that sheltered me from the cold winds of reality for about 35 years. Well, I really should say "seemed to shelter me."

Because now that I'm committed to looking upon life naturally, rather than supernaturally, I realize that reality offers me a much firmer foundation than the fantasies I used to embrace so enthusiastically. Quaffing one ounce of "what is" is more satisfying than a pound of "what might be."

Even when I'm experiencing something painful, disturbing, distasteful. I'd rather feel the honest touch of life, even if it hurts, than shut myself away in an antispetic conceptual room where, I believed, I was protected from the world's dark side.

LIke I said before, dark and light appear to me as one now. The world seems to shine more brightly when I don't try to bring an illusory spiritual radiance into it. 

About ten years ago I blogged about corn on the cob. Specifically, about not pulling back the husk when choosing corn. This isn't necessary. Seemingly not a super-important subject to be concerned about. But I quoted Thoreau's "Walden" approvingly.

Say what you have to say, not what you ought. Any truth is better than make-believe. Tom Hyde, the tinker, standing on the gallows, was asked if he had anything to say. "Tell the tailors," said he, "to remember to make a knot in their thread before they take the first stitch." His companion’s prayer is forgotten. 

Comments

[laura]

I live in Houston, with a view of a distillation column forest. I NEED fantasy.

carry on!

[vinny]

The concept of nirvana is self contradictory , before creation of world we all were one with creator [ nirvana state ] that makes the creation of world a futile excercise. There are some religious philosophies who propagate the concept of kal the negative ruler of three worlds which contradicts John " God is love ".
Why would a loving God allow his creation in the hands of demonic power.
No dear ones , it doesnt sound correct.
Kal means time , we experience ageing , sorrow , grief , departing of loved ones because of passage of time.
Initially there was one consciousness of love that consciosness out of love created the creation , because to love we need two or multiple. Imagine a person sitting alone and another person sharing love and companionship with friends. This is the reason God became many from one to express love. Any philosophy that contradicts Jesus and John , contradicts the whole notion of loving God. Dear ones , I'm not christian but on reading John and Jesus , felt the power of loving God , my all questions about creation were answered. Negativity arises by misuse of free will , otherwise everything including this creation is heavenly.

[Jane Sanchez]

God questions cannot be answered by science. End of story. Deism and science are NOT at war. They are two entirely separate things. This is basic stuff and essential to know. Only people who do not understand science think there is a war....

There is no evidence ruling God out. None. There is no evidence that could prove the non - existence of God. None.

You are a very odd and uneducated guy. Keep your opinions to yourself. It is no more valid than anybody else's views... All you have is an opinion anyway. Science does not at all deal with this topic. It can't.It is way beyond its scope.

You and Dawkins are both abusing science for personal agenda. Dawkins should know better.

Your view is no better than a believer. Rather than a non - belief, I thank you and Dawkins are just upset with the Supreme Divine Being.

It is worthy to note Galileo, Newton, Euric, Goethe very much believed in God. They are all far smarter and had deeper insight to Nature than you .

[Brian Hines]

Jane, you have a peculiar way of looking at the world. Most people believe in what there is evidence for. They have a positive view of reality. They rejoice and marvel at what is, rather than what isn't.

You, on the other hand, appear to be arguing in favor of assuming that if something can't be proven NOT to exist, then it does. Like God. Or fairies that cause flowers to bloom. Or unicorns. Or the invisible purple monster that lives under every person's bed.

You're wrong: science does have a lot to say about God. Namely, that what exists in the world can be nicely explained without invoking God. The reason this is relevant is that religious people almost always claim that God does things in the world, rather than remaining unseen and unnoticed -- like the aforementioned purple monster.

So, for example, if unnatural events like miracles can't be proven to exist, neither does a God who performs miracles. Other examples could be given relating to life after death and consciousness being possible without a functioning brain.

Regarding me, I am odd, but not uneducated. I have a B.A. in psychology, a M.S.W. in social work, and I completed the course requirements for a Ph.D. in systems science. I've also written and researched three books about mysticism and the new physics, the karmic rationale for vegetarianism, and the teachings of Plotinus (a neoplatonist Greek philosopher).

I'm not upset with the Supreme Divine Being because I don't believe in this entity. How could I be upset with someone who doesn't exist?

Lastly, I'm sure you realize that the vast majority of the world's scientists don't believe in God. Back in the Middle Ages, almost everybody did. It wasn't healthy or wise to go against the Church in those days. Thankfully, we've become a lot more enlightened.

[cc]

There is no evidence ruling God out. None. There is no evidence that could prove the non - existence of God. None.

The evidence ruling out the existence of God is the total absence thereof. But thanks, Jane, for providing the evidence of your belief in that for which there exists no evidence.

[Turan]

This just made me smile - and probably some truth in it – from Dustin Hoffman’s character in the film The Reluctant Hero

“People are always talking about truth; everybody always knows what truth is, like it was toilet paper or something and they have a supply of it in the closet. What you learn as you get older is that there is no truth, all there is is bullshit, layers of it, one layer of bullshit on top of another and what you do in life is that you pick the layer of bullshit you prefer and that’s your bullshit so to speak.”

[tucson]

“People are always talking about truth; everybody always knows what truth is, like it was toilet paper or something and they have a supply of it in the closet. What you learn as you get older is that there is no truth, all there is is bullshit, layers of it, one layer of bullshit on top of another and what you do in life is that you pick the layer of bullshit you prefer and that’s your bullshit so to speak.”

--Yes, I agree, but when the last layer of bullshit covered toilet paper is removed, there "I" am, uncovered, clear as a bell sound, beyond subject/object relativity as pure noumenality, unspeakable, unknowable as any sort of thing that can be circumscribed by any description or definition. "I" just am as "I" am.

Fine, and you?

[cc]

...but when the last layer of bullshit covered toilet paper is removed, there "I" am

The true identity of tucson revealed at last: a toilet paper tube. Yes, a cardboard cylinder that, though usually discarded, has more uses than you can shake a wad of fluffy paper at.

[tucson]

"I" am like the hollow cardboard tube only without the cardboard tube part. What remains? Nothing? No, everything.

[Mike Williams]

A unbeatable case can be made mathematically
for why God must exist.

A unbeatable case can also be made
for why God must not exist.

Therefore, it must be Something Else.