"Most people are religious because their parents are."

Someone said in Yahoo Answers:

"Most people are religious because their parents are. While there are a few true converts in each religion, the vast majority root for the same teams as their parents and culture.

The internet is breaking down that tribalism. The more viewpoints you see, the more trivial a primitive tribalist viewpoint appears. People become atheists after being religious usually because they realize it's all a bunch of crap designed to keep people believing.

I am the son of a pastor in a highly religious family full of pastors. I attended Christian college and was a Christian til I was almost 30. One day, I just realized that I couldn't believe in God because evidence of him was no more credible than all the other things I didn't believe in (alien abduction, astrology, Islam, etc.)"

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjfEVT8CbKCnFylYE_K_7f3ty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20130124035543AAmhnP6 

It reminds me of similar accounts I read of how those who grew up in religious families or backgrounds came to realise that most of the teachings in institutional churches are based on fear and superstition and do not portray the fullness of the love of God or misrepresent God. Some of them end up not considering themselves christians anymore. So in this respect, being an atheist is mainly a response to rejecting the primitive notion of a mean, angry God. Like what the answerer said, the internet plays a part in breaking down the tribalism that is prevalent in religious circles - the more viewpoints we see regarding what the religion is all about (such as how the bible came to be, and how it can be interpreted in so many ways, and so on), the more trivial a primitive tribalist viewpoint appears.

Re: The meaner the 'god', the meaner YOU will be inside

Someone wrote:

"People generally live as both the 'god' they acknowledge in their minds and the servant of that 'god'...
The meaner the 'god', the meaner they will be inside, yet accompanying this mindset is the need to serve this 'god', and with it a fear induced compulsion to be as nice as possible to 'him', giving 'him' credit for everything, and therewith being nice to other people in case you tick 'him' off, even though you really couldn't give a damn .....
What a horrible conglomeration of confusion lurks in humanity!

When asked how to communicate with God, Jesus speaks to some lads of the Jewish religion and to some others who were in the audience, all steeped in various mythological folklore ....

And he begins with 'Our father ...'
'Our Father ??'

What a blow to the mindsets of mythology, bringing the beginning of understanding to his listeners that would sweep out any concept of a domineering 'god who demanded to be 'served' or else !

Later Jesus says 'if you have seen me, you have seen the Father' and in the same conversation, he says 'I don't call you servants, but friends'

John, who penned the words of that conversation, had this to say about the one true God that Jesus introduced to us as 'Father and Friend.....'

"God is Love"

'Love is my father, Love is my friend !'

To have the understanding that Love is our beginning, our friend and our end, brings a profound settling in our hearts and minds, because we instinctively know this to be what is good and real and true, and it is in this environment that our 'beings' cultivate their best, where loving and respecting others becomes a natural outflow from the heart, and the warmth of true affection and harmony with others is our daily experience ....

To genuinely love Love and to love all our brothers and sisters naturally ......
Isn't this what real life is all about ?"

The above quote sums up how people (especially in christian circles) become as mean as the god they subscribe to in their mind and how Jesus came to unveil the heart of God that is love. Many people in the Old Testament times, as well as many followers of Christianity today, had a mental image of a demanding, domineering god and they lived with a servant mentality to serve this god of their mind. As a result, they become mean and miserable - mean to others who do not believe the same way as they do, and miserable when they think they fail to live up the expectations of their god (a la mafia boss).

Jesus himself bore the brunt of their meanness and misery when he interacted with the Pharisees and the Jews who subscribed to the idea of a judgmental god, and he was called all kinds of names by them for challenging their discriminatory views and calling out their unfair treatment of others as well as their hypocrisy.

Yes, Jesus came to reveal the nature of God that differs from their fragmented view - that God is the father and he is the manifestation of the father, who is also their friend. He is the friend who loves at all times. I agree that when people know and experience the love of God through having a heart revelation of Jesus being their friend and of God being their father, they will end up naturally loving and accepting themselves and others.

Are Israel's god and ten commandments "stolen" from Egypt?

"Ra was Egypt's god! Think maybe that's why Pharaoh chased them? Maybe they were stealing their god? What/who was it?
2 Sa 7:24 For thou hast confirmed to ((thyself)) thy people>[am] IsRAel to be a people>[am] unto thee for ever: and (((thou))), LORD, art become their God."
- Rick Olson

"Israel (Is /Isis) (Ra /AMEN Ra) (El/ Elohim)
Ra was known as Horus. Ho-Ri-Son (horizon) Horus Rising Zone! Ra=Rays as in the Sun or Son (Crown of thorns r a halo with rays on it). That is why Jesus and others have a Halo. Hello,...salt,...salutations. Solar=Sun. Halo means salt in Greek. Solar plexus, etc."
- Dante Salvatore

"all stories are the same story....his-story"
- Rick Olson

The above is an interesting observation that Israel's god was probably a stolen version of Egypt's god Ra. I recently found out that even the Ten Commandments was not original as it was probably "stolen" or adapted from the Egyptian book of the dead, given their similarities and the fact that the book of the dead was written much earlier than the said provision of the ten commandments.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_10cl.htm

"The Book of the Dead was written circa 1800 BCE. 2 The Schofield Reference Bible estimates that the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt and the provision of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai occurred in 1491 BCE., some three centuries later. Many religious liberals, historians, and secularists have concluded that the Hebrew Scripture's Ten Commandments were based on this earlier document, rather than vice-versa."

For more details, click here to read my other blog.

"The Still, Small Voice of Love" - Henri Nouwen

Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful." But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, "You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you." That's the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen.

That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us "my Beloved."

- Henri Nouwen

One heartfelt hug

It is said that "one heartfelt hug is more convincing that God is Love than a thousand Bible scriptures."

Yes, a heartfelt hug conveys warmth and love and gives a human touch, whereas bible verses tend to lack a human touch even though they may be uplifting.

Maybe that is also why Jesus (the Word) was manifested in the flesh because it is not enough for people to know mentally that God is love but also to know, see and feel the love of God in a tangible way, who can relate to them as human beings. Jesus demonstrates the love of God visibly and tangibly through his words and actions by lifting up people and embracing them with love and acceptance. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father (God/Divine Love/Highest Self) embraced the son who returned home, which means much more than words.

A heartfelt hug is also life-giving, and I am reminded of the real life example of a rescuing hug that one baby gave to her baby sister who then recovered from a life-threatening condition.

"People are either guided by love or enslaved by fear"

Joshua Guild writes:

"If you believe you have something to give, you'll give it... The emotionally distant believe they have little to offer... A person who fails to return affection sees them self as emotionally bankrupt... don't take it personal... Remember fear is the greatest obstacle to love. Many of our fears are yet to be discovered... Many people unknowingly spend their entire life running from fear... Awareness, discovery, enlightenment is the answer... We cannot unsee, but we can be forever changed by what we see... We don't need to be fixed, only awakened and this happens through meditation, processing, prayer... It is the difference between telling and showing... the difference between reading and experiencing... The only way to reach deep into the heart of an enemy is to love them... People are either guided by love or enslaved by fear... Light reveals, but darkness enslaves, so when you feel anxiety turn on the light, don't act upon anxiety... Acting upon anxiety creates more anxiety, more regrets, more destruction and keeps you enslaved... Unwrap each fear, one by one to reach the love at your core... Love starts with getting to know yourself... You're not emotionally bankrupt, you have eternity inside you. You have enough love behind those fears to give some to every person you meet... You just need to be awakened from the bad dream know as living unconsciously... you need to become conscious... I once was blind, but now I see this love inside of me and out of this love comes depth, warmth, beauty, allure... I am not a Christian, but I believe the person of Jesus manifested such depth, such love... such divinity... Namaste."

Yes, the axiom "People are either guided by love or enslaved by fear" sums up his post because love and fear are mutually exclusive. Organised religions have tried to include both love and fear in the hearts of their followers through their teachings, which only results in people living in fear of judgment. It is hard for people to love themselves and others when they are put under fear. I have been there before too. I agree with his post that "we don't need to be fixed, only awakened and this happens through meditation, processing, prayer..." 

I also find that the gospel or good news (which is not necessarily confined to christianity) about our true identity that we are already beloved and innocent and complete/perfect children of God/Divine Love/Universe has helped me become free from fear and self-limiting thoughts, and learn to embrace myself (including my "dark" or shadow self), and accept others the same way too. I am on a journey still even as I am sharing this. I appreciate always reading such reminders as this because this axiom captures a timeless truth that is relevant for all time and applies to everyone regardless of their age, background, belief system, etc.

"Perception makes projection"

"Perception makes projection," meaning that every time we're upset about something, we look to what we're thinking. The problem is always our projected perception, not what appears to be happening. - Sane Curriculum

It is a reminder for me that perception plays a part in how I respond to any given situation. I am learning to manage my perceptions in life, and I think one way to do so is meditation - to take a step back and breathe deeply and look into the nature of a given situation or problem and reflect on how it may be addressed in a calm and rational manner with love and understanding. This may take time and practice.

"5 lines worth erasing in your life" - Jim Palmer

5 lines worth erasing in your life:
The line between "sacred" and "secular"
The line between "us" and "them"
The line between "divine" and "human"
The Line between "God" and "life" 
The line between "the pretend you" and "the real you" 
Jim Palmer 

Yes, we are all one and connected to the Divine and to one another, so there is no separation or duality. All life is sacred, and we are both human and divine. 

 

The greatest gift for our heart

Someone said:

"The greatest gift you can give your self is a safe place for your heart to be and to heal.
Whatever that looks like to you.
A safe place where you can be fully you, where there is full unconditional love, and absolutely no judgement.
It's the greatest gift.
It truly is."

I agree it is the greatest gift as it enables us to live loved and function at our optimal level as a unique and authentic expression of our true self. It reminds me of the 2013 daily affirmations, in that we see ourselves in Peace, harmony, love and joy, and as we continue to connect with people of kindred spirit and place ourselves in conducive environments that nurture our spirit, we will keep growing, evolving and transforming from glory to glory. So, finding that safe place for our heart is to keep ourselves in such conducive environments. This is a timeless reminder for me as well.