Boy howdy, am I in a pickle. Many of my Christian and spiritual friends have expressed difficulty with how this blogs collective message is somehow fatalist, mechanical and/or even blasphemy.
Two Gods. That’s right, two. I have inadvertently and undeniably found two Gods over the course of this investigation. I have also discovered, for myself, the purpose faith is required by all conscious beings.
Oh my ***, (OMG)! Into what then, should conscious beings put their faith? Reasonable question?
Brought up Catholic, the concept of faith was drummed into me. I felt resistance to this flavor of faith. Faith was used like a weapon in the Christian circles I witnessed in my youth. No one I had the opportunity to interact with could define why I should invest my faith or “willing suspension of disbelief,” for what was being sold. No one ever got much past using the word faith, to define the word faith; as well as, God. “Patrick, you just need to have faith.” Much can hide under the skirts of faith.
The dictionary says faith is a confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Faith is a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. Faith can represent as loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters.
Faith Christianity. The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith. Faith is constructed of a set of principles or beliefs. These definitions are from the American Heritage Dictionary.
As the Constitution is fundamental to the essence of the United States, so are the Ten Commandments the corner stone of Christian belief systems. I praise and honor all other belief systems. I use this one as an example, because I lived this one.
If you’ve read much of this blog, you know I am attempting to illuminate the “play script” of our ½ second delayed conscious self, with the understanding that our perception of “Now” is a streaming simulation.
As a theatre artist, actor, teacher, communicator; the tools of my trade and craft intend to express predetermined continuums.
Performing takes place in the realm of the “Now” God. Performing takes place “Now.”
This from the Roman Catholic Ten Commandments:
Exodus Chapter 20:
“Then God delivered all these commandments:”
"I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me.”
Below is how other christian theologians tend to derive the Ten Commandments, taken from one of the best Bible versions available, the Lamsa Bible - English Version. Again from:
Exodus Chapter 20:
“AND God spoke all these words, saying,”
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods except me.”
All monotheist belief systems assert one God.
First of the TEN COMMANDMENTS proclaims in short, “One.” “Now.” I tested this rhetorical math in a very interesting way. The poem attributed to Marianne Williamson “Our Deepest Fear.” She uses the word “God” a couple of times to lend context to her assertion. Read for yourself.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”
Our middle school was opening a “Family Resource Center.” As an artist, I printed this on museum grade, acid free vellum with a watermark photo of waves, wind and trees. Then I matted and framed the print in 18” by 24”under glass. The principle said the word “God” might be offensive or alienating to someone. In shock, I took it back from her.
After a few days it dawned on me. I looked at the passage and substituted the word “Now” for the word ”God.” I printed and replaced the offensive text with this revised edition. This was acceptable. Look back at those lines and insert "Now" where you find "God." And here you have it. Two Gods. “Now” God and the ”God” that lives in words. Two Gods. BLASPHEMY!!!
“Now” god is safe, non-threatening and unavoidably present. The word "God," as a story, must be learned and may or may not be true. That is totally dependent on the encoder. All stories take time in continuum to convey a message. This is the purview of the conscious, 50 bit/sec self. A streaming life like production, constructed from information no less than ½ second old and most of the information you construct your now to be is much older.
"Now" God and "½ Second" God: two Gods. One smoke and mirrors and one of which we can never be conscious. This is where faith comes in. Each needs the other. One is conscious and one is not. We become aware of “Now” ½ second after now happens and what we become aware of is a simulated supposition perceived as “Now.” That would be the “½ second” God.
This Easter Holiday, think on this statement by Andre Gide, “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of shore for a very long time.”
So, my family and I set sail; with mutual respect as our rudder and virtue guiding our actions. I cannot know how the wind will carve, with us, a path in the water. There are no roads in the open sea, only where the wind will take you. The universe that manifests as one in the split instance of “Now,” is an all-encompassing still sculpture. Absent is time; present is all. I wonder how fast the speed of “Now” is? I may never know; however, I have faith it will be fast enough.
