God and Devil

[Catwoman]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

It was an external presence that completely filled the room and me, inside and out.

The external presence that you have labelled 'God' is probably more accurately described as 'Now'.

I wanted you to relate your experience to double-check.

'Now' can happen any time. When you're walking along the street and you suddenly feel an overwhelming wave of elation - you don't understand why but you feel everything is right, as it should be. When you're talking to someone and feel an inexplicable connection that makes your eyes water. When you're sitting on a cliff top looking at nature and you're completely at peace. When you're in a shopping mall and feel fantastic because you realise the stupidity of the masses of blind, confused, poor souls trying to buy their way into now. This is when you are in the moment. You must have heard the phrase a million times but who actually is?

The falling to the knees, the praying... this is because you didn't know what was happening. You knew it was good, knew it was right, and because of years of conditioning you labelled this 'god's presence'. I understand the feeling. I have it maybe three times a week, maybe less, maybe more. It's getting more often anyway.

But this is not a god that insists you go to a building we call a church, that punishes you if you don't sit and pray, that will send you to hell if you blaspheme, that commands respect and idolisation and answers a prayer. Your guilt is unecessary - you can have all the fantastic things you think you have found in god without the ritual, the rules, the rubbish I call religion.

Think about it. How can something so huge, so overwhelmingly spiritual, rely on ritual and guilt?

You can get that feeling again, any day, if you allow yourself complete freedom to be in the now. It's not complicated, it's not amazing, and it's certainly not religion. It's very simple, and anthing else is extraneous.

[OnyxCougar]

Originally Posted by Catwoman

But this is not a god that insists you go to a building we call a church, that punishes you if you don't sit and pray, that will send you to hell if you blaspheme, that commands respect and idolisation and answers a prayer.

You're talking about religion here. That's not what Jesus teaches.

Your guilt is unecessary - you can have all the fantastic things you think you have found in god without the ritual, the rules, the rubbish I call religion.

Exactly! That's religion. It's not a personal relationship with God. BIG difference. I have no guilt, I curse, I don't go to church (my husband does, but that's because he wants to, not because he feels he has to.), I have sex in other than missionary position, I don't confess to a priest, I don't walk around telling people they're going to hell. In short, I'm not religious.

But that doesn't mean I'm not Christian.

Think about it. How can something so huge, so overwhelmingly spiritual, rely on ritual and guilt?

It doesn't.