Things To Ponder

Last updated on: December 11, 2011 at 3:35 pm by chrisjohnson

Things To Ponder 2011-12-11T15:35:44+00:00 chrisjohnson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Bruce Adams

I do not know about you, but I was told many things as a child that did not make sense. Before I share some thoughts about one of the most confusing and contradictory issues I encountered, I would like to say that I believe 100 % that there is an Unconditionally Loving God, Creator of all that is. Further, I would like to add we are all a part of and come from the same source.

That said, let me get back to the point I wanted to share. One of the most confusing notions I struggled with regarding God came from my religious teachings.

I was told God was omniscient (All Knowing), Omnipotent (All Powerful), and Omni- Present (present everywhere at all times). While looking at these basic tenets, I had no trouble accepting that they were in fact attributes that accurately represented God.

What troubled me was not that God would possess such ineffable qualities. The problem I had came from hearing God did not possess such qualities. I once read that there is no contradiction to truth. Once again, I am in 100 % agreement. To me, there is no contradiction to truth and where contradiction appears you can be assured you have not found truth. With that thought in mind I would ask you to consider the following.

If in fact God is all knowing, all powerful, and omni- present, wouldn’t’ that mean God would be perfect and incapable of error? Moreover, wouldn’t that also mean God would know the outcome of any moment before it is played out in this world. Didn’t Jesus say in Matthew 6:8, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him?”

Once again, I have no problem with the concept that the Creator of all that is has the ability to see every detail of His Creation including the timing and outcome of a moment.

The problem I struggled with was regarding judgment. From my viewpoint, I asked myself, “How is it that some of us in this world can do certain things that others might find offensive?” It did not take me long to conclude that each of us was equipped with a different mind and value system that functions slightly different from someone else’s. A natural and logical question that comes to mind is, “Who then created one person to struggle in this world and another to live a seemingly blessed life if not God?”

From Isaiah. 45:5-7
“I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, who does all these things”

Going back to the concept or belief that God is incapable of making a mistake, wouldn’t it be logical to conclude, if any one is guilty or responsible for anything, wouldn’t it be God himself?

Recently I saw a movie that may shed some light on this conjecture. The movie was based on a true story about a young man who during the time of the great depression stole five dollars to buy food for his younger sister. As the story was told, their parents had passed away and he felt responsible to provide for his younger sister. Unfortunately for him, he was caught and sentence to prison. After an escape attempt, he was sentenced to life in prison and moved to Alcatraz. Upon his arrival he was moved to a cell below the main cell block and held in solitary confinement and beaten on a regular basis. He remained there for 3 years and was allowed to see sunshine and the outer yard for only one half hour per year. Without any interaction with the other prisoners he became mentally unbalanced. On his first day back in general population he killed a fellow inmate for no apparent reason other than his mind had snapped.

At his murder trial his defense attorney did something that was totally unexpected. He said it was not his client that was guilty but rather the prison and those who ran the prison who were guilty. The jury agreed. It was the prison and the inhuman treatment that was responsible, they concluded.

I think the main point here is that without having all the details, no one is in a position to come to the real truth about anyone or anything.

Perhaps that’s why Jesus taught us that the way to the Father can only be experienced through non-judgment.

Please note, I said if any one is guilty it would have to be God Himself. Personally, I do not believe in judgment or in the view that the majority of the world holds. I do believe there are consequences for our thoughts and actions both in this world and beyond. In Prophet or Madman, I wrote about the various dimensions of time and space and shared the view of creation that God presented to me in hopes that there are those who are ready to see more.

As Shakespeare once said, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Regardless of your path or what religion you practice, if you wish to awaken yourself and live awakened in this world, you will have to struggle.

More to come…

Love and Light,

Brother Bruce

Prophet or Madman

Text

Horatio

ineffable. Shakespeare

omnipotent

omniscient

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September 8, 2011

Episode 1: G.A.T.E.