gods
Human beings are akin to gods. They dig, mine, quarry, cut, smelt, form, build, create, explore. Human beings have sent a man to step on the moon. They have put rovers on Mars. They have sent explorers they have created to research Neptune. They routinely travel in metallic tubes with wings and jets to all parts of the world. They have built cities. They have transformed the desert to bloom as a rose. They have created art, literature, records of their history, built empires, made monuments, healed diseases, given of themselves unselfishly, planted and transplanted, tamed the wild, built nuclear power plants, made tunnels under the sea, built communications networks, transformed the landscape of the world. Eventually, virtually nothing would be withheld from us as gods as we extend ourselves into the far reaches of the Universe.
Millions of alcoholic atheists have stopped drinking alcohol on their own: No higher power, no support groups. One morning they got up and said to themselves, "Enough is enough, no more!" and quit permanently. Atheists have truly changed from being homosexual to being heterosexual and have gone on to marry and build functional happy families. Atheists have overcome drug addictions and every other sort of addiction without a higher power.
The key fundamental sign of a Christian is to love one another and love enemies, but Buddhists have been doing that for millennia now.
Humans have faith. It is through their faith, the world is and can be transformed into a better place. Most people sincerely want to help out; they want to do the right thing. Most have mercy and compassion and care about others and the world around them; most want to make the world a better place. Many sacrifice and do remarkable deeds through their faith. When the chips are down, most of humanity will chip in and do their part to help out.
Humans try to save nearly everything: They attempt to save our environment; they try to save our forests; they try to save abandoned pets; they try to save the poor starving children; they try to save the whales; they try to save prisoners from injustice; they try to save others from disease; they try to save others from poverty and want; they try to save others from dysfunctional families; save others from mental illness.
Some people may be uncomfortable with the whole idea that humans are akin to gods. It's not that any of us are God gods, it's just that at this time we are the pinnacle of organic development well ahead of any other species, so far as we know.
Human beings are amazing: They have powers of will and intellect and are adaptable to transform themselves and their world: They are gods.
The only argument is who will be the chief god from among them.
At first blush, the objective truth would seem to be that as the gods of this world form consensus of what they want to do next with their godlike powers, there should be no need to set up a petty despot god among them to bend them to his or her will to serve their own selfish interest and rob the people of their power. Collectively, they have far greater potential than any petty small god seeking narcissistic self-fulfillment to the detriment of humanity at large. Why should they submit themselves for perverse pursuits definitely not in their own self-interest and really not in the interest of humanity at large? It makes no sense, but people do it anyway. Why should the baloney meter be turned off?
The amazing thing about people is that once distracted, entire groups of people go off to make the dysfunctional work. It is against nature, but with sufficient directed willpower, people, as gods, work together to build and maintain structures which would collapse in nature if it were not for enormous resources contributed by the people to hold them together. Alone, the cult leader despot would not be able to shout, shake his jowls, make asinine predictions of false prophecy, publish, go on television, saturate the world with crap. It just wouldn't be possible, but the power of the people make it all possible with some of the least reason in the world to do so.
Once snared, people who once could do things on their own or band together in communities to do good for the benefit of the whole, become slaves to an idolatrous oppressive system, looking to a man or a group of men to enable them to do the things they could have done for themselves all along. They are distracted from priorities, such as family, friends, neighbors. They neglect and abandon their conscience for the immoral, unethical, illegal to do things they neither should nor would do if they had not given up their power of intellect and will to a morally inferior force.
Seeking the One True Creator God in such a dysfunctional venue is irrelevant: If there is one, He, She, They or It has been substituted out of the picture through supplanting a petty false god and abandoning the god potential within each of us. People become unempowered and whiney. They create their own addiction to which they cannot be freed. It is impossible to break the bonds of addiction from this sort of perverse wickedness wherein the people give up and lay down their arms to become helpless wimps. They surrender their potential. They give all their wealth, including the power to build, grow, explore, to submit to someone or something of much less worth than themselves. Truly is it said, "God only helps those who help themselves". There indeed may be a God, but God is obscured by the muck of the garbage dump of foul witty inventions, covered up with the deceptions equivalent to newly fallen snow: It looks right; it looks pretty, but watch where you step.
Humanity as gods has been transformed into divided factions willing to kill each other or, at minimum, stand in judgment of equals who are deemed worthy to suffer death, devastation, destruction in seriously depressing cults. Unfortunately, we have the power of will and intellect to do it -- even to inducing our children to become human sacrifices committing acts of suicide bombing. We have become sick by submitting our wills to ideas which have transformed us from benign beneficent gods to hideous monsters. Cults of various forms have distracted people with such great potential into committing wicked evil deeds. They have lost their power of good and are plunged into unempowered helplessness. They oft remain willingly ignorant for no particularly good reason: They are fiercely loyal to nonsense that they would have probably rejected out of hand under any other circumstances. People subject themselves to insults and pay to become victims. The deceitful have found their mark and make the most of it.
Often, people sense that there is something fundamental gone very wrong.
Fortunately, people often compare notes, particularly over the Internet. They learn. They grow. They understand. All they really need is something to work with.
They become angry.
They quit their cult.
Human beings are akin to gods. They dig, mine, quarry, cut, smelt, form, build, create, explore. Jesus was quoted as saying, "'they are gods' and Scripture cannot be broken". And so it is. We are gods -- of a sort. We have great potential. We can do things. We can go places. We can become greater than we started. We tame animals and get them to do our bidding. We can cooperate. We can build trust and trust. We can create beauty and order from disorder and chaos. We can transform evil to good, if we but set our will. We can overcome: We have the power of gods.
Cultmeisters rely on people’s inherent ability to make the dysfunctional work. The key to breaking the spell is to see that this is all built on “witty inventions", which cover up like the newly fallen snow. Although it would seem that we should know better, we are often trapped by nonsensical unworkable high concepts. Byker Bob recently had this to say on a forum:There's a human tendency, native amongst religious people, to somehow want to feel connected to power, and to be "bigger than human". It's some pretty heady stuff. One wants to feel as if one is on a special mission, and then imagines all manner of things. Some, while in this state, actually tell us that God is talking to them.
Unfortunately, it isn't just religious people.
One person comments:
As for the God of AA, which you mention, it is a distraction for me since it is in all ways a Cult God. I basically try to ignore it. The action of AA seems to be to vent, listen and remember. Sometimes it works simply by filling the adherent’s time. Or it works by having people be affirmed by its wacky ‘spiritual dimension’.
The spiritual dimension is more of that “your mind is carnal and evil” pap that I sooo loathe. I had some bad habits that I have gotten over for the past two years. I am happy for my current state and fearful of a return to my previous one. I really don’t need Zeus here.
I like the community aspect of it. There is something to the whole "take things one day at a time and not let everything bother you" message. It also teaches you to be honest about your own motivations. That stuff is great. As for the rest… nothing is perfect.
This says something important: There are useful keys in some cults, if only you adopt what you need and discard the rest. Even when a group may be useful, it is important to quit it once you have achieved what you have needed to attain. Unfortunately, many do not recognize when to give up and walk away before the benefit becomes damage. When either the group or the leadership begins to criticize, impugn, defame, it is time to go. Studies have shown that enduring massive rejection can even reduce IQ.
Of course, there are some groups which provide nothing worthwhile whatsoever.
There are important points to remember about people in their amazing abilities of self-sufficiency:
- There should be no need to set up a petty despot god among them;
- People become unempowered and whiney when they give up their powers to the incompetent;
- Scoundrels create garbage dumps of foul witty inventions, covered up with the deceptions equivalent to newly fallen snow;
- There should be no reason at all to subordinate one's self to another, particularly if they do not even have an equivalent level of talent, ability, experience or training and rely solely upon impressing people with image using smoke and mirrors;
- There is no reason to pay to be a victim;
- People are fiercely loyal to nonsense that they would have probably rejected out of hand under any other circumstances;
- Once distracted, entire groups of people go off to make the dysfunctional work.
People can be amazing individually or cooperating in groups if only they are not ensnared by petty slavers seeking their own selfish interests.
