Scenario One: "In the mechanistic view of nature, everything is an artifact made by a boss who has many different names. In the western view, the boss is called God.
This God is often depicted as a white-bearded male who roams around the sky creating the natural world. In this theory, the world is a construct and God the constructor. This biblical God is paternal, authoritarian, beneficent and, in many ways, tyrannical. He keeps track of all things and knows precisely what everyone does and when his laws are being broken.
One of the operatives of this theory of nature is the idea of punishment for ones sins. This God/Father holds us accountable for transgressions. The transgressions are judged by various interpreters of his laws who throughout history have claimed access to the divine. Essentially, the universe is a monarchy, God the king and we the subjects. All subjects are considered born with the stain of sin as a part of their nature and therefore untrustworthy.
This theory of nature makes many people feel estranged, creating an attitude of separateness from the boss. The more we feel separated from this God, the more we feel the need to create some way of feeling worthy. So we create an idea of our importance based on externals and call it "ego".
Reliance on ego ultimately leads to more separation as life becomes a contest and a competition with designated others. But the sense of estrangement is partially assuaged with an ego-directed attitude of "us against them". People are categorised and evaluated on the basis of "egonomics", which includes appearance, tradition, language and physical characteristics.
I believe that the most troubling thing built into this theory of nature is the impact it has on our ability to operate from a strong position of self-trust. Once convinced that you are untrustworthy and basically a sinner, you are quite lost. If you are untrustworthy how can you trust in even your untrustworthiness? You can't!
Everything becomes subject to doubt when God is a vindictive boss. This leads to the confusion of doubting everything because our opinions, feelings and beliefs are untrustworthy. In this scenario, one cannot even maintain trust in God because of basic mistrust of ourselves. And not trusting in that God may be breaking on of his laws. Its a no-win situation.
Scenario Two:. Second theory: Nature as Spontaneous and Nonjudging
In this spontaneous view, God is universal intelligence flowing through everything, inspiring the natural process to unfold. The emphasis is on awareness of divine nature in everything rather than managing and controlling the natural world. The life force is nonjudgemental and is responsible for all creation.
In this theory, nature is an unforced unfolding of life forms and here is no "boss". Rather than learning to manage and control the natural world, the impulse is to trust it. God, in this theory, loves all things.
Human being are an aspect of God and are, therefore, carriers of divinity. Generally, in this theory, human beings are considered the highest level of life form. Trusting this most evolved natural human includes trusting the paradox of behaviour described as good and bad, selfish and unselfish, greedy and generous in the same manner as we respect other life forms by trusting their processes.
There is no need to invent an ego that is separate from the divine if our basic human nature is trusted. If we trust ourselves, we know how to avoid interfering with nature and how to live in harmony. When we know God as unseen, loving and accepting powerat the heart of everything, allowing us to make our own choices,then God is a trusted part of our nature.
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The need to straighten out nature shows distrust. But when we relax and embrace the infinate variations of the universe, we are allowing the divinity of nature to flow and unfold through our life. We have tuned in to the divine." taken from "Manifest Your Destiny" by Wayne W Dyer, pgs 21-23.
Which do you agree with most? Or are you atheist?
Sirona