From atheists to polytheists, from Allah to Buddha, just whose God is it anyway? How realism and not mysticism can deliver us from a dark time in our history.
On the back of United States currency are the words, "In God We Trust." The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance states, "One nation, under God...with liberty and justice for all." Most people rarely think about these statements, their true meaning or examine their origins. It's time that we give these decrees a thorough dressing-down and not only discover their origins, but also answer the longstanding question, "Exactly whose God is it anyway?"
"In God We Trust" did not appear on American paper money until after the Second World War, sometime around 1957. Prior to that, "In God We Trust" appeared only on a few metal coins, shortly after the Civil War. This was done, circa 1865, by then Secretary of the Treasure, Salmon P. Chase, at the behest of a number of religious leaders that insisted that our money be "deified." In particular, a Rev. Watkinson of Pennsylvania, in a letter to Mr. Chase, asserted that by adding these dogmatic words would, "relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism." Rev. Watkinson's observable obsession with currency and his attempt to cleanse it with divine dictum begets the opinion that the dear reverend had never heard that "the love of money was the root of all evil."
Rev. George M. Docherty, while preaching a sermon in 1954, whose attendees included then President Dwight D. Eisenhower, became the impetus for the addition of the words, "under God" to the nation's Pledge of Allegiance. While weaving and invoking references to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Rev. Docherty may have tipped his hat to his monotheist views by loathing in his lecture that "the pledge" did not make mention of "the deity." Nevertheless, "under God" was added to an already idolating, over-flowingly patriotic nation, fresh from its victory in World War II, at the hand of Congress on June 14, 1954.
To pledge an allegiance is the act of commuting one's loyalty; and therefore faithfulness, to a cause or a country. Certainly pledging your devotion to a state-based nation is a tangible, palpable idea of goodwill. Freedom and integrity for everyone is a concrete and reality-based creed that few would dispel. However, when avowing adherence to God, exactly which God would that be? A whole nation under Christ, Allah, Buddha, Zeus, Jupiter, Xenu, or Ra the sun god, how do we choose and who decides? Undoubtedly, these two men of faith, which brought us these two dubious phrases, were consigned to the Christian god, ostensibly abstaining from the adherence to the Establishment Clause and the freedom of religion in this country.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Danbury Baptists in 1802, penning the famous "Wall of Separation Letter", Jefferson's intent was to clarify that the Constitution as a whole, was a separation of church and state. Jefferson, then President, saw no need to curry favors towards any faith and carefully refrained from any statements that could be misconstrued as an establishment of a state-endorsed, government-recognized religion.
In a letter to Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin wrote, "There is no motive to worship a Deity, to fear his displeasure, or to pray for his protection. I will not enter into any discussion of your principles, though you seem to desire it." U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a devout Christian man wrote, "No government can blatantly favor one faith or church over the others, or favor belief in God or the Supreme Being over non-believers."
These are hardly ringing endorsements for worshipping a single deity nor are they an invitation to provoke a celestial being into the governing of people; but that's just what we have done. The Constitution does not make one mention of the word "god" and the word "religion" is used once to make certain that "Congress shall make no laws respecting the establishment of religion."
The constructs of our tripartite form of government were keenly aware, and had witnessed first-hand the destructive nature of tyrannical government wrapped in the illusion of good faith namely the Church of England and King George the III. What the architects of the American democracy realized is that no matter how benign a person or group believes their religion to be, it is likely to be offensive or insulting to another person or another organized sect. These founders, many of which were vaguely deists, believed much more in the human spirit and not an arcane, heavenly spirit. They were convinced, brought on by years of persecution by the Church of England and its variant of Christianity, that religion divides, not unites.
This is neither in defense of any other religion nor an antagonist of Christianity. Religion in any form is based on faith over facts and not true, empirical certainty. Therefore, religion has the greatest propensity of all things to be used as weapon to segregate us, rather than integrate us. It also has a great penchant, when distorted among masses, the ability to bring about another tool of less than altruistic use, the exploitation of fear. Fear is, after all, the current administration's favorite weapon of deception and methodology to subjugate and govern compliance. Faith, when transmitted to religion always turns more fateful than faithful; more hate-filled than hope-filled.
People of this country our bound by many different covenants, but fundamentally, we must begin to agree on placing unreserved importance on the value of the human experience and the value of individual life. The divergent that must be made is where one religion is seen as superior, and therefore somehow more deserving of a following than another is, as the true burden of all organized religions.
When contenders for civil office begin malicious condemnation of whole other political parties proclaiming that a vote for the opposition is a vote for "legislation of sin" this castigation of candidates is a distance, twisted derivative of our secular country instituted by worldly men. Worldly men driven on the reliance of self-governance, not divine intervention.
Whether it is Islam, Christianity, Communism or imaginary alien invasions, human beings can always be brought to rally about a conflict-ridden cause with the simple tools of a symbolic flag, a book of faith, and one of the seven deadly sins, pride. Pride is by definition, "self-importance" and the antonym of "humility". Perhaps, in this time of immense blind nationalistic pride and hubris and belief that as Americans we have a monopoly on the truth we should all reach for a little dose of humility. There is always after all, the danger that when one protests so vehemently against which that they do not believe, they run the discourse, and therefore the danger, of adopting and transforming into the very thing they detest so wholly.
So whose God is it anyway? It's everyone's God and no one's God. Most of all its no one's business whose God it is; whether you are an atheist, a theist, a deist, or a polytheist. Faith of the divine and sublime must rest and exist in the minds of the individual spirit. It is the collective spirit of human courage and conviction that sometimes shows that realism, not mysticism, delivers us from a dark night and a dark time in our history.
http://www.ranellirants.blogspot.com/
Frank J. Ranelli is an opinion editorial writer, a research author and critic. He is a former senior editor and current feature writer for the popular online news website, OpEdNews.com. His erudite and chic style of writing has been lauded and extensively published in a variety of news outlets and across the Internet. These include the Naples Daily News, The Online Journal, Information Clearing House, Alternet, The Smirking Chimp, Diatribune, and the former progressive journal of thought, Wicked Philosophy. Frank is currently working on his upcoming book, Rise of the Authoritarians, and is participating as a co-author in prominent philosopher Russell Blackford's anthology, Voices of Disbelief.
well written Frank, but allow me to illuminate you re:
Mysticsim:
the doctrines or beliefs of MYSTICS, specifically that it is possible to achieve communion/union with God through CONTEMPLATION, which is SILENT Prayer-meaning mystics have learned to SHUT UP and listen deep within.
Mystics INTUIT spiritual truths through meditation-again SILENCE is the key and what a mystic comprehends is BEYOND rational human comprehension-
Mystics are in LOVE with Mystery and for lack of a better name,
God is the Ultimate Mystery.
It has been said that evolution is being held up by fundamentalism and the surge of fundamentalism throughout all faith paths sends shivers through cynical atheists and mystics alike. The bumper sticker actually got it right: "We are spiritual beings having a human experience."
The spiritual life is fluid and one may pass back and forth repeatedly through any of the four; and probably many more-stages of the soul in one's spiritual evolution to become fully balanced: human and divine...
Stage one upon this journey -that begins from within-is essentially our infancy in the spiritual life. Like a wild child, a person in this stage reflects the inner chaotic and anti-social, unregenerate soul that is interested only in its own self-satisfaction and ego, much like the stereotypical spoiled child. Stage one people may claim to love others, but their behavior reflects they love their own pleasure, money, power, prestige, and security above any other. For stage one people, it really is all about them.
The good news is that the vast majority of humanity responds to that inner tug which is God, for lack of a better word. The mystic Katherine of Sienna wrote that within us all is the divine: a diamond but life has dulled the flame of its brilliance. Stage two souls seek to "let their light shine" and will live virtuous lives and do many good works. They also can be judgmental of others, rigid in their thoughts, cold of heart, legalistic concrete literal thinkers and may even be guilty of lukewarm faith. They want to do right; they want to love and please God, but have not yet opened up to the Inner Light as Joan of Ark did when she challenged church and state. Stage two souls have not yet been set free and prefer the security of a higher human authority than themselves for guidance. They submit to institutions, scripture, dogma, ritual, ministers, or gurus. This is the most appropriate stage for older children and most adults who live busy lives just trying to keep bread on the table and a dry roof above. The difference between a stage one and stage two soul, is that a one wouldn't even notice a neighbor in need, while the two has awoken to the fact that we are to be our neighbor's keepers and they will respond to a friend-and like the good Samaritan, even to a total stranger in need.
Many theologians agree that the opposite of faith is not disbelief: the opposite of faith is fear.
Stage three souls have not just awoken, they have evolved! The stage three soul's evolution has led them to the realization of what Christ was really talking about in the Sermon of the Mount AKA The Beatitudes which sound like crazy promises, but are the litmus test of how we will be judged, if we claim to be a Christian.
About 2,000 years ago, when Christ was about 33, he hiked up a hill and sat down under an olive tree and began to teach the people;
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."
In other words: it is those who know their own spiritual poverty, their own limitations and sins honestly and trust God loves them in spite of themselves who already live in the Kingdom of God.
God's name in ancient Aramaic is Abba which means Daddy as much as Mommy and He/She: The Lord has said, "My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not yours." ISAIAH 55:8
How comforted we will all be, when we see, we haven't got a clue, as to the depth and breadth of pure love and mercy of The Divine Mystery of The Universe.
Christ proclaimed more: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." The essence of meek is to be patient with ignorance, slow to anger and never hold a grudge. In other words: how happy you will be when you also know humility; when you know ourselves, the good and the bad, for both cut through every human heart.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled." In other words: how happy you will be when your greatest desire is to do what God requires, and he has already told you what that is; be mercy, seek justice and walk humbly with your Lord.[-Micah 6:8]
"Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy." In other words: how happy you will all be when you choose to return only kindness to your 'enemy.' "For with the measure you measure against another, it will be measured back to you." Christ warns his disciples as he explains the law of karma in Luke 6:27-38.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they see God." In other words: how happy you will be when you WAKE UP and see God is already within you, within every man, every woman and every child. The Supreme Being is everywhere, the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Beyond The Universe -and yet so small; within the heart of every atom.
"Blessed are The Peacemakers: THEY shall be called the children of God." Oh how happy the WORLD will be when we all seek justice and pursue it, for there can be no peace without justice.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires, theirs is The Kingdom of Heaven."
And one fine day the lion will lie down with The Lamb and man will make war no more and that is the Kingdom of God.
A stage three will reject Christ as God, but often agree with the philosophy Jesus taught in the Sermon on The Mount, Luke 6:17-36. A stage three soul will see that a neighbor is also everyone on the planet and not just those who think and look the same. Stages threes are seekers, doubters, skeptics, atheists, agnostics and frequently adults who grew up disenchanted with institutionalized religion. Their inherent intellectual curiosity leads them to seek their way towards the Mystery of the Divine through philosophy and the study of multiple faith paths choosing and discarding according to their "inner light." Stage three souls often become activists for social justice and reform and the new wave of philanthropy from the blessed trio of Warren Buffet, Linda and Bill Gates fills mystics with hope for a future that honors the sacredness of every life, which is what a Christian would understand as seeing Jesus in everyone.
It has been said we are all called to be mystics in the market place and a stage four, such as Thomas Merton and Rumi give voice to that experience of the curtain being lifted and seeing through the glass a bit less darkly. A mystic can best be understood as one who is in love with the divine mystery and is viscerally connected to the unity of all creation. Mystics are not navel gazers, they feel the pain of the world within their hearts and grieve at what human's do to the other when they have no clue that The Divine is within "the other" as much as within them. Mystics have detached from their concepts of God-not by their own efforts, but by the invitation and action of God upon a willing and simple soul in love with Pure Being AKA: God.
The mystic fool, Saint Francis, the leper kisser of Assisi, was so head over heels in love with God in everyone and all of creation most people of his time considered him insane or at least, extremely eccentric. One needn't be a mystic or move beyond stage two on the spiritual journey to do what is good and right just because it is good and right. On that foundation people of faith and atheists and agnostics can surely agree, or would only a mystic see that?
Eileen is an activist, author, poet, reporter and editor of wearewideawake.org Her first novel "Keep Hope Alive" was released in August 2006 and 100% of royalties will go to provide olive trees for peace in Israel Palestine, through the 501 3-c Olive Trees Foundation for Peace.
by
Eileen Fleming (145 articles, 50 quicklinks, 266 diaries, 579 comments)
on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 12:35:49 PM
I appreciate the compliment on the article. Thank you. I must admit, your reply was long and the scripture citations a little inundating, but you actually demonstrate the point of my article by bring another adaptation of one's faith and beliefs to the discussion.
Everyone has there own "variation on a theme" when its involves faith and religion, thereby supporting my supposition that we will never agree – as a society – on whose God we should worship and if there even is a God. God is an abstruse ideology that places conviction over essential truths and empirical, substantive proof.
Faith is, and always should be, left in the quietness of one's own mind. It's time that human beings realize that we already have the seeds of greatness to bear the fruit of peace and humanity for one another. We must stop looking upward or even outward, but look inward instead. We have everything we need – within our own self – to solve hunger, disease, poverty, violence, hatred, bigotry, murder and end senseless wars.
I respect your beliefs and views – support and defend your right to have and hold them – but vehemently disagree with them. This is precisely why we must govern in reality and facts and practice faith only in solitude.
Respectfully, Frank J Ranelli
by
Frank J. Ranelli (66 articles, 143 quicklinks, 29 diaries, 373 comments)
on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 1:13:19 PM
2 comments
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