Religion has been one of the most polarising subjects known to man since the beginning of time. What is the true religion? Does it make logical sense to live your life based on faith? Is it possible to be moral without religion? Does God really exist? And if He does, why does humanity go through so much pain and suffering?
In my opinion, God does exist. Our concept of how He exists, however, is questionable at best. Different people, through their different faiths, have different ideas of who God is, where He dwells, how He works and the afterlife. I believe God is closer to you than you think. I also believe your faith/religion has absolutely no bearing on who God is, how He works or where He lives.
Let’s look at some questions:
1) Why is there so much suffering in the world if God exists
2) If God wants us to always do Good, why then, did He create us with the capacity to do Evil? Why did He give us that choice?
3) How strong is the devil?
4) Where are Heaven and Hell?
Firstly, suffering in the world is not caused by God. It is caused by man. Why does God allow it to happen? He doesn’t. Man does.
Secondly, contrary to popular opinion, God is very democratic. He’s not going to force you to live by his rules. He doesn’t punish you if you don’t. You punish yourself by doing Evil. That punishment is called karma.
Thirdly, the devil is a lot stronger than you think.
Lastly, Heaven is what you make it and Hell is what you’re going through.
God doesn’t live in the sky and the devil doesn’t live in Hell. They both live inside you. God is called the Self and the devil is called the Ego.
When the Self is dominant, you’re closer to Heaven and when the Ego is dominant, you’re closer to Hell. When the Self is dominant, you’ll be more compelled to do more good than Evil. You will be full of positive energy. The reverse is true when the Ego is dominant. You will be full of negative energy.
Pain and suffering in this world is not caused or tolerated by God or our concept of Him. It is caused and tolerated by us as individuals. If you do Evil, that’s the Ego (the devil in you) working. If you do Good, that’s the Self (God within you) working. It’s not complicated at all.
Evil people cause and tolerate pain and suffering. There’s nothing more to it. If we lived by simple principles, like being your brother’s keeper, there’d be no pain and suffering.
The devil is very strong. And he’s strong because it’s easier for man to be indifferent to the pain and suffering of his fellow men. And that’s because man is very selfish. Man would much rather prefer to be ahead of his fellow man than to help them so they can grow together. Man loves to compete and come out on top. And it’s pretty obvious who that is from the very definition of the word Ego. That’s the devil in you. But that’s not the real you.
The Ego is very deceptive. It promises you a very vain and fickle existence. It tries to convince you that you’re better than others. It implies that this is your destiny. It tries to convince you that it’s the real you. And that’s why it’s not called the Self.
The Self is realistic. The Self knows, whether we try to deny it or not, that we’re better together as equals. The Self is not vain and fickle. The Self is humble and accommodating of others. The Self is compassionate. That’s the REAL you. The Self invites blessings. If you’re good to your fellow man, he’ll be good to you in return. Do unto others what you would have them do unto you and all that. Simple principles.
The Bible and other such books were written by the most creative men we will ever know. But that’s not to say they were wrong. These books are based on the truth. The book of Revelation in the Bible, for example, has ALL the answers. You just need to read it with an open mind. These same men saw, very early on, that they could create something that would help them govern their fellow men. They were greedy and evil. They were selfish because they themselves were governed by their egos. Hence, they created religion. And it’s been downhill ever since.
But that’s just my take on it. Feel free to leave a comment below.
kobewriter 
Thank you my brother.
Right back at you!
This is very interesting indeed. I have just been watching the full documentaries on the Medici family of Florence, now part of Tuscany Italy. They singlehandedly brought about a major change in the church, the arts and how we view the universe by being patrons to the greatest artists of the time such as Michael Angelo, Galileo, they produced two popes from the family in succession, Pope Leo the 10th and Pope Clement. The renaissance. Why do I bring this here? Because it formed so much of the church as we know it today. Martin Luther, the German founder of the Lutheran Church and the antagonistic nature of the Popes in Catholicism.
I am now watching a documentary on the founding of Islam and Mohammed. Later still, I have lined up one on the DNA of Arabs and Jews. All this is in an attempt to find the true religion. Christianity, Islam and Judaism are so similar that one wonders why such a great divide exists. Ego and a superiority syndrome, I suppose.
I have taught the History of Art for a long time and the more I delved into the subject, The more I realized that religion was a fallacy. I for one believe in a higher being, the one and only true God. But not in the way religion peddles Him. My beliefs are so cunningly similar to what you have written here, that God dwells in each and everyone of us, just like the Devil dwells in us.
I never saw it as the “Self” and “Ego” the way you put it, but that is just brilliant. I have always held that when you are happy and do good to yourself and others, then you are in heaven and one with God. When you do evil, are envious and talk ill of others, then the devil takes over and you are in hell, closer to the devil himself and hell. Heaven and Hell are right here on earth and I also believe that when one dies, the spirit of the Lord leaves you, and you are no more. Finished. No hereafter. The spirit of the Lord leaves you and goes to dwell in a new born. That is how I view it. Religion is there just to stroke the Egos of a few who have it over themselves.
That is my take.
I’m smiling right now. You know, I’ve also figured this out from reading the histories of the Medicis, the Rothschilds and many such people, who I believe conceived religion.
Thanks for your comment, my brother.
Reblogged this on inhisperspective.
Thank you sir!
Great read and I couldn’t agree more. Good and evil live within us, we have the power to choose, bad shit happens to us all, its how we react to it that makes the difference.
We should live by some of the simple rules we’ve always heard since we were kids. “Be your brother’s keeper”, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, “no man is an island”, etc. We have all the solutions to happiness within us.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
I have come to learn, You get what you give.
Reblogged this on teremity and commented:
I know religion is a touchy subject, but, this is worth a read.
Good read, my take is that religion is what gives mankind hope to want to live yet another miserable day again and again, without religion mankind would cease to have meaning. We believe in God not because we have seen him or even have heard is voice but simply because of our strong belief that he does exist. That is what counts
True. But we should take a more active role towards our own happiness. Thanks for reading, bro.
This is one great read. Thank you Douglas.
Thanks for reading, bro.
There is some contradiction for me in this blog. I think “self” equates to the flesh therefore the “self” (flesh) and ego are one and the same. Your piece is wonderful, don’t get me wrong, because you have established the basis for God and the devil; evil and good but I think you need to clarify more on evil and good and how it relates to the “being” (because human beings consist of flesh(self therefore ego) AND spirit who have a soul. And here the soul equates to the conscience). Once you do evil or entertain evil you are satisfying your ego hence your”self”. The “self” is very “self”ish. That’s why when someone goes above and beyond in the “good” department on a consistent basis we term them “self”less. Why? Because they are thinking “less” of them”self” and more about the other person. And someone who thinks more about them self would be described as “full of them self”. I would really put God as your “conscience”. Your “conscience” stops you a lot from doing things that are or will otherwise be detrimental to you or others. People without a “conscience” are the ones whose “souls” are corrupted hence they do evil or cause others to do evil. That’s not to say people with consciences do no evil. They may because certain life situations or decisions force them to. To put it more clearly when someone comes around and has a negative “vibe” I may say their “spirit” does not jive with mine. It is because their spirit is afflicted. Same goes for an evil-doer, their spirit just makes you want to run because of all the negativity and bad it wreaks. I would rather have someone who brings good spirit and cheer. That leads me to the expression “That’s the spirit!” this is describing someone who is making something negative positive. Sometimes, when you look an evil person in the eye you see an emptiness and they may be described as “soulless”. It is because that evil person is devoid of all soul that lends consciousness.So, in essence, the self is just as bad as the ego and are one and the same. Your soul is your conscience however, your soul can be corrupted leading you to think only of/with your”self”/ego therefore your spirit becomes evil leading you to do evil.
First of all, thank you for reading.
Secondly, wow! I really was just writing from the heart. But I seem to have given you a jump off that has helped you clarify what I really meant to say. I only took twenty minutes to write this blog post. You’ve just taught me that next time, I should be more thorough.
You are most welcome. I loved reading your piece because as someone who was born Christian (still Christian) I struggled with Christianity for the longest time because it was not transparent. I am not Catholic but that falls under Christianity. It did not make sense to me that Catholic priests were sexually abusing kids and still do. Or how people who consistently claim to be saved judge others. Or how they would say one thing and do the other. But I came to the realization that when it boils down to everything we are humans and are flawed therefore it was my job to understand who God is and make my own conclusions about God for MYself no one else. So I came to the conclusion that the God “experience” (as I shall call it) is one that is meant to be experienced individually. So I do not look at other people anymore to make my conclusions on religion or God. God and religion are my own experience.
thanks for crystalising a titanic battle that has been dueling in my head on this very subject. i wonder though some so called bad stuff are had to explain eg ” when someone who really loves kids can’t get them and some who could care less can pop them out without even trying ” love the prose though !
Thanks for reading, Eric.
In my opinion, kids are always a blessing. They’re the future of not just us as individuals but the future of humanity. As a friend, Felix, wrote as one of the comments on this article, “Heaven and Hell are right here on earth and I also believe that when one dies, the spirit of the Lord leaves you, and you are no more. Finished. No hereafter. The spirit of the Lord leaves you and goes to dwell in a new born.”
I think we as individuals should re-learn who our children are. Do they have to be biologically ours or can our own spirit dwell in another life after we’re gone, whether that life comes from us or not.
Just food for thought.
I find this article full of self-serving, self loathing dribble. I am pleased that we have moved on from the bronze age where you claim the most enlightened men were, and that good old Yewah is seen by anyone that takes the time to think, as a reflection of the capricious, narcissistic and illiterate bronze age tribesmen who invented him. Rather for me is the awe and excitement I feel being part of a universe in which find ourselves knowing less and less about more and more. No creepy heaven and hell for me!
Arguments are weak.
“1) Why is there so much suffering in the world if God exists?
Firstly, suffering in the world is not caused by God. It is caused by man. Why does God allow it to happen? He doesn’t. Man does.”
Disease? Natural disasters? Birth defects? Starvation? Drought?
Conclusion: Suffering occurs in the world regardless of man’s input. God either allows it to happen or there is no God.
This all means very little without direct knowledge or realization. Many people speak very well but know very little along the lines of direct experience. This knowledge must be KNOWN and LIVED for it to have any effect in our life or the lives of others.
Vaunted sermons or speeches by rote, no matter how passionate or well intentioned are like paper bullets fired from a toy gun. They have no meaningful effect when not tempered and backed with the fire of true wisdom or experience. This is the state of religion in this day and age and also the reason for a rise of atheistic ideology, which is also a step to true understanding, contrary to certain religious thinking. Rare is the man or woman of realization wherein the scriptures are alive and shining bright.