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EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 2:
WHO OR WHAT IS GOD?
| Excerpt
1: "Stuart
Wilde in The Quickening, illustrates the general
willingness to blindly accept religious dogma as absolute
truth. |
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If you knew nothing about
Christianity and you had never heard of the Bible, you would
pick up the book and ask the critical question, 'Who wrote
this stuff.' Err…well, actually no one knows. But, it's
the sacred channeled word of God.8 |
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The very questioning of
the origin of the Bible is often considered sacrilegious
by many a devout Christian, but is it unreasonable to want
to know who wrote such an important literary work? Of course
not."
[8 Stuart Wilde, The
Quickening, (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc., 1996), p. 94]
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Excerpt 2: "What
if the God-Force isn't the judging, punishing Creator that
is described in the Old Testament of the Bible and referred
to similarly in other religious texts as well? What
if, instead, God is actually 'universal intelligence
flowing through everything, inspiring the natural process
to unfold'?"10
[10 Wayne Dyer, Manifest
Your Destiny, (New York: HarperCollins, 1997), p. 22]
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| Excerpt 3: "This
view of God is strongly expressed in the NY Times bestseller Conversations
with God, Book 1 by Neale Donald Walsch. In this first
installment of the critically acclaimed three-book series,
Mr. Walsch claims that God directly made this statement to
him regarding His/Her/Its true nature: |
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If you believe that God
is some omnipotent being who hears all prayers, says "yes" to
some, "no" to others, and "maybe, but not
now" to the rest, you are mistaken. By what rule of
thumb would God decide? If you believe that God is the creator
and decider of all things in your life, you are mistaken.
God is the observer, not the creator.11 |
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This is clearly nowhere
close to the description of God that is provided by most
traditional religions, and yet from all that I have read
and learned on the path of self-discovery, it makes great
sense. Why would God give us free will and then punish us
for doing something against a set of commandments?"
[11 Neale Donald
Walsch, Conversations with God, Book 1 (New York: G.P.
Putnam's Sons, 1996) p. 13]
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Excerpt 4: "If
you find yourself wanting to branch out and develop your
own spiritual philosophy, but are concerned about any repercussions
that may result, remember that ultimately being true to yourself
(i.e., seeking self-approval) is far more important than
living for the approval of others. While this may sound like
clichéd advice, consider this: throughout your life,
has receiving the approval of others ever really provided
you with any real peace-of-mind or long-lasting contentment?"
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| Excerpt 5: "But
is it really possible to have an undying faith that your
most heartfelt desires will be fulfilled? In a word, YES! If
you doubt this is true, ask yourself the following questions:
Do you believe that the most recent meal you consumed
will be automatically and efficiently digested, or do you know it?
Do you believe that your heart will instantly adjust
its beat rate to accommodate for increased physical activity,
or do you know it?" |
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