Religion 11 - The Power, Jesus, and a Life Force

An intense on-line discussion encourages me to copy my thoughts on the subject here:

We have been indoctrinated with theological meanings of the two words, Heaven and Hell (Initial Caps) and there are variations in all religions.  We are but grains of sand in the universe and simply know little of our reality, and we refer to it, today, as the supernatural, a word unknown a thousand years ago.  But man (woman) needed something to believe in … and ‘wise’ men took us for a ride.  They convinced us that Heaven was something to look forward to and non-believers would go to Hell (The word ‘Hell’ was simply a necessary antonym for Heaven).  All awhile it was necessary to humanize these things;  God, our Father, the old bearded man, and the Devil with horns.  The sun, moon and stars were beyond belief, which is unfortunate, as the universe is, probably, closer to the truth.

Thus, how was the Universe created?  We have yet to discover the answer.  It may have been created by a God (a humanized term) but, a more probable theory, easier to accept, is the creation by a huge supernatural Power (Described in the Star Wars Trilogy ⎯― not to belittle the idea) related to the Big Bang theory (a life force).

Jesus, a sentient being, was of course a real person, written about during his time, a philosopher of great respect, and capable of ‘miracles’ that, today, could be better explained.  Surely, he lost a lot of blood on the cross, but did he die … and was there an ascension?  Remember, the Buddha died a natural death, there is a tomb, and Buddhism is alive and well.

Then, there is the Holy Ghost, sometimes referred to as our Soul ― within us but unseen by a CT-scan, for example.  Asian people refer to the Qi, a traditional Chinese culture, qi or ch’i, believed to be a vital force forming part of any living thing.  Qi translates as "air" and figuratively as "material energy", "life force", or "energy flow”.  Qi is the central underlying principle in Chinese traditional medicine and in Chinese martial arts. The practice of cultivating and balancing qi is called qigong.

Therefore, could we believe in the Power, Jesus, and the Qi?

Being, often, without words for a blog, I should transfer this here.  But it’s here already.

See:  http://berniesblazon.blogspot.ca/2011/08/religion-2-are-you-religious.html

May The Power be with you.

Religion 10 - Dual Relationship

Recently, I have been examining the question of religious relationship.  Is it acceptable for us to follow more than one belief, for example, both Christianity and Buddhism?  Are the two mutually exclusive?  

I have written before, in answer to those who describe themselves as religiously atheist (Religion 2 - Are You Religious?  August, 2011) and, while it did not appear to cause much controversy, hopefully, it may have caused some thought.  Note;  You may wish to search by using the Question field at the top of this page.

I have been known to describe myself as a Buddhist Christian, a believer of selective composite thoughts from the words of both Jesus and the Buddha.

Following confirmation in the Anglican church, I became a member of the High Anglican community (A composite of both Catholic and Protestant  religions, in other words, Catholic with divorce).  After some time, this became too complicated for me and I began to seek something that suited my twenty-first century mind.

Firstly, the trilogy of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost was difficult to accept, because who or what is the Father, an old man with a grey beard?  Jesus as the Son, a known sentient being, is acceptable, but the Holy Ghost may sound frightening to some.  The Buddha was a sentient being (The son of a rich Indian leader) but not a god in a religious sense, albeit, highly revered.  From Buddha we have a trilogy of the Power, the Buddha, and the Qi (soul), although these are not specifically of Buddhist ideology, and may cause emotion, please do not accuse me of blasphemy. 

I should be happy with this subject as long as there are comments.

“You will not be punished for your anger.

You will be punished by your anger”

Buddha

Quotation - Truth

“There are only two mistakes one can make on the road to truth;  not going all the way, and not starting.”

Buddha

Religion 3 - Political Correctness

Recently, I learnt that the CEO of a large chain of grocery stores told his staff that they should not wish customers a 'Merry Christmas' this year fearing that they may offend some non-Christians.  Instead, they were permitted to say "Happy Holidays'.  Well, I can assure you that this person is very offended by this decision.

To wish me 'Happy Holidays' during a freezing December is absolutely ridiculous.  In my view a happy holiday would be a stroll around a warm city such as Rome, or somewhere just as inviting but, believe it or not, I am not going anywhere.

Who are these stupid people who are offended by sharing my joy of Christmas — I have yet to meet or hear from anyone.

Recently, I returned from many years living in China.  During my stay in that country I was often invited to celebrate the birthdays of the Buddha and Confucius.  Those who invited me knew that I was not a Buddhist and they were not concerned in any way ... and I was delighted to join them.  Many years ago, I lived in Oman.  There, I was invited to join the end of Ramadan celebrations — I was treated as an honoured guest of the Sultan and, once again, I was delighted to to join in.

On neither occasion was I expected to either become a Buddhist or a Muslim — just, simply, be respectful of their customs and enjoy their company which, naturally, I was.

Therefore, during the next few days, please wish everyone a 'Happy Christmas', and a 'Peaceful New Year'.

Today, I looked at some Christmas cards and, suddenly, I had a brainwave (No remarks please).  I would buy some Christmas cards that were blank inside.  Then, I would create an insert containing a happy message.  On an obscure part of the page I shall type;  'This insert is removable in order that the card may be used next year but, please, do not return to sender.'

Now, before you all shout that I am creating a new generation of Scrooges, think for a moment — these cards may develop a life of their own, an honorable pyramid scheme, renewable cards that will decorate one's home repeatedly.

Note — It seems too late for this year.  Nevertheless, it shouldn't stop you buying them now.

Happy Christmas!