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 2 - Are You Religious?

I am beginning to regret saying that Religion would be one of my Blog’s monthly subjects for comment.  In one sense, it is continually topical, but otherwise there is a consensus that warns of dire consequences.

But, are you religious?  Most people are religious.  You see, that statement is controversial within itself, and most people will avoid the subject.

I remember, when teaching post-graduates in China, deliberately asking this question in order to force discussion ... a rare occurrence in that country (until recently).

What does the question mean? 

Do you believe that there is a God?  Who is God — a very old man with a long grey beard sitting on the clouds?  Or what is God — a Force, as revealed in the Star Wars story?

Were Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha, real people — and immortal beings?

Although some students accepted that Jesus, Mohammed, and the Buddha were real people, few students admitted to believing in a God.

Therefore, I described this anecdotal question:  Can you remember when you left the comforts of home for the first time, to commence university studies?  You were required to live in a dormitory together with strangers who appeared to display different moral codes (at least, you thought so at the time).  Can you remember, after a few days, crying into your tear-stained pillow, and saying, “Mommy, Mommy, please come quickly and take me away from this horrible place.”  Remember?

But you knew that ‘Mommy’ could not hear you — so, who were you talking to?  Anybody who (or anything that) would listen?  Therefore, at that moment, were you not being somewhat religious?  And is it probable that, even now, or sometimes, we have the need of a relationship with a “Force” that can resolve our problems?  Could this be referred to as being religious?