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The link seems to be non-existent...

Current thoughts on god.

All evidence points to there not being one. Science seems to suggest that the universe and all its complexity, including life, are simply the outcome of the operation of physical laws.

Most people who are religious could never give up god. They don't want to believe that the universe simply is, and simply does. And I don't blame them, nature is a horrible place, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing. infinitely rotating wheel of pain, and we're part of it.

That is why we need god. He isn't tangible, he doesn't really exist, but he is our evolving, perfect conception of goodness, of morality, of transcendent truth. We need to believe in god, we need to seek him so that we can understand, and behave as he would. Because someday if we work hard, and are true to our human desires, we can break the system, tear down the laws of entropy, and re-structure the universe in our own image. We can plant a garden.

So god may not exist. But he might.

Congratulations, above poster, you just reinvented Teilhard de Chardin :-)

I'm only slightly mocking, because de Chardin is one of the most hopeful spiritualists I can think of. He's also sort of science fictiony, which I also like. I don't buy it, but it's a pretty theory.

RLP - This is concurrent with my "God as Mafia Don" theory. People use God and Hell as a protection racket. Sure, it works, but you get a congregation that's motivated by fear. That sucks.

thanks for the link, preach. I liked it.

I worry about all that pain too. Glimpsed a smaller bit of it today and the lonliness I witnessed is unbelievably sad.

I love this guy. Because he really does offer hope that we might see through the church bullshit to what is really required of us, to FUCKING QUIT hurting each other and to love one another. I read his post about the alcoholic that crapped on his white chair, and the author had to clean it up. He doesn't like cleaning it up, but what he writes about is the light in the guy's eyes and his joy when the light increases. That's a pretty strong love right there. Some might say Christ-like.

Thank you RLP for showing us this guy and his love. (And you write that kind of powerful stuff all the time, too.)

cussing is cool

"church and hell in a dead heat"

Boy can I relate, even though I am growing further and further from believing in the "traditional hellfire and damnation" of the institutional church....

Nancy in San Antonio

As I sit here gazing out the window of the liquor store that I work at, I can't help but be discouraged by the human spirit, or the lack thereof. I'm watching power crews finishing up the task of replacing power poles that were taken out in a car crash that occurred just mere hours ago. At this point it appears they are merely cleaning the wreckage of a freak storm or mighty gust of wind. The truth of the matter though is that there was a horrific accident that left the world short by one person. As the gawkers assembled, there were exclamations of "Did you see that", "Holy shit, look at the passenger" and "That guys dead for sure". Customers that have come in since have made remarks such as "It's a dieway, not a highway" and "Looks like someone was dying to get to WalMart". I cannot help but feel disgusted and discouraged. Do we truly feel so little for others in a world that I was taught was full of God's love and grace. I was an avid church-goer for 18 years, and though I feel that I have grown bigger than the box that church tries to fit everything into, I do not regret my time there. I learned much and it helped to mold me into the person that I have become, both the good and the bad parts. I often look to Gordon's page for encouragement and insight in a world that offers little of either. So, with the horrible events of today, I of course felt that I needed the wisdom of others, for surely there are those that can offer better comfort than those of my admittedly ghetto clientèle. As usual, rlp has something for me, but not what I thought I was looking for. The root of my unrest is the same as it has been since I've been old enough to question. A loving, caring, powerful God wouldn't let such ugliness pervade all of humankind, would he? For one that used to hand out miracles like candy in olden times, it seems that his storehouses have become sadly depleted. Why has our society gotten to the point that we won't even close shop when the power is out and a dead body sits not 30 yards away? My employers merely lamented the inability to turn a profit off the massive amount of traffic that was being rerouted through our parking lot. What is really going on in the spiritual world of today? The answer is simple, either there is no God or he has turned his face away in shame of his creation, and who could blame him? However, I do believe in God, but not the sanitized version that was driven into my skull as only Southern Methodists can. The fact that this was a rambling, almost incoherent attempt to display the vast scope of emotions currently running through me at this moment lends strength to my belief in God. Science can prove many things that undermine religion, but to truly undermine spirituality they must explain emotion. While we cannot touch God or see him or have an audible conversation with him, the ability to feel so many feelings on a myriad of levels says that perhaps we are more than some scientific anomaly. This is a dirty world with pain and suffering all around, but I believe that one day, if we are patient, kind and understanding with one another, that something good may come out of this yet. Till then, I sift through the filth in hopes of finding something pristine. Sorry this is so long, first time posting. Thanks for listening.

Off topic: I see a fellow San Antonio minister was struck and killed by lightening yesterday - William Clardy, Grace Fellowship Baptist Church.

Do you ever feel jealous of those whose box is sufficient? I want simple faith again.

--Clare

"God? I hope so"

Thanks for tipping us all off to this blog, RLP. As a new blogger writing about faith and doubt, commitment and transformation, I loved reading this essay.

Foregoing post by QueerForChrist (www.queerforchrist.com). Didn't mean to be anonymous!