Blog #71--Taking On A Controversial Issue

Anyone who has read my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life” knows I am unafraid of taking on controversial issues. But there is one topic I thought best to avoid when writing the book due to the high degree of emotionality involved. That concern is now being overridden by a force deep within that compels me to share my thoughts.

Before I mention the subject, I’d like to ease the concerns of those who will, whether by instinct or documented proof, attack my conclusions. I am sharing my thoughts as an act of love to aid overall understanding. I do not wish to cast aspersions on any religion or any person’s individual interpretation of his or her religious views. There are a large number of religions in the world, and they all have my respect for the assistance they provide those in need of guidance as they pursue their lives.

Of course, my attempts at rational thought will frustrate those whose emotions dominate their thought processes. To them, left-brain logic is anathema to their need to follow religious leaders without question. Blind faith is their strength as they attempt to survive in a difficult world, and I understand and accept that. My parents taught me the following: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me.” That goes for words in general. Nothing I say is intended to hurt, so I truly hope no one feels hurt by them.

Since we all have the same creator, I believe we all have truth hidden within us about our origins and ultimate destiny despite the varying views we now express to those around us. It is my sincere hope my comments will be taken in that light, and that I be given a right to my opinions, even if they differ from the majority. If nothing else, I am driven to write this, whether it represents truth or not.

There are members of each of the major world religions who believe their holy books are the literal truth, word for word. Indeed, one can argue with some merit that these books contain the inspired truth of our maker. I have no doubt these books include inspired truths, but an understanding of the human body causes me to question some of our interpretations of inspirations we receive.

You see, we must filter instantaneous inspiration through our bodies before it can be put onto paper or discussed out loud. This filtering process is different for each person because we have our own individualized perspectives, the product not only of our genes but our life experiences. We may all be hearing the same things, but changes occur as we interpret them. Each word in every language can have multiple definitions, and all are a product of the human ego which assumes everything has a beginning and ending and cannot possibly comprehend eternal, unending concepts.

Plus, our understanding of ourselves and our world has changed remarkably over time. People used to be punished for believing the Earth was round rather than flat, or that it was in orbit around the sun instead of vice versa. People’s views were limited by what they knew, and their highly limited knowledge of human anatomy and how their bodies and Nature in general worked caused them to define internal parasites and all manner of microscopic disease entities as the work of a devil. We eventually learned differently, but we often still interpret ancient writings as being literally true when they’re not accurate.

We can each occasionally tune into eternal truth, but no words are needed for understanding. There is simply a knowingness. Like many before and after me, I received inspiration back in 1978 which is the basis for my book. But despite my best attempts, my words cannot do justice to the knowingness I gained at that time. Try as I might, distortions are always guaranteed when we try to share our inspiration with others. Our brains slow down and separate inspirational thoughts into words, with each attempt slightly distorting the original meaning. Over time, the true meaning can be lost to us entirely.

Thus, there are some who question aspects of their holy books. If one were to look back on the vast and often bloody history of each major religion, one learns that changes were made to our holy books over time. Some of these added clarity, such as the additions and modifications Sir Francis Bacon made when creating the King James version of the Holy Bible.

But self-serving interests over time have induced some religious scholars and leaders of all the major religions to attempt changes in their holy books designed to attract larger followings or obscure passages that did not coincide with their claim of superiority. Even most modern day theological researchers tend to have biases that influence what they report and how they report it. Even if unintentional, they can create confusion and discouragement for those who think for themselves.

As one of many examples, my wife’s Catholic Bible (Saint Joseph textbook edition, confraternity version, copyright 1963, Catholic Book Publishing Company) describes Jesus meeting his 12 disciples after his resurrection. Then in a footnote, it states that it was actually 11 since we know Judas Iscariot wasn’t there. This discrepancy isn’t a typographical error, so some might think there is confusion as to what really happened in this case.

Besides the many thousands of changes made to the Christian holy book over time, lay people were actually banned from reading it for 1230 years. Some were killed for trying, and the Inquisition was just one of many attempts to eliminate anyone who dared disagree with church leaders. Even today, a number of both Catholic and Protestant leaders discourage parishioners from reading the Holy Bible in its entirety.

One might think a reading would enhance one’s religious beliefs, so why the threats and intrigue? Are there some things still existing within the Bible that contradict one another? Of course there are. Does this prevent spiritual attainment? Not necessarily, but at the least questions do delay acceptance for those who base their beliefs as much on rational thought as blind faith. Thomas Jefferson, famous for being a president of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence, created his own bible by cutting out everything he didn’t consider the inspired word of God. It is a much shorter volume but is still in print today.

There is spiritual truth within the Holy Bible, the Talmud, the Koran and other similar texts. Most of those who attack people who question the literalness of their holy texts are reacting out of fear. After all, if they were truly confident in their beliefs, they would have no need to attack nonbelievers. Their peaceful, loving behaviors would attract followers like flies to honey.

In the long run, it is up to the individual to find inspiration within to assist discovery of his or her own spiritual nature. These holy books definitely have value, and it’s easy to distinguish truth from self-serving distortions once we embrace our own spirits and put our egos behind us. In my humble opinion.

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