Blog #103--Book Raises Interesting Questions

I knew my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life” would be controversial. No improvements in our overall understanding of ourselves and our universe can occur if we hold onto inaccurate beliefs, but letting go of the errors can be painful for our fragile egos. Many of us fear change, assuming what we know must be better than what we don’t know. We seek no explanations for inexplicable events or situations, preferring to label them as mere aberrations or claim we are not supposed to know. For example, many of us say “God works in mysterious ways” and “It is not ours to question why.”

However, over the centuries we have found reasonable answers to some of life's riddles and have needed to adjust our thinking accordingly. Most people now believe Earth is round and is not the center of the universe, but the transition from previous assumptions has not come about without a great deal of pain and embarrassment for those adamant against these truths.

Question: You say people are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. This implies that God wants some people to be murderers, rapists and other criminals. How can a loving God ever intentionally create people who do evil things? By saying these people should be accepted and forgiven for who they are, are you suggesting we shouldn’t punish them for their crimes?

Answer: I don’t claim to be God's spokesperson or know all the answers. But I do believe we must study how our bodies and minds operate and how they were made manifest in order to understand more expansive concepts such as a God or creator. There is definite consistency between how we function and how everything else in Nature functions. To me, that means we are all created from the same stuff through the same process.

When we study ourselves and our world in detail, we discover that a balance is maintained through the interaction of opposite energies. We judge one polarity to be good and the other bad, although we don’t always agree on what is good and bad. If a God created good people, he/she/it also created bad people. Everything in Nature is created the same way, so the creator must love them all equally. Extrapolating, we can state with some accuracy that our creator wants us to be exactly what we are born to be. If that means we do things others consider bad, then we must be supposed to do them and should therefore be accepted and forgiven for them.

If our laws include punishments for misbehavior, and those laws are well understood by the general public, then some people will be assigned to enforce them. People who break laws should be punished to the extent the law allows, no more or less. Criminals are doing what they are supposed to be doing, and so are the police and judicial system. We must have both to maintain the balance of Nature.

Some guilty people will not be punished, and some innocent ones will face extended prison time or put to death. Humans are imperfect, so mistakes are common. But I am confident that all imbalances will be corrected eventually. If we are to believe in a creator, then we must trust that creator to know more than us about what everyone needs for balance.

It’s hard to accept those who have done harm to us. But valuable lessons are available to everyone. What may be painful for us in the short run may be a blessing in the long run, especially if we learn more about ourselves and our world in the process. Problems can be assets if we learn from them, so there is value in embracing them when they arise.

Question: I tried to read your book, but it went against the doctrines of my religion. How can you draw conclusions that contradict God’s word?

This is a common complaint, and I understand completely how my book might be disturbing for some. Free thinking is required to consider my conclusions. Also required is letting go of our fears so alternative viewpoints can be examined without feeling we are traitors to the religions of our ancestors. Thinking is not a sin. I have no desire to destroy anyone’s belief system. If it gives you peace of mind, then I am happy for you.

Doctrines and belief systems are not necessarily identical to Universal Truth. There have been literally hundreds of religions and philosophies developed over time around the world. Each one represents a variation on the stories of creation and our creator. Since we all have unique perspectives on our world, theoretically there is a religion for every individual on Earth. Doctrines and rituals created out of these individual variations are important to those who believe them, but they may not represent Universal Truth accurately.

Many people disagree with doctrines essential to other people. Each group believes it has the real truth, but proof is lacking in most cases. Trying to decipher a working synthesis from the various beliefs is difficult; we haven’t yet come up with one that satisfies all the facts and all our emotional biases. So books like mine will continue to be written to help solve this complex dilemma.

The “Star Trek: Voyager” television episode “Distant Origin” considers this problem. An alien race of reptilian-like humanoids had their doctrines also. Among them was the notion they became a highly evolved race while living solely on their present planet. But one of their scientists found evidence his race originated on the planet Earth as a dinosaur, evolved to the point it could travel to distant stars and eventually found a new home many light years from Earth.

The scientist met humans from Voyager, who came to the same conclusion because there was a lot of similarity in their DNA. He was excited to share his discovery with other experts on his planet, but they rejected his research. Saying his beliefs disagreed with established doctrine, they required him to discredit his own work and accept unsatisfying alternative research. They might have gained self-confidence realizing how special their race was to evolve enough to make the lengthy trek to a new home, but they were bogged down by a belief in a false story. The truth wouldn’t have hurt them and might have helped, but they refused to consider all the possibilities.

Keeping an open mind is usually the best option. There is no crime in considering alternative points of view. The key is learning what it is about their present doctrines that are true and worth accepting, and which need revision. Making relatively minor changes in doctrine changes nothing about whom or what we are. After all, if we are worried about whether our creator will punish us for what we do wrong while on Earth, then it is vital we learn as much of the truth as we possibly can.

http://dreamtime3.wix.com/jacktuttlebook

Comments and questions can be directed to dreamtime@insight-books.com.