God & Religion

My hand writes on its own accord. I am but a witness to its autonomous energy.
To find truth, I look in the deepest crevices. I dissect every belief. I dismantle myself in every way. Annihilation of self, deprivation of pleasure, is the price to pay.

I wish to explore the following question:
Is there a God?
But before I do, I must separate the construct of religion from God.

The name of God is mentioned frequently in religion, but does it actually lead one to God? Does a religious person find God?

In my deepest examination, I have found that religion is a vehicle for the one who is unserious to find God. I will attempt to explain this in great detail. My words will not capture the entire feeling, but your spirit may resonate with the message.

Religion is a culture that is designed for the mind. It is a belief construct and a set of rituals.  All religion use the same tactics.

Hope for a reward – pray, fast, give alms- and you may go to paradise. Your good deeds will save you.

Can I examine this statement? Where is my good deed counter? Why cant I ask the angel on my shoulder, what my good to bad deed ratio is? I am hoping for a reward for something I don’t know, for something that is unseen. If I offered you a simple contract, clean my house and my car everyday and I may give you a million dollars in 10 years, will you take it? Why not?
You would want some proof. You would want something tangible. What proof do you have that your fasting today will give you heaven at some unknown time in the future?

Fear – Fear God, fear his wrath, fear the life after. Has all this fear mongering actually worked? All the major religions of this world, have lead genocides in the last 2 years. Why didn’t that fear kick in? Do they not fear God’s wrath after committing mass murder? Where is God’s wrath? Why has God been so quiet? What would actually make God angry?
Why haven’t religious people in their countries raised hell and put a stop to the religious politician’s power struggle? For myself, why dont I fear where my tax payer dollars are going and which genocides my money is funding?

Barter –The religious hall is not a place of self-reflection, it’s a marketplace to barter with God. “God – if you provide this, I shall do this.”
In my childhood, I grew up in a religious community. I, along with the people around me, prayed for material things, worldly things. They would say, “please pray for me, I’m trying to get married.” People would pray extra when they were applying to med school.

If God made the universe, the stars, and heavens – he created them before my existence. He did not and does not need my prayer.  If I offer you pebbles of dirt, for your Iphone, would you take it? Surely God is a better business man than me or you.
On closer examination this prayer/barter is a reflection of ones insincerity and unseriousness. When a person genuinely wants to wants to accomplish a task, they go all in. Prayer or not, they will do whatever it takes.

Why is religion so prevalent?
Because it gives the mind entertainment and a way out from examination. There are theological opinions of scholars about the interpretations of holy books. The spicy drama that surrounds its history and extends into board rooms. The stories of right and wrong and the underdog exceedingly all expectations for a win. The door prize of feeling good. You come to the prayer hall, just as you are, and left just as you were. No examination required. You walked out with a smile on your face, God loves you.
5 minutes of inspiration. You go home and do the same thing, speak the same way, believe in the same things. Nothing has been examined. No questions were asked. The speaker’s talking points downloaded, and shelved in your short term memory, soon to be deleted.

What about morality?
Morality is un-related to one’s religiousness. A religious person is no less immoral than a non-religious one. Every religion has documented examples of horrific abuse systematically, by people in leadership positions.

Morality is a function of ones internal peace. The desire to hurt another is not present in one who does not have internal turmoil.

Why do people stay in religion?
Religion creates an ideal for them to chase. It programs them with an imagined life, where one should act a certain way, say certain things, do certain things, and avoid certain things. This ideal is always unachievable. No one can be the ideal. Even the ones preaching it from the altar are leaps and bounds away from the ideal. Consider the countless scandals that religious leaders are involved in.

Religion creates an identity. Your mind gets to adopt a pre-packaged position on everything you encounter. Opinions on this kind of meat, that kind of music, this position on abortions, and that president.
Religion gives you a way out of being seriousness. If you pray for something and get it, God is good. If you pray for something and don’t get it, God is still good. Why? We are told because God maybe protecting us from something bad. He has wisdom that we don’t have, right? If you pray for a Ferrari and don’t receive one, God is saving you from a road accident.
In this way, God can do no wrong. The Mind loves this mental masturbation. If I fail, it is because God didn’t want it to be so.

For the one, who is serious, for the one who will not accept living without a Ferrari, that person will get one, regardless of what happens.

At the root…
Religion is the perfect medium, not to find God. Religion has became the God. The prescriptions of religion are the goal.  Pray, give charity, volunteer, and you will go to heaven.
What is the purpose of slapping your head to the ground if your mind is thinking about your to-do list? What is the value of mindlessly repeating the same words over and over? What is the value of your charity? Does it count when the money that you made is not sincere? Or when your charity gets used to host social events or pays for the leaders private jet?

When one is serious about a matter, every step is examined. When one is serious, the inputs and outputs are closely examined.

What is the unserious person running away from? Facing God, squarely, and attempting to understand what God is. To connect with God, without any desire, without a wish list, without any grievances. This indeed is a foreign concept. You dont have to pray to God, talk at him, or dance to him. When you present yourself in front of God, without asking for anything, you have a chance to feel God.

Does Religion really matter? Does it allow for transformation?
Lets explore an example. If it became scientifically true, like a law of physics, like gravity, that God loves you, how does your life change?
Do you eat less? Do you stop lusting? Do you quit your day job and go all in on your life mission?

How does your life change it was unequivocally/scientifically revealed that there was no God?
Do change what you eat? Do you go to the casino and gamble your life away? How exactly would you change?
Would you change your name? What you ate? Your job? Address? On a daily basis, would it even matter to you?

Alternatively, how would your life change if you knew you had a week left before your death?
In exactly seven days at this time you were going to die. How would this moment be different?
What would you do today if you knew tomorrow morning was your last day? What steps would you take immediately? What would you prioritize?

As I write these words, I recall the moment I saw through the unseriousness of religion. The details that were unique to my journey are irrelevant. Your examination and your details will be unique to you as you examine this matter for yourself, if you wish.
Religion was a large part of my childhood. Releasing the chains of religion allowed me to see the world for what it is, to see the shallowness of the culture of religion, and for the first time, the opportunity to feel God.

To answer the original question, is there a God?
My truthful answer is, I don’t know.

My spirit resonates with something outside of this body, a feeling of home, a being or a presence distinct from me, an energy that I can tap into, a place I can gain insights from and feel at peace with.
Is this God? Is this what it means to feel God? If this is God, I have never felt so close to God before
and so far from religion at the same time.

What happens to my spirit when my physical body stops breathing, when the heart stops beating?
I don’t know. The universe wishes to share something with me that I will reveal to you, but I genuinely do not know it for myself.
At this time, the universe wishes to say that the spirit has a presence beyond this physical body.