And Man Created God in His Image and Likeness

Human psychology is one of the most baffling, perplexing, amazing and least explored, even less understood realm of the whole of Creation. It is the source of all art, mystery, myth, symbolism, ritual and everything divine. Indeed, human psyche gave rise to such profound mysteries that have proven to be utterly and completely incomprehensible to this other level of human mind - the more approachable and transparent – intellect or rationale. Human beings today, generally, divide themselves in believers and non-believers. The believers hold dear the archaic dogmas of the past and zealously believe, while the non-believers disregard all the religious non-sense and refuse to believe any more. All of them, believers and non-believers alike, collectively don’t understand, nor do they realize.

They don’t understand, because they look at it from the wrong perspective, which, of course, provides no meaningful view. Leaving believers aside, since they don’t even try to understand, the non-believers, likewise, simply disregard, without really trying to understand either. And to understand, one has to look at religion, myth and symbolism through the aspects of human psychology. To enliven oneself in the minds of those ancient humans and see the way they saw the world, the way they came to interpret it, the way psychology works in all the various manifestation of its intrinsic mechanisms, many of which stem from our instincts, embedded in our behavioral, as well as perceptional frames. Also, there are the practical, social layers of religion that were intentionally built-in, through history, so to provide a moral frame for society, as well as a structural one. If one learns to think in this way and analyzes religion in these respects, gradually, revelation enlightens one’s mind and leaves them in awe in front of the simplicity of the profound. The topic is quite voluminous and quite intriguing too, I am discussing a good deal of it in my book, for me some of these conclusions are truly staggering for a first-time realization, considering that so millions and billions of people don’t really realize it in this way, believers or atheists alike. Later the stunned-effect settles down and ferments into wisdom. Pieces of realization that build up and expand the horizons of awareness and consciousness, as much as burdened with “new age” blink those terms may be, I am using them for what they actually designate. The title of this post says a lot, but there is even more behind it. You see, it is not a matter of whether “God exists or does not exist”, it is a matter of, I’m not really sure how to express it, a matter of psychological adultness, because a great deal of the core motifs of major religions is the Parent element, and not only in religions alive today, but also in those that were forgotten.

On the most superficial level, religion is a form of government that, as all primitive forms of governments, puts “ordinary” people in the position of obedience (thus exploitation) without the right to question or disprove and with no option not to follow, otherwise will be outcast from society. In the past, religion served well as a social glue, since people were quite ignorant and uneducated anyway. Today, it mostly serves as a social segregator and a justification for hatred and discrimination. My God is not your God, your God is not My god, The gods are not your God and my God is your god, but not the God of your Dog. And so on outrageous arguments going on and on, forever. Until, people finally begin to realize. This may never happen, it may happen after thousands of years more, it may happen in a few centuries or in a few decades. Who knows what the unfolded, inexistent future holds in its state of infinite quantum potential.

Anyway, another year, another row of profitable religious celebrations filling the medium with much exaggeration and collective emotion. Now is Hajj time. Muslims from all over the world gear up for this year’s great Mecca stampede, to see the Space Rock, round it a few times in a cleansing ritual of purification from all the sins that have accumulated during the year, throw some earthly stone matter at a Devil’s dummy and ride a new, state of the art and technology Mecca train. Ah, it is the most mysterious thing when religion and technology join hands in unison. Such an awe. Stumbled upon a news article about it earlier today and was very amused by the colorful comments different readers had left below it. About the Hajj and the Mecca train. One reader says:

“Interesting that the train for religious pilgrims was made in an officially atheistic country!!”

Indeed, considering that women may have worked on it too, it is a great sin for hard-liner Muslim men to touch a non-family woman, you know, even indirectly, especially during the Hajj. Allah will condemn them to burn in hell, those disgusting and perverse women touchers. Another reader comments:

“No, Saudi have no army, they pay US to fight their war, and you will to keep oil following, but why not just raise oil prices ans stick it to the American people, George W. Bush in his book the Decision.”

I’m not sure to which comment this not quite coherent reply responds to, but it seemed interesting. Now I saw that there are some collapsed comments, you have to press the little plus sign to see them.

“Let them permit non-Muslims into Mecca and Medina. Let Saudi Arabia permit building of churches and other religion based prayer places just as we permit theirs! One way street is not acceptable for long!”

“What's the over/under on how soon some Muslim militant will blow up this train? I'd say one week.”

“No, it will be a Christian militant. They are real dangerous and just as plentiful as the Muslim variety. Haven't you heard?”

“And in the US, depression medication advertisements on the rise, in a recession many feel hopeless in finding a job and drug companies want to profit on that. They want a train, they get it. Here’s always a fist fight between the Rep and Democrats, tell he frustrated nation, I know better, but they are all for their self interest and those who paid for their campain”

This one is more like a monologue complaint out of desperation, completely out of topic and out of corporate news channels and popular talk shows as well. We feel sincere solidarity with you, frustrated nation! We all are. Everything is wrong in this world, everywhere. We are in the wrong world, I tell you! Lol, back to the comments.

“Only the men get to ride inside.. the women are strapped to the top like luggage.. so as not to offend the morality police....”

Another reader replies to the above comment:

“Wow, Ignorence is a disease with an optional cure. You need to get cured my dear.”

And a reply to the reply from yet another reader follows:

“Sweeping the realities and problems under stinking carpets are another kind of disease requiring treatment!!”

The debate continues on furiously:

“Just because there are so many Muslims in the world means that there are a lot more ignorant people in the world!!!!”

“That is true for all religions !”

“only stupid people believe in any thing as stupid as religion.”

What did I told ya. They’re all stupid.

“You people do know that all there doing is Worshiping a Asteroid.right?”

“With all of them facing each other's butts, they could be worshipping a hemorrhoid!”

“How is this any more strange than Christians making pilgrimages to various churches built to house the preserved remains of body parts of long dead saints?”

“Another instance of China beating the U.S. in competition for relatively new technology.”

“Yeah, all the U.S. can do is give them the most technologically advanced weaponry on the planet. We suck.”

“Non-Muslims are not permitted even in roads leave alone to the "holy" place!”

Aah, now isn’t this such a dreadful discrimination. Non-muslims must ride on camels through the desert, if they don’t have an off-road vehicle.

“Why don't they just take a flying carpet ?”

Now that’s the solution!

“R.B. continue with that belief at the risk of your enternal soul. There is only one was to true salvation and eternal life; Maximus speaks the truth. Just curious. what is your "religion" anyway?”

Yeah, the usual question does the job in friend-making and foe-telling. Here is the link to the article with all the comments.

Questionnaire:

Basic questions.

What is your race: Homo Sapiens

Where are you from: Earth

What is your religion: God doesn’t have religious preferences, don’t be ridiculous, only humans do! LoL

End

P.S. It is interesting to note, in regard to the alleged healing properties of religious artifacts, usually bodily remains of death saints or icons, that the "miracle" effect does occur. However, it is not the bones themselves that create it, but the channeled collective believe that boosts and amplifies the individual self-suggestion. This is the same as the Placebo effect. The mind-power of the believer heals the body through the power of suggestion. It is quite an interesting effect, very little explored and acknowledged by contemporary science. Probably because pharmaceutical industries doesn't want people to heal themselves, 'cause they'll be out of business.

These potentials of the mind are very real, as well as telepathy-related and similar shrouded in mystery abilities of the mind. It is just that the way these things work and occur is different than what the movie and entertainment industry had come to present them as. For instance, when you experience "telepathy" you don't actuallty read a mind like a text book, but rather you tune into certain intuitivie suggestions pointing to certain aspects, mindsets, tendencies related to a certain person, usually a person that you know. Something related to frequencies again, that we don't really understand yet.


Finally, back to speaking of poorly understood religion and religious fanaticism, here is an interesting video to see:

Title: Jesus Camp (2006)




Uhum, religion can be quite a disturbing ideology. Just as any rationality-deprived ideology. This is another problem in our postmodern world that needs to be properly addressed and resolved in the future. Yeah, let's just fix it then. Look who's talking of fasting (clip above).