How many times I’ve been asked this question. Frankly, it annoys me to no end. But to keep the peace I generally just say “yes” and hope the matter will end there.
Believe me, it the only answer that has a prayer of working. Any other can lead to a killing.
The idea that anyone of even baseline intelligence could buy into the concept of never-ending damnation versus eternal salvation is beyond me. It seems so patently absurd, I’m embarrassed to even get involved discussing it.
What is the logic, the thought, the contemplation behind this strange idea? It’s as plain as the nose on God’s face? It’s the old blind leading the blind routine. Those who actually know anything at all about the subject wouldn’t be caught dead playing the grand old game known as The Church.
Many years ago I happened upon an ancient tome. Therein I found written, “The noblest employment of the mind of man is the study of the works of the Creator.” It went on to say how the sincere seeker would find “God’s eternal presence in all things” . . .
Being a worker of wood, I saw right away how this certainly applied to trees! But after giving it a bit more thought, I began to understand how the so-called Spirit of the Lord is not only in and of all creation, It is the very center or source of every material thing. And if this were true, then the force we call God is also ever present in the heart and mind of every living being, whether or not one is aware of such a presence!
This soon led me to yet another simple, yet profound realization. Through the study of nature and the natural laws governing this world, we can come to know our so-called “Creator” in a very real and special way. All of a sudden, everything in and around me thus became a true gift, a wondrous blessing from on high! Especially life itself.
I saw for the first time how the force we perceive as God, or The Lord truly isaware of every sparrow that falls, every thought, deed and action ….. because “God” is everywhere and indeed the existence of everything depends upon Her all prevailing essence.
I also learned one other thing.
Most of us come to know our own God in a “personal way”, at some point in time. When this happens some of us say the Lord has “entered” our lives, or that we are saved. But the more I thought about this the more I found it lacking.
The way I see it, the source of Universal Love, or God, is really always a part of our lives. If this were not so then we, as well as our world, and in fact all that we perceive as the “universe” could not and would exist.
The difference is merely that at some point in our lives, we become more aware. When this happens we are indeed saved. But only because we no longer live in the darkness of unawareness. We have entered an ever lighter shade of gray.
Am I talking religion here? Certainly not. I’m talking natural law. I’m talking what is, not what can be written.
To my mind it’s sort of like this ……. you’ve heard of someone approaching a musician and asking, “Can you play such and such a song?” To this the maker of music will sometimes reply, “I’m not sure, but if you can hum it maybe I’ll recognize the tune.”
We are all“God’s children,” though some of us just haven’t figured it out yet. And that’s OK. All in good time. Like the musician, we just need to remember what we already know.
My point is you don’t have to join up with any particular group of people or read any particular book or books to achieve what some of us limited thinkers like to call salvation. All you need do is continue to grown and learn each blessed day.
There is indeed a sun and a moon and a little planet called Earth. And on this planet are all manner of things, including a myriad of wonderful life forms, one of which is you and me!
We simply can’t deny this. What’s more, we are all of us subject to some very basic laws or rules. And boy/girl are they ever hard to break, or even change.
When was the last time you could stop breathing? How about halting the seasons, or stopping the sunrise? See what I mean?
These laws of nature, are “God’s” only laws, since they were by definition created by Her. All laws found outside nature, such as those written in books, are contrived by people. If a sin is the deliberate disobedience to the known will of God, then the only real sins we can commit are those against nature and natural law.
I’ve been studying wood for a good while. It, like all of creation, hums the tune of a very ancient hymn. It’s title is “Truth”. The words and melody are a basic, inseparable part of every one and every thing!
You will not hear it sung on the radio. It will never be played inside any church, temple or synagogue! It cannot be found in books, nor does it come from the lips of men or women. Like love, it’s far too basic, too fundamentally essential to be expressed in words.
It’s simply the kind of thing you either know, or you don’t.
We live in a universe filled with wonder. It is governed by certain immutable laws which we can neither ignore, nor change. When we live in harmony with these laws, there is peace in the valley. When we don’t, there isn’t.
It matters little what we achieve. It matters even less who we are in the eyes of other people. What matters most is what we do. If you think about it, everything we do says everything that matters about who and what we really are. And that, after all is the essence of eternal salvation.
The person who wrote that ancient book I mentioned a moment ago had the right idea. The next time you wonder if there is a God, just look around you. The next time you wonder where all the miracles have gone, watch a caterpillar construct a cocoon and then a few weeks later emerge as a glorious butterfly, a living, animated flower child. Watch a seed sprout or a new born animal take it’s first breath.
If you want to find God, look no further than you own heart and soul. If you need a hobby or enjoy roll playing games, join a church or some other similar club or association.
The next time some well meaning simpleton asks, “Are you saved?” Just look at them in utter shock and consternation and ask, “Isn’t it obvious?”
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