And in the beginning was another post

Have you ever set out on a walk with the intent to really discuss things with God? I mean, really. I used to take long walks in the desert for that specific reason. I would end up standing next a cactus and discussing the meaning of life, the origin of space, and what exactly free will really was. It was one of those many discussions that I came to realize that I could no longer whine and say "God, why do you allow children to starve to death? Why do you allow people to be horribly maimed by the machines of war? Why do you allow hatred and greed to run rampant on this beauty blue and green ball?" And the reason I had to let Him off the hook was simple - I finally got it through my head what it really meant to have "free will."

No, you don't get free will from an attorney, that's for sure. You get it only from God. And you probably noticed in the paragraph above, that I referred to God as Him. Yes, I am a true believer in that God is masculine. Why? Probably because I use the word god, but with a capital, since it is being used as a title. After all, had I thought God was feminine, I would be using the title Goddess, right? Why don't I use God's name, you might ask? Could it possibly be that I am not sure what His name really is? Well, if you believe that, then you truly are a perceptive person and probably should be writing this Blog in the first place! You would be correct in that assumption, for I do not accept the current list of names used as His name as likely to be correct. It's also why I have a hard time with interpretations of the Bible, and some of the things that have sprung from it.

By the way, don't necessarily expect these ramblings to be "on topic," whatever that might conjure up in your mind. For you see, my mind skips about from subject to subject, some times with lightning speed, and as such, the "links" between subjects may not be obvious to anyone other then those that can get into my head - small space there, so not many will be able to at any one time. Thus the thoughts may be coherent, but not necessarily cohesive.

Getting back to whining and free will might be a good thing at this time. See, even from the beginning, God gave Man "free will." When he placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, so to speak, he supposedly admonished them not to eat from that one tree that He placed off limits. Of course, had He truly not wanted them to eat of its fruit, He would not have placed the tree there in the first place. After all, He knew all and would have known that at some point in time, when all other fruits had been sampled, the day would come when they would taste it to see how it was different from the rest. ALL children are like that, and Adam and Eve certainly qualified as children, regardless of their state of physical adulthood.

No, there is NO doubt that it was EXPECTED by Him that they would eat of the fruit. It wasn't a case of IF, but WHEN. My guess is that they went slower then they were expected, thus the need to send the serpent to entice them into it. Sounds a little different from the normal line of thinking, doesn't it? But do you REALLY believe that God was surprised in any way by this "original sin?" Hardly.

Nor was it a sin, since it was expected to happen in the first place. Fact is, the concept of "original sin" is one of those great mysteries of the mind - right up there with "the big bang" for man made nonsenses. Let's face it. Why would God have created Adam and Eve in perfectly functional bodies, fully capable of procreation, if it wasn't intended that they were going to breed and start a population explosion? If He REALLY planned on them being just two simple samples living out an existence on planet Earth for time eternal, he probably would have made them sexless in the first place. There would have been no need to give Adam a female companion if they were only to live peacefully in the Garden of Eden for all eternity. He could have given Adam a male companion instead. That would have prevented population as well. No. It was God's intent that Adam and Eve would not only eat of the fruit of the one tree they weren't supposed to, thus realizing that they were a breeding pair and let's just wait and see what happens next.

So you might guess from the above, that I don't place great stock in the Bible. If that was your reaction, then you would be wrong. I do, however, "moderate" my beliefs in that I interpret the meanings of what is said, and "filter out" the portions that are obviously written with religious controls in mind. That is, consider the New Testament. I believe in Jesus Christ and I take seriously to heart what I believe are his teachings. I do not, however, take seriously to heart the extrapolations to them that are obviously made with the church taking control of the "congregation," if you will. I have little faith in "hellfire and brimstone" being the fate of those that do not follow the teachings of the church, but I do believe that eternal life may not be in the future of those that do not follow the teachings of Christ.

One of the greatest puzzles to me is the apparent belief that you can go to war for Christ or kill for God. How does a a group of people that say they believe in a ministry of love and sharing actually get to the point of thought that they are doing Christ's work by slaughtering their fellow man? The theory that we are a civilized society, thus think with our upper brain rather then our lower brain, yet are able to justify torture, slaughter, and maiming of innocent people "in the name of all that is holy and good," makes about as much sense as saying you are saving a man by killing him. All I know is that a "Christian" could not do the things that too many of these "born again Christians" take as gospel. But then there is that "free will" we were given in the first place, so until the time comes that we are held accountable for our personal actions by Him, well like I said, I had to let Him off the hook for the crap that we do to each other with our "free will."

Well enough for this time. More to follow in other posts, but for now, love and light in your path.