 "Separating God from Religion" by Donald L. Hamilton
generation to generation and formalized into faiths, rituals and traditions.
Ever since the dawn of mankind, around 40,000 years ago, when God revealed the possiblity of his existence to mankind by giving humans a powerful imagination, people have wondered about their origins. Where did we come from? Who created us? Over the centuries, to answer these very basic questions, our storytellers have invented many myths, stories and dogmas. Religions are simply the outgrowth of these ancient myths and dogmas handed down from generation to generation and formalized into faiths, rituals and traditions.
Human Imagination, mankind's "special sense", is the power that separates mankind from all the other animals on Earth - it is made possible by a powerful brain, capable of comprehending the wonders of nature and the world we live in. Mankind now had the power to begin to comprehend the beauty that surrounded it. Something must have created all this magnificient beauty. I can "see" for myself, through my imagination, the beauty of its creations - it is everywhere I look. In order to understand the true nature of God, the Creator of the universe, we must separate the myths of mankind from the physical evidence of God's existence.
The "Secular God", (God without the religious myths), the creator of the universe and father of life is an infinitely powerful creative force who knows no bounds and exists everywhere. Nothing is impossible for this creative power, his power extends - even beyond the universe.
When we take away religion, with all its myths and stories, etc. from the realm of God what is left? Evidence of a "Secular God's" existence is all around us - the primary evidence of God's existence is the beauty of its creations that we can see and experience.
God created "Nature", the physical laws of nature (physics, chemistry and biology) that guides everything within the universe, including mankind! Our lives are completely dominated by the laws of inertia and gravity (and all the other laws of nature). We cannot see the laws but we certainly know they exist by the effects they produce. (The law of gravity will make us - if we are not constantly supported by the floor or ground, immediately become weightless and began accelerating toward the center of the earth.)
The "Secular God" brought the universe into existence by creating the Laws of Nature - where these laws end - the universe ends. We can use Nature's laws for our benefit but if we don't use them wisely they can quickly bring catastrophe. The laws exist everywhere within the universe and are completely invariant, we have the power to use them - but we cannot break any law of nature! By understanding the laws of nature we are beginning to learn the true nature of God.
Nature governs the universe through its physical laws - these laws are perfect and invariant - they are unbreakable. Everything within the universe are governed by these laws. The unique personality of the universe is created by the laws of nature. What would our universe be without inertia or gravity or for that matter - biology? No stars or life (as we know it) could exist without these fundamental laws of nature.
The beauty and splendor of nature lies before us to behold and comprehend. Mankind's imagination - made possible the inventions of the wireless communication, the telescope, microscope and scientific investigation. These inventions allowed mankind to peer into secret exotic worlds of nature - astronomy, cosmology, physics, chemistry, microbiology, electromagnetic spectrum, etc. that we never even knew existed before. Some tremendous power created all this physical phenomena and natural wonders that we constantly encounter (and there may be more that we haven't discovered yet).
Religions on the other hand, are guides for living our lives morally - rules made to persuade us to get along with each other - under the threat of eternal damnation or eternal happiness in heaven. Mankind creates political and religious rules - God creates the physical laws. We can choose, whether or not, we wish to obey mankind's rules - but we must obey God's laws (nature's laws) - we have no choice in that area. (You cannot step out of a window and decide to fall up rather then down. Nature's laws always prevail).
Religions are tremendously powerful influences that control and guide the lives of billions of people in the world today. Some have done tremendous harm over the ages, (wars, inquisitions, torture, terrorism, and even human sacrifice) and some have done tremendous good by creating beautiful religious traditions and civilized moral codes (the ten commandments, etc.) to guide their followers.
Be skeptical - be careful which religious beliefs, myths and dogmas you follow. You can either choose to believe these stories or not. Just remember they are all put forth by human storytellers. Religions are based on faith and do have a definite place in our society for moral guidance, marriage rituals and burial services, etc. - but never take religion too literally - there is no proof of physical evidence that any of these myths are true.
Throughout the ages of mankind there have always been storytellers (prophets, priests, mullahs, etc.) who have created myths and magical fantasies in trying to explain the mysteries that surrounded them. Basically mankind is a storytelling animal - people have created stories to answer every possible question that has ever occurred to mankind whether there is or is not any evidence.
The prophets and storytellers, since ancient times, have always tried to explain the mysteries that they encountered in life - by creating Gods. The God of lightning, the God of thunder, etc. etc.. To get peoples attention and make their stories much more powerful these storytellers claim to have a direct link with God or their Gods. God talks to no one - anyone who says God talked to him or her - is either mentally disturbed or telling stories. Mankind is full of these storytellers!
The storytellers created powerful myths and dogmas to guide people in a moral and civilized manner or just to control people to do their bidding, by saying their stories were the 'Word of God' or this is the "Will of God" or you will go to Hell if you don’t follow these teachings. (These are all extremely powerful concepts that have strongly influenced people throughout the ages.)
As for "knowing" if a true supreme infinitely intelligent all powerful ‘Creative Power’ really exists, a ‘Power’ that created everything within our universe. There is plenty of physical evidence all over the place that there is, just open your eyes and look around.
If we are similar to God’s image and likeness in any way, it is only through our powerful imagination and nothing else. (Why would God let himself be hampered by a body). Our imagination gives us the power to create. Mankind is an extension of nature's incredible power to create - we create things that nature, in itself, cannot.
Our incredible imagination is our link with God - without it we would know nothing of the possibility of God's existence nor would we be able to comprehend the wonders of his works.
You can either acknowledge the possibility of a Supreme Creator's existence, or ignore him. I don't think it really matters to him one way or the other. I prefer to believe that God not only exists but has purposely revealed his wonders to mankind by giving modern humans a powerful imagination (and an insatiable curiosity) that enabled them to comprehend nature's magnificent wonders.
Physical evidence (tools artifacts, paintings etc.) indicates that this "transformation" of mankind - into an imaginative species - happened around 40 to 50 thousand years ago - this is when mankind became imaginative (evidence discovered in South Africa now indicates that mankind became imaginative around 70,000 years ago. Later the "MIND" of mankind came into being when these imaginative humans developed sophisticated languages that allowed them to communicate their ideas among one another.
By allowing the "special sense" of creative imagination to evolve within humans - the Supreme Creator, (‘God’) has made people very special in the order of things. Mankind is unique among the animals on Earth, no other animal has this powerful creative imagination. Imaginative human beings, for better or worse are the culmination of three and a half billion years of evolution of life on Earth.
Nature's phenomena of life - including the possible eventual evolution of an imaginative species, follows nature's laws of evolution exactly - including the dead ends and extinctions. Life on other planets may have evolved in different directions - according to the conditions encountered on those planets, but the laws are the same throughout the universe. Life simply follows the laws of biology and evolution. Remember the laws of nature are invariant. Evolution does not necessarily progress in a straight even line - there are many dead ends, mistakes and reversals - but in the end - evlolution and biology are governed by the laws of nature and will progress accordingly.
Human imagination may have allowed mankind to have a “free will” to a certain extent, but we also have our “human nature” with all its idiosyncrasies to deal with and all the storytellers constantly trying to influence us from the time we are born until the time we die, to contend with, so why should God get upset when our human frailty prevails.
God is not concerned about our "sins", only we humans should be concerned. They do not effect God one way or the other. It is only for our own good that we should try to get along with each other. If we fail here on Earth (our little speck of space dust) and life is wiped out - God has trillions of other planets to watch over.
Even though this is true - I believe, if we ask for his guidance he will give it. After all - we are very special in his eyes since he revealed himself only to mankind by giving us a powerful imagination. Human Imagination is our only link to our Creater! God has given mankind the power to be the master of its own destiny - within limits.
Donald L. Hamilton, © 2002 - 2009
Author of "THE MIND OF MANKIND - Human Imagination, the source of Mankind's tremendous power!"
ISBN 0964926512 All rights reserved
OF MANKIND'S UNIQUE POWER (THE POWER OF HUMAN IMAGINATION) AND THE MYSTERIES OF UNIVERSE.
 (Click on cover for more info.)
Imagination - The Power that makes us Human!
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