One of the most wonderful things that I found when the journey through the blogoshpere first began, was that I was able to converse with people that could actually understand me. Have incredibly in depth conversations that were meaningful and not superficial. To have people that could challenge and stump me and call me on my dumbass shit. (My wife Sherri is great for that) I call it truly wonderful because of one thing, and this is not boasting, just the truth, my mensa membership. Mensa is a social club for the top 2% of intelligences in the world. Really this is not a bragging session, I entered for a resume' builder. The wonder is the number of highly intelligent people that I ran into here. The thoughts that run through the heads of our small community are truly above the normal level of thought. So thank you for the challenging and wonderful things that you have brought to my life.
But, there is also a couple of HUGE drawbacks that intelligence creates. Three are the most prevalent, and the cause of many of our challenges with our faith. They cause us to create lives that are often much less than we and others would think. I have a friend with Genius IQ that has built a nice life for himself, but he is not a researcher looking to prove string theory for look for the God particle. He lives just a normal life, and he is selling cars at the moment. They cause us to be restless, sometimes insensitive, erratic, eclectic, kind of just odd birds. They create much upheaval in our lives.
First is that since we are smarter than anyone else, we don't listen to anyone else. Our experiences have taught us that our perceptions are correct much more often than that of those around us. So we will listen to those around us, but reach our own decisions. Meaning, if we are in an institutional church, we will politely listen to them, then come to our own conclusion, and it will not be that of the institution. Then we feel betrayed that something so important could be imparted to us incorrectly.
Next is that we have a stronger sense of the thing that is built into all humans, it is called the law of diminishing returns. Meaning that the more we experience anything, the less wonderful and exciting it is. My best explanation is that when we have a favorite food, and then proceed to have it everyday for a month, it is not so special anymore. Then it is common and ordinary and does not hold that same special place in our hearts it used to. This causes us to be wanderers in the mental landscape. I have found that truly intelligent hate true change and upheaval. We like our routines and comforts, and hate those things that majorly impinges upon them. But with our mental wanderings, they go far and wide. Erin speaks of the super collider in France, Barry peaks of the philosophies of the world, Michelle speaks of Jung often, these are not normal conversation points for the populace at large. But our minds MUST seek these things out, no choice.
Lastly, we can comprehend those things that others cannot. This is the worst one. Why? Many times we expect that others have to be able to comprehend because it is so obvious. But they are really just completely unable to grasp the entirety of the concept. Many times we judge them for this. We wonder how they can be so small and petty. But that is ofttimes the extent of their mentality. They can do no better. It has been very hard for me to reconcile that fact in my own perceptions and feelings towards those in the establishment. For I am commanded to love them. I find it easier to love the Gay community than the church at the moment, but love them I must. Not just love them, but care about their fate, lives , loves, cares, and anything else. It is hard to reconcile that concept.
What does all of this mean to us, those highly intelligent creatures that have no mental rest or reassurance. Well, it comes down to faith. Faith is belief in things unseen, unprovable, and intangible. Fortunately for me, I have quantifiable proof of providence. But, as stated earlier, we only believe our own conclusions, so you wouldn't believe me if I told you. (ha, ha) We have the hard part. To accept those that, no matter how hard we try, are not EVER going to be at our level of knowledge understanding, or faith. Again, not a boast, just a fact. Some can run the 100M in under 10 Seconds, I can't, it is the same in this. It is just a natural ability, and we cannot fault birth. God made us as he wants us, and to reject His creation to me is wrong.
September 28, 2009
September 12, 2009
Broken Belief Structure
It has been a while since I posted with any regularity, feeling like there was not much else to say. Even in the beginning of this transition, I felt that in some way, helping those believers that were actively looking for God, and not finding him in a church would need to be helped to find their way, and not be discouraged. So lately I had been thinking about what the last step is, finding the God they can believe in. Now I have been thinking about what will cause the first step to happen.
This is what I found while reading a blog that did not appeal to me. But it made me think, "why don't others grasp our new truths that we have found?" Pondering that, it hit me. Their belief structure is intact, it has all of the answers it needs, so why would they want new answers? There is no reason for them. Also, within the doctrinally filtered lenses that people tend to look at things, they will just see how whatever you say just fits within their own belief structure, and see no need to change.
BUT, when those that are in earnest about their faith study, and find a different God staring up at them out of the pages of their bible, than the one being told about in church, their belief structure doesn't just crumble, it collapses. Crashing down on them, leaving them angry, bitter and in utter despair. Sound familiar?
I guess the next thing to ponder, is how to get from the first step, to the last, keeping the sanity intact.
This is what I found while reading a blog that did not appeal to me. But it made me think, "why don't others grasp our new truths that we have found?" Pondering that, it hit me. Their belief structure is intact, it has all of the answers it needs, so why would they want new answers? There is no reason for them. Also, within the doctrinally filtered lenses that people tend to look at things, they will just see how whatever you say just fits within their own belief structure, and see no need to change.
BUT, when those that are in earnest about their faith study, and find a different God staring up at them out of the pages of their bible, than the one being told about in church, their belief structure doesn't just crumble, it collapses. Crashing down on them, leaving them angry, bitter and in utter despair. Sound familiar?
I guess the next thing to ponder, is how to get from the first step, to the last, keeping the sanity intact.
September 6, 2009
Understanding In "MY" Own Way
Things that I could not understand:
*How God is love, yet we are to hate so many different people. (gays, etc...)
*How God is Multi-Polar (multiple personalities) as in the trinity.
*Where did all the rules about cussing and smoking come from?
*Why, if we are supposed to "Go unto the world", were we requiring them to come to us.
*Why, did we expect people that are new to the faith to stand on their own, and not give mentors?
*Why, when some one was having a crisis of faith, did we ostracize them when they showed human frailties?
*Why is Song of Solomon in the bible, yet sex is something so shunned, that it cripples many from having healthy sexual relationships with their own spouses, and effects such horrible responses from people when it is such a natural act?
This is why I no longer go to church. These things and many others simply did not make sense to me, and the hard line doctrines, would never be able to explain. Nor were people in any mood to change their way of being because they did not see it as wrong. I have railed against those people and their shortsightedness, and made some very disturbing references to them. But with this last revelation that has come to me, I realize that I was very unfair to them, especially in my mantra of "personal faith."
The realization came to me as they usually do, when thinking of something else, while also pondering some other good meaning peoples challenges. The question that I was pondering, was how to help those that had lost their way. To do that, (oh God are you really doing this to me) I have to quote a very popular business book that has helped many achieve what they wanted, I had to "start with the end in mind." What was the destination? Where would I take these people that are asking for help? Back into a church system that I personally think is screwed as hell. That they think is screwed as hell. No, that would not do. Then I started thinking about something else, just let my mind wonder, and allowed myself to listen to the spirit. This is what he/she/it said.
"Each has to learn to understand God, in THEIR own way."
Not such an earth shattering statement. Yea, yea, we all know we are supposed to do that. But when I contemplated it, there may have been an actual WOW that escaped my lips. Those people that love to go to church, you know the ones I mean. The ones depicted by Dana Carvey as the church lady. They are understanding, "in THEIR own way." Those who just go in and don't rock the boat, those that are on fifty committees and are at church every day, to those that come when they feel like it only fifteen to twenty times a year, or maybe just Easter and Christmas. Those that go to church as in chat rooms and blogs. Those that will just meet with some friends on occasion and talk about God. That is "THEIR" understanding, and it is enough for them. Who am I to judge. God knows that I am not perfect, and never will be. But he accepts me, so he will accept them too.
So, what each of us that have been through the deconstruction and reconstruction process has found, is not the God depicted to us by a doctrine, not just a God that has already accepted us, but a God "WE" can accept, believe in, and look up to in worship. A God we can "Understand in our OWN way."
*How God is love, yet we are to hate so many different people. (gays, etc...)
*How God is Multi-Polar (multiple personalities) as in the trinity.
*Where did all the rules about cussing and smoking come from?
*Why, if we are supposed to "Go unto the world", were we requiring them to come to us.
*Why, did we expect people that are new to the faith to stand on their own, and not give mentors?
*Why, when some one was having a crisis of faith, did we ostracize them when they showed human frailties?
*Why is Song of Solomon in the bible, yet sex is something so shunned, that it cripples many from having healthy sexual relationships with their own spouses, and effects such horrible responses from people when it is such a natural act?
This is why I no longer go to church. These things and many others simply did not make sense to me, and the hard line doctrines, would never be able to explain. Nor were people in any mood to change their way of being because they did not see it as wrong. I have railed against those people and their shortsightedness, and made some very disturbing references to them. But with this last revelation that has come to me, I realize that I was very unfair to them, especially in my mantra of "personal faith."
The realization came to me as they usually do, when thinking of something else, while also pondering some other good meaning peoples challenges. The question that I was pondering, was how to help those that had lost their way. To do that, (oh God are you really doing this to me) I have to quote a very popular business book that has helped many achieve what they wanted, I had to "start with the end in mind." What was the destination? Where would I take these people that are asking for help? Back into a church system that I personally think is screwed as hell. That they think is screwed as hell. No, that would not do. Then I started thinking about something else, just let my mind wonder, and allowed myself to listen to the spirit. This is what he/she/it said.
"Each has to learn to understand God, in THEIR own way."
Not such an earth shattering statement. Yea, yea, we all know we are supposed to do that. But when I contemplated it, there may have been an actual WOW that escaped my lips. Those people that love to go to church, you know the ones I mean. The ones depicted by Dana Carvey as the church lady. They are understanding, "in THEIR own way." Those who just go in and don't rock the boat, those that are on fifty committees and are at church every day, to those that come when they feel like it only fifteen to twenty times a year, or maybe just Easter and Christmas. Those that go to church as in chat rooms and blogs. Those that will just meet with some friends on occasion and talk about God. That is "THEIR" understanding, and it is enough for them. Who am I to judge. God knows that I am not perfect, and never will be. But he accepts me, so he will accept them too.
So, what each of us that have been through the deconstruction and reconstruction process has found, is not the God depicted to us by a doctrine, not just a God that has already accepted us, but a God "WE" can accept, believe in, and look up to in worship. A God we can "Understand in our OWN way."
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