What do we hold dear in life?  How do we define the core of our belief system?  I think that this is determined by what or who we worship and, by worship, I mean the values that we hold dearest and live by, not lip-service to a remote idol.

Let’s talk a little about worship – what is it?  What or who do we worship? This is, probably, the most divisive and controversial subject that tortures mankind. And, I believe that, if mankind was able to achieve consensus on this subject, this ‘third rock from the sun’ would, indeed, be a much happier and peaceful place for the vast majority of its inhabitants.  But consensus will elude us for as long as we believe that the human mind is our source of thought and action.

Worship does not have to have, indeed, should not have, a religious connotation.  Religion is a man-created thing and, while the idea of creating a set of rules to live by has merit, the human mind, being a subjective thing, what it creates has to be flawed.  Its fundamental subjectivity (the ‘Me Principle’) ensures that the rules set by one group will not achieve significant coincidence with the rules set by another.

I think, too, that the human mind’s need to worship a being of some description, also ensures its failure.  To worship a set of ideas is not, for most people, it seems, a tangible, realistic thing. For example, most of the Christian religions seem to worship the messenger, Jesus, rather than the message.  The idea of ‘having that mind that was also in Christ Jesus’ gets lost.  Despite his clear direction – (and I paraphrase) ‘what you see me do, you can do also’, the human mind sees itself incapable of emulating the man with the purist ideas that ever trod the globe.

No where did this perfect man ever suggest that we should form groups and create a set of rules for other humans to follow.  His direction was for us to love good supremely, as he did.  And this good has become known as God, which brings us to the question – ‘Who-and-what is God”? And there are so many different, subjective (the human mind, again) ideas as to the answer. Some think that God is waiting to usher you ‘up-or-down’, depending on your ‘performance’.  Some think that heaven is a locality, presided over by a long-haired, bearded figure in long white robes.  Some think that God is ‘a living man’.  Some think that God directs them to commit the most heinous acts against fellow humans.  And, so on.

But, how about this – doesn’t it make more sense to think of God, not as an anthropomorphic figure, somewhere ‘out there’ but, rather, as the ever-present principle of all good, the infinite power of infinite love and all that is good which, by definition, includes being selfless? Seems to me, if mankind worshipped this idea of God, if mankind truly worshipped love and good (and true worship means ‘being-and-doing’ rather than just ‘saying’), then the ‘Me Principle’ would have no place and no presence in our thought and experience.

Jesus’ example went a lot deeper than just being loving and kind.  Weren’t his healings a beautiful affirmation of the purity of his thought?  He showed us the goodness that we can achieve, if we follow his direction.  And we can do it.  As he said.  What a beautiful thought and goal.

Zed