Sunday, May 24, 2015

Offspring of Abraham

Historically the differences between the three major branches of religion that all trace their roots to Abraham through the Old Testament have been a continuing source of major conflict.  From the Crusades of the middle ages, through Hitlers blaming all of Germany's problems on Jews to the current ever expanding madness in the middle east, no one seems to have a more difficult time avoiding conflict than Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Ambitious people convinced what they personally feel emotionally is the true reflection of God's will extrapolate from their own emotions and believe their thoughts are the voice of God.  

So one is left with the conclusion either God encourages this on-going battle for the supremacy of one view of the nature of God over all others, or the adherents of the various views have a significant lack of understanding about some of the basic underpinnings of their religious certainty.  Like exactly what is the nature of God?

Does God really think like humans, or more specifically male humans?  (Brain science has now pretty clearly established that our balance of sex hormones shapes the way our brain is organized and functions and the differences in the sexes are reflected in differences in the way men and women see and perceive the world).  More specifically, does God have a brain like ours, that shapes our thinking through the peculiar organizational structure whereby old brain parts that are similar to the brains of rats or lizards are overlain with layer upon layer to new systems to modify the rat/lizard instincts?

Does God have emotions?  Does God feel rage (and thereby lose his ability to be fair and dispassionate)?  Does God feel jealousy?  Of whom?   Is God sexual?  Does he experience lust?  Does God have sex hormones and organs?  Sex hormones drive so much of our emotional behavior, but what would be the point of sex hormones for a power that is eternal?  

One of the factors that make these views of God descended from Abraham so popular is the promise we can beat death if we believe.  Some are more invested in this belief than others.  I suspect many Christians and Jews don't believe a Muslim fighter who dies in battle is going to go to heaven where he will have 70 virgins at his disposal (I wonder what the reward is for the female suicide bombers?).   

Where exactly is Heaven?  Clearly not in the clouds, to dangerous up there with airplanes, or at higher elevations satellite?  Is Heaven on the Moon?  Mars?  What do they do in Heaven to fight off the boredom of having no responsibilities?   

Just saying.


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