Atheism and The God Experience

There's a group of people I never gave a second thought about. 

Atheists. 

And by second thought I mean, seriously contemplating that there are some people that absolutely do not believe God exists.  They've never experienced Him at all, on any level.  Not one time.

In 1989 I devoted my life to Christ, and we're talking the whole nine yards here; A born again, speaking in tongues, raising hands in worship Christian.

But it wasn't until the last year or two that I started running into individuals that were atheists and I began having the most amazing conversations with them.  The majority of atheists I've talked to have been respectful, thoughtful and kind.  Most are very passionate about their beliefs, but all that I've spoken with have one thing in common.

I have found that dedicated atheists highly value knowledge and a positive evolution of humans through education and science.

I think that's a priceless trait to have.

An atheist I met by chance through twitter sent me a link to an article called The Theist's Guide to Converting Atheists: What would convince an atheist that a religion is true?

This article was written by an atheist and I think it's one of the most thoughtful, intelligent posts I've ever read on the existence of God.  I found I agreed with 90% of it.

But when I speak with atheists face to face, I find my head starts to spin and I get distracted because I'm afraid my head is actually going to just fall off.  With that kind of distraction, it's hard to provide a decent argument to the existence of God.  Hey, I love science as much as the next guy.  Ask anyone who has been to my house.  There's a gigantic portrait of Albert Einstein in my living room and you'll find The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking, as well other science books, on my shelves.  

But these guys?  Atheists?  They are on a whole different level when it comes to science and education.  And it's one I can't compete with.  About 2/3rds into these verbal debates I usually just start nodding my head (hoping that it doesn't fall off).  Not in agreement, but in saying "Yes, I understand where you are coming from." and "Yes, I completely see why you would come to that conclusion."   And by the end of the conversation I end up wondering if with all my nodding they think I'm one of these three things:

1. A Moron 
2. Condescending  
3. Distracted with how I'm going to color my hair next month.

Now 37% of the time if you do see me staring off into space, most likely I am thinking about how I am going to color my hair the next time around.  But whenever I find myself debating Christianity with an atheist I can't seem to get my thoughts together in my head and make it all come out through my mouth in an intelligent fashion.

And why is that?  I think it's because, coming from such a different point of view, I never feel like I'm able to get where I'm coming from into the flow of the conversation.

So, without further delay, when I'm speaking with an atheist, this is what I'm thinking:

The first thing I do when I talk to anyone is look down and check out their shoes.  So, I have a shoe fetish?  Judge not, I say.  And I think either "Hey, nice shoes." or "Hmmm..."  Then I look back up at the person's face and catch up on their last two sentences.

I usually wonder, can the existence of God truly be debated and is it an argument to be won?  I don't think so and I'm not sure it should be.

 

Two valid points usually get brought up by atheists.  I want to address them quickly and then focus on one subject in particularly.

   

The two points are:

1. There is not one book, that is considered scripture by any religion, that is consistent and infallible.
2. All religions have good and bad people in them, and every belief system includes people that have committed the most heinous atrocities in the name of God.  Shouldn't the true religion, following the true God, be made up of individuals that are good? 

I can't speak on all books considered scripture by other religions, but I can speak on the bible.  I've read it through from cover to cover more than once.  I've studied it in the Hebrew and Greek and it has impacted my life in many ways.  But here's something interesting about the bible.  It's pretty much made up of four things. 

• Prophesy
• Teachings
• History
• Opinions

And that can make discussing the bible interesting, to say the least (even between Christians).  Here is what is most important about the bible.  It's a testament.  Whether through prophesies in the Old Testament or teachings in The New Testament, it's a testament of Jesus Christ.  It's saying, here is all this information about Jesus.  Check it out.  Think about it.  Pray about it.  Search it out and see for yourself if this happens to be true.  Don't just believe because others do.  God is real and alive and can be found through Christ.  This is life, this is your peace, He is your salvation. 

So if Jesus Christ is the way to God, if He is our salvation, then why are there people who are not remotely good claiming to be Christians?  Why are there immoral, dishonest and unethical people in the church?  I would say judge Christianity by what it says it is.  The bible is very clear that there will be people in the church claiming to be Christians, but do not act accordingly (and these people are the ones God is the least happy with).  I'm not saying an atheist should believe in the bible.  I'm saying if you are an atheist, look at where a religion gets its doctrine and judge it from that.   With that said, how important is it as Christians that we should live our lives in a way represents our loving, compassionate and merciful God?  

   

As I stated, I wanted to address these two subjects and move on to one subject in particular.  So what is this "in particular"?

100% access to God, through Christ.

That's a pretty ballsy claim isn't it?  

And this is what the majority of my thoughts are about when I'm speaking with an atheist.  Isn't that what the above article I referenced (The Theist's Guide to Converting Atheists) is asking for?  Atheists want hardcore facts.  "God is real?  Okay, show me.  Prove it to me." is all an atheist is saying.  What's wrong with that?

Are there things that are real but cannot be proven by science or mathematical equations?  Or more accurately, we don't know how to prove them yet?  We are still evolving as human beings, yes?  We haven't learned everything there is to know.  Each generation learns and passes knowledge on to the next generation.  That generation builds on the knowledge passed down from the previous generation and passes it to the next.  We are continuously growing and changing as a species because of this.

Gut instinct.  

Most of us know what that is and we kick ourselves when we don't follow it.  It's just a feeling, but we know it's real.  You could argue that with a millennia of evolution our instincts as humans has evolved and that is gut instinct.  It's still just a feeling and a thought though.  How do you prove gut instinct?  Can you touch it, put your hands on it or track it?  It's still real.  Can you break it down into a mathematical equation?  Well, if you could prove it, maybe it would look something like this?

(Z=Z²+c)*(g=GM/r²) = Gut Instinct

On different note, how do we KNOW someone is looking at us when we are not even looking at them?  Many of us have experienced this.  You get this feeling someone is staring at you.  You look up, and immediately look at the person eyeballing you.  Scientifically, how do we feel someone staring at us clear across a room?  Sometimes even in a crowded room.  Or reverse that.  You're staring at someone and you just know they are going to look up and catch you staring.  You know they felt you staring at them.  How on earth do you prove something like that is real?

((3.14/π)+^)/c = Hey!  Someone's looking at me!

Am I saying God is just a feeling?  No, but maybe the spiritual world is not something that can be proven with science.

Yet.

So when I say 100% access to God, through Christ, what exactly do I mean?  Well, I mean exactly that.  Knowing God, every day of your life, with all five senses.  

Am I talking about being late for work and praying that as I drive to the office I don't hit any red lights?  MIRACULOUSLY all the lights were green that day and THAT was God!  Or, something was bothering me.  I prayed and prayed that the circumstances would change.  Then everything changed!  It all worked out for the best!  THAT was God!  Atheists out there, you just need to see God in everything!

Ummm, no.  That's not what I'm talking about.

The bible says, "Taste and see that The Lord is good."  The scriptures talk about the lovely aroma of God and that His voice is as the sound of many waters.  Jesus said, "My sheep shall know My voice."  The Presence of God is a on-going topic in the bible.  The bible talks about visions and REAL miracles.  I'm speaking about tangible things here, and no they haven't stopped happening.

In the Old Testament there was the Tabernacle of Moses.  The Tabernacle of Moses teaches us many things, and it's worth looking into, but let's look at two rooms it contained; The Holy Place and The Holy of Holies.  Those two rooms were separated by a very thick, large curtain.  The Holy of Holies housed the Ark of the Covenant and the Presence of God.  After specific sacrifices, the High Priest could only enter this closed off room once a year.  Now these sacrifices may seem gruesome and barbaric, but let's look at what they represent.  When Jesus died the curtain in the temple, that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, ripped in two.  It signified that the way to God was now open, that through the sacrifice of Christ, God provided a way that we could have full access to Him.  

About a year or two I was praying and I had an experience with Jesus that I'll never forget.  The days leading up to this, when I would pray, I would feel this warm, aching, sweet love in my heart that was so intense and I couldn't explain it.  I kept asking God, "What is happening?"

 

A few nights later the room was dark, but with no warning everything changed (no, I didn't fall asleep).  It was like watching a movie in black and white on a little TV and all of a sudden I was in 3D Imax.  Everything opened up to blue sky, clouds and Jesus came closer and closer to me.  Now believe me when I say, I'm not Catholic and the topic of The Sacred Heart of Jesus is not something I ever once contemplated, but so gently He opened up His chest and showed me His heart.  It was surrounded by this warm, fiery glow.  His heart was so full of and exuded so much sweet love that it had expanded to the point that it was sweating out these little beads of moisture that dripped off like gentle, loving tears.  

The most wonderful part of this experience was knowing that this is how He feels about every person on earth.  No matter where you are in your life, whether you are happy, content and satisfied or feeling so helpless, desperate and unworthy of love, this is how He feels about you.

But how do I prove this and countless other experiences that I've had with God are real?

(∞*v) - (a²+b²=c²) = Really, it's true!

I can't prove that God exists to an atheist, but I know God can. 

 

I started reading a book called Tortured For Christ: By Pastor Richard Wurmbrand.  The author was an atheist.  There came a point in his life when he said if there was a god it was God's responsibility to prove His existence to him, and that it wasn't his responsibility to find God.  I thought that was beautiful and the events that happened in his life were truly inspiring.

I know God is not insecure about people questioning His existence, and Christians shouldn't be either.  Maybe He is more impressed with someone who truly wants to know whether the existence of God is a fact before they believe, as opposed to someone who just believes a set of doctrines because that is how they grew up and they never had the courage to challenge those beliefs.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  There is no true religion.  There is no true denomination. 

There is only Christ.    



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The United States of America: Semiotics and Slavery into the Maniacal Machine

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Patrick Henry 1736-1799

Semiotics: The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.

Mysteries have always intrigued me.  About a decade ago I fell in love with semiotics.  Many things fascinated me about the subject; how specific symbols began, how they changed meanings over the centuries, who used them & why and how separate cultures can view the exact same symbol in an entirely different manner.

Symbols are so effective and they communicate to us on a non-stop basis as we go about our daily lives.  Just one look at a symbol and our minds subconsciously take in oodles of information with one glance.  

Think about what your mind does when you see a stop sign.  That's a symbol.  You automatically stop and look both ways (hopefully).  You may think "I need to come to a complete stop.  I don't want to get a ticket."  This one symbol, with its bright red color, is communicating countless words and ideas to you in a fraction of a second.  What goes through your mind when you see those Golden Arches?  In seconds, and without any words, information is being communicated to you in an efficient and deliberate manner.  

Symbolism is all around us, so much so that we barely notice.  Symbols are very important though and the mystery of a symbol is finding out what it means to the person using it.  This is vital and something important to understand is when a group, institution or individual uses a symbol, it is usually done with great consideration.

Years passed as I studied signs, symbols and what they meant to the cultures using them and I began to notice something.  The symbolism and architecture we use to identify the United States is not Christian. 

This made my brain short out momentarily.  

I heard repeatedly growing up that we are a Christian nation and that makes America special.  Right wing politicians and media personalities constantly talk about how great America is because we are a Christian nation built on Judeo-Christian beliefs.

I do believe America is great, but I beg to differ on the why.  Well, we will get into that later.

To start, let’s look at three symbols widely used in the United States.

THE PYRAMID

The pyramid and upward facing triangle is used as a phallic symbol by many cultures.  It represents the masculine, fire and rising up.  It can be called the blade.  Pyramids have a strong astrological significance as well and have been monuments to kings, queens, gods and goddesses.  They have been used over the centuries as temples in different cultures around the world.  Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece and Mexico are just a few cultures that used pyramids to honor their gods.  

Mesopotamia has some of the oldest pyramids and many archeologists believe they held shrines at the top. 

The actual structure of a pyramid and the symbol itself has always been a highly religious symbol around the world for thousands of years.  They can be built with or without a capstone and that meaning can be significant depending on who is using the capstone symbol.

Note:  A reversed pyramid or triangle represents the female.  It can be called the chalice and can represent the womb, genitalia of the goddess, etc.  Using the upward triangle and the reversed together can represent different types of unity; The unity of men and women, the god and goddess & the divine and humanity.

There are dozens of pyramid structures in the United States and this is a commonly used symbol to identify us.  On a State and Federal level, what are a few examples?

• TAMIU Planetarium
• The Walter Pyramid
• The Princeton, West Virginia Tourism Office
• The New Freedom Tower (using both, the upward facing and the reversed)
• Buchanan's Birthplace State Park
• DARPA Information Awareness Office Original Seal
• US Currency

THE OBELISK

An obelisk is a four sided monument that is wider at the bottom and narrows as it reaches the top.  Ancient obelisks were carved out of a single stone, sometimes weighing as much as a 747 jet.  They were capped with a metallic covered pyramid and these massive formations were erected by sheer man power alone.  In Egypt they adorned the entrance to temples.  Their carvings honored the gods and conquests of the pharos. 

 

This form of Ancient Egyptian architecture began more than two thousand years before the birth of Christ.  From the massive monolithic formations, to the hieroglyphic carvings, relocation from the original carving site, erection and usage, much about obelisks still remain a mystery today. 

The obelisks in Ancient Egypt tie into many parts of their religious culture, ancient magic, astronomy and astrology.  They represented a single ray of sunlight relating to the sun deities Ra, Re, Aten or Aton.  They also represented male virility and fertility.

Obelisks have captured the fascination of many outside nations over the centuries; from Greece and Rome to Europe and the United States.  Along with building new ones over the years, many Egyptian obelisks have been re-erected in Rome, and Egypt has gifted Europe and the United States with obelisks as well.   

Counting state and federal tombs, there are hundreds of obelisks in the USA.  Here are a few examples.

• Martyrs Monument in Midway
• Jubal Early Monument (This is a Joss Whedon shoutout if I did a flyby. {And that flyby comment was a Jurassic Park shoutout.  My apologies, I'll stop now.})
• The Washington Monument
• The Lincoln Tomb
• The Illinois/Indiana Boundary Marker
• The USS Bennington Monument
• Cyclist in Santa Rosa California

Now, Cyclist wins out in my book for the most rad obelisk ever created (I think even Ra would be jealous).

GODS AND GODDESSES

Well, these guys are all over the place.  I think if you add up all the paintings, sculptures and reliefs on state and federal buildings/monuments, this one numbers in the thousands.  Neoclassical architecture and art adorn our government buildings.  Greco/Roman gods (and gods from other cultures) are used to symbolize all that is important to us as a nation; freedom, liberty, industry, science, agriculture, war, peace, music, beauty and the list goes on and on.

Apotheosis is a concept also shared by ancient Greece and Rome (as well as other faiths).  But what is apotheosis?

Apotheosis:  Deification, the exaltation of a person to Divine Status, to become a god.

I am familiar with George Washington being the artistic subject of apotheosis on two occasions.  Both are done in a very Romanesque way. 

• Commissioned by the US Congress in 1832, The 1841 George Washington Statue now resides in the Smithsonian. The Hermetic concept of "As above, so below." is depicted in this sculpture (As above, so below is represented in many other government monuments as well).

• The Apotheosis of Washington is a painting in the eye of the Rotunda of the US Capitol building and was painted by Constantino Brumidi in 1865.  In this beautiful fresco Washington is surrounded by gods and goddesses as well other founding fathers.  In this painting our first president is much more modest than in the 1841 statue where he is bare chested and clothed only by a toga (so, no blushing required when checking him out in the Capitol).

I will attempt to keep this list short, but no promises.  Here are some examples of where you can find gods representing our American ideals.

• The Statue of Liberty:  Libertas
• Currency:  Nike & Libertas
• Library of Congress:  Zeus, Venus, Apollo, Hercules, Minerva, Aglaia, Thalia, Euphrosyne, Prometheus, Poseidon, Hephaistos and...
• Supreme Court Building:  Minerva, Zeus, Mercury, Juno, and...
• Courthouses:  Justitia
• Military Medals:  Minerva & Libertas
• The Owl god/goddess of the Bohemian Club and the Cremation of Care ceremony at The Grove as reported on by ABC News, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post

So we have founding fathers, right-wing politicians and media personalities stating that we are a Christian nation, but the symbols and ceremonies we choose to represent us are screaming that we are anything but (or more accurately, everything but) a Christian nation.  Christianity is Christ.  We are One Nation Under God, but which god are we under?   

Many of the founding fathers of this great country were Christians, many were not.  Some professed to be Christians, while their actions said something quite different. Let's be straight forward.  Both Judaism and Christianity are very specific about staying away from all other gods, whether it be in worship or symbolism.

These symbols and gods have been erected in our country from its birth and continue to be through this present day. Far be it from me to judge another man's motives, but their use does raise questions and has caused debate in some circles about whether our country has Christian origins.

Here's something.  As a Christian, and solely on a political level, I really could care less.  I heard a pastor once say Christians should worry more about serving the homeless and loving their neighbors rather than worrying if the 10 Commandments are posted in every government building.  I whole-heartedly agree.  When Jesus gave The Great Commission He didn't say "Now go into Rome, fight to gain control of the political system and rule the world!"  Instead we are to serve others and share the love & freedom of Christ with all who cross our path.

But here is the main reason I think this subject matter is important.  It has to do with the mentality of encampment. 

Everything in our politics and mainstream media is geared to keep us fighting against each other in this predominately two party system.

• Right Wing Christians vs Left Wing Progressives
• Liberal vs Conservative
• Union vs Non-Union
• Straight vs Homosexuals
• Black vs White
• Metropolitan vs Rual 

As the public is pitted against each other, it breeds hatred and conflict.  It's an ugly machine tearing through our country leaving countless casualties behind.  Two people warned about the dangers of moving into a two party system and they did it much better than I.

• There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.  John Adams October 2nd 1780

• It (the two-party system) serves always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.  George Washington's Farewell Address 1796

As Americans we are so caught up in party rivalries, we miss the big stuff.  There are many issues our country is facing as a whole that this political/media machine will not address.  Both right and left politicians, and the corrupt corporations they are entangled with, are all equally as guilty.  And as you watch this machine constantly incite the public to anger against each other and woo unyielding devotion from its party members, you can't help but ask if this is a deliberate distraction from those important issues. 

Following are a few issues facing our country that, in general, politicians and the mainstream media (Right and Left) will not address.  The harmful consequences to our nation is staggering and because these issues seem to be buried, the majority of people are unaware.

 

• GMO's, Food Patenting and how it impacts public health, local farmers, personal freedom and our legal system.

• The Council of Governors and how it affects State Sovereignty.  Most are not aware that the Council of Governors began under President Bush and was ratified by President Obama in 2010.  The United States of America has been split into 10 Regions and the 10 Governors are chosen by the president.  There was no public vote to divide the United States into these regions and the public does not vote the governors into office.  There was no citizen representation anywhere along the line in this process.  Establishing The Council of Governors at Whitehouse.gov, Exectutive Order 13528, and List of Current Governors.

• From parking meters to highways, from state and federal buildings to U.S. ports, our infrastructure continues to be sold to foreign investors.  Saudi Arabia, China, Libya and The United Arab Emirates are just a few of the countries that we are leasing our tax-payer paid off infrastructure back from.

• Consistent violations of Posse Comitatus, United States Federal Law 18 U.S.C. § 1385.

• War without Congressional Approval.

• Disregard of Civil Liberties and the killing of American Citizens in the name of combating terrorism. 

Again, please be aware both the Left and the Right are equally guilty in breaking the Federal Laws listed above and placing other interests above America.  When it is clearly understood how Wall Street, Private Banks (including the Federal Reserve), Media and Politicians are entwined together it is glaringly obvious how meaningless party lines are.  Okay wait, I'm having a thought here.  Someone wrote a song about this and explained it much better than I.

  

"Well, it's not just the media, because they are in bed with big business.  It's not just the government, because they are led by corporate interests.  It's just a form of three-way incest.  They are criminalizing protest.  They are smirking, they are smirking.  They are criminalizing protest.

And it is working..."

Rubber Bullets by Ember Swift

We all have individual and moral issues that are important to us politically.  That's where the right to protest, freedom of speech and voting comes in.  There's nothing wrong with a healthy argument, but while exercising our rights and personal views we do not have to allow ourselves to be goaded into blind hate or fear of those that disagree with our personal stance.  If we continue to let ourselves be manipulated and provoked against each other, if we continue to let ourselves be led around by a ring in our nose like cattle by the media, politicians and corrupt businesses, we will NEVER join together as a people.  And this machine will grow like a snowball as it rolls over the countless bodies of our society. 

  

So back to the original question.  Are we a Christian nation?  

In my opinion?  Quite simply, no.

Nor should we be.  Mixing religious power and politics?  Yeah, that never seems to work out.  The Crusades?  No one wants that again.  The question of why our country has consistently used the symbols of ancient gods to identify us is an interesting one, but an individual's personal view on whether we are a Christian nation or not should never divide us from each other.  Neither should any other personal causes.  America is great because The Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantee the religious freedoms (and non-religious, for all you beautiful atheists out there that I know) of every citizen.    

With the steady slide of mainstream media, government and commerce into degradation it's time for us to seek out alternative news sources, and there are some good ones out there.  

• Look for news sources that stay away from hateful, emotional arguments (that doesn't imply journalists shouldn't be passionate). 

• Find news sources that give you links and references to actual bills, executive orders and official documents. 

• Follow news sources that encourage you to read those documents for yourself, rather than relying on their opinions.

Whether you are Liberal, Conservative or Centrist this is probably one of the most important steps you can take as a U.S. citizen. 

Throw off ignorance and fear, love blindly and stand united. 

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