Thinking like a Believer – Thinking like a free person – a paradox? - Introduction

Rene Descarte is credited with the words “I think, therefore I am”. We are the products of our thinking. What we do, how we act, whether we perceive things as good or bad, whether we find someone believable or not etc are all based on our thoughts.

These thoughts can be considered a collection of ideas and images that has been stored, and we refer to them when faced with new situations. They form the basis of who we are. They can be considered as our foundation.

We need to examine this foundation and determine where it came from, since the source of this foundation is the one we serve every time we think and act.

For most of us alive today, this foundation is from our parents and close friends, education system and the media (which these days means almost exclusively television and magazines and more recently the internet). Our parents would have obtained their ideas in generally the same way we did. Over the decades, the role of grandparents and parents in our lives has been lessened by a variety of factors, leaving the education system and the media as the primary foundation of our thinking. Who controls these, and who do they serve?

This has a greater impact on us than we realize. All of us think of ourselves as good pious people, but on what basis do we arrive at this conclusion. By what do we measure ourselves?

Do we compare ourselves with our friends, relatives, and the popular stars of music and movies? Do we measure our conduct by the way they lead their lives? Have we any idea who they serve?

How has it come to pass that most of us would never use the people we call our “religious” leaders when we wish to measure ourselves? Do we dress like television personalities? Do we partake of activities they enjoy? Has visiting night clubs, experimenting with drugs and being promiscuis become a part of our “culture”?

What does it mean when I say that we need to re-educate ourselves on how to think like a believer; that the foundation of our thinking needs to be examined and redefined.

Let us look a little closer at ourselves. There are many things we may not agree on, while there are others on which there is little or no debate.

For example, we are in agreement that it is good to partake in sport, something that is good for our health, and professional sport is the pinnacle of good health and is very rewarding financially. If we had the capability we would be sports stars too.

We accept that it is wrong to discriminate against other people and laws that outlaw discrimination are important, in fact some do not go far enough.

Paying of taxes is essential to the proper running of the country and those who think otherwise are just criminals trying to create some “diabolical moral” justification for their unwillingness to contribute to the system of which they are beneficiaries.

Firearms are dangerous and no one should be allowed to keep one. Laws outlawing ownership should be enacted and enforced. It is the only way to ensure safety in society.

Our governments do not serve us properly; they allow too many foreigners to enter illegally and then even make their stay here legal. These people take away our jobs. This should not be allowed to happen.

The United Nations Security Council is the most important world body dedicated to the preservation of world peace.  It is a pity that it does not authorize more military interventions so that tyrants and despots, the terrorists, who wish to rule by the gun can be brought to justice.

Speeding limits need to be enforced more visibly so that our roads can be made safer. The limits on some roads are still too high.

I do not think that there would be much disagreement with what I have just said. There would be a great deal of discomfort, I am sure, when you read that if you agreed with any of the above, your foundation of thinking has been corrupted. Go back and look at the list again.

As we explore what it means to think as a believer, and as we begin to understand what it means to think like a free person, we will slowly realize that they are one and the same. The great irony is that many people have abandoned religion because they see it as something that deprives us of our freedom. I have heard people saying they do not wish to be subjugated by anyone and wish nothing else but to be free. Hence they will not allow themselves to be subjugated by any “religion” or “God”.

Think of a person who is thrust into a maze. This maze is different; a wrong turn could cause serious permanent consequences, like physical injury, even death. There is a very limited capacity to retrace our steps. For all intents and purposes, once a path is chosen, we have to follow through even when we realize that we are on the wrong path.

Someone offers us a map which shows the safest way through, one that avoids all the major obstacles, and leads us to the exit with the minimum of difficulty, though for sure, some minor obstacles will have to be overcome. Do we accept this offer or do we refuse because we do not wish to be subjugated or constrained by its guidance. Do we claim that the map makes out passage to “planned” and controlled. Do we seek the excitement of the challenge, and to fail if necessary (which is the most likely outcome without the map).

If this is how we feel about life, then God’s guidance is not for us. However, when we think this way we fail to realize that even following the guidance of the map (God’s guidance) is extremely challenging, more so than without the map, but it does have the added benefit that if we succeed in implementing the guidance, we have a more than even chance of succeeding in our most important purpose on Earth, proving our worthiness of our place in Paradise. With life offering us only one chance at success, who would even think of refusing such guidance?

The reason many of us have rejected religion is that many religious institutions have been infiltrated by agents of satan and what they preach is their own ideas, not the teaching of God. They too practice a system which serves to enslave people just as Democracy does. Their practice has nothing to do with what God wishes for us. In fact, a priest who truly relates God’s message will have no “control” over people. He is a guide helping them understand when they have become enslaved and what they must do to become free. He does not become a slave master himself.

Because we know no different, we assume they represent God. We can see how wrong they are, and hence are turned away from God. Who would want us to think this way and who do these false clerics really serve?

In the book "Reflections"

I discuss the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup and use it as an introduction to professional sport in general. I will not touch on this topic here any further.

Other chapters look at the question of  Fear and how this relates to our claim to have faith in God.  Prayer is examined in some detail. In “Health and Death” we study our perceptions of these, what God expects us to understand, and how this impacts on what we can expect from our doctors. Lastly, we take a closer look at ourselves.

It will without doubt bring a new perspective to our thinking, and help us review greatly many things which we have taken for granted.

Through our discussions in some of the posts to follow, we will explore some of the other misconceptions that we take for granted and which serve to enslave us with us being none the wiser.

Until then.

Life is not a Misery, it is what we make of it.

We will experience periods of “difficulty” in life, but that is for a purpose, and is inevitably followed by better times, and there are many reasons why this is necessary.

Besides being tests to strengthen us, we can understand that sometimes to get to greener pasture we have to cross a river, and these difficult times can be seen as our time crossing a river, and the greener pasture awaits us if we follow God’s advice. Acting against His guidance could cause us to “fight against the river” instead of patiently waiting till the torrent eases. This could result in us both not reaching the other side, and arriving back on our side of the river but at a worse position.

It is only when we have acquainted ourselves with God’s guidance that we can hope to put it into practice in our life. How much of God’s guidance can we say we are really aware of, and more importantly, how much of what we accept as being from God truly is from God, and not from some human who concocted it and presented it as being from God? How much of these concoctions are of our own making?

If our concept of religion incorporates the four basic teachings of every prophet (PBUT), then our faith and conduct is founded correctly. If not, then we have some serious soul searching to do. This is a reality even if we wish to deny it. Not every "religion" worships God.

The word "Religion", when used in the way we usually do, denotes our relationship with a Higher Being. This Being has already defined the manner of this relationship. It ensures our freedom, but it entails strict adherence to His guidance. The positive outcomes are possible if we allow ourselves to become products of His guidance.

Religious practice where we define the terms of the relationship is a form of self-worship. We place ourselves in a position of absolute superiority and determine our relationship with God. This is not submission to God. It does not result in true success in this world or the hereafter. It does not lead to Paradise.

A celebrity I communicated with refused to consider the possibility that God exists because his mother was an atheist and he considered it a betrayal of her legacy to believe otherwise. How satan corrupts our thinking, that we will follow our parents even when they are wrong. This is parent worship, and anything that takes us away from God, when traced to its root, will be found to be rooted in satan. This poor man was serving satan while blissfully thinking that neither God nor satan exists. Satan does not require that we acknowledge his existence as long as it is his lead that we follow.

In most cases our deviation from the original teaching of a Prophet was not with malicious intent. Consider a pious man teaching his disciples that we should respect all life and learn to see the presence of God in everything. Many generations later we may find their descendants worshipping living things because of a failure to grasp the essence of the pious man’s words. This, I believe, has been a not uncommon occurrence. They have taken the words literally, and worshipped living things because “God is in everything”.

From this we can understand the true meaning of “religion”. It is the body of knowledge passed on to man from God via his Prophets (PBUT). Prophets are chosen because of their inherent qualities which qualify them for this status. They also have a much higher standard by which they are judged, so we should not feel disadvantaged or discriminated against in any way. If we truly think about the tasks the prophets were faced with, we may find ourselves thanking God for sparing us.

To worship God is to act in accordance with His guidance. Worship began with the creation of the heavens and the Earth, the very first things created. They acted as God commanded and in so doing they worshipped God.

Everything other than Human and Ginn worship God exclusively. We have the privilege of choice.

The “religion” that embodies God’s guidance has been called “submission to the will of God”, or Islam in Arabic. One who practices Islam is a Muslim. Every Prophet (PBUT) practiced Islam and was a Muslim. Islam is not specific to Arabs or followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“Religion” has been discussed in more detail in an earlier post.

When we adopt the Worship of God alone, we become free and make it possible for others to similarly become free. This will be discussed in the next post. When we fail to heed His advice, we face all the tumult and oppression that God wished to spare us. Who is responsible for the wars, death misery and social upheaval on Earth?

If our life is miserable, it is because of the choices we have made. If we want our life to change, then we are the ones who have to change. It is as simple as that.

Until next time.

Creation, the product of Intelligent Design

Having explored one explanation for our existence on Earth, we now turn to the other. Here I will give a brief outline and elaborate on specifics in subsequent posts. This is perhaps the most ill-informed aspect of our lives, and this is not because of neglect or accident.

This post and those to follow presents a truth that has been kept from us.

There is a Creator who is responsible for everything and whom we address by the name “God”.

God created the heavens and earth as a single unit then separated them. Heaven here refers to the stars. Earth, we are informed, was created prior to humans, and in anticipation of our living here. Our presence on Earth is not a punishment but part of the overall plan.

Angels were created from light and without free will. Ginn are produced from fire and humans from clay. The body of the first human was created from clay which was sourced from Earth. Ginn and human are endowed with free will, the ability to act on their own reasoning. With free will comes a responsibility and accountability. We will be judged fairly. Everything is recorded and this evidence will be produced and used.

We have a purpose, an objective for being on earth. We will be judged on whether this objective was fulfilled (judgement day). Success will be rewarded.

Our concept of time is very limited. What we see as thousands of years may be a single day in “celestial time”, or time as described by God.

Consequently, the existence of man on Earth, from the first to the last may be played out in what may be one day, or even a part of one day, but we may see it as millions of years. This has great implications for our understanding of our presence here, and how God has ensured that we all will be treated with absolute justice.

We can perceive the presence of God.

Think of a group of architects given a project to design and create a model of a city so large that it covers the whole planet. Each architect creates his own impression. If the individual is known to us, we may see in his work signs of his handiwork. There are certain features which he usually incorporates in his designs. Each individual has his own unique points by which we can identify him.

While no architect is physically within the model, by studying his work we can ascertain the presence of the architect, both in the unique design and actual presence of the model.

Our universe is no different. By studying it with an honest and open mind, we see God’s presence everywhere, even though God is not physically within the structures we are studying.

The time of the birth and death of each individual is predetermined, something no one can change.

We will be tested, but no one will be given a test greater than they can bear. This is a promise.

The world has been created for us. We are created to function well here, and have senses that allow us to interact with this world, but no sense can perceive God. Despite this, he has made it possible for us to learn of His presence and to be aware of this with total conviction. This is one of His miracles.

He guides us so that we may succeed in our objective. He guides us so that we may be free. If we become enslaved, the fault is ours alone. God guides us but He is not a physical part of the world. What becomes of this universe is due to our actions, or inactions, and not because of God or the absence of God.

We will only be held accountable for our own actions, not the actions of others.

There is only one God inspired “religion”. Keep an open mind on the answer and not to try and preempt what I will be saying in the future. What I can say is that in all probability you fall within the category of one who is a part of this “religion” and that this fact will come as a surprise even to yourself.

Satan is an avowed enemy of man, one who has promised to subjugate man, and there is nothing we can do to change his mind. We either impose our superiority, or submit to him. No compromise is possible.

God never imposes upon us. His guidance comes as recommendations. We may choose to embrace them or reject them. The consequences we face are the result of the decisions we made.

God guides us how to live with other humans so that we may all be free.

If we adhere to a belief that is contrary to what I have just described, then it is one that is not inspired by God. If aspects of our belief contradict, then these have been tampered with leaving us with a false understanding.

Satan and his agents have infiltrated every aspect of our lives; the sciences, politics, commerce and industry, military, religion, education, media and entertainment and as a result we have become enslaved. This has been achieved through a change in our perspective of what constitutes right and wrong, by a change in our understanding of our origin, and a change which causes us to think with the thoughts and understandings of satan, and not that of God.

Our primary objective should be to learn how to once again think with the understanding and mind of a believer; to restructure the foundation of our understanding of this world and our purpose here so that the decisions we make are founded on the correct reasoning and the outcomes we seek will further our own well being, and not that of our greatest enemy, satan himself.

Think on these. In subsequent posts I will elaborate on specifics, and on those aspects you wish me to comment on.

The Begin

Life presents us with many questions; most of the time we get no answers, or so it seems. Sometimes we get “answers” and they make no sense at all. Those who think critically, think about this and decide the “answer” must be wrong. Others take the answer at face value, accept it as being correct, then reject everything associated with that faith or ideology because “it” (the answer) is so wrong.

Let us consider some of the questions most of us must have faced.

Where did we come from? Did we evolve or where we created?

If we were created by a single creator, why are there so many different religions?

Each “religion”/faith/belief claims an exclusive association with God which makes all others “false”. How can this be, and still be true for all. A Christian will claim that the only path to paradise is through Jesus. A Jew may well say the same about Moses; a Muslim will insist it is Muhammad. A Hindu will say Rama or Krishna (may peace be upon them all). Each has to be mutually exclusive; they cannot all be true. Can they?

Is there justice at all? If there is a God at all, how can he allow so much pain and suffering in the world?

Why, when we have the most advanced system for society (democracy), do we feel so inpotent? Why is our life always such a struggle? Why is it that the bad guys always seem to enjoy the best of everything?

The real criminals use their ill begotten gains to exempt them from all consequences, yet the honest people always suffer. Why is this so? Is it not obvious that crime does not pay, but extreme criminality can buy you anything you want? Is this the message life seems to be giving us? Did we not read with a smile, good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere? What message are we left with?

Is my belief the correct one? What if I am wrong? How can I be sure that I am on the right path?

Does it make any difference what other people say about me? Should I just do as I please, as long as I am happy? Are there really such things as right or wrong, good or bad? Are these just tales created to help children until they “find themselves”?

Are there really such places as heaven and hell? Is there life after death? What happens when we die; reincarnation, judgment, oblivion?

Many of us live our lives without bothering to think about these because no one knows the answers, Right? My guess is as good as anyone else’s. There are theories and no way of proving any of them. Right?

My live has been a journey of discovery, and by the grace of God it is not yet over. I have a need to share with you what I have learned over time. My journey is not yet over, and I may not live long enough to see the outcome I seek. Hopefully, those who follow me will carry forward the knowledge and make the outcome a reality.

Let me begin by telling you about my early days, and how I came to my understanding of life. The path I believe we need to follow and why? You may then be the judge and decide whether I make any sense or not.