A view of religion in this world

[David Pinnegar]

The events in Paris last night potentially bring an awakening as to what we are all about.

Philosophy goes nowhere unless it leads to something.

The point of last night is that the human race is at risk of extinction
(a) by war with each other
(b) by war with our planet.

Perhaps an atheist perspective is a good place from which to perceive God, not as a person, but as the Creator.

Just as in 13BC the Roman Emperor Augustus deified "peace" https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/ancient-medieval/Ancient/v/ara-pacis-augustae-altar-of-augustan-peace-13-9-b-c-e-rome with imagery raising questions of where our imagery of the events of 13 years later came from . . .

one might look to see the extent to which other philosophies deify "life" itself.

Those philosophies are built into what are perceived to be religions but the problem, which is far from unique, is when
(i) people worship the teachers as heroes, as idols rather than going deeper in understanding what the teacher was teaching
(ii) people forget that when deified, the god of Life is absolutely that, of life, not death, and the god of life now, of living now, and not the afterlife. In that living is also the mental living that doesn't stop with accepting what we're told, but enquiring and finding and progressing.

The answer is not in telling someone else that their religion isn't the right one nor in rejecting religion at all, because in the encompassing of "peace" and "life" these philosophies have an important and potent spirit to convey to us all, all around the world, of whatever creed or nation.

The answer is in understanding, encouragement and education that we can live in our minds progressing past the human interpretations that are imposed, sometimes imposed to bring war and death, the very opposite. But of all creeds, or none, we need to look past the personalities and see how the linguistic riddles help us and lead us to life and peace so that we avoid
- war with each other
- war with our planet.

Best wishes

David P