5/22/2008

Continuing from last time, I have continued to think on this presence. These aspects I hold to be certain:

1. It permeates time, but is absolutely by no means restricted by it. This is similar to the infinite, omnipotent views of God.
It is impossible to limit the infinite or omnipotent.

2. It is not teleologically determined, rather seems to flow endlessly in all directions, hence the non restriction by time. If it is
not restricted by a beginning it cannot be restricted by an end. This is still going along with Tillich's view of God being pure
existence that we simply participate in.

3. I feel quite certain this force is God, but in a very different sense than has ever been determined. It is certainly different
from the Judeo-Christian God, one of extreme personification, and seems more in tune with Buddhist or Tao concepts. This
is extremely ironic considering neither religion/philosophy accepts of acknowledges any monotheistic or even polytheistic
ideologies.

a. However, this would be a foreign concept at the outset of their establishments. What I do find intriguing though
is that Buddhism was a response to Hinduism, a religion/philosophy that had grown so prolific with its use of the term "god"
it still today borders absurdity.

4. To understand this, you must completely distance yourself from any preconceived notions of God. It is an enlightenment
and understanding outside the realm of traditional Western thought, and in some respects, Eastern thought.

5. God is not an entity, God does not exist. An entity requires a separate existence, which I refuse to believe could have
interaction with another existence. This does not imply levels of existence, there is an equality about it all, about God. The
separate existence that the term entity implies surrenders us completely distant from God, regardless of God's debatable
interaction with our lives. God must be inexplicably involved with us, no matter of "free will" or not.

These aspects I am still relatively unclear on:

1. Exactly what is our role with respect to this force?

2. If God could be viewed as the universe, all encompassing, then this would draw new assumptions, though very well accurate,
about the universe. The universe is infinite, not restricted by time, and arguably, omnipotent. There is argument over how the
universe began. I would present a different view to coincide with my theory: What we have come to know as the "beginning" or
"creation," is just that, but instead of a complete outset I see this as simply an evolution of the universe to what we know it as now.
This in turn also works for a technical "end" of the universe, which would most likely occur long after our presence has ended, again
just another changing moment in the infinite nature of the universe.

3. At least in our thought, everything must have an antithesis. For black there is white, for good there is evil, and so on. Although I
am almost completely sure this is a human derived concept, I cannot help but wonder if there is an antithesis for this presence or
notion of God I am sensing.

More to come.