Whatever happened to the Holy Ghost?
"What would you believe if you weren't taught what to believe" - G.D.Fury
I was born and raised catholic in the — June and Ward Cleaver, How much is that Doggie in the Window — sanitized world of the 1950s. A time when sensuality and sexuality were underground. Curse words and nudity were banished from the movies and TV. The "one foot on the floor rule " ruled — if a man and a woman appeared on a bed together, at least one of their four feet had to remain on the floor. Bedrooms were for sleeping, and bathrooms — they were unmentioned. Then, the 1960s came, and things started to change!
Through indoctrination at an early age, I was taught to believe that the one part of my life that I should not subject to any sort of critical analysis, was...my religion. It was a time that if you ate meat on friday, or when receiving "Holy Communion" you let the communion wafer touch your teeth, you had committed a mortal sin. If this sin was not confessed, you were condemned to burn and suffer in hell - forever - 'till the end of time - in perpetuity - for eternity!
"Forgive me Father for I have sinned."
This was before all of the sexual abuse scandals were exposed, and catholic priests were held in very high esteem. Every week or two I went to confession. I confessed my standard laundry list of sins including having "bad actions" and "impure thoughts" to a priest, who in retrospect, was conceivably having impure thoughts listening to me. Some priests were very stern and vocal -- I can still remember sitting outside the confessional and hearing Father Walsh scream at my friend Jack, "How many times a day!"
It was a period when the third person in the "Holy Trinity" of God was called the "Holy Ghost," the water you were baptized in and blessed yourself with was "Holy Water," and the church I went to was Holy Rosary Church. The "Holy Ghost is now the "Holy Spirit," Holy Rosary Church, I'm not even sure it still exists, but "Holy Water" I think is still "Holy Water."
At a young age I started to question my faith - I questioned why an omnipotent God got credit for the one person who survived in a catastrophe but was never blamed for the 100,000 who died. "God works in strange ways" was always the answer to any difficult question.
It troubled me when told we were made in the image and likeness of God. God with the body of a human being - I often thought God should be on a higher plane. When I saw people praying I wondered who they visualized praying to - a young stylized El Greco Christ, a realistic looking Salvador Dali Christ, or an older gray-haired Michelangelo God. Did God age?
From the 1970's to the 1990's I explored other teachings and disciplines. I did the EST transformation training, read books by Deepak Chopra, "Timeless Body Ageless Mind," Steven Covey "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," Tony Robbins "Unlimited Power" and a host of other books by self proclaimed guru's. Most of these teachings reinforced what I already knew. Around this time I also got interested in meditation and Zen, reading "The Way of Zen" "Zen Meditation" and "Thoughts without a Thinker." I always found Zen stories and quotes thoughtful and insightful.
During this period I started to form my own viewpoint concerning God, the Universe and the future life.
On an April evening in 2005 Larry King featured religious leaders from all of the major religions discussing God, catastrophes, life, death, the afterlife, etc. The more they talked the more I realized just how intellectually bankrupt they really were. They had so much time and energy invested in their beliefs that they were totally closed-minded to any other thought - their religion discouraged any independent thought.
After listening to these religious leaders my thoughts were reinforced. I concluded - understanding God, the Universe and the future life is beyond our comprehension at this time in our evolution. These men of faith, like me and everyone else on the planet are - simply put - clueless!
Hence an atypical group was conceived - "The Society of Clueless People"
I was born and raised catholic in the — June and Ward Cleaver, How much is that Doggie in the Window — sanitized world of the 1950s. A time when sensuality and sexuality were underground. Curse words and nudity were banished from the movies and TV. The "one foot on the floor rule " ruled — if a man and a woman appeared on a bed together, at least one of their four feet had to remain on the floor. Bedrooms were for sleeping, and bathrooms — they were unmentioned. Then, the 1960s came, and things started to change!
Through indoctrination at an early age, I was taught to believe that the one part of my life that I should not subject to any sort of critical analysis, was...my religion. It was a time that if you ate meat on friday, or when receiving "Holy Communion" you let the communion wafer touch your teeth, you had committed a mortal sin. If this sin was not confessed, you were condemned to burn and suffer in hell - forever - 'till the end of time - in perpetuity - for eternity!
"Forgive me Father for I have sinned."
This was before all of the sexual abuse scandals were exposed, and catholic priests were held in very high esteem. Every week or two I went to confession. I confessed my standard laundry list of sins including having "bad actions" and "impure thoughts" to a priest, who in retrospect, was conceivably having impure thoughts listening to me. Some priests were very stern and vocal -- I can still remember sitting outside the confessional and hearing Father Walsh scream at my friend Jack, "How many times a day!"
It was a period when the third person in the "Holy Trinity" of God was called the "Holy Ghost," the water you were baptized in and blessed yourself with was "Holy Water," and the church I went to was Holy Rosary Church. The "Holy Ghost is now the "Holy Spirit," Holy Rosary Church, I'm not even sure it still exists, but "Holy Water" I think is still "Holy Water."
At a young age I started to question my faith - I questioned why an omnipotent God got credit for the one person who survived in a catastrophe but was never blamed for the 100,000 who died. "God works in strange ways" was always the answer to any difficult question.
It troubled me when told we were made in the image and likeness of God. God with the body of a human being - I often thought God should be on a higher plane. When I saw people praying I wondered who they visualized praying to - a young stylized El Greco Christ, a realistic looking Salvador Dali Christ, or an older gray-haired Michelangelo God. Did God age?
From the 1970's to the 1990's I explored other teachings and disciplines. I did the EST transformation training, read books by Deepak Chopra, "Timeless Body Ageless Mind," Steven Covey "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," Tony Robbins "Unlimited Power" and a host of other books by self proclaimed guru's. Most of these teachings reinforced what I already knew. Around this time I also got interested in meditation and Zen, reading "The Way of Zen" "Zen Meditation" and "Thoughts without a Thinker." I always found Zen stories and quotes thoughtful and insightful.
During this period I started to form my own viewpoint concerning God, the Universe and the future life.
On an April evening in 2005 Larry King featured religious leaders from all of the major religions discussing God, catastrophes, life, death, the afterlife, etc. The more they talked the more I realized just how intellectually bankrupt they really were. They had so much time and energy invested in their beliefs that they were totally closed-minded to any other thought - their religion discouraged any independent thought.
After listening to these religious leaders my thoughts were reinforced. I concluded - understanding God, the Universe and the future life is beyond our comprehension at this time in our evolution. These men of faith, like me and everyone else on the planet are - simply put - clueless!
Hence an atypical group was conceived - "The Society of Clueless People"
posted by G.D.Fury at 3:24 PM
1 Comments:
Good for people to know.
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