Fireside: On the origin of everything
Foreword: I am not big on blogging, but it is long time I put this to digital print.
Imagine you and I sitting together in rocking chairs under warm blankets in front of a roaring fire,
sipping warm drinks. You turn to me in a relaxed state, then a quizzical look adorns your beautiful
face, and you ask "Gordon, how do you feel about religion and God?"
To answer such a question, I best start with the beginning.
In the beginning, our universe started with a big bang, a blast of energy into an ever-expanding field.
This energy field fills our universe, from end to end, length-wise and up and down; an energy observed
in fiction (Star Wars "The Force") and in physics ("M-Theory"). It's existence is regardless of our
observation of it or not, it has existed for all time.
The energy formed in the early universe created many things, but it is important to note that energy is
neither created or destroyed, only transformed.
Science has taught us that energy is ever-present, and is transformed into matter, such as planets, the
Earth, viruses, bacteria, food, radiation, music, books, prehistoric creatures such as dinosaurs, cats,
dogs, our entire lineage (ancestors) and us.
Everything we can see, and everything we cannot see.
The specifics of these transformations are still in the varied realms of controversies and discovery,
but we know for certain that something does not come from nothing.
Everything has a past, present and a future, because everything is made of the energy of the universe.
We came from the big bang, and we will go forever, just transformed into something else.
Most of the above here can be explained by science already. You don't believe it? It's ok, our universe
exists and flows regardless of belief or not, faith or not, knowledge or not.
So you may ask what is the purpose? What is the achievement of man? WHY?
"We are in this universe, and the universe is in us."
We are the universe experiencing itself.
But it may seem that all of this goes against your religion or level of knowledge.
Some things to consider, in the above description of our being, the power of creation is the big bang,
just using different words. It isn't described how the big bang was set forth, this could have been the
God(s) we have looked for many generations and even possibility of several "ages of man". This may fly
into the face of many teachings of religion and its faith, but religions' roots are deeply seated in
mysticism, and not what humanity has grown into and humanity is evolving.
Religion can be a wonderous method of describing the magician's act, but remember to look behind the
magic curtain to understand the illusion using science.
One of the many problems with religion is that it tries to IMPOSE morality. Parents, friends, society
and other sources actually TEACH morality. Imposition is informing and delegation through intolerance,
teaching is the imparting of wisdom and knowledge through grace and love.
Another rampant problem is most religions serve to impose control over those who follow it.
Many religions as of late have lost ground to science and understanding, so to regain control, they
impose a law that all born in their country must be of a certain religion, or they will be put to
death. If that isn't enough or is too difficult to allow, they blur the meanings between God, God(s),
religion, our purpose in the universe, control and morality. Many people say that we should believe in
complicated settings of God, Demi-God, God-on-Earth, and other planned devices carefully crafted and
changed by man over time.
Thankfully, our very nature of what we are to this universe, and what the universe is to us, can never
change, we are one with the universe forever.
I believe that once someone is taught the understanding of the universe, our origins, why religion
exists and its various open secrets about control, money, power and greed, it's time to start learning
and dispense with imposition.
So you want religion, but you want the choice to celebrate God, leave room for science, Nature, growth,
learning and new information, enjoy the magic, work the craft, help to teach morality and not to
control you like a puppet on strings? This class of religions does exist, and has for more than a
millenia in different forms and teachings.
Welcome to the world of Paganism.
Paganism is a group of religions with common factors, many vary wildly, but are not the big three
religions which are arife throughout the world. Some of the more discussed Pagan religions include
Wicca and Druidism, but you must find your own path. That is fine, it is better that you come to the
religion, than it be thrust upon you.
Post-Script: Please take away from this that religion, God(s), science, control, morality, society,
etcetera, are very seperate, and belief in one or more concepts does not automatically assume belief in
another. Search for the religion that helps you understand and love, not one that pretends to do so.
Love Nature, for it is you. Harm none, do as ye will.
Blessed Be, forever, we are all children of the same universe.
