IS LORD OF POWER AN
MIGHT A DICTATOR IN A TOTALITARIAN STATE?
World famous Protestant preacher Billy Graham, whose sermons are advertised
like Marlboro cigarettes and who can fill London's Wembley Stadium like The
Rolling Stones or Pope John Paul, during such a sermon at Wembley in June
1989 mentioned the Watergate affair and said that Nixon could eavesdrop on
some conversations between some people, whereas Lord God records and films
every minute of our life and when we turn up on the Last Judgement everything
will be on tape. Billy Graham thinks that Lord God is some sort of a super
KGB man, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Universe. A friend
of mine says that Lord God doesn't exist, because if He did there wouldn't
be any famine in Ethiopia, children with AIDS , and so on. These two gentlemen
have a very similar idea of God, they only differ with the last touch accepting
this idea as true. This last decision is an act of will and later can be
changed with another act of will. It is, however, a decision in the world
of illusions.
Such a political idea of Lord God is not at all exceptional, on the contrary,
it is quite widespread. It doesn't excite me though, I am too much of an
anarchist. This is why I have given this title to my text.
I must warn the reader : this text shouldn't be treated as an exposition
of some opinion. Opinions can cause much evil, especially if someone sticks
to them. This text should be treated rather like a mental exercise, and exercise
never does anyone any harm. On the contrary lack of it may cause the calcination
of brain. So accept my invitation; we start with a deep breath...
THE IDEA THAT GOD IS A DICTATOR OF A TOTALITARIAN STATE IS AN ILLUSION. It
is building of a fictious world, which can be accepted as true or false with
an act of will influenced by intellect and emotions. This last decision is,
however, of little importance; those who accept and those who deny quarrel
on the same plane : the plane of illusion.
IT IS AN ILLUSION TO THINK THAT LORD GOD IS A SUBJECT OF BELIEF OR DISBELIEF,
ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION, like some scientific theory. Just look at the birds
of the sky : they don't plough or sow, but even if we a thousand times deny
their existence, not a feather will be taken away from them, or even if we
a thousand times accept their existence, not a feather will be added. How
much more it so with our Heavenly Father ?
IF THERE IS NO GOD? What a stupid approach! Systems of beliefs are creations
of mind and objects of indoctrination, and as such cannot be treated seriously.
This applies also to atheisms, which are systems of beliefs just as well.
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not a creation of mind.
SELF INDOCTRINATION IS MOST DANGEROUS. You can make others believe many things.
You can make yourself believe anything.
"WE POSSES THE TRUTH" SAY THE CHRISTIANS, AND THIS ARROGANT CONVICTION CAUSES
FEELING OF SUPERIORITY OVER OTHER, "PAGAN" PEOPLES. And what is the source
of this conviction? Accident of birth! My dad said so, therefore it must
be true. Who of us really chose his or her own religion? Who tried to check
(but honestly, without self indoctrination) which of the systems of beliefs
is correct?
IT IS AN ILLUSION TO THINK THAT "CREDO" ALWAYS MEANS THE SAME THING. The
words may be the same, but to someone who spoke them being nailed to the
cross and to someone who spoke them to avoid a stake their meaning is EXACTLY
OPPOSITE! And what to say about a "Credo" spoken to gain money and power?
IT IS AN ILLUSION TO THINK THAT A SCRIPTURE ALWAYS MEANS THE SAME THING.
The parable of the sower in the ear of someone who after his Sunday breakfast
drives his car to a church's car park differs from the same parable in the
ear of someone who went on his way without a sack or staff or bread or money
or two garments. Scripture read in the armchair roams around the surface
of the brain. Scripture read kneeling after several days of fasting (I mean
eating nothing) penetrates the whole being of the reader.
CHRISTIAN HUMILITY MEANS ADMITTING THAT ALTHOUGH WE BELIEVE IN WHAT WE BELIEVE,
WE CAN BE WRONG. Only with this kind of humility we can talk to a person
of a different creed without arrogance and disregard.
THERE IS NO FAITH WITHOUT DOUBT. Without doubt there is knowledge. The certainty
that Lord God the ruler gives reward and punishment leads to obedience. And
so they are : knowledge, certainty, obedience, the three. And so do the sounding
brass and clanging cymbal.
"KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GOD" IS NO FAITH. Knowledge is a function of the brain.
Faith pierces the whole being of the faithful.
FAITH AND DOUBT ARE INDIVISIBLE. Faith is underlined with doubt. When we
are most certain about our view, then is the time to check it thoroughly.
PROOF OF GOD'S EXISTENCE? If such a thing was possible, this would be an
imperfect god. There always would be a question of the Unprovable One. Can
the One Who Transcends Everything exist within laws of logic?
DOES GOD EXIST? If he does, then certainly not in the same way as other things
that we say that exist.
IT IS EGOISM TO AVOID COMPANY OF BAD PEOPLE in order not to be influenced
by them, so the eternal salvation would not be lost. I am responsible for
all the thefts in my town, by neglect if not otherwise. We are the Lord's
people, not a collection of individuals caring each for the salvation of
only his or her own arse.
TWO PEOPLE ARE NEEDED FOR THE SIN OF THEFT TO HAPPEN: the one who steals
and the one from whom something is stolen. The act of theft is a conflict
of greed of those two. But can we talk about theft if someone has been given
a gift of the thing he has stolen ? Does he who has been forgiven still have
a sin? The very act of not forgiving those who trespass against us is
participation, and this is a case not only with theft, but with every other
sin.
Is this a hard talk? Who can listen to it?
IF HE EXISTS ... What do you need that knowledge for? To know whether it
pays off? Strike a deal?
EVEN OMNIPOTENCE is only ascribed to him by people, it is also an object
of belief. Faith reaches deeper than words. |
If you are not sure
how to pronounce his first name, you may call him Wlodek for short. He was
born in Poznan in 1955 and studied Art History there. A dissident in the
seventies, he left the country in 1981 and travelled widely in Eurasia, settling
finally in Britain. He now lives near London. 