Bridging the Gap Between Science and Religion Part II 

“The Covenant of Connectedness”

Acknowledging and Honoring Our Inner and Outer Life Connection

To, as often as possible, reveal the positive, constructive aspects of our personal entity by attempting to be a source of caring and actions that will support and benefit the efforts of all who are striving to create a healthier home/world for all life.

To attempt to be more compassionate and understanding of others, which, combined with exercising discipline, will strengthen us in our ability to resolve our differences through non-violent means.

To strive to maintain a state of conscious awareness, and world perspective, that will contribute to our making good, healthy choices that will benefit us, and other forms of life, in our natural life growth process.

To keep our minds open to each person’s truth, and the value of moral justice, in our communications and interactions with others.

To contribute to the health and well–being of our planet by making an effort to take steps that will promote and assist in the development of a healthier, safer and more enjoyable place for life to grow.

To be accepting of others and their right to choose their own path (as long as they don’t try to force others to believe that their choice is the only acceptable selection, and are not acting in a destructive manner that will negatively affect life).

As part of our developing understandings, we also acknowledge our limited abilities to be able to judge others. Since we humans currently have such limited knowledge and understanding relating to the workings of our brain and universal existence, it should make it extremely difficult for us to be able to tell others what is right for them.

(For those who may be having trouble doing the math, this means that even if we were many times smarter than we currently are, and were 100% right in believing the way we do based on the knowledge we have acquired so far, we still would essentially have only a minimal chance of making accurate assumptions as to what is actually true.

Basically, this means that we should try to cut others some slack, for in some ways, our own ignorance is probably as great as we believe that theirs is).

While we may not truly “love” everyone else in the fullest sense, we should at least try to be pleasant to all and accepting of our differences, and not to do so too begrudgingly. This means consciously making an effort to not show total disgust at the very presence, or actions, of others, unless the actions are harmful to other components of the life.

In order to find the common ground that we seek, we will attempt to find value in the good of all who seek a world of wholeness and peace, and are willing to accept that even though we all have our differences, we can still work together to create a better world for all the children and families of life.

Moreover, you don’t need to have a place of worship to go to in order to connect. While gatherings with like-minded individuals is encouraged as a means to assist us in finding strength and support in each other, these practices can, and should become, part of who you are whether you’re at home, work, school, at any time or anyplace. Pretty cool!

If along the way we develop an understanding that leads us to a better appreciation of this LifeForce Entity, we are free to share it in a loving, helpful manner. However, once others have let us know they are not interested in what we are trying to share, then we must diminish or discontinue our efforts.

Under no circumstances should we attempt to force others to accept our understandings, nor be forced by them to accept their understandings. We are all free to pursue our own course and connection to the Source of life as long as we don’t try to make others accept our teachings or do anything that would be considered destructively unacceptable to the well-being of life.

When we look at ourselves in a mirror, or in our souls, let’s try to see the potential of that person to be a little more open and understanding in our relationships with others. Anyone who belongs to a religion that does not accept the rights of others to pursue their own spiritual or life path, as long as it doesn’t subject you or others to accept its teachings, needs to reconsider if that is the type of arrogant, egotistical group or organization that they want to be involved with?

 By desiring to sign this, or by just acknowledging it to your inward self to some degree, you may have agreed to participate in this effort to obtain healing and wholeness for our world, and have joined with all the rest of the caring, concerned people who are joining together in our goal of achieving a perfected home/world and peace.

By your even having read this far, it probably means that you are a better person than you might think, and that there is hope for you, and all of us, yet.

The final two elements of this philosophy are also the same universal truths shared by almost all religions.

Oneness – Recognizing our connection, and the connectedness of all life, as an indispensable characteristic of the universal unity of all existence.

For most of the populous this attachment will also comprise our relationship and bond with the Entity, Creator, Source of Life, Intelligence, or energy, however you want to refer to this life force.

Love – Accepting the value and importance of this emotion/sensation in our relationship with the Source and each other; and in our ability to create the type of world that will allow us to achieve our goals of peace and prosperity for all of life.

“Love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment.It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation.”        Rabindranath Tagore

Freewill…to Create a Better World for Us All

Whether you are an atheist, agnostic or religious/spiritual being, free your “will” to make the best choices, the ones that will have the most positive impact on the most meaningfully significant aspects of life.  Choose to make a difference, to employ whatever knowledge and wisdom you possess to express the highest potential of your being, by opting for a destiny that will promote a healthy, happy life growth process.

There are solutions available that can enhance the quality of our lives. These can be obtained when approached with open minds and hearts. Together, we can resolve even the most difficult problems. The future, in so many ways, is very much in our hands. Today, tomorrow, until whenever, we should be part of creating the kind of world we would want for our children and ourselves.

Together we must educate each other and ourselves to understanding and growing towards the home (world) we would like for future manifestations and life forms. Based on the recycling aspects of life, there seems to be a possibility that we may be among them.

Since, this very well might be our own future home as well, we really should try to save it and make it a nicer place to come back and visit again. If we destroy our world as a healthy, life growth place, it will most likely entail an exceptionally extended period of time for the rebuilding process.

This attempt to build an improved place of healthy growth for our species, one that would enable us to experience and enjoy the remarkable abilities of our unique entities to the fullest, requires our participation in tending too, and nourishing, our bodies and the body of our home/world.

There is only so much “energy” available at any time, so regardless of how we appear to be manifesting our existence at any specific time, since our matter, and possibly life essence, will continue to exist on some level, we are all essential ingredients in this cosmic rendering of an all-inclusive organism.

Each and every one of us is part of this continuous re-creation process. At this precise moment, even though we are going through a cellular changing-of-the-guard as we speak, our currently recognizable physical element is revealing itself as human entities that possess a degree of awareness, and that are all a unique piece of an interactive life experience.

An enlightened person’s understanding of God is based on science, nature, life, and historical information, including religion. It is certainly not based on superstition or wishful thinking.

People who believe in the value of science and/or religion should celebrate these fascinating lives we are experiencing, while at the same time, moving towards advancing our garden/home world as a healthier and safer environment for future life forms to grow. This is the way to bridge the gap that separates us.

Religion opens people to the possibility that “Something” far beyond anything we can comprehend, is manipulating what is going on in the larger scale for us all, has taken a peculiar interest in people and given us the  opportunity to join together as partners to help create and maintain a healthy life growth environment for  us all.

“Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles.”  George B. Shaw

Message of our Religious Ancestors (Family)

There is a Knowledgeable, Powerful Entity that cares about life, and has a purpose for all of us; and that we should appreciate and enjoy our special gift of life, and take care of the rest of this life that we are a part of.

Our reality is as the continued reflection of one of life’s greatest adventures, one that is still continuing today, and one in which we all play a part -- live action performers in this happening life game. This biblically futuristic expedition is about a life-time, an era that spans time far beyond the brief transitory existence of humans, birds, animals and other life forms.

There have been a lot of changes since the earliest history of Biblical people, yet, we still live on the same planet that our ancestors did, and share the same land, air, water, etc.

But so much has drastically changed, especially with all the technological innovations and scientific and medical advancements we have made in the last hundred plus years. Our achievements in this brief period of time are absolutely amazing. Before this, there were no telephones, cars, TV’s or computers. In the length of some people’s lifetime, we have been to the moon, regularly fly, drive and sail all over the planet, have manufactured submarines that can explore the ocean’s bottom underwater, have generated ways to penetrate deep inside the Earth, and have even built a space station where people shuttle back and forth regularly. Plus, doctors can repair or replace individual parts of people’s bodies, and can even recreate living entities. 

Throughout the entire history of the material world, there has never been anyone like us. We have become a race of “Superpeople.”

However, regardless of all that has happened and all that we have accomplished, a significant motivation for me is in reinforcing the understanding that the messages and lessons of the biblical generations still have so much to offer us today.  They remind and encourage us to continue growing in other areas of our lives, those relating to the more fundamental levels of our being. A key component of their message is that in order to be whole, we need to connect all aspects of our existence.

Even as most of us do, I would assume that the overwhelming majority of the members of previous generations of humans at some point asked themselves:  Were their lives worthwhile and meaningful? Did they transmit enough of their essence, do enough “good,” to positively contribute to the betterment of life in a worthwhile way? For our ancestors, as well as others who came before us, and many of those who surround us now, their challenge to us comes in the form of a question:

Have we increased our knowledge base, and gained sufficient control over our physical and emotional personal entity to evolve our being to a higher level of consciousness, with a more enlightened awareness, as to who we are within the universal life scheme of creation?

Perspective on events of the past can contribute to the quality of our lives today. They can provide guidance and direction towards attaining an enhanced version of our personal being, one that strives to achieve its ultimate level of growth in positive, constructive, loving ways that are beneficial to the overall well-being of life.

Growth is one of the most valuable and essential aspects of our existence. Once trees, plants, animals and humans, etc. quit growing, the quality of life for their individual entity deteriorates. This effort encourages us to make the most of our lives today by learning from the knowledge and life experiences of those who preceded us. Then, hopefully we too will have our own precious wisdom to pass on to our children and the generations to come.

This same premise could apply to what most people refer to as “God.” We need to distinguish this Life/Energy Source based on how “Its” actions influence our existence.

We must remember though, that while there is so much “out there” from which we can learn, it is only the tip of the iceberg as to what exists in the cosmic beyond. For now, our understandings are limited to those things that we can humanly comprehend in relation to the current knowledge and personal capabilities of our time.

No matter how many dimensions we are capable of perceiving visually and intellectually, or even through our imagination, it is not even a drop in the celestial ocean of the “Whatever It is that Is!” It is totally beyond our human capabilities to fully relate to the ultimate Awareness, Intelligence and Power Source that fashioned, manifested and sustains a universe and beyond. Give credit where credit is due. We are living in an amazing time.

This is what religion should represent. That there were ancient humans, individual people like you and me, who had a very peculiar relationship with a Powerful Life Force. They have tried to share the importance of this rapport with us in the best ways that they could. This was not usually an easy thing to do. It presented major challenges for them and their families. Yet, it meant so much to so many that they used whatever means they could to follow the instructions of this Supreme Entity as they understood them to be, and to transmit their perceptions of this Advanced Being to their children and others. In doing so, they also helped build a foundation of understandings on which we could grow.

Were they perfect? No more than any of us.

But still, there is a valid, relevant connection that we can apply to support us in our own growth. We can still learn from the experiences of those who preceded us, especially since many of their challenges are similar to the ones we face today.   When viewed as a discipline or path to improved awareness, besides the recent studies showing that people who attend religious services live healthier, happier lives, religion benefits us by providing reminders to take the time to meet and tend to the many diverse needs of our spiritual and physical being. This has added significance for people living intensely stressful and fast paced lives.

In religion, the goal of all the “chosen ones” is being one whose destiny is to bring spiritually life-oriented understandings into a materially motivated world. This entails bridging the gap between the two as the path to unity and achieving the desired destiny we envision, a time and world where all life can live and grow together.

Once people perceive that as complex, meaningful and dimensionally involved life is, and that the greatest Artist created, and is still creating and sustaining this universal masterpiece, they will realize that like our ancestors, we are parts of this living, growing canvass on its way to becoming whatever it is that it will ultimately end up being.

Religion is about the life growth process of a people. It is about their birth, learning to crawl, and then walk before running and finding their wings, and their ability to fly. If this blast from the past, this “ancient” history, is to be understood as a meaningful aspect of our own “contemporary” lifestyle, it is important to gain perspective on just what it could possibly have to offer that is beneficial for us. One of our purposes at Light of the Nations is to provide such relevant insights as we soar though the time and dimensions of our own life experience.

The awareness of the existence of a powerful Intelligent Entity influencing the creation and sustenance of our lives and our world impacted the destiny of ancient people, then, now, and forever. Yet, real truth does not fully reveal itself in words, sounds, smells, touch, movement or imagery. Even the most sincerely shared accounting and moving demonstration of genuine feelings cannot wholly communicate the inner essence of our life situation, those pertaining to the deepest levels of our existence. It is beyond our current human capabilities to both transmit and receive the transfer of such data through physical means.

However, we can increase and advance our own individual identity by developing our understandings and connection with the Life Source of creation. This was/is the message of our ancestors and so many enlightened others. Through comprehending the existence of and method of operandi of the Force that manipulates all the energy throughout our universe, we can find considerable reasons for celebrating the blessings of our lives by enjoying the miracles of life that surround and encompass us. We can rejoice in our good fortune by creating a healthy, joyful homeland for life to grow to its fullest potential, to be positive elements of creating a better world for our children and the generations to come.