I agree that the scenario in which I reject God was something I thought through. I decided instead, that it was my imagination that was at fault. Anything that could be called God would have to be larger and so completely different, that my imagination, linked as it is to my spacial concepts, would be blown out.
Instead, I focussed on the fact that, given what we know about the universe, where does my consciousness come from? Even in nature, we have difficulty in finding a species that comes close to that, and if we did, then we would be able to work out how to communicate. This is two observations that had me thinking that coincidence aside, something has included our consciousness in the fabric of being. That, I concluded, would be worthy of the description/name God.
I think that, given the presence of natural laws, there should be a law of behaviour. That is, there is a given way to behave that is best suited to prolong life and assist coexistence and cooperation amongst sentient beings.
No, I am not suggesting that the hurricane is an existential threat from God, but that existence itself, as harsh as it seems, is what we are confronted with. Like I said before, the sages of humanity have come to realise that existence means suffering, but that a behaviour that aligns with the positives in life can help us overcome suffering.
I think there is only that way to go. Every one of us has examples of the struggle with existence, some far more problematic than others. It is for each of us to answer the question that always occurs, would it have been better not to have lived at all, or was it worth the struggle? The writers of the Bible and various other sources of wisdom have concluded it is.
The fact that we are confronted with a world that is naturally decaying is a challenge, which has led people to think up reasons for coping with it. There has been the hope that, after death, it will somehow go on … however you interpret that. It may be irrational, but isn’t our whole existence is somehow irrational?
I think that the challenge that sages were up against already sorted that. They were able to show that their prophecies regarding the purpose of life were effective to the degree that they were believable and people followed them. Many were incarcerated and killed though, despite this. But they were also a source of wisdom in areas of life that needed assistance, which helped some sages survive and even be revered.
That would be true if you have a view of God that is restrictive. If your view is somehow empowering, as is suggested by the spread of Christianity for example, then it gives you new perspectives.
The struggles within societies that essentially mean you have to “fight” to survive, are man-made. They can also be unmade. However, up until now, such attempts have gone terribly wrong. That is why I think that the best solution is from inside out. The “revolution of the soul”, however, is a struggle that few undertake.
If scripture becomes ideological, then we have the problem that we have with any ideology throughout history. It is the difference between ideology and religion that Jordan Peterson makes. As long as religion is helping you to achieve the “revolution of the soul”, no-one is being killed. As soon as it becomes a fight of one ideology against another, people die, especially if the reward is “on the other side”.
Exactly, the “revolution of the soul” is personal and has its dark night in which the soul struggles with reality.
I can’t help those who are focussed on a reward on the other side, even though I too hope there is, but the example of Jesus and his beatitudes will have us concentrate on this side, and on what we can do. Anyone doing something only for the reward contradicts his approach and is said to deserve punishment. I think the way ahead is very simple concerning an interaction with the world.
And how is this world view not just another manifestation of dasein? Again, take your “general description” of how the world could be if others thought like you do out into the world and configure it into a specific context where degenerated conditions need to be improved. For example, the plight of immigrants in America. Or in Europe. In the age of Trump and Brexit. What might be done here if others thought like you do about God and religion?
I think there would be a large shift to focussing on the here and now, people wouldn’t “sacrifice” themselves, but rather consider how to help effectively and just like revenge, “reward is mine [to give] says the Lord!”