Religion

Religion is a step on the way to Godliness, but religion is not the final destination. Religion is important because it sets a foundation and introduces Godly concepts such as God, morality, faith and worship.

You may wonder why there are so many religions in the world. Fate seems to play a part in what we believe - if we're born in India we're most likely to be Hindu, if we're born in the Middle East we're most likely to be Muslim, if we're born in North America we're most likely to be Christian, if we're born in China we're most likely to be a Buddhist, if we're born into a Jewish family we're most likely to be a Jew.

If we're born into a certain culture, we adopt the norms and traits of that culture. If you look around the world, there are so many different cultures each with it's own unique norms and traits. We usually celebrate and enjoy the things that make our cultures different.

Religion is like another culture. We are either born into our religion, brought up in our religion or choose to follow our religion. However, we don't often celebrate or enjoy the things that make our religions different.

We don't often say that one culture is better than another culture, or that one culture is right and another is wrong. So then why do we say that one religion is better than another religion, or that one religion is right and another is wrong? There is no right or wrong.

In a globalized world we learn to interact with people from different cultures, yet we don't expect them to give up their cultures in order to have a relationship.

When we reach Godliness, we will learn to interact with people from different religions, yet we won't expect them to give up their religions in order to have a Godly relationship.

In Godliness, religion will be seen as part of our culture. Those who choose to continue to practice the norms and traits of their culture or religion may choose to do so, yet it won't interfere with the Godly relationship we will have with each other.

Copyright © 2011 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used for any commercial purposes.

Finding God

If you want to find God, all you have to do is WANT to find Him. This creates a deficiency for God to fulfill. We are the deficiency and God is the fulfillment.

Speaking plainly - pleasure and intention

“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. (John 16:25 NIV)

1. Pleasure
We are creatures of pleasure. Everything we do is for pleasure. We enjoy pleasure through our five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.

2. Intention
It's one thing to feel pleasure, it's another thing to become aware of our intention. Our intention is HOW we enjoy pleasure. Learning about our intention helps us learn about God's intention and shows us the purpose of creation. The purpose of creation is for God to give us pleasure and for us to receive pleasure from Him.

The following scenarios show our intention:

a. Receiving to Receive
Let's say you receive an apple pie from your friend. When you get it you don't think about your friend's pleasure but only of your own pleasure and how much you'll enjoy eating it. Your action is of reception and your intention is of reception. This is our most egoistical state when we are furthest from God. Our intention is opposite to God's. While God thinks only of us, we think only of ourselves.

b. Bestowing to Receive
Let's say you give your friend an apple pie. When you give it, you don't think about your friend's pleasure but only of your own pleasure and how much you'll enjoy from others seeing you as a giver, a do-gooder. You're not really doing it for your friend but only for yourself because you want to be seen as a righteous person. Your action is of bestowal but your intention is of reception.

c.  Bestowing to Bestow
Let's say you give your friend an apple pie. When you give it, you don't think about your friend's pleasure or your own pleasure. You're going through the motions without any thought of pleasure. Your action is of bestowal and your intention is of bestowal. But because we are creatures of pleasure, this state is called hell or the desert.

d. Receiving to Bestow
Let's say you receive an apple pie from your friend. When you get it you think only of your friend's pleasure and how much he wants you to enjoy it. You begin to sense his pleasure instead of your own. Your action is of reception but your intention is of bestowal. This is when we are closest to God because we are in equivalence of form (intention) with Him. We become one with God.

3. One with God
^"Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”  (Luke 17 20-21 NIV 1984)

Jesus is talking about our intention, how we receive pleasure from God.

When God gives to us He thinks only of our pleasure - His action is of bestowal and His intention is of bestowal. When we are in the state of receiving to bestow, we receive from God thinking only of His pleasure - our action is of reception but our intention is of bestowal. While our actions are opposite, God gives and we receive, our intentions are similar, He thinks only of our pleasure and we think only of His pleasure. In spirituality when your attributes are equivalent, you become one, and because our intentions are equivalent to God's intention, we become one with God.

Copyright © 2011 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used for any commercial purposes.