My Spiritual Beliefs

In this post I will outline what I do and do not believe in Spirituality.

Things I do not believe:

1. Original Sin. The idea that all humans are born imperfect of evil, stemming from the story of Adam and Eve's punishment.
2. The idea of condemnation, or that God punishes people and sends them to hell.
3. The idea that Jesus is God.
4. That only people who believe in Jesus Christ can be "saved" and go to heaven, and those who "sin" cannot.
5. The idea that God's love is conditional.

Things I do believe:

1. God exists. I believe that God exists and God is All-That-Is. God is everything that exists.
2. I believe that Jesus is not God. I believe that Jesus while certainly enlightened, as Buddha was, however I do not equate Jesus as God.  As previously stated, I believe God is Everything That Exists. God is Life. 
3. I believe God's love is unconditional. Unconditional love is defined as love without conditions. I believe not only that God's love is unconditional, but that God is Unconditional Love itself. We are made of unconditional love. Because God's love is unconditional, he loves people without conditions, and therefore does not punish anyone or condemn them, or judge them or forgive them. Note: In order to forgive someone, you must have had to judge them first. God does not forgive anyone, because he has never judged them in the first place. He has always unconditionally loved them.

There is not much more to say. People cannot imagine a person with unconditional love who does not judge, and so they cannot imagine a God who does either. But God is Life, and God is Unconditional Love.

Happiness From External Things

Wow, I realized it's been a little more than a year, since my last blog post. And I had no idea, for the most part, what I was writing about. Which means, of course, that next year I'll reflect back on this writing and think similar thoughts - or not. Who knows?

I just want to write a quick post on my thoughts about money inspired by a recent conversation. Not money specifically, though money suits the example quite well.

The problem with seeking happiness in exterior things is that you feel unfulfilled even when receive the thing you were craving. It is often not even what you truly desire, but it is a symbol you have been taught to believe (by yourself or others), which you think will make you feel happiness. People who seek riches in order to liberate themselves from earthy  problems in pursuit of an idealized version of perfection in life, ultimately end up chasing that dream and never finding it. The problem, of course, is that the problem is emotional, and not something money can fill. A lack of love cannot be remedied by a surplus of money. Sure, it can be bandaged, and temporarily soothed, but in the long run the pain will re-emerge, (to the surprise of the one experiencing it) and be even worse.

So how to fix this problem? Realize that getting what you think you want may not make you happy. And in addition, learn being happy independent of what you think you need in order to feel good. Therefore, when you actually obtain that symbol, whatever it is, you will feel more fulfilled.

Anyway these were my thoughts at the moment, and I will probably add to them with another post later.