Transcript for OnionUnlimited podcast episode 027
IN THE FOLLOWING POST, I’m going to attempt to answer 20 of the most common spiritual questions I’ve been asked since leaving Jehovah’s Witnesses.
- Do I still believe in Jehovah? No. I don’t think Jehovah exists. I think he was a man-made deity, probably originated by the Canaanites and inherited by the Israelites. If he was real, which he’s not, he would be a pretty unhinged character, and certainly not someone I would want to worship.
- Do I believe in God? No. Not in the traditional sense of a personal almighty being sitting on a heavenly throne demanding worship.
- Am I an Atheist? Up until this week, I would have said no, but someone pointed out that if I don’t believe in an actual God then, by definition, I am an atheist. I’m actually a Pandeist, but in many respects, my day-to-day life is not much different to that of an Atheist (see below).
- Do I believe in a creator? Yes, sort of. I believe in an eternal, unchangeable, creative Source from which all reality including what we experience as space and time arises.
- Do I believe Source requires worship? No. I think Source is completely indifferent to such things.
- Do I believe in religion? No, I think it’s man-made. I think it’s unnecessary at best, and harmful at worst. I do, however, believe in personal spirituality.
- Do I believe in Jesus? Yes.
- Do I believe all the claims about Jesus? No.
- Am I a Christian? I class myself as somewhat of a follower of Jesus, but not in the traditional full-on Christian sense. I certainly respect Jesus, and I subscribe to many of his teachings (for example, the Golden Rule). I don’t think much of the apostle Paul’s model of Christianity which I believe was just another man-made religion, rather than a spiritual experience. I don’t think Christianity as it is is anything like what Jesus intended.
- Do I believe Jesus is God? No, because I don’t believe in God. I do, however, believe Jesus was a fragmented instance of Source, just as we all are, and that he attained to a high level of spiritual awakening. I would say the same about Buddha and other spiritual Masters.
- Do I believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead? I believe his essence survived death, just as we all do, but not in the traditional Christian, BIblical sense of resurrection.
- Do I believe in life after death? Yes. I believe our desirable experiences return to Source and are assimilated by it, and the not-so-desirable ones are simply left to dissipate into the ether as bad frequencies.
- Do I believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God? No, because I don’t believe in God, but I do believe parts of it were written by spiritually enlightened people and that it contains some Universal truths of benefit.
- Do I go to church? No.
- Do I have any spiritual rituals? No.
- How do I express my spirituality? Through creativity and loving other people.
- Do I believe in Armageddon? No.
- Do I believe in a future paradise earth? No.
- Do I feel the need to convert other people to my spiritual views? No.
- Do I think I would ever return to Jehovah’s Witnesses? Absolutely bloody not!