There is No Law but God’s Law.
All of our man-made laws are just a construct of our human pride and ignorance; and those laws that actually work are those laws that were written in conformance with God’s will. To follow the laws of man above the laws of God is a sin (“sin” meaning “to miss the mark”, e.g. "oops, you can do better there sunshine"). The hell you are cast into for missing that mark is a hell of your own creation... and believe me, I've seen that hell and it's no place for the timid.
But what are God’s laws? I know that there are a bunch of holy books out there that are reputed to have been written under the direct and irrefutable influence of God’s hand -- and they include such oddities as serious (on-pain-of-death) rules such as to not trim the corners of your beard, or to not wear fabrics of mixed fibers, along with some very sensible ones about not killing your neighbor or stealing their stuff (or wives, though wives are often lumped in with “stuff” in many cultures).
Given that God permeates _everything_, is in fact the source and origin, the motivating force and reason for existence of this entire universe of ours (pretty much by definition; anything less would be an insult), you would think that it would be pretty darned easy to discern what God’s wishes were, to know what was one of God’s laws versus just random thoughts in our own heads.
Of course, it’s not that easy; and some of the more introspective religions note that our perceptions of the world around us are akin to seeing the world through a warped, dirty, and cracked window. We see it, but we don’t see it _correctly_. So the prophets are those among us who have a cleaner window, and can report back that yes, trees do in fact have individual leaves (or the spiritual equivalent). Of course, it can be tricky to tell the difference between a true prophet and the schizophrenic fellow ranting on the street corner -- a problem that I have to assume existed back in the good old days as well, if not more so.
There is always, of course, the issue of miracles -- but all the popular religions had miracles, hardly a discerning factor. Also I myself have personally performed miracles, at least that is what I heard after the fact when I had done some magic tricks for a relative I later learned was not entirely stable. Miracles are easy; ask me, I'll do one for you. And second-hand reports of miracles? These are garbage! Worse than useless! I've heard reports from intelligent and reliable people of miracles (er, magic tricks) that they had seen... that had almost nothing to do with the actual trick that was performed. And yes, I have an extensive collection of magic references, and have engineered magic tricks that were used in television specials, so I know wherefore I speak.
So we can't rely on heresay. It is a good thing that God’s laws are there inside your heart for you to discover. It could, in fact, be no other way! You are a part of God, God permeates you, and a true listening of God’s voice speaking to you from your heart has got to be a good place to look for truth.
Mormon’s use this test -- to have you look deep inside your heart, from a quiet and respectful state of mind, to listen to that quiet voice deep inside you, and see if it tells you that your chosen faith, your spiritual path, is the correct and true one, in Jesus’ name, Amen. (As a side note, you know it's prayer and not ritual magic if you invoke the correct demon's, er, spirit's, er, God's or Jesus' name when you do it; otherwise, prayer and ritual magic are almost entirely indistinguishable; bet you didn't know that!)
You know what? That quiet voice says yes! I bet it says yes to... damn near everyone, regardless of their religion.
Maybe they are _all_ correct? Or _all_ wrong but instead fulfilling some deep-seated psychological need of humanity, something that made sense as we developed but may have been hijacked in modern society?
God’s laws are the laws that _work_; that are in harmony with society and with human nature; they serve to keep the social structure working and reduce conflict. God’s laws will promote both the individual spirit (and our need to be unique) and the needs of the whole (and our need to be part of something bigger than ourselves). God’s laws will see the big picture. God's laws should be irrefutable, otherwise, what's the point?
Sticking your fingers in your ears and going "nah nah nah I can't hear you" while burying yourself in random scriptures in your particular holy book does NOT count as a valid refutation. Just so you know. 'cause I have MY holy book, and it contradicts yours; my prophet can kick your prophet's ass! As you can see, appeal to authority gets us... nowhere.
There are some of God’s laws that are very nearly universal, and pretty darned hard to argue against: Don’t kill people, for example. The trouble comes in with the details -- how about when you are attacked? What serves as a “person”? What about yourself? How about for legal punishment for murder? Baby raping? Writing bad checks? Voting for Ralph Nader? It goes on and on, but still, the basic principle is sound.
Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. That is absolutely one of God’s laws, and it is in fact so serious a Law that it can not be broken, whether you want to or not. The really fun laws are not these immutable truths, though, but those trick questions that God lays into your path, to try to trip you up and test your soul. The American Indians may have had it right with their Coyote trickster! Not to mention Loki, et. al.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Interestingly enough, this works as a social law as well -- when my HOA sends me a rude or impersonal letter, I automatically set myself into the stance of the disobedient rebel, whether I want to take that role or not. More discussion on this rule can be found in “The Lucifer Effect” by Philip Zimbardo (though I am seriously mischaracterizing his research, I think it fits).
Animals will reproduce until they exceed the ability of their environment to support them, and as a result not all of them will survive to reproduce further. Those animals that are better suited to their environment are more likely to reproduce and hence send their descendants into the future. Reproduction, moreover, is an imperfect transaction, causing changes, both good, bad, and neutral, to the organism through time.
Simple stuff. Hard to refute. But with incredible repercussions, especially when considered in a geological timeframe (which humans are, by nature, nearly incapable of doing; how long _is_ 50,000 or 100,000 generations, anyway? What does that _mean_?)
The Earth, from direct observation and some clever thinking, can be seen to revolve around the Sun. When the Church refuted this, fearing it would be too scary for their congregations, they were in fact violating God’s law and were in sin.
They got better. Some.
Not all of God’s laws are so clear, and our record of what we THINK are God’s laws is equally impure -- these holy books (yes, your holy book too, Mr. My Holy Book Is Perfect) have been written, edited, carefully and selectively amassed from scores of conflicting manuscripts, and even blatantly forged, by both madmen and by cynical bastards with a cause to support. Lying, in fact, was considered to be a noble act if it “brought people to God”. But which God?
I like my God to be a God of Truth.
Some people like to decry science as being anti-religion, of being atheistic at its core (or, even more laughable, as being a religion in itself; these folks have no idea what they are talking about, so it’s hard to hold a discussion with them). Science, however, is nothing more than the act of asking the right question, and keeping track of the answers.
That’s it. Pretty radical, huh?
Finding the right question is an art, and reflects both the interests and the biases of the question-asker, but if the right question is found, and the scientist has both the skill and capacity to hear the answer, the answer is part of science.
The body of science is composed of thousands, millions!, of questions and their answers; and, when we get better at listening to God (typically through better eye and ear surrogates) we get better answers.
It is our logical mind, that part of our mental anatomy that gets so little use amongst the greater public (when AI researchers model intelligence based on logical expressions, I both cringe and laugh at them), that helps us discern what is a true answer and what is noise or internal bias swamping God’s voice.
The same happens with spiritual questions and their answers. That inner voice may be telling you that Mr. Evil Politician is a Bastard, and that killing him will both (a) serve the greater public and (b) get you the attention of Natalie Portman (hubba hubba!)... you need to engage some of that rational thought to recognize that your inner voice perhaps needs to see someone and maybe take a nice pill, put the gun down quietly please and we'll get past this nice and easy.
When the preacher tells you that you must vote for So and So or THE COUNTRY WILL GO TO HELL in a blaze of EVIL, well, maybe they are full of shit and maybe you need to analyze their motives and intents rather than drink that particular coolaid. Which is tough, because it's a BLAST to be part of a dynamic, relevant, and angry movement that is out to change the world... ask any teenager, ex-teenager, or especially any person who grew up in the sixties.
In fact, here is one of God’s Laws, that I’m sure is true: When someone is absolutely positively sure of their position on a spiritual point, then they are absolutely and with the same magnitude as their belief... wrong. "For every spiritual belief, there is an equal and opposite..." well, maybe not quite so formulaic, but still; I think a thoughtful person has more true perspective than the demagogue.
It’s like that restaurant on the highway called “Joe’s Good Eats”. It might have belonged to Joe once, there’s an off chance that they do indeed sell “eats”, but will it be good? No. The more the sign proclaims their excellence, the worse it will be. The _truly_ good restaurants rely on more subtle cues... such as actually serving good food and not beating you about the head and shoulders with proclamations of its goodness.
Unfortunately, we as a species love to follow leaders who are sure of themselves, who are confident of their direction and who exude belief like a sweaty athlete oozes saltwater (or Gatorade, depending on their sponsors). Such leaders can also be dead wrong (and often are; note current politics in the US), even though they themselves know deep in their hearts that they are right.
So be careful out there, and use both your heart and your mind. These are the tools that God gave us, and you wouldn’t want either of them to get rusty from disuse; otherwise there will be Hell to pay later.
Here are some more laws that I’ve found:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
An it harm none, do what ye will.
If anyone harms (others), God will harm him, and if anyone shows hostility to others, God will show hostility to him.
Those actions that you perform, those thoughts that you think, your memories and your intents, are reflected in your spirit (and face, and mind, and even posture); such that others will see you and react to you in ways that depend on your past actions, your thoughts, and your memories. That which you cast out onto the waters (good and bad), will return to you many-fold.
The most excellent Jihad (struggle) is that for the conquest of self.
Do with these laws what you will.
Namaste.
Posted by Edwin at July 14, 2008 11:38 AM