Birth, Death, & Consciousness

 Birth, Death, & Consciousness

Just imagine life all starts with a sperm and egg

Multiple choices become apparent

But all results favor only one combination

It’s amazing how we come to be

But when was our true beginning?

Life originated through the One Universal Spirit

That’s how people and things eventually took form

From this point all living and non-living beings began

And religions paint multi-faceted pictures of this account

But which faith gives the best explanation?

In the West and the East beliefs differ

And are based on science and religion

From beginning to end science has defined birth and death -

From the sperm and egg to the absence of brain waves

But when does life really begin and end?

In the Christian faith Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit

And was able to conceive their Savior Jesus Christ

While in the East - Hinduism and Buddhism

Based their teachings on reincarnation –

Living in former lives with birth and rebirth

But it appears everything originates from Spirit

Matter is never destroyed but recycled

So people and all livings things eventually end up after death as One Reality

And being part of the cycle in the Universal Soup once again

From their natural origins the genesis of all things are from Spirit

In the end all living things will merge

And be collective consciousness with the One Universal Spirit

 

    

   

A Future with Dialysis

My health is failing

But I have had a long and beautiful ride

This reality is the inevitable course of all life

For there’s a season for everything

Day follows night

While the seasons come and go

All these realities are reflected in one’s life.

At pivotal junctions my decline has been gradual

At 60 my doctor told me my kidneys were sluggish

This was around my birthday in the month of June

So I also celebrated this news with friends at an Italian restaurant

There began my first experience with chronic renal failure

And my determination to keep this disease at bay

Since then I was living with this affliction caused by Lithium

For over 15 years I’ve watched my lab work with concern

At times the results gave me hope that I wouldn’t need dialysis

But now it looks as though this would be the case.

I have no regrets for I have had a long ride doing what I enjoy

But the Universal Spirit knows best as I sync with nature

It looks as though by the time I get there I’ll be fully used up

For over the years I suffered with manic depression, high blood pressure,

Unitary Tract Infection, diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration,

And has been the recipient of a pacemaker

Frankly I don’t expect healing from the Universal Spirit

For I have been profoundly blessed in many unexpected ways

Over the years my physical decline has been gradual

And I have grappled with each health problem

With the challenges of living a sensible lifestyle

I pray for only good results from all suffering as I reflect

On the syncing process with nature

But only God really knows how soon my end will be.

Read my autobiography entitled, Life’s Passages: From Guyana to America available for further insights into my life available @   https://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Erwin-K.-Thomas/e/B015RQGL2W

   

Religions & Beliefs

Essence of Religions & Beliefs

Who is God?

God is the Universal Spirit, infinite, and unchangeable in wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.  S/he is predictable, unpredictable, and mysterious.  People are the crown of God’s jewels in the Universe.  So it’s for us to protect, and care for all living, and non-living entities on Mother Earth.

Where is God?

God appears to be in and outside of nature. S/he’s in the trillions of the heavenly constellations and galaxies e.g., the sun, moon, and stars. S/he’s spirit and what people see on planet earth e.g., of the landscape, oceans, rivers, and streams. Its clear God speaks via the creation of all living and non-living beings e.g., humans, animals, insects, trees, plants, vines, and structures of different dimensions. But S/he’s also possibly outside of nature. Theologians, philosophers, and scientists have failed to determine where exactly, is this ubiquitous nature. No words could fully describe where God really is. Intuitively, people are able to speculate where S/he could be, by looking at the manifestations of this vast Universe. But this exercise is still inadequate.

What Is Religion?

Religion means different things to believers.

To some it may be a church, temple, or mosque, but to others it may be any group worshiping their God or gods in unique ways.

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

Dalai Lama (b. 1935), the current Dalai Lama

How do believers view their religion?

Believers generally have definite objectives which they think their religion offers.  Whether they know it as a baptismal rite, belief in a Savior or Saviors, and salvation of their souls – from sect to sect, these beliefs may vary considerably. 

Whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline, that's important. Self-discipline with awareness of consequences.

Dalai Lama (b. 1935), the current Dalai Lama

I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line.

Lucille Ball (1911–1989), an actress and comedian

It is my goal to love everyone. I hate no one. Regardless of their race, religion, their proclivities, the desire of their heart and how they want to live their life and the decisions that they make. I can even respect people's decisions and lifestyle choices just as I hope they have the courtesy to respect my decisions and my choices.

Kirk Cameron (b. 1970), an actor

I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.

Khalil Gibran (1883–1931), a Lebanese-American writer

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.

Buddha (563 or 480 BC–483 or 400 BC), an Indian religious leader

We must seek the loving-kindness of God in all the breadth and open-air of common life.

George A. Smith (1817–1875), a leader of the Latter Day Saint movement

What are some beliefs of religions?

Teachings vary among religions.  Beliefs refer to attitudes towards mythological, supernatural, and/or spiritual emphases. But regardless how believers regard these, there lie at their religions’ heart some universal truths.

I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity.

B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956), an Indian jurist

Human rights is a universal standard. It is a component of every religion and every civilization.

Shirin Ebadi (b. 1947), an Iranian lawyer

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.

Martin Luther (1483–1546), a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation

Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams - they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do - they all contain truths.

Muhammad Ali (1942–2016), a professional boxer

The truth is that killing innocent people is always wrong - and no argument or excuse, no matter how deeply believed, can ever make it right. No religion on earth condones the killing of innocent people; no faith tradition tolerates the random killing of our brothers and sisters on this earth.

Feisal Abdul Rauf (b. 1948), an Egyptian American Sufi imam

All religions and all communities have the same rights, and it is my responsibility to ensure their complete and total protection. My government will not tolerate or accept any discrimination based on caste, creed and religion.

Narendra Modi (b. 1950), a Prime Minister of India

What part does music play in religions?

All religions have some sort of music.  This ranges from being secular to the sacred.  By chanting, and singing with the accompaniment of instruments believers participate in praising their God or gods.

Music is one of the most powerful things the world has to offer. No matter what race or religion or nationality or sexual orientation or gender that you are, it has the power to unite us.

Lady Gaga (b. 1986), a singer

Can a religion change beliefs?

Throughout the ages there have been wars fanned by religious beliefs.  In contemporary times there were atrocities spurned by intolerance - like the case of present-day Sri Lanka with 7% Christian.  Yet religions teach people to love, and live in harmony.

Religious wars are not caused by the fact that there is more than one religion, but by the spirit of intolerance... the spread of which can only be regarded as the total eclipse of human reason.

Montesquieu (1689–1755), a French political philosopher

In the long term we can hope that religion will change the nature of man and reduce conflict. But history is not encouraging in this respect. The bloodiest wars in history have been religious wars.

Richard M. Nixon (1913–1994), a president of the United States

Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

Karl Marx (1818–1883), a German philosopher

Why do unknown questions arise with religions?

Some passages in sacred texts contradict each other.  At times statements about natural phenomena are not scientifically supported.  Often mythical stories are used to explain spiritual events, and questions arise.  These leave religious leaders and their followers unsure of the meanings of these passages.  Theologians, scientists, and philosophers interpret these religious doctrines by giving diverse explanations, but problems with their interpretations remain.  

God is a metaphor for that which transcends all levels of intellectual thought. It’s as simple as that.

Joseph Campbell (1904–1987), a professor of literature

Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.

Pope John Paul II (1920–2005), a head of the Catholic Church

If one has the answer to all the questions - that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble.

Pope Francis (b. 1936), a head of the Catholic Church

Christians' Belief

Since the fall of Adam and Eve people have faced quite a dilemma, but Christ’s dying on the cross at Calvary saved us. Our first parents’ failure led to the fall of humanity.  Moral evil (sin) entered the world and since then we’ve lived in a state of alienation from God.  This came about as the result of the betrayal of trust in the Garden of Eden.  With this betrayal people were saddled with a toxic and malignant power.  The core of sin is disbelief, and hardness of heart that has blighted us.  Believers have therefore made bad choices, but God wants us to reverse course.  Franz Wright (b. 1953), a poet wrote, “I am in no way different from anyone else, that my predicament, my sense of loneliness or isolation may be precisely what unites me with everyone else.”  Wright reflected this plight.

State of Enmity

Repercussions followed mankind’s fall, and there’s a lack of reconciliation with God.  Many individuals now worship false idols, and their consumption has become a standard.  With the propensity to sin we are afflicted, and we are struck with evils of all sorts.  With misplaced allegiances we have unwittingly become willing accomplices of evil.  Thomas Sydenham (1624–1689), an English author and physician said, “Lastly, he must remember that he himself hath no exemption from the common lot, but he is bound by the same laws of mortality, and liable to the same ailments and afflictions with his fellows.”  Thus we all bear this burden.

Alienation

Presently some are living with souls weighed down, tormented, and corrupted.  But in pursuing evil we might be lost. For its through salvation souls are saved.  By being separated from God people live in a state of enmity with him.  They are those who have fallen short of his glory.  The bible teaches “... the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23).  Eugene Ionesco (1909–1994), a Romanian playwright wrote, “There is no religion in which everyday life is not considered a prison; there is no philosophy or ideology that does not think that we live in alienation.”  Ionesco recognized this problem. 

Broken Relationships

It’s for us to do something about corruption - for Jesus is our new Adam.  He alone can expiate our guilt, and heal our souls.  Only he can cleanse our corrupt nature, and save us from eternal punishment.  Evil has led to moral and spiritual bondage.  Only Christ could wipe away our negative, and defeated thoughts.  Chuck Palahniuk (b. 1962), a novelist and freelance journalist said, “Find joy in everything you choose to do.  Every job, relationship, home … it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.”  Palahniuk believed the way people must change was by embracing a new attitude of love when pursuing peace, and the truth.       

         

The Natural Universe

People regard the Natural Universe in different ways.  Many believers feel God is immanent (in nature), some say He’s transcendent (outside of nature); yet others hold Him to be omnipresent as a Universal, or Eternal Spirit.  The poem which follows addresses such an experience as the writer was “Sitting on the porch watching the world go by….”  In amazement he saw, “The Soul of Eternal Spirit” gluing all elements manifested in life together.    

The Soul of Eternal Spirit

Sitting on the porch watching the world go by

Lots of familiar things I didn’t notice before

Large rocks just lounging around

With leaves on trees fluttering in the breeze

And geese strolling idly by in pairs

But what delighted me most

Was how majestic everything seemed

A mild wind blew intermittently

With birds on tree tops chirping melodiously

And flowering plants enjoying the spectacle

Across the way stood a sparkling lake

And the street reflected the summer heat

But today no neighbors were mulling around

This was the True Essence of Life

Just the Universal Spirit gluing everything together

Although the huge brown rocks stood still

As the branches of trees swayed in the breeze

With an occasional truck and car passing by

The Divine Presence could clearly be felt

Yes! And it had a message,

“My Presence isn’t a person – man, woman, or child.

This is The Soul of Eternal Spirit speaking.”