COMPARING RELIGIONS
The world of religion is divided into three major areas, the West, East and Middle East. The principle faiths of the West and the Middle East are but variations on the same theme. The East stands apart as truly distinct from the other two. The major religions of the West and the Middle East are Judeo-Christianity (including the weirdness of Hinduism) and Islam respectively, that of the East, Buddhism, in one form or another. Judeo-Christianity is aptly named, since Christianity is nothing but an extension of Judaism. The Christians wholeheartedly embraced Jesus as the Messiah while the Jews just as wholeheartedly demurred. It is not exaggerating in the least to say that Christianity is actually Messianity. The only reason it is called "Christianity" is because the New Testament was written in Greek, and in that language the word for Messiah is Christ. The Muslims do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah either, but they do believe he was a prophet of some kind. It really doesn't matter though. It's like trying to make a distinction about how two different people committed the same crime. The most important thing is that they did the deed, not what weapon they used to do it. So what the hell am I talking about, you ask? Well, it's like this. The major religions of the West and the Middle East share common ground, and when you really think about it, it is some very important common ground. They both insist on the same cosmology. They both believe that the world was made, and being a crafted thing, it logically requires a Crafter, or Maker. They both believe, in other words, that the world is an artifact. The dominant religion of the East does not subscribe to this point of view. The world is not an artifact. It is, instead, something that grew out of the depths of space in much the same way that plants grow out of the ground. Since, in their view, the world was not made, it therefore requires no Maker (with a capital M). Any one with half a brain in their head can easily see that the religious slant of the East is by far the more sensible and logical. It requires no leap of faith with regard to invisible beings, no gods, devils or angels. It simply looks at the world all around us, observes the Way it works and believes that it pretty much works that Way as far as the eye can see, and most likely in places that are beyond the ability of the eye to see. Trees grow out of the earth, clouds grow out of the sky and so on. There is no need to assume that some invisible Being is having some sport, playing some complex game behind the scenes. Such surmising, in fact, seems to verge on a form of insanity. Not to mention the fact that it simply isn't necessary. How does the world work? Just look and see! The bottom line is that in the West (and the Middle East) we have reduced everything to a Being, while in the East it has been reduced to a Principle. Now I don't know about you, but, personally, I'm going with the Principle. Beings have a way of getting messed up in the head. Just take a look at Yahweh and Allah (even Jesus). And we all know what flows down hill. When you see it this way, the existence of so many nut cases in the West and the Middle East becomes perfectly understandable. Everybody is walking around really believing that some Being is looking at them all the time, and when they die they're going to have to come face to face (another confrontational nightmare) with that Being. It's a wonder that every single Christian and Muslim on the planet isn't stark raving mad. But then again, maybe they are. Could it not be argued that believing in invisible beings is a form of psychosis? And isn't psychosis defined as a form of departure from reality? In reality, there are no gods and devils. There is only sky and trees, mountains and oceans and rivers, stars and planets and so on. What the hell. I'm having a bit of a think. I wonder if I could somehow make a case for having all the Christians and Muslims committed? Have every last one of them put in a managed facility somewhere. I'm thinking Pluto might be a good choice. Is True Religion Even Possible? Where Did Everything Come From? The Bible: Why God Had Nothing To Do With It
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