Not long ago, I read an interesting article from “Newsweek” magazine entitled “The Evolution Revolution”. It dealt with how man has evolved over the past 50,000 years or so and what we have now become. In reading it, I had to smile about my own personal evolution. How I perceived God as a child and what She has come to mean to me today. Many years ago as a youth in church, I was taught that humans had only been on this planet for a few thousand years and that the earth itself was just a few thousand years older than mankind. Hmmmmmm…. that doesn’t quite jive with today’s scientific findings of man, who is actually tens of thousands of years old and his ancestors many times that. As man has evolved so has his God. And we see God differently as humans, depending on which part of the world you live in. So, which God is right?

I’m kind of a betting person and I will bet the millions of dollars that I have (okay, not millions, but, all that I have) on my God.

As the years have gone by, God has become more interesting to me. Maybe it’s because I have seen a great change in myself as a person over the past fifty something years of my own life. Cable TV has become my friend for having the “Science” and the “History” channels They do an excellent job in exploring life here on earth and opening the billions of galaxies hurling through deep space. It has opened my mind to the many possibilities that life has to offer, making each day, a day of exploration.

Because of such enlightenment, I am not content to be imprisoned by the shallow standards of todays authoritarians that seek to trap me and all human life in archaic dogma, religious ideologies or governmental chaos. I have grown to understand that I am responsible for my own thinking. The discord we have sewn amongst ourselves in the name of religion is out of control and we are now endangering our own existence more so today than at any other time. We do it by wrongly accusing each other using God.

Take for instance the regarded holy Bible. It contains two defining sections; the Old Testament” and the “New Testament.” It is a book of history and the many interesting stories it contains, gives us an insight into that particular time of humanity in that particular region of the world. What’s become interesting to me, is the many religious zealots of today who quote from it. The intention of each of these ancient writers, was to keep the people of his/her community in line with that tribes belief system of that day. Though many of their thoughts and actions were recorded and can enlighten us, their customs and folklore does not fully encompass and pertain to who we have become today.

Buddhists, Muslims and many other tribal communities did the same thing in other parts the world. Cults and religious orders today, try to use past tribal thinking to condemn others by using the “stories” or statements of the “prophets” of old as the only authority that can speak for God. It’s interesting to note that the meaning or context of these condemnations change, depending on the persons association to what brand of religion or country they belong to.

Israel hates the Palestinians. Different sects of the Muslim faith denounce Christians . Today in the news we see right wing Christians despise Mormons and call them godless, while professing they themselves are from God. Why is it that human beings are the only life form on this planet that seeks the destruction of itself and uses religion and politics to do it?

Hate and bigotry is often the message of religion and the splinter groups they represent within that branch of philosophy. By interpreting any “God” statement differently, you can use it like a weapon against any one you choose to dislike. In America alone, there are over 600 different “Christian” churches, all professing that they are the voice of God.

In the Arab nations, God condemns us as infidels and some of their groups use God falsely to fight holy wars. The God of each tribe differs and people wield Her to destroy and provide themselves with power and position. I don’t buy into this at all.

I gotta tell you though, I like my God. She has remained, since the beginning of time, a wonderful creator and has always offered simple answers and solutions for all of us. But we have been way too busy killing each other to listen. She is the earth and the stars that will continue to nurture life long after we are gone.

Since I am quoting religious dogma myself, there are going to be some who will take exception to what I say. But, I would like to remind all of us about the one rule many often quote, but so very few actually follow; “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This simple request by God is ignored time and time again. We are destroying everything around us, as we hide behind the beauty of this statement. We would rather follow blindly so the few who rule can become more wealthy at any cost. They are the “Royals” and the “Nobles”. We, are the “Serfs.” Time is of the essence to make positive change. We are misusing the resources of this earth and battling one another instead of lifting ourselves to better plane. It is my belief that God is sad because we lack respect for Her creations. We are better than this.

Now, I like a good debate just like the next person, but let’s be real for a moment. If you are going to quote out of any book that seems to support your point of view, you should at least consult the author first to see if She agrees with you. I don’t like it when some one misquotes me or takes my meaning out of context. I think God does too.