What can we deduce from the previous exemples said in the first and second part? First, there are billions of religiously affiliated people and millions that are not. Second, although a third of North Americans are statistically depressed and one in two is divorced, ignorance is bliss, and it’s not mandatory to believe in God in order to lead a proper life. So, what is all the fuss about then?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
That’s the whole point, brothers and sisters. I know how challenging it is to persuade another person about the abstract concept of God and eternal life, but if you could have seen the bigger picture, you would have understood that getting in touch with the force that created us is the only way to live your life to the fullest. Because if God created us in His image and likeness, we have to fight against the limitations with which we were born, as they don’t allow us to reach the depth of our resources. We have feelings and awareness enclosed inside our shell of a body, and the more sensitive we are, the more keenly we feel God. This should be our primary goal, as otherwise, our life will be a hamster wheel—we are born, live, die, and are judged according to our deeds, and then, punishment or not, it all starts again until we raise our awareness to the point at which we begin to “hear,” or rather “feel,” God’s voice. Once that happens, we can finally break this never-ending cycle and follow “the path that will lead us to everlasting life” (Matthew 7:14) until we find the spring that will turn inside us into “rivers of living water” (John 7:38).
At this point, a lot of people wonder: “But how can we attain immortality if we respect God’s words? And what is the point of depriving ourselves of all the pleasure in the world for something so ephemeral?”
Now, I understand no one wants to be deprived of anything and that we are lazy and self-indulgent jerks who like to live in luxury and be constantly pampered. But we are not intended for such a life. We are created to be warriors, to fight for our freedom, and to perfect our spirit. Remember: the downfall of every empire comes when its subjects are so over-satisfied that their value system collapses, and the debauchery becomes their way of life. And this is valid not only for the human. It is a natural law, as you can deduct for the following example:
In the sixties, John B. Calhoun conducted a series of rodent over-population experiments, the last of which was known as Universe 25. He created enclosed spaces in which mice were given unlimited access to food and water, enabling the population to grow, reaching 2200 individuals. The final result was surprising—mouse paradise turned to hell, and within several years, they all died. The rodents “were unable to carry pregnancy to full term or to survive delivery of their litters if they did. An even greater number, after successfully giving birth, fell short in their maternal functions. Among the males, the behavior disturbances ranged from sexual deviation to cannibalism and from frenetic overactivity to a pathological withdrawal from which individuals would emerge to eat, drink, and move about only when other members of the community were asleep. The social organization of the animals showed equal disruption…. By the 600th day, the population was on its way to extinction. Though physically able to reproduce, the mice had lost the social skills required to mate.” (Wikipedia).
“Male counterparts to the non-reproducing females were dubbed the ‘beautiful ones.’ They never engaged in sexual approaches toward females, and they never engaged in fighting, so they had no wound or scar tissue. Thus their pelage remained in excellent condition. Their behavioural repertoire became largely confined to eating, drinking, sleeping and grooming, none of which carried any social implications beyond that represented by contiguity of bodies…” (John B. Calhoun. Death Squared: The Explosive Growth and Demise of a Mouse Population. In: Proceeding of the Royal Society of Medicine, Vol. 86, January 1973, p. 85).
Thus, the rodents turned into “Autistic-like creatures, capable only of the most simple behaviors compatible with physiological survival, emerge out of this process. Their spirit has died (‘the first death’). They are no longer capable of executing the more complex behaviors compatible with species survival. The species in such settings die.” (ibid, p. 86).
Calhoun used in his experiments terms such as “behavioral sink” and “spiritual death,” but although this instructive example was about over-population, I think the key problem here is the abundance of food and water. Thus, I cannot resist drawing a parallel with the Roman Empire, where the patricians were so prone to gluttony that they used feathers to vomit in order to make place for more food. Not to mention the orgies and the “sexual deviations” they were famous for, which gradually led to the destruction of their society. As the saying goes, “From a satiated heart comes the evil.” But do you know what is the most terrible conclusion of the Calhoun experiment is? That I see an overwhelming resemblance to our society. And the similarities are so many that they will be all considered in a separate post.
But for now, let’s return to the previous question: what is the point of depriving ourselves of all the pleasure in the world for something so ephemeral as eternal life?
Well, things are not as ephemeral as they seem, and everything has its own deep reason. Actually, it all boils down to this:
Our primordial task that we must accomplish during our existence is to get rid of the evil referred to in the Scriptures as “The Devil” or “Satan.” It is the creature that dwells inside us, deceives us, makes us blind and stupid, and possesses and manipulates us our entire life. Although this is an almost impossible task, we can achieve it, but we must firmly believe in and pray to God, keep a particular discipline, and apply a specific set of rules, which are a common denominator in all religions.
Nothing new? I can see your disappointment: “No kidding? We’ve heard that one before. Such a waste of time, reading this post for nothing!”
Well, let me tell you something, while paraphrasing Socrates: you know nothing and think that you do know, but I know you know nothing. Because everything is so simple and simultaneously so complicated, and it takes enormous energy and concentration if you want to discover the truth. In order to achieve spiritual perfection (which generally means purifying your soul and becoming more sensitive), you need to accumulate enough ENERGY, as this is the only way to raise your AWARENESS, which will permit you to REALIZE what is going on inside your mind. For this purpose, you need a STRATEGY. You must devise a plan that will help you find your hidden, never-before-used well of energy that has remained sealed inside you all your life. Once that is done, you will understand knowledge, bring miracles into your life, and live in a fairy tale instead of in your present gray, mundane world.
But before we further break down the concepts of awareness, energy, and fighting strategy, we must be firmly convinced that God and the Devil exist. Otherwise, there is no point in continuing. So, let’s open up the great debate once again, but this time seeking evidence aside from the Scriptures and the religious literature mentioned above. And since, according to the Bible: “A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses…” (Deuteronomy 19:15), I will give you at least two testimonies about each topic, coming from sources beyond any human comprehension or scientific explanation.
The first proof of God’s existence: The Seer.
