What the God debate is really about

[Whateverist]

During my time of following Christianty, I felt like my prayer life was as essential as food and water. I actually viewed my faith at that time as being built on objective truth. Until I learned it wasn't.

Thanks for posting this; it brings back some memories for me. Some of them good.

To add, going with what you're saying here and the theme of the thread, my perception of things back then, was my truth. And so I wonder. Is our perception of life, "our" truth? And is it wrong for want of a better word, to live in two worlds, simultaneously? A physical world and a spiritual one? For me, once I realized religion is built on deception and non truths, I couldn't perceive it as my own personal truth anymore.

"Is it wrong for want of a better word, to live in two worlds, simultaneously? A physical world and a spiritual one?" I don't think it's wrong and some people seem to manage it. If you substitute "subjective" for "spiritual" then I think we all live in both a subjective world and the physical world.

I think there is value in being open to something larger than your conscious mind. Your conscious mind is subject to the filtering of the unconscious mind. Your conscious mind is only one organ of your total self, it isn't the whole show. Far from it. The conscious mind has tremendous responsibilities but it doesn't have all the power. Perhaps it is like an executive officer, given lots of latitude but ultimately subject to being over ruled. The conscious mind has to take into account the wants and needs of all the stake holders which make up the totality of oneself. Do a good job of that and you may experience more lucidity and joie de vie. Screw it up and you can find yourself swimming up river with very little satisfaction for your trouble.

I believe that the gods people commune with feedback on and are animated by aspects of the unconscious mind. This can be a useful and satisfying device for balancing the conscious and unconscious aspects of the self. Of course, if one overloads the prayer interface with loads of dogma it will probably be less useful. To make the whole enterprise more compatible with living in the modern world all one need do is insert the words "as if". It is "as if" I commune with God in prayer; it is "as if" is seek God's guidance; it "as if" I feel God's approval, etc.