I have never believed in any god or gods. I do acknowledge the reality of various powers and systems such as nature with all of it's elements systems....science, man's "interface" with nature in progressive explorations.... the cycle of life and death....the force of time....
However, it has always bothered me that so many humans try to fit the complex powers of the universe into some form of god or gods and/or religious dogma and rituals in some pursuit of meaning, safety, security, and morality. That to me seems not only impossible, but a rather limiting and dysfunctional use of human capacities.
Part of the problem is that language is symbolic and thus never the thing that it stands for, which means that language is always limited. The real problem though, is that life and the complexities of the whole of existence is far beyond the powers of any individual or the whole of humanity. Maybe that is why some are so tempted to latch onto some concept of something called god or some collection of beings called gods. Humanity has the capacity for great exploration and creativity - the idea of god and gods flattens, chains, and renders impotent such powerful potential.
However, it has always bothered me that so many humans try to fit the complex powers of the universe into some form of god or gods and/or religious dogma and rituals in some pursuit of meaning, safety, security, and morality. That to me seems not only impossible, but a rather limiting and dysfunctional use of human capacities.
Part of the problem is that language is symbolic and thus never the thing that it stands for, which means that language is always limited. The real problem though, is that life and the complexities of the whole of existence is far beyond the powers of any individual or the whole of humanity. Maybe that is why some are so tempted to latch onto some concept of something called god or some collection of beings called gods. Humanity has the capacity for great exploration and creativity - the idea of god and gods flattens, chains, and renders impotent such powerful potential.