GOD
Throughout human history there has existed in the majority of people a belief in some power, existence, a logical presence beyond human existence, a God (or gods). During at least the past few thousand years there has appeared in many cultures a belief in a God who is good, a God who wants human beings to do that which is good. Those who have completed their search of their heart, mind, and soul, know and understand love. Those who have completed their search know and understand in their heart, mind, and soul that it is good for people to love each other. Many believe that a God exists who gave us the love that is in our heart, mind, and souls. Many believe that a God exists who wants people to do that which is good, to love each other.
This belief in a God who wants people to love each other has its roots in intuitive feelings of humankind, in messages of prophets, and for those who believe in Jesus, in the word of God. There will always be arguments that the messages are messages made up by the messengers, yet from all that we have discussed, from all that those who have completed their search know and understand about love, it seems that if God does exist the message from him would be for us to love one another, precisely what we are told it is.
There is, I believe, in most of us a feeling that perhaps God does exist. That feeling may be insight, or it may be the result of a collective deep seeded desperation in human beings to be more than doomed animals. We will not know until our death, the definitive answer forever prohibited us by the limits imposed by our being no more than a part of that which we seek to explore. We are forbidden the ultimate knowledge, leaving us forever poised at the point where faith must take over if we are to believe in the existence of God.
Perhaps the "logical" selections that appear to take place in nature cannot be explained by physical processes, but rather represent actions taken by some indescribable presence, God, perhaps not. If our intuitive feelings and the calculations that support them are correct, then the complex low entropy universe in which we live cannot be the result of random chance, a universe which we are told by science literally exploded out of the head of a pin, a universe that supports complex living organisms which exhibit remarkable levels of consciousness.
Furthermore, we are confronted with the ultimate “Why?” There is no objective way to logically deduce why the laws that govern the universe are as they are, why matter and energy exist at all, why there is more than nothing? Those who truly understand the question why know that the very first matter and energy to appear in the universe cannot be the source of the creation of that matter and energy. Nor does it do any good to say that matter and energy were not created and have always existed, for that begs the question why do they exist, and invites the question why would probability be rendered meaningless by the formation of a low entropy universe out of that matter and energy?
Self-assembling systems form organized structures out of pre-existing disordered components, those who believe that the universe self-assembled cannot get past the ultimate question why pre-existing components were created and existed in the first place, and for that matter the question how an infinitesimally small phase space was selected to achieve low entropy. If we are honest with ourselves, the only possible answer we can construct from objective observations based on current scientific knowledge as to why the low entropy universe in which we live exists, is that it was designed and created to be as it is. If a Creator does not exist then the logical conclusion is that the low entropy universe in which we live would not exist, and we could not exist.
It seems to me, no matter what their predisposition's are toward the existence of God, future generations of scientists will find themselves faced with the necessity of postulating an intelligence which somehow directs natural events. Of course, scientific theories would not prove nor disprove the existence of God, for if God exists it appears that he has not chosen to reveal that fact in an objective, scientifically observable, manner. We simply cannot scientifically prove God does or does not exist. We may "believe" that God exists, yet rather than belief, is the existence of God something we should have "faith in"?
As we have said, having faith something is true is far more than believing it is true. Faith comes from your heart, mind, and soul, it is beyond adequate definition. We can say that those who have faith accept as true what they choose to believe is true, at least until proven beyond doubt to be untrue. Yet if you realize what it means to say that nothing can be totally proved or disproved, then what you choose to have faith in is in fact what you choose to accept as true for the rest of your life. What you have faith in is not simply what you believe to be true, but rather what you choose to believe is true because in your heart, mind, and soul, you want it to be true. You decide what you will have faith in, what you want to be true if anything at all is true. Having faith that something is true does not make it true, if it is not true, it is not true. Yet if what you have faith in is in fact true, it is true, period.
Why should you have faith God exists? If the message about God had been that he wanted wars or sacrifices or other manner of destruction, then there would be little reason to have faith in him. But the message was and is that God wants every human being to do that which is good. The message was and is that God wants every human being to love every other human being.
In our heart, mind, and soul we know and understand love. In our heart, mind, and soul we know and understand that it is "good" for each of us to love each other. If you have not completed your search of your heart, mind, and soul, if you do not yet understand that it is good to love each other, if you do not yet understand that we can and should do that which is good, then you will find it very difficult to find a reason to have faith in the existence of God. But if you have searched your heart, mind, soul, your very being, and know and understand love, you should find it worth having faith that a God exists who wants all people to do that which is good, a God who wants all people to love each other. For if God exists he exists, period.
What is God like if he exists? In your heart, mind, and soul you know and understand that if God exists, God is good. Why do we say that if God exists, God is good? In your heart, mind, and soul, you know and understand that if a presence greater than all else in this universe, a Supreme Being, God, exists, God is good. In your heart, mind, and soul, you know and understand that the love that is in your heart, mind, and soul is good. In your heart, mind, and soul, you know and understand that if a Supreme Being, God exists, then it is that Supreme Being, God, who has given you the love that is in your heart, mind, and soul.
If you do not want evil to have power over good, if you do not want evil to fill the world instead of good, I cannot imagine why you would not choose to have absolute faith that if the presence greater than all else in this universe, the Supreme Being, God, exists, God is good. Whether you believe that God exists or does not exist, if you do not want to reject good and embrace evil, if you are not against good, you should have absolute faith that if God exists, God is good. There is absolutely no reason not to have absolute faith that if God exists, God is good. I have absolute faith that if God exists, God is good. You can and should have absolute faith that if God exists, God is good.
Saying that if God exists, God is good, does not "prove" that God exists, it does not even say that God exists. It says that if God exists, God is good, period. It says that if God exists, God is good, and that he wants each and every person to do that which is good. Even if you do not believe that God exists, or you are not sure what the "good" is that God would have us do in this world, in your heart, mind, and soul you know and understand that if God exists, God is good.
In our heart, mind, and soul, each of us knows and understands that if God exists, God is good. In our heart, mind, and soul, each of us knows and understands that if God exists, God wants every human being to do that which is good. The question is not "If God exists what would God have us do?", for in our heart, mind, and soul we know and understand that God would have us do that which is good. The question is, if God exists "What is the good that God would have us do?”
I have almost absolute faith that every human being who has completed their search of their heart, mind, and soul, knows and understands the love that is in their heart, mind, and soul. I have almost absolute faith that every human being who knows and understands the love that is in their heart, mind, and soul, knows and understands that it is good for each and every human being to love each and every other human being. I have almost absolute faith that every human being who has completed their search of their heart, mind, and soul, and who knows and understands the love that is in their heart, mind, and soul, knows and understands that if God exists God would have each and every human being love each and every other human being.
When I say I have absolute faith, I am saying that what I have absolute faith in is absolutely true, period. Why, instead of saying that I have absolute faith, do I say that I have "almost absolute" faith that God would have each and every human being love each and every other human being? It is because I recognize that I am not good. I am a small part of the whole, and I cannot know anything with absolute certainty unless the whole has revealed it to me in a manner that no one could question. I do not believe that I should have absolute faith in anything except that if God exists, God is good, and absolute faith in all that follows from that absolute truth. I may be wrong, perhaps God has already revealed to us that he exists and that we can and should love each and every human being. Yet I am not certain that God has revealed this truth to us.
When I say that God would have us love each and every human being, I am making a statement that goes beyond saying that if we do that which God would have us do we will do that which is good. Even though I have almost absolute faith that God would always have each and every human being love each and every other human being, I cannot say that I have absolute faith that this is true. I cannot be "absolutely" certain that I am right. If we lived in a world where every human being chose to do God’s will, it seems clear that each and every human being would love each and every other human being. Yet it appears that the world we live in will continue to be a world where many people choose not to love as God would have them love, and where some people choose to totally reject God.
There are many people in this world who choose to do physical harm to other people. I have almost absolute faith that God would always have us love our “neighbor” even if they are our enemy and would do physical harm to us, yet I am not absolutely certain that I am right. Perhaps there are times when God would have us do physical harm to a neighbor to prevent them from doing physical harm to another neighbor? Furthermore, I am not absolutely certain how God would have us treat those who totally reject him, perhaps they are not our “neighbors", perhaps God would not have us love them (we discuss this possibility later)?
With the understanding that our “neighbors” may not include those who have totally rejected God, I have “almost absolute faith”, not “absolute faith”, that if God exists, God would have us love each and every one of our neighbors each and every moment of our lives. I have “almost absolute” faith that God would always have us love our neighbor, however, since I am not good, I do not have “absolute” faith that this is true.
After you complete your search of your heart, mind, and soul, and know and understand the love that God has given us, perhaps you may believe that I am wrong about what the good is that God would have us do. I have absolute faith that if God exists, God would have each and every one of us do that which is good. To find the answer to the question what is the good that God would have us do, you must use the knowledge and understanding of what God would have you do that you find in your heart, mind, and soul. Whatever the answer you find is, you must be absolutely certain that it is based on the true, pure, real, love that, if God exists, God has given you in your heart, mind, and soul.
Some people who believe that God does not exist, believe that human beings can do good even in a universe where there is no God. Is it possible that they are right? If human beings want to do good, can they do good if God does not exist?
We have concluded that it appears that no rational theory provides us with a singular physical consciousness which continues to exist after physical death, so that a single physical "me" continues to exist after my death in my physical “past”. We said that if we do not have a singular physical or non-physical consciousness that continues to exist after physical death, then those who believe in nihilism are probably correct, and some type of "nihilistic" void awaits all of us. It may be a true void, like the void that preceded our birth, or it may be a very strange void where billions of "me" merely co-exist. Whatever physical form it might take, it would seem to satisfy the definition of a "meaningless" void.
After many years of thought I reached the conclusion that if we do not survive the grave, then the most logical deduction is that after our physical death we have no meaningful past, present, or future. I may be wrong, but I think I am right (if you don't fully understand what we are saying please reread the note "Who Will You Be When You No Longer Are?"). If there is no life after physical death, then it seems clear to me that on our physical death our life is in fact consumed by "nothing", and our life is meaningless. If there is no life after death, neither life nor love nor good nor bad have any real meaning for human beings.
If physical death annihilates our physical past, present, and future, then our life has meaning and purpose and value only if after our physical death our consciousness continues to exist in a non-physical life. We cannot prove that we continue, or do not continue, to exist after our physical death. Indeed there may be no life after death, and your life may have no meaning and value. Yet if there is a life after death, then you will continue to experience a non-physical existence after your physical death, and your life does in fact have meaning and value.
If God exists, God is good. If God exists, perhaps God gives each of us a non-physical life after death, so that our life both before and after physical death has meaning and value. If God in some manner beyond human comprehension grants existence to human beings, even after the death of their bodies, then and only then life becomes more than a brief, isolated event. Then, and only then, life and love have meaning and purpose, we can do that which is good, and life is worth living.
Is it possible that even if God does not exist, there may be a non-physical life after death that gives meaning and value to our life? The intuitive answer seems to be no. I cannot imagine a human spirit that survives death if there is no presence beyond life other than human spirits, if there is no Spirit greater than the human soul. I do not believe that the only non-physical presence in the universe can be the human soul. I intuitively believe that if there is no Spirit greater than the human spirit, then there is no human soul, and we do in fact cease to exist on our death.
If there is no non-physical Spirit greater than the human soul, if there is no God, it makes no sense to conclude that a physical being born into our physical world has at birth, or somehow develops, a non-physical soul. I can see no possible way that a physical human being, who is a tiny part of an unimaginably huge universe, can survive physical death if there is no Spirit, no God, to grant that "physical being", in some manner and fashion beyond our understanding, a non-physical soul and life. It somehow seems intuitively true that without God there would be no reason to believe that we possess a "consciousness" that continues to exist beyond the death of our bodies, no reason to have hope that after our death we may live forever in a non-physical world. Even though it cannot be proven, it seems intuitively clear that if God does not exist then there is no life after death.
Similarly, it seems intuitively clear that if God does not exist there is no "heaven", no life after death that is good. It is intuitively impossible for me to imagine the existence of a life after death in a heaven where there is no Spirit greater than the human soul, where God is not present. I cannot imagine a heaven filled with perfect love that is "created" or "sustained" by imperfect human souls, who during their physical lives repeatedly fail to choose love. It would seem that only God, the One who is good, the One who is perfect, the One who loves with perfect love, could forgive human sins so that heaven would be filled with love. I cannot imagine a heaven filled with real, true, pure, love without the presence in heaven of One who loves with perfect love, without the presence of One who is good. Without the presence of God who loves with perfect love, I cannot envision a heaven where human beings share real, true, pure, love. I cannot "prove" anything to be true, yet it seems intuitively clear that if God does not exist, there is no heaven.
I simply do not believe that there is a life after death in a heaven filled with love if God, the One who is good, the One who is perfect, the One who loves with perfect love, does not exist. It would seem that without God each of us ceases to exist on the day of our death, annihilating our past, present, and future. It somehow seems intuitively true that without God, good and love and life are empty ideas that live and die with each human being.
If you are not yet willing to have faith in the existence of God, is nihilism necessarily what you must accept as being true? We concluded that if there is no non-physical life after death, then it appears that physical death consumes our physical past, present, and future. Yet we also concluded that there is no reason to reject the possibility that each of us has some kind of permanent physical or non-physical consciousness. There is absolutely no logical reason whatsoever to reject the possibility that nihilism may be false! There is no reason whatsoever not to search for an alternative to nihilism, to explore the possibility of a permanent physical or non-physical consciousness, to search for a reason for living. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever not to live for the possibility, however remote you may believe it to be, that life has meaning and value.
Perhaps God has "revealed" to all or some of us that he exists. Yet even if God has not "revealed" this to you, he has given you the choice to have faith or not to have faith that he exists. Why should you have faith that God exists? We have said that we should have absolute faith that if God exists God is good, and we should have absolute faith that God would have us do that which is good. Should we have faith that God exists because if God exists, God is good? I believe the answer to that question is that if we want to do good, we should have faith that God exists. If we want good to exist and have meaning, if we want to do that which is good, we should have faith that the Supreme Being, God, exists.
Should we love God because if God exists, God is good? If we want to do that which is good, the answer is yes. We have concluded that if God does not exist, good and love and life are meaningless and have no value. If love among people is good and meaningful and has purpose, it is good and meaningful and has purpose only if God exists and only because of God. It should be clear to all who want to do that which is good that they should have faith that God exists, and that they should love God, the One who is good. It should be clear to all who believe that loving people is good, and who want to love their neighbor, that they should have faith in God, and love God, the One who is good, the One alone who gives meaning and purpose and value to love and to life.
If God makes it good for us to love each other in this life and in a world after death, and thus makes life worth living, then his existence alone gives us hope. It is right to have faith in God and to love God, the One who is good. It is right to have faith in God and to love God, for without him love would be no more than one of many emotions that die with those who embrace them. Without God each of us would cease to exist, making all the love we gave and received during our lifetimes empty and totally useless. Without God love would be destroyed by physical death and life would have absolutely no meaning or purpose. Without God, good and life and love have no meaning, or purpose, or value. Without God there would be no reason for living.
When you complete your search of your heart, mind, and soul, you will know and understand that you should have faith in God and love God because God is good. When you complete your search of your heart, mind, and soul, you will know and understand love, and you will know and understand that you should have faith in God and love God because God gives meaning and purpose to love and to life. You will know and understand that the existence of God gives meaning and value to a "good" life on earth, and gives us hope for a "good" life after death. You should love God for making life worth living by giving us love in this world, and by giving us hope for a world after death that is filled with love.
If God exists, God is good. You should love God with the greatest love you can give. I have absolute faith that if you love God you should love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength. You should love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength, for God alone makes it meaningful and right and good for us to love him and to love each other. You should love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength, for God alone gives us hope that if we love him and love each other we will live forever in a joyous communion of love. If you love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength, you have chosen to do that which you can do, you can do no more, you should do no less. If you love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength, you will do what God wants you to do, you will love your neighbor as yourself.
Even though many believe that God has already spoken to us, and that we have not listened, why does God not speak directly to each and every one of us and tell us that he exists? Perhaps God has not revealed to us that he exists in a manner that no one could question, and has instead caused the observable physical universe to appear to follow deterministic laws, because he does not want us to know with absolute certainty that he does exist. Perhaps if we knew for an absolute fact that God exists, we would not choose to do God's will because we choose to love God and our neighbors, rather we would choose to do God's will to avoid punishment. Perhaps God has not revealed to us that he exists so that we may have the free will choice to have faith that God exists, and the free will choice to love God and our neighbors, or not.
Why does God give us a choice to love or not to love? Why would God not create all of us in such a way that we must love as God would have us love? Why not require all people to do to others what they would have others do to them? Perhaps the answer is that if evil did not exist, then not only would human beings not have a choice to do that which is bad, they would not have a choice to do that which is good. Perhaps if during our life on earth we could not do that which is evil, if at some point in our physical existence we did not have the free will choice to do that which is good or not, we simply could not do that which is good. Perhaps to do good during our physical lives, we must have the choice to do that which is good or do that which is evil, because it is our choice that determines whether we do good or evil. Perhaps if we are to do that which is good, before we act we must choose to do good instead of evil.
We have completed a full circle back to the question, what is the meaning and purpose of life, yet it has become the question, should we believe God exists and have faith in him and love him? We have suggested that the reason we should have faith in and love God is because if God exists, God is good, he wants us to love him and to love each other, and he gives meaning and purpose to life and love. A "why not" argument can be made that if God does not exist nihilists are probably right and death is the end, but since God might exist we should do what he would want us to do or we might end up tortured in some form of eternal punishment. That play it safe logic sounds good in theory, yet it leaves us with a feeling that those who love to avoid punishment don't really love at all. If we are to have faith in God, and love as he would have us love, we must choose to love him because we want to love as he would have us love, not because we want to avoid the consequences of not loving.
After you have searched your heart, mind, and soul and know and understand love, you must choose whether or not to believe that there is nothing in the world better than people loving other people. If you truly know and understand love I believe you will agree if anything in life is worth living for, love is worth living for. If you agree love is worth living for, and if love has meaning only if God exists, then you must choose whether or not to live for the one hope for human beings, that God exists. You should not have faith in God because you want to avoid eternal punishment. You should have faith in God and love God, because God is good. You should have faith in God and love God because you want to do that which is good, you want to love God and your neighbor.
If we love as God would have us love, what will happen to us after our physical death? Think about the real, true, pure, love you found when you searched your heart, mind, and soul, and you will know and understand what love in heaven would be like. I have absolute faith that if God exists, and if there is a heaven, then if we choose to do God's will, we will live forever in heaven in the presence of God, the One alone who is good. After one moment in heaven, we will know that every single moment of our existence, for the rest of eternity, will be filled with the joy of real, true, pure love. We will know that our entire being will be totally filled with real, true, pure love, forever. All the illness, pain, and sorrow we experienced during our life on earth will vanish completely. In an instant, memories of even the worst tortures that happened to us before our death will be overwhelmed by the love that surrounds us, and will "disappear" forever. We will exist in the presence of real, true, pure, perfect love, forever. We will exist in the presence of God.
If the existence of God is your one hope for an eternal life of love, and if you believe love is good, and if you want to love your neighbor, you will choose to have faith in God and to love God, the One who is good. If you want to love your neighbor, you will choose to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, for without God your desire to love any person is an empty dream that ends at the grave. If you love God you will do what he wants you to do, you will love your neighbor as God would have you love, you will love your neighbor as yourself. To love God and your neighbor is right and good, it gives meaning and purpose to life, it makes life worth living.
Answers to the many questions life poses may now be found by those who truly know and understand love. Yet knowing the answers does not mean you will choose love. If you believe love is good, you must decide whether or not you want to love. The alternatives to faith in God and to love are tempting. Many, if not most, people will choose them.
Just as it is your choice to love people or not to love people, it is your choice to love God or not to love God. The choice is yours, and yours alone. I can only hope you choose, every single moment of your lives, to have faith in God and to love as he would have you love. I truly believe if you know and understand love and want to do good, you will choose to love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and you will choose to love your neighbor as yourself. This is the complete answer to all questions.
I have absolute faith that if God exists, God is good. I have absolute faith that if God exists, God is perfect. I have absolute faith that if God exists, it is God’s will that each and every one of us do that which is good. If God exists, it is God’s will that each and every one of us be perfect. If you do God’s will, you will love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and you will love your neighbor as yourself.
What about traditional religious beliefs, Christian theology and doctrine, baptism, sainthood, communion, all the beliefs and observances generations have cherished. What role do they play in our discussion of love? We have said love is a basic, profound part of each and every person's being. We have stated that if you are willing to know and understand love you will know and understand it. We have said that love is good and life has meaning only if God exists. We have said that if God exists he wants you to love him and love your neighbor. We have said that if you want to do good you will choose to have faith in God and love as he would have you love. If you do so you will be doing the best you can do, you will be loving now and living with hope for a joyful eternal life.
So what does this say to us about baptism, positions on church doctrines, participation in organized religion, beliefs about the nature of Jesus, etc? Must we address each of these questions before loving God and our neighbor? If you understand love, the answer is clear that if you choose to love God and your neighbor, you will do the best you can do. You will do the best you can do to do that which you should do. That is all you can do. If you choose to love God, you will decide what role organized religion, and church doctrines and philosophies, will play in your life. If you choose to love God and your neighbor, every decision you make will be determined by that love. If you choose to love God and your neighbor, all you do will be governed and controlled by love.
If you think about it for a few minutes, you should realize that if you love God and your neighbor you will in every instance do the best you can to do what is right. That is all you can do, that is all God requires. Certainly loving God means you will help your neighbors when they are in need of help. Perhaps you will decide that if you love God you must be baptized and observe communion, perhaps not. Perhaps you will decide loving God requires you to make many changes in your religious beliefs, perhaps not. When you choose to love God and your neighbor, every choice you make will be made out of love. It is the choice to love God as he would have you love him, and out of that love to love people as he would have you love them, that is the one important choice, all other choices will be governed by that one profound decision. To love God and our neighbor as God would have us love is the complete answer to all our questions.
Some two thousand years before the writing of these notes, a man named Jesus said to all who would listen that God gave these commandments to all people, including you, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."
When asked who is my "neighbor", Jesus replied, "A man was on his way from Jerusalem down to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. It so happened that a priest was going down by the same road; but when he saw him, he went past on the other side. So too a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him he went past on the other side. But a Samaritan who was making the journey came upon him, and when he saw him he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, bathing them with oil and wine. Then he lifted him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him there. The next day he took out two silver pieces and gave them to the innkeeper, and said, take care of him; and if you spend any more, I will repay you on my way back. Which of these three do you think was neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" The questioner answered, "the one who showed him kindness." Jesus said, "go and do likewise."
Who is your neighbor? With the possible exception of those who have totally rejected love (we discuss later the possibility that people who have committed the eternal sin are not our neighbors), every person who loves you, every person who hates you, every enemy, every stranger, people of every continent, people of every race, every single human being in the entire world, everyone, is your neighbor. Jesus said that all who "keep the commandments" will live forever, continuing to exist after physical death in a state of never-ending joy.
Who was, and/or is, Jesus? Many people differ in who they believe Jesus to be. Many believe Jesus is the Son of God. There are many, many different beliefs as to what it means to say Jesus is God's son. Some believe Jesus was God incarnate. Other people believe Jesus was a prophet, given knowledge by God of the nature and meaning of life. Still others believe Jesus was a wise man with great insight into human existence. Some do not understand, or have not completely agreed with, what Jesus said, and therefore have thought little about who he is or was. I cannot scientifically prove that any one of the answers given to questions about Jesus is the true answer, that one or more of the answers are partially true, or that none truly answer the questions.
Many people believe that Jesus and God are One, and that you must accept Jesus as God before you can know God and love God. In the Gospel of John we are told that Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. .."; Luke says that Jesus said "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."; Matthew tells us that Jesus said "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven."; and John tells us Jesus said; "The Father and I are One.".
I believe that even if you have not decided who you believe Jesus is, you can and should love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself, and that out of that love you will choose to believe, and have faith in, what your heart, mind, and soul leads you to believe or have faith about Jesus. If you do not believe or have faith that Jesus and God are One, and if Jesus and God are One, then if you can and do love God perhaps you are loving Jesus, and God will forgive you for not having believed and had faith that Jesus and God are One, perhaps not. Perhaps it is possible for you not to believe or have faith that Jesus and God are One and at the same time not to believe or have faith that Jesus and God are not One, and if Jesus and God are One, perhaps God will forgive you if you can and do love God, perhaps not (the last two sentences are complex, you may need to give them some additional thought). Perhaps, if Jesus and God are One, to love God you must first have faith that Jesus and God are One, and you must love Jesus. As we have said before, since we cannot know anything with absolute certainty unless the whole has revealed it to us, the best we can do is have faith, or not, that Jesus and God are One (many have faith that God has already revealed to us that Jesus and God are One).
You must answer for yourself the question of who Jesus was, and is. You may choose to believe, and have faith in, what your heart, mind, and soul leads you to believe about Jesus. Perhaps it is beyond human ability to comprehend his true nature, perhaps not. Whoever you have faith or believe Jesus to have been, and to be, his message about life remains the same. The message of Jesus is that God exists; each of us continues to exist after the death of our bodies; God commands you to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" and to "love your neighbor as yourself"; it is right and good to love God without limit, the One alone who is good and who gives meaning and purpose to life and love; it is right and good to love your neighbor as yourself; and all who do God’s will shall, after their physical death, live a joyful life in heaven, forever.
Jesus said that "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets", "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.", "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.", "There is no other commandment greater than these.", "... do this, and you will live." There is nothing else that we can and should do. It is your choice to love as God commands or not, period.
When you complete your search and know and understand the love that God has given you, you know and understand that you can and should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength, and that you can and should love your neighbor "as yourself". When you complete your search it will be clear to you what God means when he tells you that you can and should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.
When you complete your search it will also be clear to you what God means when he tells you that you can and should love your neighbor "as yourself". To say that you can and should love your neighbor "as yourself", is not the same as saying that you can and should love your neighbor "as you love yourself". To say that you should love your neighbor "as yourself", does not mean that you should "love yourself". If you love your neighbor "as yourself", and both you and your neighbor are thirsty, you will not drink the only cup of water that you have because you "love yourself". Rather, you will give the cup of water to your neighbor because you love your neighbor "as yourself".
When you complete your search and know and understand the love that God has given you, you will know and understand that you can and should love your neighbor "as yourself", as if he or she was in your place, as if he or she was "you". You will know and understand that you should give your neighbor the food that you would give yourself, the water that you would give yourself, the shelter that you would provide for yourself, the clothing that you would wear, etc. You should care for your neighbor when they are sick as you would care for yourself. You should do to your neighbor what you would have them do to you. You should give your neighbor the food, water, shelter, clothing, etc., that you would have them give to you. You should care for them when they are sick as you would have them care for you if you were sick; you should visit them when they are in prison as you would have them visit you if you were in prison; etc. You should give your neighbor real, true, pure, love. You should give your neighbor the love that God has given us. You should love your neighbor "as yourself".
Some may be uncomfortable with lack of references to particular Biblical passages. In my writings I rely only on the message that Jesus gave to us. I have faith that no matter who Jesus was or is, the message of Jesus is a message from God. I have no opinion on words not spoken by Jesus. What I sincerely believe is that, if we search our very being to understand love, each of us can love God and our neighbors, without discussing Old Testament writings and New Testament prophecies. I strongly believe loving God and our neighbors as God would have us love is all that God would have us do.
I do not particularly care what happened in Old Testament times, what descriptions of heaven are like, or what the future may bring. I have faith that I can and should "love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, with all my strength" and "love my neighbor as myself". I have faith that if I choose to love as God would have me love, I will make the best choices I am capable of making. I have faith that if each moment of each day I love as God would have me love, when I die I will have done all I could do, all I should do, and I will live forever in a heaven filled with joyful love. To love God and your neighbors each and every day as God would have you love is all that you should do.
I have absolute faith that if God exists, God is good. I have absolute faith that if God exists, God does that which is good. I have absolute faith that if God exists, God would have us do that which is good. I have absolute faith that if God exists, and if there is a heaven, then if we do God's will, after our death we will live forever in a heaven filled with joy. Even if I am wrong about what it is that we should do if we choose to do God's will, I have absolute faith that if God exists, we should do God's will. If you complete your search of your heart, mind, and soul, you will know and understand what God would have you do. You must be absolutely certain that you complete your search of your heart, mind, and soul, and know and understand the love that God has given us. You must be absolutely certain that you complete your search of your heart, mind, and soul, and know and understand and do God’s will.
We have talked about existence after death, love, and God, and now we have come to a point where you will make choices and decisions about what you have read, for even if you do nothing you have made your choice. I believe all we have discussed is so deeply a part of human existence that you must search your heart, mind, and soul to know and understand what we have been talking about. I believe that you must search your heart, mind, and soul to know and understand love. I believe that if you complete your search, you will find in your heart, mind, and soul, the love God has given us, you will find the reason for living. You must be absolutely certain that you have completed your search, and that each of your answers is based on the knowledge and understanding of the love that God has given you that is in your heart, mind, and soul. If you choose to love as God would have you love, you will accept the most difficult of answers, and you will find peace and hope in your choices and decisions.
I have almost absolute faith that when you have completed your search of your heart and mind and soul, you will know and understand that you can and should "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength" and "love your neighbor as yourself". When you search the very depth of your heart and mind and soul, you will know and understand that, even though many may not choose to love, each and every person has the choice to love, or not to love, as God would have them love. When you have completed your search you will know and understand that each and every one of us can and should choose to love as God would have us love.
You will know and understand that it is your choice, now and for every moment of the rest of your life on earth, to believe and have faith in God and to love as he would have you love, or not. You will know and understand that if there is a heaven, if you love as God would have you love, you will live a life worth living on this earth, and after your physical death you will live an endless, joyful, life in heaven in the presence of God, the One who is good.
After many, many years of thought and discussion, I believe that there are many difficult questions which have answers that are unclear, uncertain, or unknown; that there are many thoughts and ideas that language cannot adequately express; that there is knowledge beyond human ability to know; that we cannot "prove" anything unless truth is revealed to us; etc. After completing my search of my heart, my mind, and my soul, I believe that we do not need to answer all the difficult questions, express in words all that we intuitively feel, know what we cannot know, "prove" what is beyond human ability to prove, etc.
I have absolute faith that if God exists, God is good.
I have absolute faith that if God exists, God would have us do that which is good.
I have absolute faith that if God exists, and if there is a heaven, if we choose to do that which God would have us do, after our death we will live forever in heaven in the presence of God, the One who is good.
I have almost absolute faith that if you complete your search of your heart, mind, and soul, your very being, you will know and understand the love that God has given us, and you will know and understand that you can and should "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength" and "love your neighbor as yourself", nothing more, nothing less, period.
You will make your choice.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.