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Is there a God?    Does God exist?     Your answer to the question, Does God Exist?  depends
upon what you mean by the word "God."    Questioning the Existence of God is like asking, do you exist?
 What are you?   Where did you come from?    Why are you here?   Where are you going?        :::  
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       77-dge-uni-spir            77-dge-uni-spir         77         77                              ...

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Does God Exist ?

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  Universal Spirituality

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Page Summary

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Seeing Creator/God 
from the Perspective of Universal Spirituality

Approximately seventy-five million people in the U.S. believe in some form of Universal Spirituality.   Universal Spirituality is a way of looking at life, a way of  looking at who and what humans most probably are, a way of  looking at the source of creation as an impersonal consciousness that transcends human understanding, rather than as a superhuman being who lives in the sky.   

If one chooses to believe anything about God, one must take what is called the leap of faith.²   When contemplating this unknown mystery, there are no provable facts, only theories, beliefs, best guesses, speculation, and, of course, there are an abundance of religious  fairytales.   

Universal Spirituality is one approach to Creator/God, but not the only possibility.   We call ourselves  The Reasonables of Religion  because we apply Head and Heart to our approach to religion and spirituality.   Our perspective on Creator/God takes into consideration the latest Earthly evidence.   Our approach applies common sense, and also considers the history and source of beliefs.   We remain open to change as new evidence becomes available.   We make no claims to having all the answers and we realize that, in spite of their claims,  nobody else has them either.  

Below, on this page, you will find some of our present best guesses about the nature of The Universe, everything in it,  and its source.   Please keep in mind that what is offered below is simply one way of viewing reality.

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Page Content

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 Similarities

 What Is a Human Being

 Spiritual Awareness

 The Christian Bible  --  Is it Literal or Symbolic?

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 The Teachings of Jesus

 How Does The Universe Function

 Reincarnation

 What is Sex?

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 God Is Within

 The Physical Body

 We Cast Off the Yoke of Oppression

 The Origin of Our Country

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 A Freemason Description of Universal Spirituality

 The Universal Spiritual Perspective on Prayers

 Reincarnation and the Christian Bible

 Supporting Evidence

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 Refuting Evidence

 Beliefs About Abortion

 A Message to the Forced Motherhood Leaders

 What Is Abortion?

 The Big Question

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  Universal Spirituality

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 Similarities:

The Universal Spiritual Perspective is in many ways, similar to some of the beliefs of the Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, but many of the beliefs and almost all of the religious trapping are left out.  Here's the universal spiritual perspective in summary:

"Physical matter is only a very small part of reality.   Life does not begin at conception, or at birth, or anywhere else,  and life does not end at death.   Humans are not physical bodies.   Humans are eternal, non-physical, divine beings who always were and always will be.   Each and every human is an eternal being temporarily inhabiting a physical body.    While living in physical bodies, humans are intimately connected to nature -- to their Earthly environment.   From the overall, spiritual perspective, the death of the physical body is considered to have about the same significance as taking off a suit of clothes and leaving them behind.   

Everything is one.   Everything is   a part of   and intimately related to   everything else.    Everything is energy.   There was no beginning.   There will be no end.   Time is an illusion.   Eternity is now.   

God is not a super-human being living above the clouds around planet Earth.   God is consciousness -- a consciousness so vast and so complex that it transcends human knowledge and human understanding.   Humans are also consciousness.   God consciousness and human consciousness are intimately inter-related.  

An 'Intelligent Creator' created everything we know about and everything we still don't know about.   Humans are part of and co-creators with the timeless, eternal God.   Within the context of life on Earth, we are the creators of our personal experiences."

Fundamentalist Christian Perspective    Fundamentalist Christian Perspective                  ...

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As a point of comparison, here's a brief summary of the fundamentalist Christian perspective.   Please remember this is NOT a blanked description of Christianity.  It is beliefs about reality from the fundamentalist Christian perspective.  

Humans are their physical bodies.  Humans are separate from nature and separate from God and separate from each other.   God is also separate from nature.   The sole purpose for all of creation is to get humans "saved," to get them into Christian heaven.   The only thing that exists beyond physical reality is Christian heaven and Satan's hell.   The Christian God magically created the universe and everything in it in six Earth days.    Humans are victims of and are at the effect of their environment.   

The Christian Bible is the one and only word of God.    All other religious books are fakes.    Christians have exclusive access to God and to Heaven.   Only Christians can be "Saved."  The concept of needing to be saved is a product of Christian Theology.    It implies that there is a need to be saved.   Saved from What?   According the the theology written by long dead monks who believed the Earth was flat, humans need to be saved from a fickle, angry, vindictive, judgmental, hypocrite of a Superhuman God that lives in the sky above the clouds around planet Earth.   

God magically creates a brand new human being every time a human egg and sperm unite.  Humans live only once on Earth and after death they are magically transformed into and undefined "something?  that goes to heaven or hell forever.     

The God of Christianity claims to be loving and forgiving, but he (God) holds the longest grudge in all of creation.    God God is still creating all humans are inherently evil because a long-dead ancestor, Eve,  ate a forbidden fruit.    The only way to saved from eternal damnation  is by pleading to God.   Unless God saves us, we are destined for eternal damnation.   In ancient times, human and animal sacrifice was considered a way to appease God.  According to Christian theology, God turned the tables on man by murdering one of his own children as an act of love.    

The above is just a sampling of Fundamentalist Christianity.   For an in-depth, poke-fun story about God, reality, and human beliefs, readers are directed to section titled:  The Crucifixion / CruiseOfFiction.²  

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 What Is a Human Being:

As seen from the Universal Spiritual perspective, each human being is an aspect of the timeless, eternal God.   Everything is one;  everything is energy; there was no beginning; there will be no end; eternity is now; time is an illusion; each of us is an eternal being who always was and always will be.   For a more in-depth perspective see the section below titled:  Reincarnation.`        For a historical  view and for the Roman Catholic perspective, see the page titled:   What Is Life?  '  

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 Spiritual Awareness:

Spiritual beliefs provide the fundamental human context, '  the foundation upon which all behavior is based.    Spiritual beliefs ' provide the context  within which each hold his or her beliefs about abortion.

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   The Christian Bible -- Is It Literal or Symbolic?

Let's distinguish between the unrealistic and dogmatic, literal interpretation of the Christian Bible and a figurative, symbolic interpretation.    

Interpretation:    Those who interpret the Christian Bible literally do not realize that the literal interpretation is, itself an interpretation.   Any time anything is described in words, one must understand that words are at best, auditory and visual symbols of something else.   In order to receive the message that the words were intended to convey the reader must translate them into feelings, emotions, internal visual pictures and/or internal visual sounds.    Without an interpretation, those symbols are nothing more than squiggles on the wall or on a peace of paper.  

Literal:    In the literal interpretation,  there is a vast set of unprovable beliefs about God, about life,  about why we are here on Earth, etc.     In this interpretation,  humans are believed to be inherently evil, separate from God, separate from nature, live only once on Earth, etc.   Jesus is believed to be a one-of-a-kind, superhuman being.   Earth is a one-chance-only, testing ground to see which humans are good enough to get into Christian heaven.   When God gets enough "Good folks," (on the day of  The Rapture ' ) He's going to abandon Earth and leave it as a trash dump for those not good enough to get into heaven.   Christians claim to  have exclusive access to God and say that all other religions are just fairytales.  If the literal interpretation is true, then the vast majority of humans end up in God's Cosmic Trash Bin. '  

The list of beliefs is long, and many beliefs simply defy common sense.°   Many of the beliefs have no scriptural support.°   Many beliefs are directly contradicted by the scientific evidence.   The passages that don't support the literal interpreter's beliefs are simply ignored.    (i.e.  Genesis 2:7 ,°  Ecclesiastes 11:5,°    John 14:12°)    Here are two of our web pages that will give you a more thorough understanding of this perspective:      Understanding the Anti-abortionist‘s belief system°    and  God's Conception-Magic Act°    

Symbolic:    Consider the possibility that Jesus was not the exclusive, one-and-only son of God  ---  that he was a fellow human  ---   that he was a highly evolved, master teacher --- that he came to Earth to teach us about who and what we really are and to teach us how we can each do as he did.  (See the Biblical references to John 14:12 '  below in this section.)    Consider the possibility that the perspective explained on this web page is true.    

Let's go back to the Christian Bible for a moment.   What do you suppose 
John 1:1 means? -- 
“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God."  If our  thoughts create our personal reality, then who's responsible for what you think about, and who is responsible for what you create in your life?    Are you a victim or are you an unconscious creator, creating by chance, accident and default?

Have you heard the expression attributed to Jesus:  "Anything I can do, you can do and more."?  '  (John 14:12 -Paraphrased)   There are several passages in which Jesus says that humans are Gods.   If the Christian Bible is literally true, then you can do anything that Jesus did.   What does this passage tell you about the literal interpreter's  belief that Jesus was a superhuman being and the rest of us are worthless slime balls?   What does this passage tell you about who and what you really are?   

If the Christian Bible is literally true, then the above two passages  (and dozens more)  turn the claims of the literal interpreters into religious hogwash.   If the Christian Bible is not literally true, then what's all the mouthfart about?     Either way, the literal interpretation is a loser.

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  The Teachings of Jesus                                       ...

   The Teachings of Jesus:   

Some religious teaching are infinitely valuable with regard to how to live our lives, such as the teachings of Jesus.   Unfortunately, He has been put on a pedestal and is now worshipped in a manner similar to that which is prohibited by the Bible, itself.   According to fundamental Christianity, Jesus was/is not considered to be another human who came to Earth to show us how to be who and what we  really are.   He has been turned into another "golden idol."

His messages have been embellished, added to, and turned into a fixed, dogmatic, religion.    This degree of distortion indicates that  a clear distinction needs to be made between the purity of this master teacher's original messages and the social  hierarchies that are now attempting to tell everyone what His original messages mean.

Although many religious leaders will disagree, religions actually tell us nothing at all about "God."    That God is a mystery is even stated three times in the Christian Bible --- (1 Corinthians 2:14  --- 1 Corinthians 2:14  ---  Ecclesiastes 3:11)    The ultimate mystery that we call "God" is beyond all thought.   Religions attempt to tell us about that which is  impossible to  know?

What they actually tell us is what they  (the religious leaders)  believe about that unknown, unknowable mystery we commonly refer to as God.   When one contemplates this unknown mystery, there are no provable facts, only theories, beliefs, guesses, speculation, and fairytales.   If you choose to believe anything that the religions tell you about God, you must take what is called the leap of faith. '  

When it comes to knowing the complete truth about God, we can only look at ourselves, look at life around us, look at the available evidence,  and then offer a few "best guesses" in response to  literally dozens of unanswerable questions.  As additional evidence becomes available, these theories about what reality actually is  evolve and change.   

On this page, you will find some of our present best guesses.   Please keep in mind that what is offered is simply one way of viewing reality.   

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   How Does The Universe Function   

Nobody has a provable  answer to this question.   However, the evidence gives us numerous clues;   Here's where the clues appear to lead us:

The Universe is made up of energy.   Physical matter is not mater at all.   Everything in the universe is made up of the same thing.   We call it energy.   The energy appears to be completely impersonal.  There is a universal, impersonal set of rules that simply are.   Everything and every one is subject to the same rules.   

Energy is directed by consciousness.   You and I are each a part of that consciousness.    We are each directing a portion of the universal energy by our thoughts (by our imagination).   In every waking moment, our thoughts are directing the universal energy.   We can direct that energy by accident, by default or by conscious intent, but we cannot shut the creation mechanism down.   We empower our thoughts with our emotions and feelings.   As a result of this energy-directing-mechanism, we are each producing our own personal, Earthly experiences.

Everything already is.   We attract our experiences by our thoughts.   If you don't like what you are experiencing, we can alter your thought process and direct ourselves into a different experience.   Our feelings  ( our emotions)  are the power behind our thoughts.   Think of yourself as a ship in a multi-dimensional ocean.   Your thoughts are your steering mechanism and your emotions are your engine.   What you imagine with emotion is what you are directing your future to be.

The personality-based stories about what God is, isn't, and does ' are simply stories made up by our ancient ancestors in an attempt to explain the unexplainable, the answer the unanswerable, and know the unknowable.   Here's an alternate possibility. ' 

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   Life is  Based on What the Evidence Indicates is the Most Probable Reality:   

Because  Our beliefs rule our lives,.  those who live by the Universal Spiritual perspective  distinguish the religious beliefs which come from antiquated church doctrines from what the currently available evidence indicates is "the most probable reality."   
(Reference-1) 
'    (Reference-2)  '     (Reference-3)  '       (Reference-4) '  

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Reincarnation:

Adherents to this philosophy accept that reincarnation provides the most probable answer to the question:  "What is a human being?  Is he/she a physical body, an eternal being inhabiting a physical body or just a lump of dust that has magically acquired consciousness."

There is no clear, scientifically provable evidence answering this question one way or another; however, the overwhelming circumstantial evidence indicates that humans are eternal divine beings experiencing their divinity in physical form.   The evidence tells us that a human being is not his or her physical body, but merely comes into the Earthly body.   The physical body is a vehicle for the temporary use of the eternal being while here on Earth.   The embryo is considered to be earth matter with potential to evolve into a physical body.  

The Physical body is considered to have about the same significance as a suit of clothes, that are temporarily worn and then removed and returned to the Earth to be recycled back to building materials for still another act of creation.   When it’s time to leave, the soul  sheds the body as simply as one would shed an old set of clothes.  To use another analogy, entering a human physical body is like a tenant moving into a house and later moving back out again.

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What Is Sex?

Sex is gift from God, a way to experience the bliss of divinity while living in a physical body.   See the pages titled:  
Sex as a Spiritual Experience
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Original Sin and the Source of Christian Anti-Sex Attitudes.     
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Sex and Sensuality or Violence and Repression --  An Either/Or Choice..

You might also be interested in the perspective on sex offered in the teaching of the ancient philosopher Hermes.   It's one of the seven basic principles of life and it's called Gender.

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God Is Within:

Most of the people who believe the universal spiritual perspective on life are not ardent followers of any particular religion.   They believe:  1) that they are ( and everyone else also is)  an aspect of Divinity,  2)  that their connection to divinity is completely personal and  uniquely individual, and 3)  that awareness of Divinity/God  comes to our physical selves from a non-physical source which can be accessed within one's own being.   Readers are directed to the website titled:  Are You Inside or Outside of God?  

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The Physical Body:

Most people, when talking about their physical selves, will use language such as "my body."    This implies a separation between the body and who or whatever it is that owns or controls the physical body.°   Who or what is it that that owns/controls your physical body?   Whatever that non-physical aspect is is considered to be the real true self.   The body is considered to be nothing more than a biological machine used to access physical matter.    (Reference)°   

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We Cast Off the Yoke of Oppression:

Church intermediaries have been cast off as irrelevant and unnecessary parasites.   Because each person already is as aspect of "God," the belief that one needs to work, to suffer, or go to a Church in order to connect to a God out there somewhere, is seen as a manipulative fairytale set upon the masses by church leaders in order to dominate, control and extract money. ' 

To see the truth of this and the power of realizing that one can connect directly to God, one has but to study the life of Martin Luther. '   In the early sixteenth-century, Martin Luther threw this very idea into  the face of the Roman Catholic Empire.   His revelation sparked the revolution which historians today  refer to as "The Reformation."   That revolution, previously unprecedented in speed and scope, put an end to the strangle hold that the Roman Catholic Church had on Europe and put an end to what historians refer to as  "The Dark Ages."

Readers might note the strong correlations among religious freedom and political freedom and sexual freedom.   And the demonic copulation that thrives in the strangleholds of  religious oppression, political tyranny and sexual repression.   (Please see the section above titled: What is Sex?)` 

Historians will, in all probability, look back on the times we live in today an call them "The Second Dark Ages."   You may think such a statement is the product of a dried up brain, but one has to give only a cursory look at what is happening to see that the vast majority of evil and criminal behavior on this planet is the product of those in positions of  religious and political leadership.   The actual physical crimes are perpetrated by mindless sheep who simply follow orders.   And with regard to the environment, we are treating it like toilet paper.

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The Origin of Our Country

The Universal Spiritual Perspective is the philosophical basis upon which our founding fathers created the Republic known as the United States of America.   These men were certainly universal thinkers, transcendental thinkers,  men of uncanny vision for their times.    They were very clear in their intent that no specific religion should dominate the government, and that no religious beliefs were required in order to hold political office..  The relationship between Universal Spiritual values and our Founding  Fathers is explained in detail on the page titled :   Our Founding Fathers and Religious Freedom..

Compelling evidence. indicates that our founding fathers  were generally Deists or Unitarians, believing in some form of impersonal Providence, and that they strongly rejected what the present day fundamentalists call "The Christian Religion."

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The Freemason Description of Universal spirituality

Here's a brief description of the character traits of a Mason.   Quote is direct for the website: http://www.helionlodge.org/page_aboutmasonry.htm.

"The real Freemason is distinguished from the rest of Mankind by the uniform unrestrained rectitude [the correctness, decency, integrity]  of his conduct.   Other men are honest in fear of punishment which the law might inflict; they are religious in expectation of being rewarded, or in dread of the devil, in the next world.   A Freemason would be just if there were no laws, human or divine except those written in his heart by the finger of his Creator.   In every climate, under every system of religion, he is the same. honor, respect, humility, and gratitude

He kneels before the Universal Throne of God in respect, humility, and gratitude for the blessings he has received and humble solicitation for his future protection.   He venerates [honors, respects] the good men of all religions.   He disturbs not the religion of others.   He restrains his passions, because they cannot be indulged without injuring his neighbor or himself.   He gives no offense, because he does not choose to be offended.   He contracts no debts which he is certain he cannot discharge, because he is honest upon principal."

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The Universal Spiritual Perspective on Prayers

When one is truly  aware of him or herself as an eternal spiritual being, every thought and every word is acknowledged as a sacred act of creation; [1]* every action is Divinity expressing itself on Earth;  every day is lived as a God-filled activity;  every motion is prayer in action;  and every breath is the breath of God.

One acknowledges the unity of everything '    and realizes that The Three Universal Laws of Creation '    are as real as the law of gravity.

As a divine being living in a physical body on planet Earth, prayer is not something reserved for special moments and special places.  It is one’s constant and natural state of being.   In such a context,. one has no need to have others see him or her in a deliberate and specific act of prayer.   One has no need to receive accolades for his or her loving, caring, and compassionate actions because caring, and compassion define the ground of being, the context, out of which one's life is naturally lived.

One has no need to proselytize others because he/she knows that every other person is also a divine being, and also knows that no matter which path (religion or philosophy) is used to connect to The Infinite Source of Life, '  that path is sacred and should be honored.

[1]*    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
             God, and the Word was God."   
Christian Bible, John 1:1 

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Reincarnation and the Christian Bible:

The Christian Bible is in complete harmony with the belief in reincarnation and in complete harmony with  the Universal Spiritual Perspective on life.   If you interpret the Bible symbolically, reincarnation fits in easily.   Many people do follow the Bible while also believing in reincarnation.   Many historians and scholars believe that reincarnation was a part of the original beliefs among the followers of Jesus.°    

Evidence strongly suggests that references to reincarnation were intentionally left out or intentionally edited°  out of the early versions of what is now called the Christian Bible.   When you examine the Biblical passages that distinguish the physical body from the spirit,°  you'll find numerous references that fit perfectly with the probability that  reincarnation if true. 

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