There are two fundamental errors which are often made in thinking about God. The first (and worse error) is that God is "out there". The second (and better error) is that God is "within". The claim that God is "out there" is common to the Western monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This is the most pernicious error ever to have corrupted spiritual thinking. To say that God is "out there" is to imply that one is separate from God, and renders God an object, to which can be attributed various qualities. Among the most common of these are the alleged qualities of being a ruler, a lawgiver, a judge, a delegator of authority, an interested party in the conflicts that humans wage among themselves. In such conflicts it is always asserted that "God is on our side" against those perceived as "the enemy". Such an assertion is then used to justify acts of barbarity, such as the slaughtering of the enemy — "in the name of God" of course.
On God
On God
On God
There are two fundamental errors which are often made in thinking about God. The first (and worse error) is that God is "out there". The second (and better error) is that God is "within". The claim that God is "out there" is common to the Western monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This is the most pernicious error ever to have corrupted spiritual thinking. To say that God is "out there" is to imply that one is separate from God, and renders God an object, to which can be attributed various qualities. Among the most common of these are the alleged qualities of being a ruler, a lawgiver, a judge, a delegator of authority, an interested party in the conflicts that humans wage among themselves. In such conflicts it is always asserted that "God is on our side" against those perceived as "the enemy". Such an assertion is then used to justify acts of barbarity, such as the slaughtering of the enemy — "in the name of God" of course.