My Beliefs Come From My Quest For Knowledge
Where do my beliefs come from? I hold many beliefs which pertain to different aspects of my reality. Some of my beliefs are self formulated through common sense and my ability to use my brain to reason. Some of my beliefs are formulated through life experience and the acquiring of knowledge through schools, the news, and other information sources. My religious beliefs were developed through my own research and observations on life and human nature.
No one is born with knowledge. All knowledge is acquired through learning which eventually formulates ones beliefs. There is no doubt therefore that beliefs are not instinctual but are formed by sustained interactions with family, friends, and society at large. If we are strictly dealing with the origin of religious beliefs or the different religious beliefs that exist in the world today the answers are derived through the same process.
As a child I began learning about God from my family who are Anglican which is a division of Christianity. Of course I did not question what was happening because to them it was a natural part of life. There is a God in Heaven and he made man and he wants us to be obedient to his will. He also gave us a book called the bible which has all the instructions that we need to follow if we want to go to Heaven where he is when we die.
As I grew older and began to realize that some of the things that I was learning in school were contrary to what the bible was also teaching me about life. I learned that humans were not created by a god but evolved from microbes in the soil. I also became aware that there was a conflict between the two different views about human origin. That conflict was at a stalemate however because of laws separating Church from State and Freedom of religion which gave people the right to be Atheist if they chose not to believe in God. I am happy that those laws will always remain in a free and democratic society.
By high school Evolution was more fascinating to me and seemed more realistic than the mysticism of religion. I can remember having long heated discussions with friends about religion and evolution. Those arguments often ended without a winner because no one was right or wrong. Those discussions made me realize that in order to argue fairly you have to be fully knowledgeable about either subjects or the argument was futile. I have read the Bible and I understand many of the parables, proverbs, and moral insights that deal with human nature.
I realized that religion answered questions about human nature that evolution could not and evolution answered questions about nature that religion could not. If anything the religion vs evolution arguments left me open minded to the possibility that both views could be wrong since I was also not completely convinced about evolution. As humans we seem to have an instinctual inclination to a higher power which we call Spirituality. We attempt to explain that spirituality by developing religions to practice.
Throughout the years I continued to be open minded because with all the claims that religion can offer salvation, religion continues to be the source of the most bloody atrocities around the world. If ever you are face with a life threatening crisis such as a disaster they teach that you should save yourself before you seek to save others. With that directive in my mind I began a quest to find peace within myself. Any religion or spiritual belief system could have done that but I have a problem when I see that humanity is suffering while no form of faith can help.
No matter the religion there is always an internal division between races and cultures. In Christianity, Islam, and Judaism there are many sectarian divisions. Some of those divisions produce violent uprisings when one group feels dominated by another. Take the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland or the Shea and Sunni in Iraq for instance. I am an African so what about when my religious history is based on colonization and cultural indoctrination? It is unfortunate for me but that is my reality.
In researching my own African history I have learned that the two dominant religions in Africa today, Islam and Christianity were not adapted by us voluntarily. They were forced onto us until now they have become ingrained into our psychology, so much so that we have taken to killing each other over them like good colonists. The Arabs first began to conquer and indoctrinate us centuries ago. Then the Europeans came in and colonized us spreading Christianity in the process. I operate on the common sense argument that if my origin predates the accounts of Christianity and Islam then how can they pertain to me. They do not, so I will continue to remain open minded and seek answers elsewhere.
Today I am learning many things about my cultural origins that are enriching me spiritually. Professor MOmOH of the Dohgon University of Thought teaches that the universe consists of pure energy waves that have existed before matter. Professor MOmOH is a descendant of the Dogon people of West Africa who are well documented to hold extensive knowledge of the universe without any technological assistance. He teaches that there was no such thing as the Big Bang and that there was no God that formed man out of Clay.
Matter is formed wan Pure Energy Waves flux to eventually gain mass. That process creates Stars first then the left over particles that are blown out cool to form planets, moons, asteroids, and float around as cosmic dust. Humans emerged from pure energy waves through the same process because pure energy waves have intelligence. We may not understand that intelligence but just as the human mind is an abstract electromagnetic field, so are pure energy waves. They are all around, in and through us everyday.
When matter first formed it also created Time and Natural Numbers. As a Dohgon, my spirituality centers on natural numbers and how those natural numbers can help me to be accountable to the natural laws of nature. Natural Numbers are also my spiritual connection to the intelligence of the universe. I know people will ask where the proof is and how Dohgon Spirituality stand up against thousands of years of organized religion but I say Dohgon Spirituality predates them all.
