Sunday 9 January 2005

Pic of the day: "I would like to do something for you" ... yeah, sure, but look at yourself. Are your motives pure? This can be bad enough between humans (as here in the anime 2x2=shinobuden), but it can take on truly cosmic proportions when applied to religion. So,

"Please don't serve God!"

This certainly requires some qualification. For one, I don't feel to comfortable speaking on behalf of God. It's not like He has actually sent me ... I think. This gets a bit confusing sometimes. But still, be sure to think about it. I believe it will all make sense.

First, let us for the sake of discussion assume that there is a God, creator of the known universe and then some. The exact personalia are not important here. Regular readers know where they have me, but this really applies to all monotheist religions and then some. Those of you who don't believe in a God can just watch if you want. You are really in no danger of this trap that I speak of, although you may have your own problems. Let's not dwell on those today.

***

If you stop and consider the nature of God, you will realize that He is exceedingly powerful, creative and knowledgeable, since He has created the entire universe from scratch. But why would He do that? Perhaps He just likes to create stuff, just like I sometimes do. But then why create humans, of all things? There are certainly prettier things to make. Flowers, kittens, all kinda nice stuff. Why risk it all by introducing dubious characters like us?

Now there is this tendency among those who are fans of God, to want to serve Him. But did God really create us because he needs our services? Can we give him anything that he could not make himself, larger and better than we could? If he wanted gold, he could make entire galaxies full of it. If he wanted blood, he could make untold planets where the oceans were made of blood. If he wanted unthinking praises, he could make automatons singing out his greatness with voices more beautiful than we can imagine. Nothing we can do can compare to his works, and our greatest sacrifices are like a small child picking flowers in the garden to give to the beloved parent. We have nothing He has not already given us, after all.

No, God does not need our service. He did well enough before the universe was even started, and will survive fine when it comes to an end. Inside and outside of time and space is God, without any need for us to lend Him a hand. What then does He want, if he does not need us to serve Him? I answer: He wants to serve us. This is the nature of love, the need to give, to share, to make things better for another.

It may seem strange to us, who are accustomed to those in power wanting to rule, to be served and waited on. But God has no such need such as human rulers have. They have fought for power because of their desperate need to be raised up, but God has strived hard to come down to us. It is an entirely opposite case.

***

Now you see what I mean. If God is in the universe to serve, then we can do no better than to follow His example. To give and not demand, this is the closest we get to the Divine. If we take the blessings we are given and share them with other small and weak ones like ourselves, then we are cooperating with God in His work. But if we steal from our neighbor to give to God, then we are working against Him. Then we are blinded by a love that has become perverted, and this is an attention God does not want from us.

God does not want our help. God wants to help us. If we accept His help, there is rejoicing in Heaven. If we take His advice as to what is good for us, then we honor Him. If we share His gifts, then we work for Him.

There are many ways in which we can give something to each other. It is not all about money, although there sure are lots of people who like that. If I have lifted a burden just a little, if I have made the murky a little more clear, then I am happy. To not have lived entirely in vain, what greater goal could anyone have?