Hi Ed.
I've enjoyed listening to your videos, and especially the one one the divine.
I't really intrigues me why people have a desire or need to believe such things when there's just so much wondrous stuff going on around us that we can all share in the objective reality we all live in.
I'm talking about science and physics, the tools humans can understand and use to explore our universe in ever increasing depth.
Things like the discovery and understanding of electromagnetic force & gravity, and the spectrum radio and light energy.
Things that for example enable any human being to do what I'm doing this second, typing these words into a device that will transmit them to potentially millions of other devices on a massive network for any human being to read at their will.
We take stuff like this for granted, but it's truly incredible and wondrous that we can do this so easily. Another example might be if I look up at the stars, some of those fainter old start actually don't exist at all! They are so far away, that what I'm seeing is the light they emitted thousands of years ago that is still arriving here long after they have faded and died. These things are truly amazing and incredible. Science and physics are incredibly exciting and constantly opening up new meaning and understanding for us. You believe that everything exists because of the divine, a being transcending time and space.
This raises a fundamental question for me : what does it mean for the divine to "exist" outside of space & time?
Our understanding of 'existence' is deeply intertwined with notions of location in space and a position in time.
If the divine transcends these, how can we even apply the word "exist"? Does it exist in a way we can comprehend? Perhaps it exists in some alternative mode of 'existence' beyond our grasp. But I can't even use that sentence because the word 'exist' has very clear meaning, and whatever this Divine is is can't 'exist' if it's outside of time & space!
Another intriguing aspect is the idea that the divine is the cause of all existence. If nothing could exist without the divine, does that imply the divine has always existed? The concept of "always" implies a timeline, a sequence of events within time. But if the divine transcends time, how can we talk about it having "always" existed?
Perhaps the divine exists outside of the linear progression of time as we understand it. Maybe it exists in an eternal "now," a timeless realm where past, present, and future merge into a single, unified experience.
Or perhaps the divine isn't bound by the concept of existence in the way we understand it. Maybe it's not something that "exists" but rather the source from which all existence arises. It could be the underlying reality, the ground of being from which everything emerges and to which everything ultimately returns. But then how can we ever get any information good enough to even point realistically at this being in any way possible?
Ultimately, the nature of the divine and its relationship to existence remains a complete mystery, a concept that stretches the limits of human understanding. It invites us to question our assumptions about reality, time, and space and to consider the possibility of realms beyond our comprehension. But if they are beyond our comprehension, how can we even contemplate them?
While we may not have definitive answers, exploring these questions can deepen our appreciation for the vastness of the unknown and the profound mysteries that lie at the heart of existence. I just - personally - wonder whether it's sensible use of our time here in our fleeting existence to be pondering things that we can never have any hope of beginning to ratify or understand, and whether it's more constructive for the human race to follow paths that at least lay definite paving in a direction that all humans can follow towards the unknown.
Yes, we've done some cool stuff but look at all the evil humans have done to each other
We may have some smarts, but overall I don't think much of our character!
Regarding The Divine.....
The way I see it there is something rather than nothing
I think that is something we can all agree on, that that is self-evident
And there must be a reason for that....
That is what I call "The Divine" but I'm sure it could be given a different name which carries much less baggage!
Personally I also like "The Eternal Tao"
I think that what I call "The Divine" is self-evidently real and I don't think that its existence can be reasonably denied, it is the source of all existence
I specifically don't call The Divine "God"
I think that God is a figuration of The Divine - like you or me but more powerful
And I don't think that God is the source of all existence - I do not believe God is a "Supreme Being", I don't believe in such a thing
I think it is entirely possible to believe in The Divine and not in God
Although my experience on this planet as a human has lead me to believe in God, just as yours has lead you to not believe in God