Question the Premise

Today we continue the epic saga of good vs. evil, heroic deeds vs. unspeakable atrocities, and phantasmagoria vs. critical thinking, as we journey down the rabbit hole of discussion on whether religion is noble or malevolent.   I began the discussion as one mild-mannered crusader, hunched over my keyboard, in my lonely writer’s garret, fighting the forces of evil, seeking to restore balance in the universe, and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, one blog post at a time. 

I have fought valiantly against the evangelical armies of hellfire and brimstone, with gnashing of teeth, facing the threat of Divine retribution, eternal damnation, and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.  And shocking as it might seem, I have not conclusively determined the answers to the question of whether god exists, if organized religion is good or evil, and if indeed, Elvis is still alive.  So this all begs the question…

Why bother?

Because I need clickbait for my blog?  Because I want to set off my good friends Chris Widener, Lisa Jimenez and Barry Banther?  Because I love getting trolled on Twitter???

Actually, in all seriousness, to make you think.  To make you think about the subject in ways you’ve never thought before.  To force you to question premises and assumptions that you have never questioned, because you hold them as sacred.   

I didn’t expect to resolve timeless questions people have debated for centuries.  But I did want to focus the discussion on the things that impact you and your health, happiness, and prosperity.   Things that impact you daily, even though you’re not aware of them.

If you listen to my Power Prosperity Podcast, you know I did a show this week on “Finding Your Path.”  It’s my 266^th episode and although it just came out yesterday, looks like it’s going to become the most downloaded one yet.  If you heard it, you know I’m happily diving into my fourth midlife crisis, exploring and questioning my own core foundational beliefs.

Religions can continue to propagate because of our willingness to suspend rationality, logic, and common sense, if it allows us to believe in someone or something we would like to identify with.  This could best be described as willing self-hypnosis, or volunteer delusion.  Every one of us falls prey to this in some degree.

I’ve been studying the principles of prosperity for more than 30 years now.  During that journey I was a lay minister at Unity on the Bay in Miami for 20 years.  Along the way, the curriculum I created was provided by many religious icons: Charles & Myrtle Fillmore, Emilie Cady, Ernest Holmes, and Catherine Ponder among others.  I had the opportunity to work alongside spiritual warriors like William Cameron and James Trapp.  My knowledge and understanding of the world was greatly enhanced by these people and I’ll be forever grateful I was privy to their gifts.

At the same time, I was also exposed to the evil, hate, and intolerance from the likes of Islamic jihad, abortion bombings, suicide bombers, Jim & Tammy Fay Bakker, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell.  (To name just a few!)  The cult-control and mind manipulation they demonstrated was and is, unconscionable.

As I mentioned in a previous post, during my two-year sabbatical of introspection, I came to the conclusion that I could not believe in god and religion and retain my rational and critical thinking abilities.   Nowadays I still see my work as spiritual, but done from outside the platform of religion.

I define my work as “practical application prosperity.” Meaning you can actually apply it in your day-to-day life.  When Fillmore wrote Prosperity, or Cady authored Lessons in Truth, they had no way to foresee the future we’ve created.   I work to help people think with prosperity consciousness, in a world of reality TV, toxic social media, endless wars, Russian bots, nuclear proliferation, Laura Ingraham, and kids in cages.  Now more than ever it’s vital that we not simply throw up our hands and think there is no hope.  We must work to bring more prosperity consciousness to the planet.

Any force that teaches you are not worthy, are born a sorry sinner, or need redemption from a higher authority is anti-prosperity and thus evil.  Any organization that attempts to suppress your free thinking or mandate what you do think is dangerous and thus evil.  Any philosophy that teaches you should injure, enslave, or kill others because of their gender, race, religion, or non-religion is anti-humanity and thus evil.  My objective for all of these posts is that you give this topic some serious critical thought.

Premises should always be questioned, because if a premise is wrong, everything that comes off that premise is wrong as well.  

What are your beliefs about god and religion?  When did you adopt them?  Did you come to them by reasoned thinking or were they programmed into you at an early age?  How does this religious programming effect your core, foundational beliefs in the important areas of god, money, sex, health, and relationships?  And most importantly, are these beliefs serving you, or sabotaging you? 

What do you think?

- RG