Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
~ from a holy writ.

One morning, just before pre-dawn on the second floor of an old house in a nameless city, I met God. No holy writs were read, no arcane rites were performed, no hidden mysteries were revealed. I was changed in a moment. Old friends no longer knew me. Old haunts no longer called me.  The impossible became possible.

The Rabbi ask the question: “How do you know you were in the presence of God?”
The student says: “I felt wonderful afterwards!”
The Rabbi suggests: “Perhaps it was the pizza you ate earlier.”

All this is to lead the student to a basic truth in spirituality, regardless of the path.  There is only one answer.  One cannot have stood in the presence of God and walked away unchanged.

Yes, I have a religion that speaks to a certain system of beliefs, but that is not the evidence of God nor of my experience of him.  Perhaps had you been standing by me in that room on Tejon Street in the small hours, you may have seen God too.  Or you may not have.  I have no way of knowing that.

In the Christian holy writs is a story of Paul, who while walking on the road to Damascus with an authorization letter to imprison followers of Jesus was suddenly blinded by a light that fell from heaven.  His fellow travelers did hear Gods voice, but they never saw the light.  No reason was given for it.

It may surprise some people that many of the people in the religious community remain atheist and agnostic.  In light of my own experience, I don’t know why they remain in the religious community, but there they are.  Religion without God has to be a tedious experience.

A huge percentage of my online friends are agnostic, and even militant atheists.  The militant atheists are as obnoxious as the evangelists are.  They are in fact evangelists, though most go apoplectic with huffy denials should you dast suggest it.

Anyway … that was a bunny trail.  Onwards.

The proof of God’s existence is in that meeting with him.  Without that meeting, there is no proof of God that a rational mind will accept.  I do not know why some people do not have that meeting, and others do.  Maybe God just does not like them.  Who knows?

Agnostics I understand.  Agnosticism is at its core the position of a truth seeker.  It is a humble position, and a safe one when standing between militant evangelists and militant atheists.

Atheists I do not understand.  An atheist pulls up all his own resources, dismisses the experience of some 40% to 70% of people who testify to the existence of a god, and with their superior intellectual resources smugly announce to all that there is no God.  I probably view atheists much the same way as they do me.  As fools.  Some of them are even lovable, but they are still fools.

And finally, the last group I have not offended.  Starry-eyed ites of Christians, Muslims and Buddhists, whose belief is not born of not having stood in God’s presence, but rather shibboleths and wonderful sayings.  Fine dividers of theological talking points.  I often see them as children who still believe in the tooth-fairy.  Their faith has not been tested, and in my not-so-humble opinion, it would crumble with the first onslaught of persecution.

I have to put hard reins upon myself to not be the purveyor of aforesaid persecution.  It is almost a knee jerk reaction to puncture their happy faced balloon.  It is fluff, totally devoid of substance, and I think to myself that I would be doing them a favor.

But the truth is, God is found in the stillness.  In the dark nights of the soul.  In a shabby room of a old house.  Alone.  The faith of foxhole conversions is weak, as is the  untested faith of millions living in peace and safety.

The evidence is always the change.

And here I sit, some 670 words into a rant.  270 words past a morning journal.  I guess the Journal will wait.

Good morning!

~r