My View of God as a Philosopher

For those who don’t know I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from Arizona State University.

Philosophy is something that has always interested me. I never knew what to do with the degree, I just like learning and expanding my knowledge.

Two of my favorite philosophers of all time are Descartes and Spinoza.

Spinoza had a very interesting view of God and throughout my experience I have developed that same belief in God. I have expressed in the past that I am not religious. Here is an article explaining why I am not religious.

What is also cool about this view is Einstein also believed in Spinoza’s view of God.

Spinoza’s God

Did you know that when Einstein gave lectures at the numerous US universities he was invited to, the recurring question that students asked him was:

Do you believe in God?

And he always answered:

I believe in the God of Spinoza.

The ones who hadn’t read Spinoza didn’t understand…

I hope this gem of history, serves you as much as it does me.

Baruch de Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher considered one of the three great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy, along with René Descartes in France, and Gottfried Leibniz in Germany.

Here’s some of his wisdom:

God would have said:

Stop praying and punching yourself in the chest!

What I want you to do is go out into the world and enjoy your life. I want you to enjoy, sing, have fun and enjoy everything I’ve made for you.

Stop going to those dark, cold temples that you built yourself and say they are my house! My house is in the mountains, in the woods, rivers, lakes, beaches. That’s where I live and there I express my love for you.

Stop blaming me for your miserable life; I never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you were a sinner.

Stop reading alleged sacred scriptures that have nothing to do with me. If you can’t read me in a sunrise, in a landscape, in the look of your friends, in your son’s eyes… you will find me in no book! Trust me and stop asking me. Would you tell me how to do my job?

Stop being so scared of me. I do not judge you or criticize you, nor get angry, or seek to punish you. I am pure love.

Stop asking for forgiveness, there’s nothing to forgive. If I made you… I filled you with passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings, needs, inconsistencies… free will. How can I blame you if you respond to something I put in you? How can I punish you for being the way you are, if I’m the one who made you? Do you think I could create a place to burn all my children who behave badly for the rest of eternity? What kind of God would do that?

Forget any kind of commandments, any kind of laws; those are wiles to manipulate you, to control you, that only create guilt in you.

Respect your peers and don’t do what you don’t want for yourself. All I ask is that you pay attention in your life, that your consciousness is your guide.

My beloved, this life is not a test, not a step, not a rehearsal, nor a prelude to paradise. This life is the only thing that exists here and now, and it is all you need.

I have set you absolutely free, no prizes or punishments, no sins or virtues… no one carries a marker, no one keeps a record.

You are absolutely free to create in your life heaven or hell.

I could tell you if there’s anything after this life, but I won’t… but I can give you a tip. Live as if there is nothing after… as if this is your only chance to enjoy, to love, to exist.

So, if there’s nothing, then you will have enjoyed the opportunity I gave you. And if there is, rest assured that I won’t ask if you behaved right or wrong, I’ll ask. Did you like it? Did you have fun? What did you enjoy the most? What did you learn?…

Stop believing in me; believing is assuming, guessing, imagining. I don’t want you to believe in me… I want you to feel me in you when you kiss your beloved when you tuck in your little girl, when you caress your dog, when you bathe in the sea.

Stop praising me, what kind of egomaniac God do you think I am? I’m bored being praised, I’m tired of being thanked. Feeling grateful? Prove it by taking care of yourself, your health, your relationships, the world. Express your joy!… that’s the way to praise me.

Stop complicating things and repeating as a parakeet what you’ve been taught about me.

The only thing for sure is that you are here, that you are alive, and that this world is full of wonders.

What do you need more miracles for? Why so many explanations?

Look for me outside… you won’t find me. Find me inside… there I am beating within you.

-Spinoza

Credit to: Pallabi Ghosh

Why I am not Religious-Religion Vs Spirituality

People feel their religion as right, and others as wrong and this causes conflict. But truthfully, all religions are based on the same thing if you look at their roots. 

Religion is all about; “do what I say without asking.” “If you don’t believe it you’re going to hell.”

Religion is going through a middle man. 

You’re not experiencing it for yourself. 

But we all have different paths to enlightenment. 

Reading the Bible isn’t a Free Pass to Heaven 

We should not be following the Bible word for word. It is just a foundation for spirituality. 

Same goes for every other religion out there.

It was just one guy’s experience. It was one guy who reached enlightenment or salvation; or whatever you want to call it.

It is better to follow a religion than not follow one. But don’t take the one you follow so seriously and so literally. Just learn the important parts and apply them to your life. 
Don’t view your religion as right and others as wrong. 

They are all teaching the same things. There is not one set path to how you reach your highest self.

Spirituality is all about learning and finding your own path. You shouldn’t read a book and follow someone else’s path. Everyone has their own path to enlightenment. 

If you follow the Bible, just reading it and understanding it doesn’t give you a free pass to “heaven.”

You are supposed to look at how Jesus lived and then live a life similar to his. But don’t follow his path. Learn the important lessons and imply them to your life.

-Love Everyone

-Practice Selfless Service

            -act without expecting return

                        -do it because it is the right thing to do (helping an old lady across the street.)

Jesus Was Not the Son of God

Jesus claimed him and God were one. He did not necessarily mean he was the Son of God. I believe he meant he shared a strong conscious connection with God. And anyone that reaches this level of consciousness will also be one with God.

His name wasn’t Jesus Christ. He was Jesus of Christ; meaning he was Christ Conscious.

He reached enlightenment and was sharing his experience and teaching how to become one with God (reach Christ Consciousness).

Christ Consciousness is the frequency that “God” and the universe operate on.
The goal in life is to reach Christ Consciousness.

This is done by learning how to be the best version of yourself and working everyday to reach your full spiritual potential.

It isn’t done by reading the Bible and going to church and you’re all set.

How to Reach Your Full Spiritual Potential

You are a spiritual being having a human experience.

The goal in life is to kill the ego. We are living this life as human beings and as a result we have animal pleasures and desires. 

Our goal is to fight all of those animalistic pleasures and desires and destroy the ego. The purpose of this lifetime was to learn about awareness and consciousness and become aware of the “I” 

This isn’t necessarily possible for most in the spiritual world because there, you just exist and just are. You are not really separate from anyone or anything because you are everything. Everything is connected. 

In this life as a human being you get to feel what it is like to be a separate entity and have an “I”. It can be very scary and uncomfortable for most. The goal is to come together and be one. Love everyone and everything. Accept everyone and everything. Use meditation to kill your ego. Grow as a spirit. Experience everything. 

Stop indulging in physical pleasures and start doing the things that will make you the best version of yourself.

-Exercise

-Meditation

-Reading

-Eating Healthy

-Spreading Love and Happiness

-Drink more water

-Help Others

-Follow Your Dreams

-Be Grateful

-Be Positive

Christ Has Already Returned

“Contrary to the predictions of the return of Jesus, no such event will take place. As with so many things in Christianity, the events and concepts apply to changes in awareness and consciousness, not physical events. Just as salvation is not as it is portrayed in the literal sense, but is a transformation in spiritual consciousness, so too is the Second Coming a transformation in a person’s spiritual consciousness and connection to God, not an outer physical event.”

I believe Christ has already returned. Read why here (link)

Christ Has Returned

Christ has returned in a sense. Not physically but consciously.

Jesus Christ wasn’t this almighty person who will single-handedly solve all the worlds problems.

I believe “Jesus” was the first person to be born fully Christ Conscious. So, the person Jesus Christ won’t actually return. Christ consciousness will return; and it has. He was the first to exhibit this higher consciousness and he left to go to the higher dimension to prepare it for humanity. 

To go to “heaven” and live the good life is to become Christ Conscious.

All of his teachings were on how to reach this level of consciousness.

We shouldn’t be just reading the Bible and expecting salvation. We shouldn’t choose a religion and say mine is right and yours is wrong. We need to start implying the important lessons to our life.

If you believe in heaven and Christ then it shouldn’t be hard to believe in spirits. Transcending to heaven just means going to the higher dimension. With hell being the lower dimension. Going to hell is from living a physical ego based life. Heaven is living a spiritual and conscious life.

Christ consciousness is living in the present to find your true self within. Killing the ego and living a spiritual life rather than a physical one. 

No one knows the exact date “Christ will return fully” and we reach “salvation” because it is up to us, the people, to raise the awareness and consciousness.