SPENTA MAINYU
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 'Ignorance is humiliation.'
	YOU ARE IN DARKNESS.
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by Mudarras Kadhir Gaznavi

MESSENGER ABRAHAM: 'Yes my Lord I know that. But if this world wasn't created for me and I had not existed, no one would have been aware of your existence." (*)

(*) An ancient Hebrew myth according to which YHVH and Abraham are in a heated discussion on whose share was greater in the affairs of the world, and the above exchange takes place. (Quantum Theory and Measurements, John Archibald Wheeler.)

MILLIONS OF LOST BRAINS 

Childhood is the best period to instil the idea of a supreme being in a person, when the intellectual abilities have not yet developed sufficiently. Therefore no conscious acceptance or rejection is possible. The ability to make a choice is not yet developed. Others,  usually grown-ups think on behalf of the child and if they feel necessary they force their will on him/her. Once the first seeds are in the 'ground' (in the psyche) and that 'basic fear' is implanted, turning back is almost impossible and 'detoxification' is dependent  only upon the reasoning ability of the person's intellect. So, for all intents and purposes another virgin brain could be written off, 'lost'. This is the summary on the personal front. When we take up the matter vis a vis the whole of humanity, we see an identical situation.

The inception of this invention took place in the darkness of the ancient ages, while the humanity was still in its infancy with a limited intellect, limited knowledge, and a high degree of non-comprehension about what was going on around. Therefore in addition to the thousands of brains that were lost in the beginning we end  up with hundreds of millions of brains won over to this invention of the human mind.

This matter is extremely difficult to explain.

• Firstly, one must deal with those brains which have lost their ability to think freely; brains which can only think on a communal basis on this riddle called 'supreme being'.

• Secondly, the nature of the matter is imaginary and abstract. This imaginary, abstract, and invented concept, belonging to the 'spiritual realm' is right in the centre of the discussion which is going on in the 'material world.'

This human invention, despite the fact that it lacks any objective and absolute proof, exerts itself on the human psyche as something that everybody must believe in without questions. But the most important factor, which further complicates the debate is the need felt by the mankind for a supreme being. This need has started it all. So what we have today is;

• An invention which is  perfectly within the capacity of the human mind;

• But being an invention that could not be seen, heard, tested or proven, it is unfathomable by the intellectual capacity of its inventor (the human mind).

• An invention,  the characteristics of which are within the capacity of the human mind, but the 'self ' is not. This is the crux of the matter. The human mind has invented and introduced this concept, and made it insoluble.

• An invention without which the whole of the mankind would have been leading a life devoid of a nonsense which has created the uncontrollable but all-controlling supernatural beings who had the first and last say - in fact  the only say - on the creation, existence and destiny of the material world.

Since its invention by the human imagination this has been a matter  for the resolution of which  a great deal of intellectual resourcefulness has been put to trial. Problem was and still is to  find an  explanation to  the   inexplicable, and proving the un-provable. It is boring in the sense that there is no end to it. It is definitely not of this world because no one has seen or heard or witnessed anything about the supreme being, that could bring a pinch of reality to it. All efforts have been fruitless since its inception 6000 years ago, but nevertheless it continues to be the most favorite pastime of the incognizant minds. The ideas invented by the mankind and the belief systems built around those ideas have been the source of many problems both in the personal and public spheres. They are the instruments of sovereignty, division, oppression, and injustice as well  Since the beginning belief systems have also pushed women into a secondary position in their respective communities. Look around yourself and you'll most certainly come face to face with the characteristic examples.

The brightest brains were involved in the debate to solve the mystery. To no avail. The crucial questions asked thousands of years ago are still valid, and unanswered. Those brains that took  part in the discussion have made themselves fall into the trap set up by the inventors of this fiction. Some of them have tried to prove that this invention  has really existed while others have tried to show that it is all nonsense. There are always different sides in a discussion. But if the subject of the discussion is an 'unknown' how could one be for or against it positively? We shall not fall into the same trap of discussing the incomprehensible with the terms set by its inventors. This is especially crucial when one remembers  all those brilliant  brains which were stalled by the stalemate, ending up in rejecting the invention itself. We shall ask the right questions. Each question will show that not even a single step has been taken towards the supposed reality.   But too many things have been said and written. As we try to follow the story of the  supreme being  we shall have glimpses of the frail human mind's efforts to solve the riddle that it has created.

This problem was introduced by the human beings, was it not? Now the ones who are trying to find a solution are also the human beings: Allegedly the limited,  the  incapable  creatures of supreme being.  Being limited  by  creation  and incapable of full comprehension of the reality, the mankind felt that it needed answers to the questions about the creator it has invented. The next step was the need to establish the nature, intentions and activities of this creator.  This, in turn,  has introduced the following crucial questions:

• Why did this supreme being create  the mankind? 

• What is the (imaginary) role given to mankind by this supreme being?  

All these efforts ended up in the fall of the mankind to the level of incapability, and the slowing down of the human progress. Thanks to the tremendous achievements in science and technology, situation has changed,  and the movement is gathering pace.

As reiterated time and again by those brilliant brains, this invented supreme creator is simply beyond our senses, thoughts, reason and comprehension. We are the lowly creatures, with a limited capability to understand the creation and existence. If this is the truth, then why do we keep trying to understand it? There are much more productive areas to direct our efforts which would produce results. The results, expected from the research in genetics, and especially the human genome project will provide us with tremendous possibilities to raise our level of intellect towards that of the supreme creator(!). This will put us in a position to understand how the mankind has duped itself. These scientific developments will show us also a much more clear picture of our existence than the debate on the supreme creator.

This supreme being (creator, overseer, prime mover)  has to be perceived as something  which is shaped by the personal factors like need, passion, interest, priority, acceptance, rejection etc. Therefore, this something  has to be contemplated, visualised and perceived separately and differently by each and every human being. When a crook and an honest person are pleading to supreme being for help, their starting positions and aims are different, because their perception of the supreme being is shaped by their personal requirements. And no one could deny the fact that an honest person and a crook have different needs. This personal factor  might be one of the hurdles before the quest for the sole supreme being. Do you wish to know why?

• Could you imagine a supreme being catering simultaneously for the needs and requirements of persons good and evil?

• Well, weren't we told that this supreme creator is all good and in a constant struggle with the evil, and that mankind should make a choice between good and evil, and that man should choose good to win an afterlife?

What an afterlife that is! Here are the promises:

• Freedom to drink wine which is forbidden in his world;

• Limitless sexual intercourse with virgins;

• Immortality.

But sexual intercourse  was  the cause of Adam's expulsion from paradise wasn't it? It  reportedly cost(!) Jesus his life in the end, didn't it? Who cares? These three areas, being merry, experiencing the eternal bliss in the sexual union and having a limitless survival within the 'existence'  are the fundamental determining factors of the humanly behaviour. The instigators were very clever, weren't they?

At this point let us ask ourselves: Do we really need a pivotal supreme overseer to have a belief system? No. Not every belief system is 'theistic'. Humanism is a belief system without a supreme overseer. Furthermore every person's supreme being is particular to that person. In addition to that an idea of supreme being that is accepted in a certain generation may not be acceptable to another generation in that community, and may be changed.

• Go on! ask yourself what does the statement "I believe in god" means? 

• Does it have an objective meaning?

• One should be asked, "Which supreme being, and why?" 

The idea of supreme being differs from person to person, from community to community, from generation to generation. This idea of a supreme entity is formed in parallel with the personal factors involved, and consequently carries different meanings. Furthermore, some of the meanings may contradict and even exclude the others. If we hadn't  had a flexible concept of  supreme entity it could not have lasted this long in the history of mankind.  Whenever a concept of supreme being and its related theology has become meaningless or has lost its relevance,  it has either disappeared in silence or was replaced with another one. So the bottom line is:

• There have been numerous concepts of supreme beings in history. Therefore where there are human beings there are supreme beings. Thus the  concept of supreme being is a personal one.

So what is the reason for this incessant search for a universal, sole supreme being? Especially when this sole supreme being could not be of help to our  needs? There are deaths. There is evil. There are broken dreams, unfulfilled expectations, disappointments, betrayals etc. For the moment let us call this supreme being as the provider. This provider remains popular as long as it provides for and addresses the personal requirements of  the majority which is large enough to support its continued existence. When people feel that praying, pleading, rituals, ceremonies and faith are fruitless, they start looking for something else.

When I began the first draft of this study years ago, my approach was different: Pure science. If it is not proven by science it did not exist. Now my starting point is the records in the historical documents, and the codebooks of the monotheistic belief systems. Starting with what we have today I have tried to find the earlier examples, going as far back as possible in the history. There is nothing new under the Sun.

So what do we have now? We have a  pivotal supreme being,   which is beyond our comprehension and perception; we have three belief systems coming from the same source; we have  three codebooks  which have their origins in prehistory. These books were written, rewritten, amended and abrogated, embellished many many times. The originals are not in existence. Who were the original authors? They are unknown  in most cases. All these codebooks were written in an environment of limited knowledge, a limited and warped intellect, and a very high degree of emotional bias. The regional perceptions, reactions, situations and events have had a determining role in the formation and writing of these codebooks.

The shared aim of all these codebooks is the removal of personal freedoms; creation of stereotyped patterns of behaviour; and the formation of a homogeneous community of subjugated followers. What about their content?

• There are  written texts expressing the anxieties based on the interpretation of the natural phenomena since prehistory;

• There are various myths, legends, folklore, fairy-tales;

• There are stories invented to fulfil the cravings for dominance and sovereignty.

• People should be made to recognize the fact that  mankind was behind all this nonsense.

• They have to turn to themselves, to the reality itself.

• People should realize that the outcome of all the efforts to find a solution to this problem could be summarized as follows: 'Back to square one.'

We have no choice but to start all over again with the hope of finding an exit out of this impasse.

The closest witness to the disappointment caused by this invented supreme being is the children of Israel. Their god YHVH, who had supposedly bound himself to the children of Israel with a covenant, has been the cause of major suffering according to the Old Testament. When this chosen people have realized that whatever is needed in this world could  be achieved only by themselves - no divine intervention required - they established their state and stoodd upright in the face of all kinds of problems.

Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians that Jesus had resurrected and his return was imminent. Jesus' announced return is still  expected. The Kingdom of god  has not been realized. The hillside graveyard facing Jerusalem is still there, where the faithful Jews had themselves interred closest to the city gates,so they could rise and run back to the sacred city as soon as the Messiah appears. There has not been an 'out of your graves!' call. No horn has been blown. One does not know if anything is left in those graves dating back 2000 years. Furthermore we are told that the souls migrate from body to body. Therefore a soul which left a body 2000 years ago must have inhabited hundreds of bodies since then. So when there's a call, which body that poor soul should choose? It is quite a bit of a problem! It is all nonsense of course.

This idea of a supreme being, a supreme overseer, a supreme creator is the most complex and intricate fiction ever invented. With every rejection or objection, the theorists and defenders of the idea met the challenge with more intricacies and fabrications. So the problem has become impossible to solve. As soon as one accepts that  there is nothing divine and  that the culprit is the human imagination, everything becomes extremely simple. This reality is very difficult to accept, because it involves beliefs. How can we discuss beliefs? As soon as a belief is discussed it ceases to be a belief. As we go along and present the ideas put forth about the supreme being, a false picture of progress may appear. There is absolutely no progress. There is absolutely no development. Human beings are still exactly where they have been thousands of years ago. This concept of a supreme being is still hollow. Doubts have not been removed. The 'entity' is still incomprehensible. Argument by the leaders of the belief systems, that the 'supreme entity could not be understood because of its incomprehensibility' is standing before us, as their last ditch.

Let us set sail. The quotes we give as we proceed does not necessarily follow a progression. They will be quotations or references just to give you an idea. All of them are worldly  statements, uttered or written by human beings, there's nothing divine in them. The divine dimension is in the heads of the humans who believe in them.

According to the three codebooks of the monotheistic Abrahamic-Semitic belief systems supreme being has an absolute control on all those which are created. Which means that not a single creature has a say on his-her-its existence. Therefore good and evil are caused by him; deviations from the right path, from virtue, and righteousness are all his make.

There will be a judgment day, when the faithful will be separated and those who followed the false messengers will be thrown into fire. Whatever happens in this world is the grand design of the supreme being, according to the believers of the Old Testament.

Divine providence is very important, because it shows a definite inclination of the supreme being towards something. Providence could be explained as supreme being with a definite purpose, showing a special interest in a certain group, a certain thing, or a certain people amongst  the creatures, and arranging and influencing some events towards that aim. But as usual  there are different views.

Here I give you five basic views about divine providence:

• There is no providence directed at anything in any section of this existence (Universe).

• There is providence directed at some of the things. Some of those things are created to the design of the designer, by the arrangement of the arranger, and some are left to chance.

• Nothing is the result of a chance in the Universe. Everything, even a falling leaf, is the result of a design or a precise arrangement by the supreme being. Man exists within the boundaries drawn by the supreme being. Man has no power 'to do' or 'not to do' beyond what is decreed by the supreme being.

• Everything comes into being by divine providence. His wisdom is never at fault. Even the supreme being has to comply with His wisdom, and has to do the best and the most convenient. Man's strength and will has an influence but it is conditional and limited.

• Divine providence reaches below the lunar sky. Here it remains directed at human kind. But everything related to man, everything that confronts  man and happens to him is what he deserves. In other words good deeds bring good results, and bad deeds bring bad results.

These are the views originating from ancient Greece, ancient Arabia and Palestine (Israel). One should not overlook the fact that side by side with divine providence there is divine inquisition.

The monotheistic character of the supreme being of Judaism has reached its final stage with Islam. But this monotheism is the monotheism of the three Semitic belief systems. Other peoples have their supreme beings as well. So when you see monotheism here, do not ever believe that there is a sole supreme being for all the peoples of the world. The sole supreme being we are talking about is the supreme being of the Old Testament, New Testament and Kuran. But in Christianity  we still do not have a sole supreme being. What we have there is Trinity: Father+Son+Holy Ghost. Jesus is  the Son of god. We have  Virgin Mary in a special position. Trinity is straight polytheism. It is beyond doubt that there is polytheism also in every one of the Abrahamic-Semitic religions. We shall take that up later on.

It is claimed that the ultimate truths could only be grasped intuitively through the mental discipline of meditation. Even Buddha's teachings were conventional. Everything we experience is an illusion. The Absolute which is the inner essence of all things, is a void, a nothing, which has no existence in the normal sense. It was natural to identify the void with Nirvana. Hindus have developed a sort of trinity as well: Brahman, Shiva, Vishnu. These were the symbols of the reality. Upanishads tell us a story: "Before the creation there was only Atman (I, Brahman). No other thing existed. Atman (Brahman) thought 'I will create worlds,' and he created the highest world, the sky, the earth which is the world of deaths, and the underworld."  This is just another one of those numerous creation stories.

One of the concepts of the supreme being mankind has visualised back in history was the 'first cause' or the 'prime mover'. He was the absolute ruler of the earth and sky. There were no representations of this entity. There were no temples or priests or an organisation in his service. He was too exalted for the inadequate mankind (He still is. Is He not?). He was involved in the daily lives of everybody. But eventually He started moving farther and farther away from His people, acknowledging that they did not need Him anymore, at least, not like they had done once upon a time. Then He disappeared. He came to be called the Sky god.  He has started governing the affairs of mankind from afar. Belief in such an exalted sacred entity  is the characteristic of religious life in many African tribes. They pray to their supreme being, they plead with Him. They believe that supreme being is observing them and will punish their wrongdoings. But anyway, this supreme entity is not in their daily lives. He has no special cult. He has no effigy. Members of these tribes maintain that supreme being cannot be described. He cannot be dirtied by the world of mankind. Don't you think that the supreme being of the Jews, Christians and Muslims is as far away as the Sky god?

This concept called 'supreme being' must have been present in the Middle East even before the Sumerians. What the Sumerians has introduced into the story was anthropomorphic supreme beings creating mankind as servants; building cities for the people on earth (They could have been actual sky-people, extraterrestrials doing genetic engineering on earth. They might have been accepted wrongly as 'superior beings' (in the metaphysical sense). But this dimension is beyond our scope). Therefore we can say that the story of the most incomprehensible invention of the human mind has begun thousands of years ago. This indefinable power that we call 'supreme being' today was believed to be in the stones, rocks, mountains; in the tribal chief; plants, and everywhere. Latins were coming face to face with spirits (numina) in sacred locations. Arabs thought that there were beings called jinns who inhabited the earth. Human beings tried to use this power to their advantage, and to admire it. This numinous power (power of spirits) was encountered by people in various ways.