What God Requires Of Us

I downloaded my camera so I have new photos for you.  Maybe I should have included the lone photo I have of Patches, the cat.  Maybe next time.  A big part of this essay started out as a letter to Dr Levy.  I think we should think of "God" in terms of a goal of moral perfection.  I believe if we follow these fourteen do's and dont's we will make the world a better place.

First of all I'd like to relate my seven virtues and seven vices list again that's almost identical to the list I gave you I compiled April 2010.   There are a couple refinements.

Here are the Seven Cardinal Virtues

Integrity (Honesty and a few other things)

Bravery

Charity  (Compassion, Kindness)

Faithfulness (to friends and lovers and to your own values)

Pursuit of Justice

Dilligence

Prudance

Here are the Seven Cardinal Sins

Anger (Wrathful Pride)

Averice

Lust (Addiction)

Sloth (laziness)

Treachery

Cowardess

Squandering (waste)

First this list as you talk about "requirements" or "pleasing God" assumes God is a conscious being.   John Calvin and others have five (at least) basic attributes about God and they are

Being all powerful

Being all knowing

Omnipresence (everywhere at once)

Immutability (unchanging)

Iminence (instant contact with Man and God)

I subscribe to four out of five of these.   I believe God is Unknowable on a person to person basis.  God is not a person as we think of persons.  Even the Bible says that the pot cannot say to the potter who made it "Why have you made me thus and so".  I also believe there is a Marcion wall of separation between physical laws or the law of nature- - - and the laws of karma.  St  Paul even spoke of the physical laws of nature being inferior to the "Spiritual laws" I take to mean law of Karma.  One set of laws is not dependent on the other.  Therefore St Paul can say to thank God in all circumstances because circumstances don't relate to "God" per se.  Stated a better way circumstance is no reflection on our personal "virtue".   The laws of karma don't work that instantaniously.  The question arises whether God is "Perfect" or not and I say "If God calls Himself perfect- - and he's bigger and more powerful than us, then we are not in a position to argue about it.

I have called myself an anti dispensationalist, determinist deist, objectivist with utilitarian tendencies.  Since "waste" is on the vices list- - I believe God does things in the most efficient way possible.  Obviously since he's defined himself as smarter than all of us.  Nature can be amazingly efficient.  In terms of objectivist- - this goes to the thing about God being unknowable on a personal basis.  Things can be deduced about God but we can't know Him personally because he lives in a realm or universe outside our own universe- - which is his artifact or creation to begin with.   An objectivist says things have an objective existance we can't necessarily Prove scientifically.  That would be an Empericist.  The other extreme is a Subjectivist.  I am not that either.  These people believe that "Everything is all in our Minds" and that our "mental power" has magical power to affect the world and our Universe.  Under objectivism- - things either Exist or they Don't and they are NOT dependent on our believing in them- - - for their own existance.

I was going to do a "part two" of the letter but never followed through.  Dr Levy's question is "What does it take to please God?"   Let's talk about "What you should and shouldn't do".   You can apply these four rules to anything you do even to the most banal like scratch your nose or stop to get a drink at a water fountain.  First you have to ask yourself if the action violates your moral precepts.  The Moslems have their five way plan for dealing with this.  They have things that are required, things that are recomended, things that are morally neutral, things that you are discouraged from doing, and things that are forbidden.   I would say something like cutting your own son's throat would qualify as something that violates anyone's moral precepts.  I believe that Morality trumps everything.  It trumps Utilitarianism, and it even trumps a direct order from "God" assuming he even exists in a personal matter to begin with.   The second thing is the Golden Rule of "Don't do to others what you would not want to be done to you".  Confucious stated this precept in the negative and I like that better.  The third thing you should ask yourself is "What is everyone in the world did what you are about to do?  Would the world be a better place?"   I think littering is a capital example to illustrate this one.  Fourth you should ask yourself "Am I doing this action on a quid pro quo basis?"   If you answer Yes this is not to say you should not Do the action.  It's just that morally it's superior to do one's actions for the sheer virtue of them and not to expect some sort of pay-off, like Jesus taught.  If you ask yourself these four question and follow the precepts above, you'll be a moral person.  You don't need to confess your sins to God, but you probably should confess them to yourself.  You should pray a prayer of intercession even if you don't believe in God because the other person will pick up on your vibes.  It's the karmicly prudent thing to do.  Some say you should give thanks to God even in the absence of a personal God.  I won't comment on this, but from a mental health standpoint, it might be a good idea.

I supposed they were doing October 1962 from the first piece which was the Cha Cha Cha by Sam Cooke- - but it turned out they were doing 1959.  I think we have exceded the number of hit songs on the radio from 1964.  The record was impressive today.   They played “You’re So Fine” a song heard on XERB.  Then it was “Almost Grown” by Chuck Berry followed by Kansas City and I thought a white guy did that.  “There Goes My Baby” by the Drifters was the next song.  The announcer talked over most of “The Happy Organ” - - another guy I thought was white.  I remember that song from September 1960.  It was “Along Comes Jones” by the Coasters” and then “What’d I say?” by Ray Charles, a song I remember from October 1961.  Mr Gardner talked over about half of this song.  I’m losing my respect for him because he cuts off the ends of songs now.  Then it was “Johnny, You’re Too Young” by Lloyd Price, “Hey - - - Little Girl” by Dee Clark and Say, Man - - by Bo Didley.  “I want to Walk You Home” was the second Fats Domino song played.  The first I didn’t recognize.   They played “You Got What It Takes” and a different song called “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” they used to play on XERB.  Finally, they played "Leave My Kitten Alone" by Little Willy John.  I like John Lennon's version of the song better.