MANKIND IS NOT GOD; HE IS MANKIND

​This Blog is dedicated to all of those wonderful people who have colored my life over these past five years, by sharing water from the wells from which they themselves drink.
 
To the Baptists, Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Jewish, Muslims, LDS (Mormons), Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses’, Hare-Krishna’s, Taoists, Buddhists, & Hindu’s.
 
Since 2015 I have been welcomed into a plethora of Faiths, all of which have shared their religious beliefs both openly & honestly.  I too have now drunk from the wells of information from which they drink.
 
With this experiential knowledge, I choose to believe that there is indeed an essence greater than mankind, call it as you may; it exists.
 
However I also now understand the importance to heed caution when mankind rules in the name of God; for mankind is not God, he is mankind.
 
PATRIARCHY IS NOT CHRISTLIKE, IT IS SIMPLY PATRIARCHY.
Patriarchy is not simply Male leadership; it is a system of society or government in which the Male is issued the dominant position by default.

When a society is under (leadership) in a patriarchal society, the thematic relationships of decisions are worked out according to the conventional archetypes of the patriarchy. In other words, what HE (the Male leader) says overrules all other input.

•  It is a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.

This system has shown to be detrimental to societies time-and-time again.
I believe it is time religious groups hold open debate regarding the systemic dysfunctions patriarchy causes to the ‘word of God.’ I am not referring to the scriptures – the word of God, (past tense), these cannot be reversed.  I am referring to the current day experiences - we are all open to receive ‘the word of God.’
 
God said “ I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here I am, here I am’” (Isaiah 65:1). God did not say I revealed myself to males only.
 
The Bible (& its equivalent in each religion) contains the accounts of hundreds of experiences with God. Again and again, God came to individuals & spoke to them; through messages, experiences, word-of-mouth, nature; the list of ways he ‘speaks’ to individuals was, and most importantly still is, inexhaustible.
 
CHRISTLIKE
One of the greatest teachings I have been gifted is that of the manner in which Jesus lived. From his actions came the term ‘to be Christlike.’
 
Christlike is the gift that the prophet Jesus shared. He did not tell us how to do; he showed us how to be. He was sharing his life as the example of how to be Christ-like.
 
Jesus did not morph into the person others told him to be. He did not seek guidance from 'out-there'. He shared pure Love - outwardly, by living the guidance he felt from within, regardless of the external pressures.
He literally shook the status quo of the society in which he lived, by being that which he knew to be his purpose.
 
First he was ignored, then ridiculed, and then ordered to cease being himself, before ultimately crucified for not conforming. Jesus knew what was coming, yet did not falter in his belief of God.
 
Even in the 11th hour (on the cross), he asked, "God, why have you forsaken me?" And he was answered. He also said 2 critically important things "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."& [Before leaving the Form] "Thy will be done." He accepted God unconditionally.
 
Being Christ-like is fulfilling that which you feel within you, it is not relinquishing control to others by conforming to Patriarchy.
 
How can patriarchal leaders determine your purpose? For that matter how can any person determine your purpose? People are not God; they are human beings.
 
If you want to experience Christlike nature, simply close your eyes & breathe.
Pure Love is found within you. 
Close your eyes and be silent.
Remove the constant noise of thinking; You will feel love's presence, and likewise, you will feel when you are moving away from it (by choosing to conform to the desires of others in order to be safe).
 
Patriarchy will tell you that to be Christlike is to serve all others, and that this equates to the necessity to relinquish your own needs in order to do so. But how is this Christlike?
 
Jesus served others by being himself, not by relinquishing himself to meet the viewpoint of the self-imposed heads of society. He served others by showing them how to be, not how to do.
 
I too have now drunk from the wells of information regarding God, and I say to be Christlike is not achieved by worshipping the words of God (the Bible or its equivalent) as translated, & dictated by, patriarchy; it is achieved by worshipping That which the words reveal – God.
 
To simplify my message, I share to be Christlike is by taking actions based upon that which resonates within you.
 
As Gandhi offered: "Be the change you want to see."
As Paul offers: " Your job is to be You."
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Sydney Australia in 1963.
Paul is a practitioner of *naturopathy, certified life coach, certified reflexologist, & certified naturopathic usui shiki ryoho reiki therapist. He is also a published author of a self-help series of books, and Podcast host of Mindfulness Mondays
Paul specializes in mindfulness-based practices.

* Naturopaths use natural therapies to treat pathology or diseases and dysfunctions.
For more information on Paul Pettit - http://www.paulpettit.com
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