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Page 3
The rational alternative - that God is merely a symbol of the power contained in the entire set of parts that we call the universe - is unacceptable because it puts us, with all our limits and fears, in the driver's seat. By integrating our place in the universe, we become "all there is". This is not a comfort for most people. The mentality of "security over freedom" is inherent in everything we do, and this is why most people will simply refuse to do this integration.
But this is not as disastrous as it may seem. For only outside of God are we free to live our own lives, and flourish at the best of our abilities. If a god exists, then anything goes: logic, Reason, human purpose, are all contingent on his will. But if we detach ourselves from the need for a "one without the many" - God - and immerse ourselves in the dance of creation, the vitality of reality - "one within the many" - we accept a deeper communion with others, a deeper sense of responsibility for our existence, because we accept that we can be moral and that we can glorify reality. That compassion, peace, progress are superior to violence and self-destruction in all domains. And that is the most spiritual thought of all.
The copyright of the article The Individual and the Collective - Page 3 in Rational Spirituality is owned by Francois Tremblay. Permission to republish The Individual and the Collective - Page 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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