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2003.06.06
Recovering from Mormonism, Part III:
A New Spiritual Awakening
I decided there could be no one between me and God, if there was a God to connect with at all. I decided that benevolent motivations matched with consistent demonstrations were the only measure of character. I granted myself forgiveness and acceptance for being human and limited in my existence. And I expected only that I see myself working to be a better person today than I was yesterday--counting my successes and mistakes only as information for refining my aim on a target of well-being.
I could see that I did not "know" if there was a God or what context an afterlife took. I established that the overwhelming disparity on this topic suggested that no one "knew." Since, I was left only with an Object of Belief and the Force of Faith, I determined that my Spirituality would be defined as the Intentional Energetic Contribution I made to my present living.
Spirituality, to me, was no longer anyone's Ethical Dogma about God, but was everyone's Ethical Demonstration about Contribution. This had to be based on what was given to each individual as their unique finite cause and what that individual's potential effect actually realized into a material manifestation. I realized the accuracy of the phrase, "to those who are given much, also is much required of them." So, my standard for Spiritual Quality became how well anyone's force of intention constructed or destroyed effects of wellness within their circle of influence.
Given this new frame of reference, my filters of logic forced me to revise my concepts of male/female relationship and sexuality. I embraced that experience and scientific skepticism were my only spiritual compasses. That my opinion, would always be just that, My Opinion.
So, I set out to form an opinion that I could and would be willing to set my confidence in. One that, I believe, aligns with the Constant Orders and Forces of Universe, as I best perceive and understand them--not surrendering, however, to the paradoxical conclusion that the Only Constant is Transition. I observe and analyze the simplicities and complexities of Cosmic Development and Biological Evolution. The Universe implies loudly that Diversity is Necessary to adapting Options for Survival -- that Similarity is Necessary to refining Preferences for Quality.
What the hell does this have to do with sex?
Questions of human sexual relationship, humanitarian uses of gender power and human sexual responsibility can not be assigned by an Invisible God or Symbolic Authority. It must be chosen thru Social Awareness and an Intelligence that is pro-active in its own well-being. Just as we learn what works and doesn't work in our personal lives by evaluating patterns in our experience and history, we also can learn as a Collective Society these things. The sooner we get "honest" about our historical and present experience, the sooner we can employ effective solutions to the ills of our world --including, Social and Individual Sexual Dysfunction.
I determined, Enlightened Choice can not come from a shroud of mystic tradition that is no more informed about current needs for healthy survival than Christian belief once was about the Earth being the center of the Universe. Galileo's discovery of the telescope increased the resolution of human awareness to the facts of Earth's relationship to cosmic physics. The ever increasing awareness of humanity, thru Expanding Technologies and Shrinking Social Isolations, demand that we inspect our belief systems and dispose of what has continually proven to fail and uphold what has continually proven to succeed.
Yes, I realize our individual experience is relative and perceptual -- there are many hazy shades of Gray surrounding us. But, our collective experience is absolute and actual: what goes up and is in a context to come down, will come down--not sometimes, but Always. This is a principle of order that can be relied on and manipulated--for better and for worse. Also, I believe, what is nourishing and in a context to produce health and mastery, will produce health or mastery--not sometimes, but Always. This too, can be relied on and used.
So far as I know, human's possess the most capable intellects and imaginations able of conceiving and understanding the differences between these Orders of absolutes and relatives. Because of this, we are actually capable of Designing Choices that align with and use Universal Order to pro act an experience that we prefer for ourselves, rather than completely surrender to one imposed on us by an UnConscious Directive.
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