The Interview "Rikki Paschal"


I would like to share some excerpts from a beautiful exchange between two wonderful people. I will use their pen names to protect their identity. This, as well as much more, will be published as a book or an essay in the near future.
Let me introduce Rikki Paschal and Surya Kamadeva. Lets join the discussion about God and love.
First question: Do you believe in God.
Surya, yes absolutely, I do not question the existence of a divine creator. The universe is too magnificent to be chance or natural selection. At what level do I think God directs my life is an ongoing study that I seriously doubt I will ever have a complete answer too.
Rikki, I do believe there is something much bigger than our ability to imagine that created this place in which we find ourselves. I can't grasp this God in terms of theism, but I can square the circle, if you will, and place myself in the deistic camp. I struggle mightily with the religion of modernity. I refuse to be told what to think and what to do so as to attain the highest reward, called heaven. When I am told to have a compulsory love to an entity that I cannot see, feel, or touch, I find it irrational as well as irresponsible to direct my soul in such a manner. So, do I believe in God? I do believe in a creator, but I absolutely do not believe nor adhere to the protocol of religion, which robs people of their ability to think freely.

Rikki, you mention compulsory love, let's forge that into a question. Where does love come from and what is it? Surya, we will start with you:
Love is a feeling and or attitude directed towards something or someone. I am not as opposed to the idea of compulsory love as much as Rikki may be. As a child I remember my parents explaining how pets love us and we are to love them in return. In some ways I suppose it was natural but I was also taught to LOVE others. Sure it may have seemed petulant at the time but how else can love be shared at it's inception if not compulsory. I do believe that love is innate within us. How much so I am not sure. I just know that being loved and sharing love is a feeling extolled on us at various times in life. Let Rikki share some thoughts, this is one of those topics that is as broad as it is long.

Rikki, if we take a terse look back at history we will see that natural selection is what allowed us to be where we currently are. It wasn't love nor morality that sit us here before you. It was the desire to survive at all cost. As our environment evolved a social aspect of life began to appear. Language, common interest, communities were established to protect ourselves from enemies, and within this love ebbed into our being. As life on earth became more intellectual the need for power and control surfaced. God's were created as was compulsory love. Holy books were written to guide our lives in ways that kept power in the hands of those controlling the distribution of food, money, shelter and clothing. Laws were established, not to protect the citizens of the time, but to protect the control in the name of God. The inhabitants back in the day were told how to love, who to love, and what to love. Sex was not out of love, it was pleasure, as was many other human acts.
Love has been and shall be a forever evolving emotion. We all desire it, seek it, hope for it, and cling to it, yet few can describe it. Love isn't a forever feeling, it is a right now, in the moment feeling. It has to be in our immediate thought process for it to have application in our daily life. If you love someone but do not see them for weeks, months or years, that person does not encapsulate every waking thought you have. That love is stored away but ready for recall when or if the time comes. With that being said love is not an always emotion, it is a gift or curse of the present.
Love will most likely always be misunderstood especially where religion is involved. The rules that religion and churches impose on our daily trek through life, all in the name of God makes it near impossible for humanity, imagination, and scientific breakthroughs to evolve. The shear threat of heaven and hell brings forth compulsory love. Humans have the innate ability to love soulfully, dutifully, beautifully, mindfully, as well as emotionally when religion is replaced with faith.

More to come, stay tuned
Moderated by
Dale Childress

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