”Did you know that when Einstein attended some conferences in the numerous universities of the USA, the recurring question that the students asked him was:
Do you believe in God?
And he always answered: I believe in the God of Spinoza.
For the ones who haven't read Spinoza, I hope this will give them an idea.
Baruch De Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher, of Portuguese Jewish origin, considered one of the great rationalists of his time along with the French philosopher Rene Descartes. Spinoza was born in Amsterdam in the 17th century of a businessman father who was successful but not wealthy.
This is the nature of the God of Spinoza:
God would have said:
"Stop praying and giving yourselves blows on your chests, what I want you to do is to go out into the world to enjoy your life.
I want you to enjoy, to sing, to have fun and enjoy everything I've done for you.
Stop going to those gloomy, dark and cold temples that you built yourself and that you call my house.
My home is in the mountains, in the forests, the rivers, the lakes, the beaches. That's where I live and express all my love for you.
Stop blaming me for your miserable life; I never told you that you were a sinner.
Stop being so scared. I do not judge you, nor criticize you, nor am I ever angry with you, nothing bothers me, nor do I devise punishment. I am pure love.
Stop asking me forgiveness, there's nothing to forgive. If I made you... I filled you with passions, pleasures, feelings, needs, limitations, inconsistencies... of free will, how can I blame you if you do or say something out of that what I put in you? How can I punish you for being as you are, if I'm the one who made you? Do you think I could create a place to burn all my children who misbehave, for the rest of eternity?
What kind of God can do that?
Forget about any kind of commandments, of any kind of laws; those are wiles to manipulate you, to control you and only to create guilt in you.
Respect your peers and don't do to others what you don't want for you. The only thing I ask is that you pay attention in your life, that your alert status is your guide. This life is the only thing there is, here and now and the only thing you need.
I have made you absolutely free, there are no prizes or punishments, there are no sins or virtues, no one carries a marker, no one carries a record.
You are absolutely free to create in your life a heaven or hell.
I couldn't tell you if there's anything after this life, but I can give you a tip. Live as if there wasn't.
As if this was your only chance to enjoy, to love, to exist.
So, if there is nothing, then you will have enjoyed the opportunity I gave you. And if there is, be sure that I will not ask you if you behaved well or not. I will ask you, Did you like it?... did you have fun ?..What did you enjoy the most? What did you learn?...
Stop believing in me; believe is to assume, guess, imagine. I don't want you to believe in me, I want you to feel me when you kiss your beloved, when you play with your little girl, when you love your dog, when you bathe in the sea.
Stop praising me. What kind of egotistical God do you think I am?
I'm bored of your praise, I'm fed up with thanks . Do you feel grateful? Prove it by taking care of yourself, your health, your relationships, the world around you. Do you feel overwhelmed?... Express your joy! That's the way to praise me.
The only thing sure is that you are here, that you are alive, that this world is full of wonders.
What do you need more miracles for? Why so many explanations?
Don't look for me outside, you won't find me. Find me inside... I'm beating in there for you."
Baruch De Spinoza.”
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