Get a Life - Softcover

Pratt, David R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1456722336 ISBN 13: 9781456722333

Verlag: AuthorHouse, 2011

Inhaltsangabe

This book came into being as the result of years of personal research.

This research was on scraps of paper, filled note pads, and grew by exchanging ideas with like-minded individuals. Having so much information necessitated some sort of organization. This book is the labor of love that resulted from that organization.

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Get a Life

By David R. Pratt

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 David R. Pratt
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-2233-3

Chapter One

GET A LIFE

I. Is This All There Is?

Growing up was a discovery time. Mom and Dad were the first to impact my life with care and cuddling, and then the training and the dos and don'ts. Next came Grandma and Grandpa who offered more of the same but at a little more arm's length. Later my siblings looked on with wonderment if attention wasn't doled out evenly. Then along came the outer world, which happened to start just the other side of the front door.

The outer world started with the postman, because he came to that door daily. If you are of the same vintage, the milkman showed up there too. That outer world also contained the kids you walked to school with and the classroom, the teacher, and even the principal you all shared. Then there was church and all that impact. Life is full of impact, and this was just the beginning.

This is the start of input on the mind, personality, and heart. Only your individual experience with this life can sort out how it went with you. But key questions come to mind here: Do I really want to be who I am? If I was influenced in my thinking and my development on this planet, what I am at this point (or any other point) in time? Am I the somebody that someone else wanted me to be?

Our family members are the first to lead us (perhaps kicking and screaming) into their world. That world is what they had experienced. For the most part, it was all they knew. Theirs included a form of religious education, a minister, a church, and a Bible.

The rituals, the lessons, the formats, the instructions, and even the origins were to be learned but not questioned.

Have you have found yourself in a world not of your making? Have you reflected on it? Have you made at least some attempt to change it? Then again, perhaps you haven't. As for me, I knew there was something more—more truth to be uncovered, more and deeper meaning to be discovered, and something more than hearing that the church was backing up my parents' behavioral training.

Let me use my buddy's dad as an example. In Sunday school, he told us stories about the war. Religion? Spirituality? It kept us quiet and entertained. And since the war was still going on, it taught us fear. None of this was working. I'm sure this kind of stuff goes on elsewhere and for the same reasons. I knew this wasn't what Sunday school was supposed to be about, so I started looking. Looking takes time. I was in youth groups past my high school years. As I look back, it was always the same: two plus two was always four.

Then I found there was more than one way to arrive at four.

That deeper meaning I sought somehow had to contain spiritual growth. "Spiritual" has often called to mind voodoo magic and weird stuff. I'm talking about what is inside of me, the I when I say I. Was it possible to get this spiritual information from my Bible and the teachings I was receiving?

Did your church ever tell you that the King James Version of the Bible was written by Bible scholars in a fashion to please the pope, and to get King James "off the hook," as it were? If that version of the Bible was completed to please the pope (the acknowledged head of the Catholic Church), wouldn't it mean that Protestants and Catholics have their similarities? "Not a bad deal," as they say, and it does raise a question about Oneness, whether it shows or not. It also indicates we've all been led down the same path.

Come to think of it, the church told us a lot of things having to do with behavior, morality, and "how to live." All of which reaches total futility, because we were never going to be able achieve that life anyway. What kind of belief system would you create if the one you were handed didn't make sense? What if you were required to "take it on faith?" What if that faith didn't make sense to you? What if you were required to believe someone who could only answer your questions by reciting the dogma they learned as children? Wouldn't this also mean even the Bible itself could be called to question?

Historically, we know the Bible was transcribed by scribes before the printing press came into existence. That would mean it was subject to interpretation by those scribes, depending on their point of view and background. There are schools of thought that say the Bible is the inspired Word of God and should be taken as such verbatim. It is inferred that no one thereafter should have inspired words to say. That sounds awfully empty for the basis of a belief system. This implies blind "follow-ship."

Did your church ever tell you anything except what they wanted you to hear? Your church was, of course, chosen one way or another by the family from which you came. Your belief system came from your forebears. Your traditions, habits, marriage, or even unwillingness to do anything else was shaped by this system. So much for heritage! Would you, being you, accept such a guidance system for yourself? Whose life is it, anyway?

Religious exposure and training usually attempts to impose a belief system with which you may or may not agree. This comes in the form of a doctrine. Doctrine is believable to you—or it isn't. "Doctrine" has been defined as "that which is presented for acceptance." As long as that definition holds true, you have the option to believe—or not believe. Here we get into what is believable to you.

Logic could play a part in your belief if it works or you. Logic, in itself, is a science and may be thought of as too human or scientific to fit a religious setting. Logic implies that your argument makes sense, is usable, or fits into a process. If the idea of gravity, orbits, turning on an axis, or molecular motion fit in your frame of reference, the world and known physical structures make sense to you. If they make sense, they are believable.

By definition, belief and faith cannot be synonymous terms. To believe in something, it has to be provable to you. Faith is more subtle; faith is knowing that something resonates as truth with no proof necessary.

Then, of course, there is a school of thought that says you must believe what I believe – period – which is fine if it makes sense to you. If you go along with a teaching just to make someone else happy, you are really not in control of your own belief system. Some of the conditions taking the guise of religion are puritanical and are geared to good conduct. This is a kind of behavioral existence. Behavior is a fine way to define our conduct in life. But what if a behavior isn't assisting you in your search for a faith that fits you?

This information about background has been to raise questions such as how we got where we are and do we want to be (t)here? Events in life bring about changes in fashion, appetite, employment, education, and people with whom we choose to associate. The key word here is choose, because our choices are reflected in everything we do. But do we dare to choose to question the belief system we were led to? Does it fit the person you have become? Why not take a look at it? If you are satisfied that it can do no more, stop reading and give this to someone else. If you dare not question because of what other people will say, or can't/won't accept the possibility of change, the question becomes who runs your life?

However, if investigation and looking around could improve your lot, why not do it? Perhaps you'll find something that works better. You won't want to look back except to see how far you've come. Go on, give it a shot! The next phase delves into religion because you and I hung out in that type of framework, one way or another. If we liked it, we stayed. If we didn't like it, we denied it as part of our lives. Maybe we even scoffed at it as a waste of time.

Chapter Two

BACK TO BASICS

WHAT? AGAIN?

For our purposes, we will define religion as "man's search for God."

The religion called Christianity has been defined by a myriad of churches and bibles over the centuries. One could look at the variety of denominations available in the Yellow Pages. But that would not be a complete selection, because there are those that are no longer in existence (or those that are yet to be defined).

As to bibles, there are and have been, various editions over the more than 2,000 years since the presence of the last acknowledged Christian avatar. What He had to say and what acts He performed have had interpretations and reviews of all sorts.

For starters, let's use the King James version of the Bible as our point of reference. God came first. It lets us know that all things have a beginning. Such a beginning, any beginning starts with a thought. That thought then becomes an idea, a concept, and an image. The Bible tells us what was done with these ideas, concepts, and images.

If we look at the description and timing of various creations, we find a who, what, where, when, and how. The entire scenario would have called for a Creative Force, which would have brought forth the thought (the realization that something needs to be changed or defined), the idea (a development of a thought), the concept (a more advanced gathering of ideas), and image (detailing the concept).

The Creative Force started with the basics, and then came the climax. That Creative Force (we'll call it He and Him, etc. for simplicity) went on with His work. We are all told that He—God—created the day and the night. That day He created would be the light, the light of the suns and the light that was reflected from the bodies upon which the sun shone. That night would be the space into which the created planets, stars, and asteroids were flung. These heavenly bodies would ultimately shine as light. The Earth was one of those planets, in its time. Did you notice that everything that allows habitation on the Earth is already here? The humans came upon the Earth in the scheme of things with what the Creative Force imaged. Human life on this planet occurred when resources available to support this form of life were in place. Thus, attributes of the Creator were instilled in Man. The problem is that man has not remembered his divinity, his role, or his assignment.

We've made Earth a decent place to live. In our freedom to choose, we've gotten in the way of each other's freedom to choose. We've contrived belief systems that guided our fellow humans in the direction we wanted them to go. We have veiled the source of creation and essence of life in our egocentric quest for survival. We've ignored, en masse, some of those among us who "got the message."

To cite a few who did get the message note J.B. Phillips' book Your God Is Too Small or James Allen's As a Man Thinketh.

There are, of course, others, but the picture is drawn, if you will. And yes, He created man as He imaged him (and in His likeness, as well). To me, this means that man was created with all the attributes of His Creator. These attributes are cited elsewhere, but it is important to say that the Creator's son was created as the Creator would have him, and the attributes were to be his tools.

In the triune God (that is, the accepted arrangement), there is the Father (Creator), Son (life of the Father in form) and Holy Ghost (spirit of life, God essence) as we look at it on a down-to-earth, local level. The Son took form as a human with all those gifts and attributes of his Creator. Avatars, the ones who "get it," have realized all that man was created to be, and have gone about showing and/or telling all who will listen. Reflect for a moment that you house these attributes within you, and that is true of every other human being. Wow! What a potential! There are twelve attributes, and not are all present in any creature except man.

Perhaps it would be good to explain a few of the attributes. Let's start with Will. Will is said to be the basis in decision-making, determination, and a person's ability to express individuality. This expression came into play early in the story of the Garden of Eden when Adam—man "forgot" and left his Father's domain early on. What has gone on since is history.

Adam took it upon himself—his will—to self-express. Perhaps that's not all bad, but one has to admit, it's not all good, either. The story suggests that there were consequences as a result of his determination. So what else is new? Every choice that man has made since the beginning of time has had consequences, good or bad, wise or unwise, to his like or dislike, or beneficial to all or self-centered.

If you are not satisfied with "beneficial to all mankind," above, how about "we learn from our mistakes," or "to be successful, do what successful people do," or "take a class from someone who has been there and done that," or attend a lecture. Good comes from everything taken in context, and if it plays out "not good" a lesson has been learned, and that is good.

Another attribute to be considered is Faith. Faith is handily identified as knowing or seeing in some fashion. Those things into which a man puts his faith and destiny end up shaping the patterns of his life. In order to achieve, he must place no limitation on possibilities. He must first set goals and strive to attain them. Adam-man was the first to have a problem with it. Look at what faith has done to those who abuse the bodies they live in. Honoring the body seems not to be evident. It appears that a lack of honor of created structures is reflected in run-down neighborhoods, abandoned buildings, refuse piles, and landfills as well. Within the thought patterns of faith lie those things that have to do with health and wealth matters. Those things closely affect our lives.

I would like to refer to two or three Bible verses in particular. In these verses we are told that "Man shall not live by bread alone." Another quotation of biblical origin says, "Not that which goes into the mouth defiles the man but that which comes out." The bible further admonishes. "Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains" and "Nothing shall be impossible to us."

Matthew 4 elaborates on the above more by what the Master did than what he said. I'm impressed by the meanings of these phrases . I share them to encourage you to consider how our lives can be affected by them.

Another attribute of the Creative Force is strength. That strength could be physical strength or strength of character or conviction. It could represent stability in the face of adverse conditions or positions. Other creations in the universe encompass strength as shown in the elements of air, fire, earth, and water, in the flora and fauna, and in the endless kingdoms and realms of one's imagination.

Strength needs to be an inner force as you seek to be yourself, and to stay the course to become who you really are. Get a Life is the title of this book and your "new you" may well find an ingredient or two to help it happen in these pages.

This introduces another of the Creator's attributes: imagination. Life comes to us, at us, and for us created by the imagination. Imagination has developed all branches of science, learning technologies, religion, and the way of life of one's own choosing. Imagine new ways, if you will. It's a God-given right.

If it weren't for imagination, there would be no space exploration, no medicine, no machinery. The list is endless. Those without imagination demonstrate that, through less striving, less effort, and more dependence on others to provide for their needs.

As to science, there has been an organized pattern wherein science should be considered before God. Just think, the scientist would be out of a job if it were not for the Creator of the Universe.

Let's look at the world. Books have been written on the subject, but this is not to recap or refute what has already been said. This Earth is a planet that came out of the work of the Creative Force containing all that has been uncovered and discovered here—and more. The imagination of the inhabitant has produced a way of life here. They have found and developed uses for everything that has been uncovered to date. What source made it possible?

The Bible says we were created in God's image, so how would you describe your God? Is he a human being up in the sky? Does that give weight to the conviction that we worship a God that we cannot know? Maybe He is too "far out" to see or get to know.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Get a Lifeby David R. Pratt Copyright © 2011 by David R. Pratt. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: AuthorHouse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2011
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1456722336
• ISBN 13: 9781456722333
• Einband: Tapa blanda
• Anzahl der Seiten: 84
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar