Supernatural is Natural

October 10, 2019 Open Religion No Comments

If ‘everything that is’ is denoted as nature, then how can the supernatural be anything more than nature?

Oops, did I already say – within this question – everything that needs to be said?

Of course, it’s terminological.

I just equalized ‘nature’ with something of my own choice.

Indeed?

But what is another option for ‘nature’? Let’s look at some:

  • nature = ‘organic nature.’ Then every stone is supernatural. Bullocks.
  • nature = ‘everything except the supernatural.’ Perfect circular definition, thus worthless.
  • nature = ‘everything but God.’ OK. I want to follow in this for a while, especially since it’s the last option I imagine.

Of course, you cannot point your finger at what is God.

Not only because it would be utterly impolite. It’s also impossible.

Quote the Bible: “You cannot look God into the face and live.”

You also cannot point your finger at God without looking him into the face. Thus, you perish.

Hm.

There’s some more semantic conundrum. Take for instance the simplistic train of thought:

“If God created everything, then who created God?”

Answer: “It’s a sacrilege to even ask this question.”

I see.

I’m a Spinozist in this respect: God = nature.

‘Deus sive Natura.’

What I recognize in religion, is that people want something more ‘special’ than the naturally natural. That may be because the natural is not enough… I don’t agree with this. It’s too easy.

It may also be because what people see in the natural, is not enough. That is: the seeing itself is not enough.

People should learn to better see.

If they don’t (want to) learn to better see, then the easy solution lies in a projection of what supposedly is to be seen.

That looks foremost like laziness to me. As you already know, I don’t like it.

I dismiss it.

What would God be but nature? What would nature be but God?

In other words:

It’s not a question of “to be or not to be” but “to see or not to see.”

The seeing makes the supernatural. What is seen then is the same thing yet it’s completely different.

Sure.

That’s nature.

Didn’t I say so at the beginning?

Seeing God is my responsibility

and it’s yours.

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Symbolism lost. Symbolism regained.

If an analogy is horizontal, a symbol is vertical. An analogy is ‘played out’ at one plane. A symbol transcends all planes. An analogy can elucidate something. It cannot deeply touch someone. X analogically represents Y, whereby Y is equally conceptual as X. An analogy has no depth. It is played out at only one Read the full article…

Symbolism and Placebo

These two domains have lots in common. Rationality cuts through both, but in essentially different ways. Power to the people As a matter of fact, the ‘power’ of a symbol doesn’t lie in the physical symbol itself, just as the ‘power’ of a placebo doesn’t lie in the placebo itself. It lies in the person Read the full article…

Superficial Symbolism

There’s a lot of superficial symbolism around, especially in alternative medicines and New-Age spirituality, but also in old traditions such as freemasonry. Is ‘superficial symbolism’ possible? Not literally since symbolism itself is about depth. [see: “Symbolism: How-To”] But one can feign depth, or one can think to reach it by just putting stuff together that Read the full article…

Translate »