What does the word god mean? Reply!

Johnny is prodding me this morning by posting the beginning of René Dubos's "A God Within". (the previous post)

The actual question that we Metaphormorphistic Dreamers are presented with is "do you believe in 'GOD?'".

Yes and No.

When presented with this question, it is often the context in which it is asked that sets the answer. Should a Roman Catholic ask, we often say No...but not always, primarily. So as to keep it simple and not upset anyone, unless, of course the individual is truly trying to understand (very Rare).

To a buddhist we would reply Yes. But we believe the first Buddha was not Sidhartha, but a temple prostitute named Suiana who refused to give up her day job because she liked it too much.

To a Jesuit Logician who was to ask, and sincerely, we would answer "Yes, we do believe in the god of Moses. But we don't believe in Moses".

What?

Well, let me quote a part of the bible to demonstrate the way a Dreamer might approach the topic...the following passage is an essential Metaphormorphic Temporal sign post to meaning:

Exodus 3:13-14 (NIV)
13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

As you can see, the Old Testament clearly tells us that 'god' is Popeye. Perhaps Popeye is the second coming? We will leave that point for another day, to continue...

We Dreamers believe in that which Is. It is just so darn hard to tell what actually "IS".

Now the story of Moses is a really classic story. And maybe some of it is true? Unfortunately we do not have to ability to actually know which parts are story, and which parts actually occurred, hence we are at a loss to ascertain the "truth" of the story. Or are we? (well, we do have Mr. Peabody and the Way Back Machine, but ever since he discovered his latent ability with Haiku, we haven't really gotten much out of him. Of course nothing has been the same with him since that unfortunate incident with Sherman and the peanut butter.)

We like probabilities, and that these stories might be "True" in the sense that 2+2=4 is true, rates very low on the Dogma Probability Weight Assessment Device™ (Dogma PWAD, I'm sure we all remember the great ad campaign when we rolled that out, Don't be defenseless against Dogma! Prods aren't just for cattle anymore, Dogma Pwad!)

But once you use you dogma cleansing solution (we don't actually sell this anymore, but write us if you need to, it's a very easy formula that anyone can make at home), you begin to see that in Dreamer terms, there may be some "truth" there anyway.

God=Is. Isness. That which Is. I believe in reality, how about you?

This is one of the reasons we usually don't want to disturb those who have had the dreaded Dogma catholica (a nasty little bug that resembles the ear wig) enter through the ear canal.

a sample of a hierarch of the common Dogma catholica

The pain we might cause them in separating the Dogma catholica can be quite horrendous, and we are not sure it is entirely useful, once they have entered and laid eggs, retention of the mind is unlikely. Unless of course, they become dangerous. For instance there was a terrible out break of a one of the more nasty sub-species of that insect, which led to the torturing of those not infected in Europe in the middle ages. Certainly our patented Anti-dogma viral treatments would have helped there.

I do need to break here to point out, we do not mean to single out the Dogma catholica for special treatment. There are many versions of this species, for instance the Dogma scientifica, the Dogma athiesta...the list goes on and on...there is no end of them. I would note here however that the Dogma athiesta is a relatively benign pest, even often helpful as it often replaces it's far more virulent and dangerous Dogma cousins, it can, albeit rarely, ada[t into a more aggressive type, whose primary manifestation causes the individual to believe that they know more about the universe than any other entity. (unless crossed with the Dogma communista, whoa...watch out for that one, the blood flows freely wherever you find those too have mated! At that point it becomes very similiar to all of the Dogma theocrasis branch of the species)

Now, strictly speaking we Metaphormorphistic Dreamers are Pan-deistic. Seeing that word you might think that we mean we have many deities. Well, once again, Yes and No. Really we picked that word at the Third Official Elyctical for a few reasons. (the debates at the Third Elyctical were legendary, we had a reenactment of Nicholas slugging Arius in order to prove his belief in the divinity of Christ and everything!)

1. It looks like the word Pandemonium
2. It seems to be a reference to Pan. (all Hail the Prophet Robbins who revealed to us that Pan and Coyote travel North America together.)
3. It was suitably annoying and non-definitive.



Well, this barely holds together, mad rambling, madness at the seams. Which makes it a perfect Metaphormorphistic Sermon.



I will leave you with the following thoughts:

*The oldest etymology of the word "god" is the word becoming.

*As anybody who knows anything about the Unknowable well knows, "God" and "gods" are interchangeable. The exclusivistic patriarchal Jehovah/Allah freaks are not incorrect when they insist that there is but one Supreme Being and that "he" is immutable and absolute. However, neither are the wide-eyed inclusive pagans and primitives wrong when they recognize gods of fire alongside gods of rivers; honor a moon goddess, a crocodile spirit, and deities who reside in, among countless other places, tree trunks rain clouds, peyote buttons, and neon lighting (especially the flashing whites and greens). Tom Robbins


* In reality the greatest of blessings come to us through madness, when it is sent as a gift of the gods...madness, which comes from god, is superior to sanity, which is of human origin. Plato, from the Socratic dialogue Phaedurs

* Even René Descartes, champion of the purest form of rationalism, reported that his famous method originated during a dreamlike state over which he had no control. "X novembris 1619, cum plenus forem Entousiasmo, et mirabilis scientiae fundamenta reperirem." 10 Novermber 1619, when I was full of enthusiasm, and I discovered the fundamental principles of a wonderful knowledge.) Subconscious inspiration, then, rather than orderly methodic thought was primarily responsible for the Discours sur la Méthode. Quoted from René Dubos's "A God Within", just a few pages latter than Johnny's quote.

~~~

Do we of the Metaphormorphistic Dreamers Guild believe in God?

Absolutely!

Not!

But sometimes. ..

Than again?

~~~

I leave you the Standard Guild benediction:

Peace, Love and Bottled Chaos