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    Pathism: Finding God in the Cosmos
    Pathism: Finding God in the Cosmos
    Pathism: Finding God in the Cosmos
    Ebook76 pages1 hour

    Pathism: Finding God in the Cosmos

    By Michael Moreau

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    About this ebook

    Pathism: Finding God in the Cosmos posits that we should no longer feel content to sacrifice our spirituality because it clashes with our intellect or morality.

    Spirituality should never ask such things of a person. For if there truly is a divine force at work in the cosmos then surely it would never wish us to compromise our principles to align with man-made dogma.

    This book looks at the formation and evolution of religion and spirituality throughout human history. We examine how religion has been historically wielded as a weapon to attack those who dare to think differently, or as shackles which those in power use to control the hearts and minds of the masses.

    This does not have to be the case any longer.

    In an age when more and more people are becoming religions “nones” (those who identify with no religion) we have to ask whether or not simply giving up on spirituality is the answer. Do we let the establishment win simply because we can’t be bothered? Do we lead an existence devoid of spirituality just because so many others have perverted it to their own ends?

    Pathism seeks to take back what was lost. To give us “nones” a community to call our own again. To reclaim spirituality in the name of those who profess that love, tolerance, intelligence, and compassion mean far more to the world than ancient texts or rituals.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMichael Moreau
    Release dateSep 10, 2018
    ISBN9780463249451
    Pathism: Finding God in the Cosmos
    Author

    Michael Moreau

    Writing a bio of myself is difficult because I often feel as if I don’t really know who I am. I am a collection of characters and places that have touched me as I have traveled down the (often bumpy) road of life.There’s only been one constant thing about me that truly feels like “me” and that is the desire to create. Whether it’s writing, photography, filmmaking costume & prop design, or one of the other couple of dozen things that I like to do I just can’t stop creating. I’m drawn to it more than any other pursuit in life.Just like everything else about me my influences are a little all over the board. I would say that I admire and often imitate Douglas Adams’ sense of humor, but lots of my works are also in the simple and elegant style of Andre Norton fused with some of the gritty details of writers like Hal Colbatch or Larry Niven.I don’t write as a career, I know that during my lifetime I will likely never make any real money from my writing but I do it because I have stories to tell. All that I hope from my work is that people enjoy it. A quick fan letter is my reward for what I do.

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      Book preview

      Pathism - Michael Moreau

      PATHISM

      Finding God in the Cosmos

      Michael Moreau

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2018 Michael Moreau

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Prologue

      Origins

      Precepts

      Elaboration on the precepts

      One belief

      Does the divine exist?

      What form does the divine take?

      Why seek the divine?

      Do we need connection with the divine?

      Concrete vs natural religion

      Modern natural faiths

      Pathism, to me

      The all

      Well of souls

      The god-child theory

      The moral path

      Worship or reverence

      Ritual

      Frequently asked questions

      Glossary

      Conclusion

      About the Author

      PROLOGUE

      Put simply Pathism is the rejection of the belief that any man or woman alive has the answers to the big questions. Pathism is about never ceasing to seek a higher knowledge, but acceptance that the mysteries of creation are infinite and ultimately unknowable as a whole. Pathism embraces the teachings of historical prophets but rejects dogma.

      It is a concept of spirituality that understands everyone's personal path towards communion with the divine will be different, but that those journeys can share core principles.

      Pathism does not seek to remove from people ideals they were raised with only to replace them with wholly new notions that are set in stone. Raised Christian, Jewish, or Muslim? Buddhist, Hindu or Baha'i? Pathism does not ask you to toss out the teachings that you have learned from your parent faith, it instead asks you to peer through the veil of dogma and superstition built up by priests and priestesses over countless centuries. Pathists are encouraged to brush aside elements that have been devised as little more than a means for powerful men to control the lives and fates of others.

      First and foremost to being Pathist is this: A fundamental belief that the divine nature of the universe, of God if you will, cannot be confined within the boundaries placed upon it by man. It is the beginning, the end, the incomprehensible oneness of all creation.

      It is my sincere hope that you take something positive from this book, and remember as you read that Pathism has no set scripture, for such a concept goes against its very essence. These are the words of a man who cries out for the spiritual healing of the world and the tearing down of systems that seek to shackle the majesty of creation with their own feeble imaginations and to fool people into believing that only they can provide salvation.

      ORIGINS

      Religion, faith, or belief, call it what you will chances are that you were indoctrinated into some form of it or another from an early age. Most of us are. Our spirituality is not something that is allowed to develop naturally like many of our other opinions and positions. Like many of you I have tried reconciling my own personal beliefs with those of the theological system into which I was born and found it virtually impossible. For a while I tried abandoning religion completely, yet I found that path to be almost equally as unfulfilling as pretending to believe in things that made no sense to me.

      Perhaps it is because of that early conditioning that we carry a learned behavior, a craving for spiritual community. Or maybe it’s something else, an inborn desire of mankind to seek out a truth higher than itself. Whatever the cause of this phenomenon the result is the same; millions of people who cannot come to terms with concrete religions which were forced on them in childhood, yet find no solace in simply turning their backs on spirituality as a whole.

      That is the beginning of Pathism; a desire to understand this need for spiritual community and the intent to create a community that can help us in our quest to touch the divine. It is the hope that we can reclaim the insights of our ancient ancestors while simultaneously harnessing the wisdom of the modern era.

      The Path is one to peace, to love, to understanding, to personal revelation, and to a future in which we are free to indulge our spiritual inclinations without sacrificing our intellect or the ideals that define us as individuals.

      PRECEPTS

      Without a core set of principles no belief system can exist. Pathism does not attempt to break from this tradition, as bucking tradition simply for the sake of doing so serves no more purpose than does adhering to dogmatic practices that have no merit. These precepts, however, are minimal and presented in a fashion that is intended to reflect only the barest of Pathist concepts, as the belief system itself is intended to be open to not only interpretation but to personal inquiry.

      The Four Precepts

      One likely cannot comprehend the true

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