Steven Colborne's Blog, page 101

Tweet Chat for World Philosophy Day

Hi everyone!

Thursday 21st November (that’s today!) is World Philosophy Day, and I’ve got some fun and games lined up to celebrate by way of a live tweet chat.

As you are probably aware, philosophy is my great passion.  I’ve studied philosophy and written two books with philosophical themes.  So it felt right to mark this occasion by hosting a chat where anyone can get involved and ask questions (or state their opinions!) about some key philosophical matters.

All you have to do to get involved is tweet your questions using the hashtag #UltimateTruth.  I will seek out those questions and respond to as many as possible.  The event starts at 5pm GMT tomorrow and will probably last about an hour (depending on how many people get involved and what our stamina is like ).  You can find me on Twitter via the handle @stevencolborne .

In celebration of this event I am going to make the eBook version of my latest book ‘Ultimate Truth: God Beyond Religion’ available for 99p from Amazon (usual price £3.99) so please support the event and grab your copy while the offer lasts!  You can buy the eBook here.

Please do get involved and tweet your comments and questions from 5pm tomorrow (Remember, it’s the #UltimateTruth hashtag) – I’ll look forward to interacting with you then!

Tweet Chat for World Philosophy Day

Hi everyone!

Thursday 21st November (that’s today!) is World Philosophy Day, and I’ve got some fun and games lined up to celebrate by way of a live tweet chat.

As you are probably aware, philosophy is my great passion.  I’ve studied philosophy and written two books with philosophical themes.  So it felt right to mark this occasion by hosting a chat where anyone can get involved and ask questions (or state their opinions!) about some key philosophical matters.

All you have to do to get involved is tweet your questions using the hashtag #UltimateTruth.  I will seek out those questions and respond to as many as many possible.  The event starts at 5pm GMT tomorrow and will probably last about an hour (depending on how many people get involved and what our stamina is like ).  You can find me on Twitter via the handle @stevencolborne .

In celebration of this event I am going to make the eBook version of my latest book ‘Ultimate Truth: God Beyond Religion’ available for 99p from Amazon (usual price £3.99) so please support the event and grab your copy while the offer lasts!  You can buy the eBook here.

Please do get involved and tweet your comments and questions from 5pm tomorrow (Remember, it’s the #UltimateTruth hashtag) – I’ll look forward to interacting with you then!

Truth Beyond Christianity: There is no free will

The first thing to make clear is that I have every respect for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and people of all faiths and no faith. Our beliefs, whatever they are, are God-given. It is even correct to say that God gives atheists their unbelief, as strange as that may sound.

But the purpose of this article is to explain why I have moved on from Christianity to a new spiritual understanding that isn’t easily categorized. I am close to being a panentheist, which means, literally, “all in God”, but that term doesn’t capture my beliefs entirely.

In a nutshell, I believe that God’s being permeates everything, everywhere, all of the time. I refer to God as “The Cosmic Animator” because I believe that all activity in the universe, including human activity, is willed and directed by God. There is no free will! When I write it is God writing through me, and when you speak it is God speaking through you.

If this sounds strange then consider this for a moment: What is making our hearts beat? What is making our blood flow and our eyes blink?  What is causing thoughts to arise in our minds? Clearly, there is a force or power making these things happen, and that force or power is God, or the divine, or the supreme being, or whatever you might like to call the almighty essence.

A view contrary to this is that of Christians. Christians believe we have free will, which means we do what we choose independently of the divine will. But in my humble opinion this cannot be possible. If God (or the divine) is omnipresent (everywhere) as most Christian theology supposes, then there is no atom anywhere in the universe that is not under direct divine control. God, therefore, is doing everything!

In reality, there is no freedom to respond to divine commandments, as Christians, Muslims, and Jews, suppose. There never was a “fall” away from God, as Christians believe. If God is omnipresent, these things are impossible, and we must also conclude that there is no devil-like being in competition with God.

If you are interested in pursuing this line of thought further I suggest reading my new book ‘Ultimate Truth: God Beyond Religion’ which is out on 16th September 2013 through SilverWood Books.  The book is available from Amazon or you can buy it directly from me through my website here.

The ‘People Not Brains’ campaign

Hi everyone.  Today I just want to draw your attention to a new blog I have launched (www.peoplenotbrains.org).  I will explain briefly what it’s all about.

I am always saddened and frustrated when I read articles about how neuroscientists have discovered some new function of the brain that might be able to help us understand how illnesses like schizophrenia or autism or dementia work.  It is all too easy for scientists to see the brain like a machine that powers the body, when really we are not machines at all, we are spiritual and emotional beings with immaterial minds.

The People Not Brains campaign is about opening up the discussion regarding what makes us human and what creates our personalities in all their complexity.  I’m sure that scientists, philosophers, psychologists, therapists, and people with mental health problems, all have views on this subject, and I wanted to create a space for the discussion of those views.

I would like to encourage you to participate in this project by following the blog at www.peoplenotbrains.org.  Also, it would be great if you would consider contributing an article (it needn’t be more than 500 words) as the whole point of the blog is to get different voices speaking out about the aspects of mental health that interest them.  Want to contribute?  Email me!

I will look forward to hearing from you and collaborating with you on this exciting new project.

My peculiar relationship with Jesus

Every Sunday I get on the 44 bus from Garratt Lane in South West London and make the 30 minute ride through Battersea and across the river to London Victoria.  My final destination is Westminster Cathedral, which is just a short walk from Victoria station.  During the bus journey I have my iPod on ‘shuffle’ and get a mixture of Christian music (some hymns and some gospel), rock and metal, and contemporary electronic music in my headphones.  The journey tends to go smoothly and quickly (particularly if the music is good), and I am always surprised by how short the final stretch through Belgravia to Victoria station is once the bus has crossed the river at Battersea Bridge.

It might seem surprising that despite considering myself a non-Christian, I still choose to visit a cathedral every Sunday.  After all, Westminster Cathedral is a Catholic building, indeed, it is the centre of Catholic worship in England.  Well, the truth is, I feel a real sense of God’s presence in the place, despite not being a Christian.  There are no religious buildings corresponding precisely to my beliefs, and Westminster Cathedral (along with other Christian churches) does at least offer the right kind of atmosphere for me to pray and reflect and have some ‘God time’.

They do of course hold mass in the cathedral, but I don’t attend.  I did feel inclined to join in a service one Sunday a few weeks ago, but after only a few minutes the content of the liturgy made me feel deeply uncomfortable, and so I quietly put down my prayer books and wandered out to the aisles of the cathedral, where everyone is free to pray to God quietly and in their own way.  What made me leave the service?  Well, I simply cannot relate to the Christian idea that we are all sinners, and apologising for sins doesn’t make sense to me.  This is because I believe that God is responsible for everything that happens in the cosmos and in our lives; we do not have free will.  I have written about this extensively on this blog on and in my books, so there’s no need to go into the subject in depth here.

Along the aisles of the cathedral there are chapels dedicated to important religious figures and saints.  Everywhere there are metal racks holding dozens of candles, and visitors are invited to light a candle, perhaps in memory of a loved one (and in exchange for a small donation).  The atmosphere is solemn and sacred and very beautiful.

My favourite part of the cathedral is an area called the Blessed Sacrament Chapel where there is a statue of a figure who I presume is Jesus holding out his arms.  Below the statue is an area where visitors can sit on wooden chairs or kneel to pray.  There are only 8 or so chairs so the area feels very private.  People often walk up to the statue and touch the figure’s bare feet or robe, presumably to absorb some of Jesus’ healing power.  This feels like a distinctly Catholic thing to do.

When I am kneeling in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel I pray about all kinds of things.  Rather than centring my prayers around forgiveness, as Christians do, my own prayers tend to beg God for mercy in terms of the way He treats us.  I always pray especially for those who are suffering the most, and I always pray for people in hospital and people in prison and people who are homeless.  After each prayer session I light a candle for a particular group of people who I feel have suffered greatly, whether holocaust victims, disabled people, the homeless, or another group.

During my prayer time in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel I often feel God prompt me to reach out to Jesus.  And I do.  Although my understanding of who Jesus is doesn’t equate to the Christian understanding, I still acknowledge Jesus as a special person in God’s eyes and a very important spiritual figure.  I pray to Jesus for his friendship and ask for His love and support and intervention in my life’s circumstances.  This goes to show how important I feel Jesus is, even though I’m not a Christian.  I really sense how much God loves Jesus, and it warms my heart to think that Jesus might be my friend.  I often go up and touch the statue myself, and then I touch my heart, hoping for healing in my own life.

My relationship with Jesus is peculiar because I don’t believe as a race we are in need of salvation from sin, which is what Christians generally believe.  I don’t believe we have free will.  God is responsible for everything that happens in our lives.  And because we don’t have free will, we can have done nothing to deserve the wrath of God, or to warrant the need for salvation.  Therefore I cannot accept much of what Christianity teaches.  But I do accept that Jesus is obviously a very important person in God’s eyes, so I feel drawn to respect Him and to reach out to Him, and to read with care what is said about Him in the Bible.

When I leave Westminster Cathedral each Sunday I have a feeling of being refreshed, and it is as though a small weight has lifted from my shoulders.  I have entrusted my woes and worries into God’s care, and I have faith that God will have received my prayers and will look after me and care for me in the coming week.

I have great faith, but it is not Christian faith.  It is a faith that God is in control and has the power to unfold my destiny in whatever way He chooses.

Where do you go to worship?

How do you relate to Jesus in your own prayer life?

Do you believe we have free will?

‘The Shack’ by William Paul Young (book review)

There’s no doubt about it, The Shack by William Paul Young is a brilliant book.  The author recalls the captivating story of a friend who experienced something incredible.  After this friend (named Mack) tragically loses his daughter during a holiday outing, Mack’s life is tortured by what is referred to in the book as his Great Sadness.

The book tells the moving story of how Mack’s sadness is overcome by a miraculous and wonderful experience.  One day, he receives a note that prompts him to visit a shack out in the woodland – a shack that brings back terrible memories for Mack as it is the place where his daughter was cruelly murdered.  After agonising about the note, Mack makes the decision to revisit the shack, and what he experiences during his visit is out of this world.

I don’t want to go into details here (I want to avoid spoilers!) but Mack’s experience when he returns to The Shack is deeply spiritual.  He has an encounter with the divine that is quite profound and unexpected, and the flow of the plot will keep you turning the pages with anticipation.

Although this book will appeal mainly to Christians, it will also be of interest to anyone with spiritual inclinations who marvels at the mystery of existence.  The overwhelming theme of the book is that beyond the tragedies of this life there is a loving God who can and will (eventually) make sense of it all.

I would recommend this book to anyone, and I hope you will read it and enjoy it as much as I did.

‘God: A Guide for the Perplexed’ by Keith Ward (book review)

I am always on the lookout for books that are gripping, stimulating, and moving (aren’t we all!).  It is not enough for me when a book is clever.  And Keith Ward’s book ‘God: A Guide for the Perplexed’ is certainly clever, but unfortunately not affecting in the ways that I am looking for.

As the title suggests, this is a book all about God.  Ward does his best to try to offer many perspectives from the history of philosophy and religion in relation to this subject.  Many of the big names of philosophy are mentioned, but the author never discusses any particular figure in much depth, and rather skims over each philosopher and each particular subject.  The effect is that nothing really substantial is communicated.  I would struggle to recall anything at all from the book that was actually touching or memorable.

I would have much preferred a book that was less scatty in it’s approach to a discussion about God.  For instance, I would be happier if the book had a clear and coherent progression of chapters (thematically?) and focused on a few ideas in depth rather than dozens of ideas in passing.  The language could be simpler or at least where technical words are used they should be described and defined in depth.

The great downfall of this book is that despite being about the most fascinating subject there is, God, the book fails to evoke the kind of feelings of awe, mystery, and intrigue that this subject deserves.  Ward is obviously knowledgeable, and a lot of research must have gone into this book, but it fails to leave any lasting impression.

Why my new book is important

I am in the process of publishing a new book entitled Ultimate Truth: God Beyond Religion.  The book is the follow-up to my 2012 publication The Philosophy of a Mad Man and will be available everywhere from 16th September 2013.

I feel that my new book is an important work for philosophy for a number of reasons.  Firstly, I explain why I am no longer a Christian.  I highlight the areas of Christian theology that don’t make sense, and I present instead a view of the God/world relationship that really does make sense.

It is not just a Christian worldview that I criticise in the book.  I highlight problems with Eastern philosophy as well, in particular the ideas of karma and enlightenment, both of which I feel are illogical and misguided.

But this book isn’t just about criticism.  I offer a positive/rational view of the God that I believe in; a God who is omnipresent and therefore responsible for everything that happens in the cosmos.  This God is living, real, and essential to a correct understanding of reality.

The book unveils our omnipresent God with reference to a handful of key philosophical subjects.  These include:  What is causing our thoughts?  Why do we suffer?  How should we understand good and evil?  And is there such a thing as enlightenment?

The view of God that I present in the book is different to any that I have encountered in philosophy elsewhere and I believe it is the truth.  My final chapter asks:  How should we relate to this kind of God?  I propose the establishing of a new church that is based on my philosophy.

I believe that this book is essential reading, not just for philosophers and theologians, but for anyone who has wrestled with life’s big questions.  The book draws from and expands upon the philosophy presented in The Philosophy of a Mad Man (and on this blog) and develops that philosophy into a set of arguments that I believe are compelling and profound.

The book is available to pre-order on Amazon now and following the release date will be available from my online store here.  I hope that you will read the book and return to this blog to leave me your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

‘God: A Guide for the Perplexed’ by Keith Ward (book review)

I am always on the lookout for books that are gripping, stimulating, and moving (aren’t we all!).  It is not enough for me when a book is clever.  And Keith Ward’s book ‘God: A Guide for the Perplexed’ is certainly clever, but unfortunately not affecting in the ways that I am looking for.

As the title suggests, this is a book all about God.  Ward does his best to try to offer many perspectives from the history of philosophy and religion in relation to this subject.  Many of the big names of philosophy are mentioned, but the author never discusses any particular figure in much depth, and rather skims over each philosopher and each particular subject.  The effect is that nothing really substantial is communicated.  I would struggle to recall anything at all from the book that was actually touching or memorable.

I would have much preferred a book that was less scatty in it’s approach to a discussion about God.  For instance, I would be happier if the book had a clear and coherent progression of chapters (thematically?) and focused on a few ideas in depth rather than dozens of ideas in passing.  The language could be simpler or at least where technical words are used they should be described and defined in depth.

The great downfall of this book is that despite being about the most fascinating subject there is, God, the book fails to evoke the kind of feelings of awe, mystery, and intrigue that this subject deserves.  Ward is obviously knowledgeable, and a lot of research must have gone into this book, but it fails to leave any lasting impression.

Where next? Some reflections

I have been posting regularly on this blog for about a year and a half.  My intention at the outset was to convey my views about the God/world relationship in relation to all of the key questions that philosophically minded people ask.  I feel that now, having written two books (one published and one on its way) and a few dozen blog posts, I have achieved what I set out to accomplish.  I don’t think that there is any crucial philosophical question that I have not attempted to tackle in my writing over the last two years.

So the question is, where next?  I feel that it’s time to put my thinking cap on and to consider how to use the remainder of my life in a meaningful way.  God only knows how long I’ve got left in this world – a few days or a few decades – but I want to make a positive contribution to life on Earth if at all possible.

One thing that will keep me busy is promoting my books.  I have experienced first hand how difficult it is to gain recognition as a self-published author.  But I believe in my writing and that it is a worthwhile endeavour trying to reach as many people as possible with my blog and my books.  So I need to keep pushing for exposure and collaborating with people who can help me to reach a wider audience.  In truth, I feel as though I have something important to offer the world in my writing.  I believe that God has given me some unusual insights and that the most important purpose of my life, for now at least, is to communicate those insights with others.

I truly believe that the panentheistic vision of the world that I espouse in my writing is the ultimate truth and has the power to break through religious dogma and to help lead people to a deeper understanding of reality.  I have studied philosophy and religion and explored our planet’s spiritual paths in some depth but I have never felt as certain as I do these days that I have landed upon God’s truth (or, should I say, the truth about God and the world).  I will always enjoy engaging in philosophical discussions with others about my beliefs, and maybe it is a significant part of my destiny to do so.

In any case, I feel as though the time is approaching for me to move into a new phase in my life.  I need a new challege that inspires and excites.  I need a way forward that will give my life meaning.

I know it won’t always be easy, whatever I decide to do.  I have a diagnosed mental illness and I am living in supported housing.  I have to take medication which has troublesome side effects and I also have an anxiety disorder that inhibits my life.  Nevertheless, I will strive to be productive and structure my life in such a way as to allow me to work on projects and gain satisfaction through them.

There was a time when I was a committed Christian and would have loved to have become a pastor.  But after studying and reflecting and reading the scriptures I found too many theological problems with the Christian faith and it would be wrong for me to pursue that line of work now.  That said, I would love to work in a field that is related to philosophy and spirituality as these subjects remain the great passions in my life.  Can you recommend any jobs that might be suitable for my interests?

I suppose a dream come true would be to be a pastor in a multi-faith church of the future.  But this is a church that I have written about and envisioned but that has no reality at present.  If only I could find the right people to work with in order to make this happen!  On the other hand, in truth I am a very shy and anxious person, so I’m not sure how well pastoral work would suit me.  For the right church or organisation, however, I might be willing to take on the challenge.

Anyhow, first things first, and for now I must focus on completing and publishing my second book, which will have the title ‘Ultimate Truth: God Beyond Religion’. The book draws from and expands upon many of my earlier blog posts and I really do believe it is an important book for philosophy.  I will be working with SilverWood Books on the publication of the book which should be available by the end of the year.  I hope that you will read it!

Thank you for reading my blog and for being a part of this journey with me, I really appreciate it.