Friday, November 23, 2007

Belief - A conversation...

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful...the Best Knower.

The following is a conversation I recently had with myself.

(Revised, slightly, 11-26-07)
===============================================

What is Belief?
Belief is the acceptance of something as real or true, thus accepting it as a basis for action or decision making, without having direct, experiential knowledge of the thing accepted.

What is the Basis for Belief?
It appears that "Belief" is the expression or sense that there exists some reality that has not yet been realized, having been inspired by one's experience with what has been realized.
In other words, experience yields Knowledge. That knowledge leads one to "believe" in the existence of a yet higher realm of experience, which would yield a higher knowledge. One's experience with the "seen" gives one insight into the Existence and Nature of the "Unseen".

So then, the quality or validity of one's Belief has much to do with the quality of one's experience?
Actually, it appears that the quality or validity of one's belief has more to do with one's perception of one's experience.

What are some of the things that can affect one's perception of one's experiences?
It apears that one's perception of one's experience can be affected by:
1) Comparison to previous experiences.
2)
Correlation to previously received data/information.3) How pleasurable or painful the experience is.
4) A combination of any or all of the above.
Numer 2) is of particular significance because it carries the possibility of receiving "false" data, which can cause one to misinterpret items 1) and 3).

So, one's beliefs can be affected by the information or data one receives?
Yes.

What do YOU believe?
I believe in the Principles of Freedom, Justice and Equality.

Why do you believe in Freedom, Justice and Equality?
I believe such because what I see in Nature is that all Living things - including myself - seek (desire) to be "free" and to be treated "fairly" (justly) and to have equal access to the necessities of Life; and it is seen that where these Principles are the Essence and the Goal of the Laws governing the society, the people are content with their existence.

Are you the only one who seeks (desires) Freedom, Justice and Equality for Self?
Not at all. It has been my observation that all people, since we are "Living things", are inclined by Nature to seek Freedom, Justice and Equality for ourselves.

Can one attain or experience these Principles for one's self, alone, if the rest of Humanity is denied these Principles?
No. I don't see how that could be possible. In order to secure Freedom, Justice and Equality for One, these Principles must be secured for All. The security of the Whole ensures the security of the Parts that make up the Whole...and vice versa.

How does each individual, who has free will, enjoy or secure Freedom, Justice and Equality for himself without violating the rights of others to enjoy or secure the same?
There must be order among the people that will govern their activities and behavior without denying them any of their Natural Rights, which are based on their Natural Needs.

How is this Order produced?
Order is produced by establishment and enforecement of, and obedience to, Law.

How is Law established among Beings of free will?
Among Beings of free will, Law is established by agreement among them as to what activities will best facilitate the Survival of the Community (or Nation).

How do Beings of Free Will come to such an agreement?
They must have some awareness of the common Nature and Needs they all share as Beings of the same Essence, sharing existence in the same Universe; and they must have some awareness of the Laws that Govern the Universe in which they live, and of which they are a part. Then they can effectively discern the value of a proposed social law, by evaluating how well the proposed social law harmonizes with the Universal or Divine Law.

How is such awareness developed?
Such awareness is developed by study of the physical Universe and the Laws, or natural tendencies, at work within it. However, under circumstances where people have lost the ability to "read" Creation, they must read and study Writings of Those who have done such Study and ahve some awareness of the Laws of Creation, and have recorded their findings for the benefit of others.

So, observation and study of the Laws, or Natural Tendencies, governing Creation results in greater awareness of these Laws?
Yes.

Is it possible, then, for there to be One Being who has a Greater Awareness and Understanding of these Laws than every other Being?
It is not only "possible", but it must be the case, since there are no two things in the Universe (including People) that are exactly alike in terms of form, function, degree, size, etc.
Therefore, there must be, by virtue of the Nature of things, a "larger" and a "smaller"; a "Greater" and a "lesser"; and this reality must always be present so long as there is "existence".

How far back does "existence" reach in time?
I don't "know", exactly. The Hon. Elijah Muhammad taught us that it goes back into the Trillions of years.

So, then, the "Order" of the Universe goes back into the Trillions of years?
Yes, that is what we are taught.

And, is the Universe "ordered" presently?
Yes, it is. If it weren't, it could not exist.

What is it that keeps the Laws, and thus the Order, in place? Why doesn't everything that exists just diffuse or dissipate back into "nothingness"? What is holding everything together?
It appears that there is a definite element of Control at work here, which overpowers the natural tendency in Matter to settle back into a state of diffusion.

What does "Control" suggest?
"Control" suggests "Intelligence"...at least in MY mind.

Ok...so...If Order suggests Control, and Control suggests Intelligence, then does Order suggest Intelligence?
Yes, that certainly appears to be the case.

And, if there has been "Order and "Control" Governing the Universe constantly, from Trillions of years ago to the Present; then has there also been an Intelligence keeping the "Order" and the "Control" in the Universe during that time?
Yes, I believe so ... a constant Presence of Intelligence, ensuring the constant Presence of "Order" by Its constant exercise of "Control".

What is this "Intelligence"?
It appears to be the Energy of Life, which is constantly seeking Expression or Manifestation.

And "where" is this Intelligence?
It appears or seems to be in all Living Things.

Is this Intelligence found in Man?
Yes. It is found ESPECIALLY in Man, as Man appears to be the only Being that can bring order, not only to his own social world, but also to worlds outside of his own social world; and can facilitate directly the survival of not only himself, but of other species as well.

So, the same Organizing Intelligence that formed the Universe is found in the expression of Man?
Yes.

Is Man, then, the Controller of the Universe?
That is what I believe, but I have not yet been able to experience or demonstrate that directly for myself.

Is Man "flesh", or is Man "Energy"?
I am convinced that Man is Light, Life and Power. Even his "flesh" is actualy "energy".

Who is the Supreme One among Man, today?
I believe that Master W. Fard Muhammad -- the Teacher of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad -- is that Supreme One.

Why do you believe He is the Supreme One?
I believe such because of the Teaching or Revelation that He Brought...because of the Supreme Truth that He Brought. Only a Supreme Mind can manifest Supreme Truth from Supreme Wisdom.
Also, because of the Supreme EFFECT that His Truth has had among a people in the absolute worst condition of any other people, ever, on our Planet. His Word has begun the Process of Resurrection among our people, which continues to this day under the Voice and Guidance of the Hon. Louis Farrakhan, without any carnal weapons, and despite the intense opposition from the Rulers of this world.
With a Word, Master Fard Muhammad is Bringing about a change of Worlds; that Word being delivered now through the Hon. Louis Farrakhan.

So, again, What do YOU Believe?
I believe that Man is the Supreme Being, and that the Supreme Being is Man. I believe that the Universal or Divine Intelligence which Governs Creation, Created the Human Form for Its Expression and Exercise of Power over Matter, to produce an environment (Universe) that is suitable for Its(His) continued evolution and growth.
I believe this Being Created also the means by which the Form or Vessel (Body) could be reproduced, so that the Idea and Work of the First One could continue, and be developed through His Progeny over eons of Time.
This is evident in the Nature of Life, wherein any single generation in the Present represents the cumulative experience and "instinct" of all the previous generations, all the way back to the Beginning of the species; making the Present generation a more evolved expression of their Ancestors.
I believe that the Supreme God/Man among us, today, is Master Fard Muhammad, Who attained His Mastery through a Supreme Study of the Wisdom and Work of the First God/Man -- the Originator (of Self and Creation).

How are the Idea and Wisdom of the Originator Evolved or Improved upon?
It is a demonstrable Truth that Living Beings retain the effects of their expeirences. These "effects" are retained as "information" or "data", and then are passed on to the next generation of Beings. This next generation is thus "born" with the record of the previous generation's experience, and then adds to that the data from its OWN experience, and then passes that combined experience on to ITS progeny, who then continue the Process...
This is just as true for Mental experience (in Man) as it is for physical experience. Man, unlike any other Being on Earth, has the ability to study, examine and evaluate His Past Actions and Ideas, and to determine how, if necessary, those Actions and Ideas should be modified to meet the ever evolving needs of the Present, toward fulfillment of a desired Future. This is Improvement, towards Perfection, of the Wisdom of the Originator, through each successive generation.

Is that what makes Master Fard Muhammad the Wisest and the Supreme of Beings?
Yes, I believe so. We are taught that He Studied (for 42 years) the Wisdom of All the Gods before Him -- especially the Originator -- out of a Deep Love and Respect for the Desire, Vision and Will of the Originator; and was able to Improve on the Wisdom of the Originator, and is in the Process of Improving on the Work of the Originator. This is called "Progress"...or Moving Forward; Building on the Foundation (or Base) Laid by the Originator.

Is this what is meant by the statement that "Allah" Came to us "In the Person" of Master Fard Muhammad?
Yes, I believe so. It means that the Mind, the Idea, the Will, the Spirit and the Power of "Allah" -- the Original Man -- is fully developed and Present among us in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad; as is evident by the Power of the Word He Gave us, which, when adhered to, is shown to be Superior to any other teaching I have encountered, in its ability to Raise the Consciousness of a fallen People. His ability to Reach and Raise the "dead" is proof of His ability to Reach and Raise the Living.

RM

Saturday, November 10, 2007

The Rise and Fall of Nations...and Belief Systems

The strength and longevity of a Tree depends, to a large degree, on the strength and depth of its connection (roots) to the Earth.

If a man, having no root in the earth, can walk up to a tree twice his size and push it down so that it falls to the ground, is this an indication of the strength of the man, or of the weakness of the Tree's connection (roots) to the Earth?

Likewise, the strength and longevity of any Civilization (or Belief System) depend, to a great extent, upon that civilization's governing principles being sufficiently rooted in the Universal Order of God's Creation.

If an alien civilization, with no root in the Universal Order, can walk up to an "Ancient" civilization and topple it to the "ground", is this an indication of the "strength" of the "alien civilization", or of the weakness of the Ancient Civilization?

If the Ancient Civilization were sufficiently rooted in the Universal Order, it should not fall victim to that which has no root.

The fall of a particular nation has not so much to do with the strength of opposing nations, as it has to do with the inability of that nation to maintain its connection to the evolutionary process of Change in keeping with the Laws of Nature.

Consider these words from the Hon. Louis Farrakhan:
"When you go out after Knowledge, never say, 'I found it!,' for when you think you have found it, you have stopped searching. You have stopped seeking. When you stop searching, stop seeking, you have reached a plateau of learning. That plateau leads to the death of your society; the death of your own power; your creative energy."

When a people rise to a certain height in cultural development, there is a tendency to "level out", and "rest" at that level, and they get "comfortable" where they are; which means the "push" to further evolve is halted; and the people then begin the process of degeneration, as it is well known that when growth ceases, degeneration begins.

The degeneration of the society begins to produce dissatisfaction in the people whose nature demands cultivation; and that dissatisfaction invariably "gives birth" to a new idea that is more suitable to the needs of the people. If the society at large does not accept the "new idea", then it will continue to degenerate and weaken until either the new idea takes over, or some outside element moves in to take over.

In order to protect itself from this phenomena, a nation or society must encourage and promote the cultivation and evolution of the Minds of its citizens, according to the Natural Order, or Universal Order of Creation. The society must constantly guard itself against 'settling' on any particular level of understanding, and must constantly strive for greater and greater understanding; as Truth and Reality are ever-evolving. This means we must be "open" to consider new Ideas and new Possibilities for the furtherance of the society, and not get "stuck" on any one moment in the past. Everything is moving forward, and so must we.

Where do these "new Ideas" come from? Ofttimes, it is born out of the dissatisfaction of the people, whose Nature is to constantly seek growth, and rebels against stagnation.

However, the most siginificant Source of these "new Ideas" is the Divine Supreme Being, Who, according to Scripture, has been facilitating the evolution of Humanity through time by stages, by way of Divine Revelation.

It is when a society rejects, or turns away from, this Divine Guidance that it ceases to grow, and begins (or continues) the process of degeneration; and so becomes destined for collapse and replacement.

If we, who are in the Present, are seeking growth and evolution through that which is already Past, then we too will soon become a thing of the past...obsolete.

Let us open our eyes and seek out that Guidance that is suited for the Present. We must Honor and Respect the Past, but we also must be mature enough to accept that the wisdom of the Past is not sufficient for the Present time and circumstances.

God's Guidance for the Present, and the proper study of it, is the Key to maximizing our success in the Present, and thus laying a proper foundation to take us into the Future.

Let us "Honor" the past...not "worship" it.

RM

Friday, November 09, 2007

What Is It About Us "Religious" Folk..?

Salaam (Peace) to all...

I was reading over an article today, about a Pastor in Los Angeles who publicly criticized certain members of the Christian Community -- Bishop Weeks, Juanita Bynum, and Paula White -- for the unfortunate circumstances they have found themselves in.

Mind you, I am not deluded into thinking that what I'm about to speak on is a "Christian" problem. I understand that it is a "human" problem which tends to find its greatest manifestation among religious people in general...Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc.

What is it in us, who claim to believe in God, that causes us to be so quick to mock and ridicule a fellow believer who has fallen due to some imperfection, as if we have no imperfections?

I was really disappointed to hear of a Christian pastor openly mocking the misfortune of other Christian leaders, infecting his congregation with the spirit of condemnation of a fellow believer, instead of the spirit of compassion.

Instead of mocking our Brothers and Sisters in faith when they stumble (or fall), why not go to them and offer our SUPPORT...especially when they have demonstrated that they are sincere in the midst of their imperfections.

Many of us claim kinship to a "Jesus" who is lifted up as the epitome of Love, Mercy and Compassion. Should not those same wonderful attributes be found in the hearts of those who follow Him?

Or, do we fall into the category of the "hypocrites", of whom Jesus said, "this people draweth nigh unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me"?

It just seems to me that, instead of being so quick to "crucify" one another for the faults that must eventually manifest in all of us, we should run to each other's aid, and seek to "heal the sin sick soul".

"Love covereth a multitude of sins..."

RM

Saturday, November 03, 2007

"American Gangster"...American Propaganda...

As I sat in my seat in the theatre, with about twenty other people (a balanced mix of black and hispanic), anticipating the start of the newly released movie "American Gangster", I had no idea that I was about to be hit with a psychological 'bomb'.

The very first scene (set in 1960's Harlem), after only a few opening credits, shows a hispanic brother, tied in a chair, having gasoline poured over him. As the shot widens, the audience is shown that the one pouring the gasoline on this brown man is a BLACK man.

This is apparently some kind of "deal gone bad". The Brown brother is cursing the Black Brother -- "Frank Lucas" (played by Denzel Washington) -- as if in spite...the usual machismo of the "gangster" mentality.

"Frank" then, without hesitation, throws a lit match on the Brown brother and sets him afire...and while he lay burning and screaming on the ground, "Frank" then unloads his handgun on the Brown brother.

All this in the first "two minutes" of the film.

The atmosphere in the theatre went eerily "cold". I could almost feel the reactions of the Brown Brothers and Sisters in the theatre; and I wondered if they could feel mine.

Immediately after this scene, the screen goes black...and the words "Based on a True Story" come up on the screen.

Now, if I were a Brown brother, particularly in the inner city where there is much tension between Black and Brown, I know I would have negative feelings about that scene, and probably even about Black people.

Later in the movie, the same "Frank" that killed the Brown "male" ends up in a Love relationship with a Brown "woman" (which, by the way, could not have made a good impression on the Brown Brothers watching the movie)...

The movie then suggests that a "Black Man" (Frank) was responsible for bringing herione into the country in collaboration with the U.S. Army during the Viet Nam war.

It even goes so far as to suggest an association between "Frank Lucas" and "Muhammad Ali", who, as anyone who is familiar with the era knows, was a member of the Nation of Islam at that time.

It is also noteworthy that BET (Black Entertainment Television) recently aired a documentary of the same name, "American Gangster", which depicted a group called the "Black Mafia", which is alleged (in the documentary) to have been connected to...guess who...the Nation of Islam.

The obvious question in all of this...to ME...is, "Why put out a movie like this?" "Why NOW?"

Are the Producers and Writers and Financiers of this movie UNAWARE of the tensions between Black and Brown across this nation?

Why put out a movie about Black Men engaging in corrupt activity during a time of WAR, while the country is PRESENTLY at war?

The Hon. Louis Farrakhan gives critical insight into this question:

"I am here to announce today that President Bush has met with his Joint Chiefs of Staff, under the direction of General Colin Powell, to plan a war against the Black people of America, the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan, with particular emphasis on our Black youth, under the guise of a war against drug sellers, drug users, gangs and violence-all under the heading of extremely urgent national security."
http://www.noi.org/statements/transcript_891024.htm

The Hon. Elijah Muhammad taught us that the Brown and Red Man and Woman of North and South America are ORIGINAL PEOPLE, along with the Black Man and Woman...and that we share a common History and a common Nature and a common Destiny. The Brown man is NOT the Natural enemy of the Black Man, nor vice versa. But the two are being "played" against each other by a wickedly wise government and people who believe that in order to preserve their wicked rule, they must destroy the Black and the Brown...or get them to destroy EACH OTHER.

WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN! We must find a way to UNITE and put an end to the strife between our peoples, and put an end to the enemy's control over our two peoples.

How do we prevent or counter the plans of our common enemy?

Consider the following:
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2094.shtml

RM