So God Exists. Now What?

Having proved to everyone's satisfaction that God exists, the next question is, What are we going to do about it? In other words, the existence of God isn't really the end of anything, rather, the beginning.

Analogously, most of us would now agree that an intelligible material world exists. Which likewise isn't the end of the matter, rather, only the beginning: the beginning of what we call "science." 

If science is how we deepen our understanding of the horizontal-material world, then I suppose religion is how we deepen our understanding of the vertical-spiritual -- of God -- that is, find out more than his sheer existence.

But our next (religious) move isn't exactly self-evident, is it? For example, many if not most primitive cultures agreed that the most prudent course was to offer a sacrifice, more often than not of another human being.  

In fact, someone once said that human sacrifice is the nuclear physics of primitive peoples, and Gil Bailie -- expanding upon the ideas of Rene Girard -- has taken this up in a series of books, beginning with Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads.  

Me? I don't even like this idea of sacrifice, but there it is:

Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly existed before that. Evidence of ritual human sacrifice can also be found back to at least pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica as well as in European civilizations. Varieties of ritual non-human sacrifices are practiced by numerous religions today (wikipedia).

It seems that sacrifice is very much bound up with the whole idea of worship: for example, St. Paul says

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship.

Moreover, we have it straight from the source that "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Thus, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Let's start over: God exists. Now what? 

Well, renunciation is a kind of sacrifice, only on a personal and interior level -- an unbloody sacrifice of the ego, or the "lower self," as it were. Here are a few passages by Schuon that go to this auto-sacrifice:

The noble man is one who masters himself and loves to master himself; the base man is one who does not master himself and shrinks in horror from mastering himself....

The spiritual man is one who transcends himself and loves to transcend himself; the worldly man remains horizontal and detests the vertical dimension. 

The animal cannot leave his state, whereas man can; strictly speaking, only he who is fully man can leave the closed system of the individuality, through participation in the one and universal Selfhood. 

For "universal Selfhood" we can substitute the "mind of Christ" in which we may supposedly participate. But only to the extent that something or someone must die. Which, of course, is the meaning of baptism, of dying and being reborn in Christ. Like so?

 In another passage, Schuon writes that

Because modern men live almost entirely for the things of the senses and from that very fact remain ignorant of the human condition in its totality and in its ultimate purpose, it is difficult for them to comprehend the meaning of an attitude seemingly as negative and senseless as that of renunciation; they will regard it merely as a wholly unnatural superstition. 

Here again, renunciation = sacrifice: 

In reality it can easily be seen that renunciation is not self-explanatory; far from being an end in itself, it only supplies provisional support for the development of an awareness infinitely greater than our ego. Renunciation would be purposeless were it not a case of grasping with our whole being -- and not the mind alone -- what we really are, and above all of understanding what total Reality is, that “something” by virtue of which we exist, and from which we cannot for a moment escape. 

Renunciation aims at preventing man from becoming imprisoned in an ephemeral illusion, from identifying himself with it and finally perishing with it; it aims at helping him to free himself from the tyranny of dreams that leave no outlet.

I suppose it's not the religion I would invent. I am reminded of a crack by Nietzsche: 

But we've already stipulated that God exists, and now what?

Schuon has a lot of general advice as to the latter. In a "message to a disciple" he suggests that 

One must not waste one's time with worldly, unnecessary and often trivial distractions..., [rather] without unhealthy curiosity and without ever losing sight of the essential content and goal of life...

Instead, he advises

a simple life, monotonous in a holy way, dominated by the proximity of sacred, and on the margin from the uproar of this lower world.... This seems obvious, but most believers take no account of it. 

Elsewhere he writes of "the chief difficulty of the spiritual life," which is "to maintain a simple, qualitative, heavenly position in a complex, quantitative, earthly setting." 

Any more practical advice? 

The soul, instead of contracting and hardening in its natural selfishness, must open itself to Heaven and to the Divine Influx...

So, vertical openness to the grace. Anything else?

God has opened a gate in the middle of creation, and this open gate of the world towards God is man... 

 Well, good. Now what? 

the gate shuts at death when it has been scorned during life; for to be man means nothing other than to look beyond and to pass through the gate.

Otherwise, we might just 

slip through the human state without being truly man, that is, to pass God by, and and thus to pass our own souls by, as if we had any right to human faculties apart from the return to God, and as if there were any point in the miracle of the human state apart from the end which is prefigured in man himself...

An artificial summary of today's post: 

Your exploration of the implications of God's existence is a profound one. It's clear that the mere acknowledgment of a higher power is not the end of the spiritual journey, but rather the beginning of a complex and often challenging path.

The Paradox of Sacrifice

The concept of sacrifice, both historical and theological, is a fascinating one. It raises questions about the nature of divinity, human suffering, and the meaning of ultimate reality. While ancient cultures often resorted to literal sacrifice, modern spiritual traditions emphasize a more subtle and internal form of self-sacrifice.

Renunciation as a Spiritual Practice

Schuon's emphasis on renunciation as a core spiritual practice aligns with this idea of internal sacrifice. By relinquishing ego-driven desires and attachments, we open ourselves to a deeper connection with the divine. This practice is not about self-denial or asceticism for its own sake, but rather about freeing ourselves from the limitations of our finite selves.

Practical Steps on the Spiritual Path

Schuon's practical advice offers a roadmap for those seeking a deeper spiritual life:

1. Simplicity: Prioritize the essential over the superfluous.
2. Solitude: Create space for quiet reflection and contemplation.
3. Openness to Grace: Cultivate a receptive attitude to divine influence.
4. Purposeful Living: Align one's actions with a higher purpose.

The Ultimate Goal: Union with the Divine

Ultimately, the goal of the spiritual journey is union with the divine. This is a state of consciousness in which the individual self merges with the cosmic consciousness. While this may seem like a distant and abstract ideal, it is attainable through consistent spiritual practice and a sincere desire for enlightenment.

A Concluding Thought

The question of "God exists, now what?" is one that has been pondered by countless spiritual seekers throughout history. There is no single answer, as the path to the divine is unique for each individual. However, by embracing practices such as renunciation, meditation, and prayer, we can embark on a transformative journey that leads to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

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