Hawking: 'God' did not create the universe

..well, we are struggling in a moral vacuum Chris, but that doesn't mean we should revert to superstition in order to create meaning in our lives. What I'm suggesting is something much larger than is encompassed by the scope of morality as it seems to be interpreted by most organised religions. You do NOT need a 'god' of any form to have morality. Indeed, it is counter-productive, as there can be abnegation of moral responsibility; it is far more moral if we accept responsibility not just for our actions, but the consequences, if we accept we are responsible for our life experiences.

Equally, the failure of communism is not a reason to revert to the dogma of religion. The reason we're in a moral vacuum is, IMHO, that we are making a giant leap forward in consciousness right now, away from organized religion and forward to a new form of morality, that is based on a completely different understanding of who and what we are.This means we are at a watershed, between the rigid views, the dogma and patriarchism, the suppression and fear of the past and a new way, which throws off these shackles. I'm sure you are aware we are engaged in a battle royal right now, between the forces who currently hold sway on this planet, and those of us who would break free of these mind-forged manacles.

As an brief aside, I see Don has apparently missed the point about going 'beyond mind', hence I feel somewhat disappointed.. Everything I believe we need to move forward I have expressed in my previous response - in essence. The work still has to be done.

To return to the main theme: currently we live in a world dominated by the madness of the mind. If you believe you are your mind, then you're always going to be surprised by what life throws at you, you're always going to be living in fear on some level, because the mind believes it is an entity unto itself, and therefore its prime function is self-protection. This is also often called the ego. The forces that control the status quo have always known this, thus they are able to manipulate people with ease. It used to be through religion that they manipulated us. However, the rise in political and philosophical awareness, coupled with advances in technology have meant that religion, per se, has been superceded by a new form of opiate: consumerism.

Marx got fucking close to describing a way forward out of the old order, but he failed, ultimately, because I think the world wasn't ready to embrace the concept that property is theft, simply because the majority were, and still are, programmed to believe in the concept of 'property', etc. Nevertheless, communism was part of the massive tide of change that has been sweeping through humanity since at least the Age of Enlightenment three centuries ago..

The way forward does lie within, IMHO. Jesus said this, Gandhi said this,  Buddha said this. Why do you think they all said this? Because that's where we will find the answers you're looking for. NOT in the mind! If I haven't made this clear yet, please let me make it clear now: the mind is NOT who you are. As long as you believe you are your mind, you'll remain lost. This is hippy-dippy shit, it's profound, hardcore survivalism. The mind is a tool, nothing more. Unfortunately its susceptibility to programming is enormous, hence the fact that many live life in a kind of dream; hence Buddha's 'world of illusion' etc. etc.... is anyone following this??!

Atheism, Chris, does not have to mean, indeed does not mean, absence of morality, or moral responsibility, or absence of the mystic, the magic, the wonderful. Indeed, the opposite is true: it is only when we throw off the shackles of illusion, that we will see things as they really are - Blake's 'doors of perception' that's what we're talking about. It may be revolutionary, but it's fucking essential if we're going to survive the chaos we're experiencing now.