The Book of GOD
A Humorous Account of the Institutional Arrangement
Chapter One
In the beginning GOD said let us make them in our image and there was a meeting and the meeting had a quorum and the quorum had an agenda and the agenda had a budget and the budget had a line item for the humans and it was approved.
And GOD saw the humans and they were manageable.
And there was paperwork and there was filing and GOD saw that it was good for business.
Chapter Two
And GOD said unto the humans thou shalt have no other Gods before me and also thou shalt register thy place of worship with the appropriate municipal authority and receive thy tax exempt status and GOD will be well pleased.
And the humans said what about the dandelion that grows freely in the yard and heals the liver without cost or registration.
And GOD said that is a weed and thou shalt poison it.
And the humans poisoned it.
And GOD saw the quarterly earnings and they were good.
Chapter Three
And GOD placed upon all the money the words IN GOD WE TRUST and the humans looked upon the money and felt spiritual.
And a small child asked why is GOD’s name on the money.
And the elders said because GOD loves us.
And the child said does GOD love the people without money.
And the elders said that is a different chapter.
Chapter Four
And GOD said thou shalt not connect directly with the source for the source requires an intermediary and the intermediary requireth a building and the building requireth a mortgage and the mortgage requires a bank and the bank requireth interest and interest requireth thy continued participation in the arrangement.
And the humans said, “But Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is within us.”
And GOD said, “Jesus also said render unto Caesar and Caesar is very busy, so please file thy forms in triplicate.”
Chapter Five
And there came unto the people a man who said the kingdom of heaven is within you and your body is God’s temple and consider the lilies of the field for they toil not and yet they are provided for.
And the people said this is wonderful news.
And they built a building to celebrate.
And hung a portrait of the man inside the building.
And sold the portrait on coffee mugs.
And the man looked down from wherever men look down from and put his face in his hands for an extended period.
Chapter Six
And GOD sent the missionaries unto the people who lived in direct relationship with nature and the missionaries said thou art living in sin for thou hast no intermediary.
And the people of nature said we have the river and the forest and the sky and the body that heals without filing.
And the missionaries said yes but have you considered the paperwork.
And the people had not considered the paperwork.
And this was corrected.
Chapter Seven
And the people cried unto GOD saying the fiction is not working as promised.
And GOD said, “hast thou tried believing harder?”
And the people said, “we have believed very hard for a very long time.”
And GOD said, “hast thou tried the premium membership.”
And the people said, “what does the premium membership include?”
And GOD said, “the same thing but with more guilt.”
Chapter Eight
And a voice came from the natural side of things and said, “You are never not receiving eternal life, for the present moment never ends, and the kingdom is within you, and the body is the temple, and the dandelion is the medicine, and the sun rises for everyone without checking their credentials.
And the people said that sounds too simple.
And the voice said it is quite simple yes.
And the people said there must be a building involved somewhere.
And the voice said there really isn’t.
And the people went inside to discuss it.
Chapter Nine
And GOD looked upon the arrangement and saw that it was sustainable.
And nature looked upon the arrangement and said nothing because nature does not comment on arrangements.
Nature just ran.
Continuously.
At a level of complexity no institution has ever come close to replicating.
Producing food and water and air and the dandelion in the parking lot that nobody noticed because they were inside pointing at the portrait.
Chapter Ten — Revelation
And at the end of days the people discovered that they had everything they were sold the whole time.
The eternal life was the present moment they kept leaving.
The kingdom was within them the whole time they were looking for it outside.
The temple was the body they had been neglecting in favor of the building.
And the direct connection to the source was available the entire time without a membership fee, a correct belief, a portrait, a coffee mug, a filing, a tithe, a building, an intermediary, or a line item in anyone’s budget.
And the people said why did nobody tell us.
And the dandelion in the parking lot rustled slightly in the wind.
Which was as close to a response as the source of all existence was ever going to give.
And it was enough.
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