Response to Questions

[SteLancashire79]

To the Spiritual Villain.
Hi Mike,

May I say how happy I am to hear from you, it is indeed pleasing to
hear that our words have resonated so well with another.
Please accept my apologies for the delay in writing a response; this
work is not paid and must come second to the realities of life. This
is important as your questions clearly deserve an appropriately
considered response, hence the time taken in this reply.
I should also take the time to point out that the google group is not
technically affiliated with the website and manifesto you referenced.
It is curious that both parties reached the same conclusions
independently of one another, in around the same timescale. And while
our particular brand of religion is also called Infinitism, one could
argue the site claiming to be ‘the first religion based on infinity’
may indeed be the second... it seems purely a question of whether or
not we do in fact share the same faith. I would say we do, and in fact
feel honoured that our ecumenical brethren feel that we may speak on
their behalf. That said, there may be a number of small differences in
interpretation, and as such it seems right to remind you that this
Infinitist would never make choices for another; it is entirely up to
you which, if any, brand of Infinitism you feel speaks most clearly to
yourself. It is the nature of our belief to embrace such differences
and ultimately consider that in an infinite universe all things are
both correct and incorrect depending entirely upon the time and place
of their reality.
Now to address your questions...

One:
"Human life exists in the image of the Infinite >more so than all
other life< because the human mind is Infinite"

There is no logical conclusion in this sentence, only the assumption
that the meditating bird has less understanding of the infinity than
the human.

Humans has the largest capability of creation which leads to a
struggle against confusion and misunderstanding of the infinity:
Hence, the religion Infinitism which is not needed to our animal
brothers and sisters.

However, even though our creation is great, and ever so great when we
have an understanding of the infinity, this does not mean that we
carry a bigger complexity in our poems than the birds or the whales
song.”

For this Infinitist your argument is faultless. I would refer you to
the group post on Filters, in which we assert that the universe is
perceived in different ways by different beings – this is relevant as
it demonstrates how truly different our minds may be. As a matter of
demonstrable science one could also define intelligence through IQ –
the average IQ of an Alsatian, for example, is around 60. The average
IQ of a human is merely 100. Einstein had an IQ of 180 – three dogs. I
would concur that the above statement relies on assumption, one that
is perhaps biased by a more traditional mindset than that the
Infinitist wishes to voice. This Infinitist would assert that all life
is in fact one, and would like to refer you to the group page ‘To
sleep, perchance to dream’ for a more in depth exploration of this
concept. And to quote from the group page ‘Lemniscate’:

The extent of One, therefore, is infinite too. What you see and hear
of the people around you is merely the extent of those people in this
one branch of this one part of this one reality. Essentially, you are
a
fish. Each and every entity is, in one place or another, each other
entity. We can see the implications of this fact whenever we close
our
eyes, whenever we dream, whenever we feel a sense of déjà vu.

It is our contention that there is only one consciousness, and each
entity within the universe is a spark or fragment of that
consciousness. Therefore, I am the dog, I am the bird, and I am the
whale.


Two:

"When anatomically correct Homo sapiens ultimately appeared, they
possessed a finite body, an Infinite mind, but also had a spirit,
which (in this example) is derived from the ability to reason. >They
were the first Infinite minds on this planet, with no limit to their
imaginations.<"

Again, all minds are infinite, humans most probably have capability
to
the largest perspective and therefore have the best ability to
reason,
this does not mean that all other living beings have no what so ever
ability to reason though, e.g. dolphins that protect humans when
attacked by sharks.

It has bin proven that all animals enjoy to play, play is an
employment without a finite purpouse, it is the very essence of
infinity like all true art.”

While it seems this second point is the ultimately similar to the
first, one feels obliged to point out your own striking and beautiful
example of the chaos of Infinity. I would also add that our minds are
infinite in extent simply because we are fragments of an infinite
being, as is the animal at play. I can find no flaw in your logic, and
would like your permission to use this example in the future.

For this Infinitist our religion is not merely the worship and
reverence of a greater being; it is the recognition that all beings
are ultimately extentions of God the Universe.
That said, it is all about consciousness. We may well be the first
beings consciously aware of infinity, rather than unconsciously aware
of its essence.

Three:

"Aspiring to make ones self as "large" as the universe is entirely
futile."

(vs "The human mind is Infinite and therefore is equal to the
universe." and "You must have faith that the human races problem
solving ability will surpass its problems" )

I do not believe in mentioning problems if there is no wish to create
a solution to them, therefore, why would you remind people in your
Manifesto that something is wrong? To create problems with no
solution is the very action that makes us separated from the
Infinity.

One self is as large as the universe, as we are the very infinity
within the infinity, there is no proof that there is more than one
self, therefore, the only correct assumption is to believe that we
all
are one, ("The most prominent example of this is biology and
ecology.")

Again I find no fault in your considered logic, but would like to
point out that though infinite in extent, the practical constraints of
our reality dictate that we are not consciously infinite. This is
again touched upon in the group page ‘Filters’, and the struggle here
is to better understand our nature in spite of our physical
constraints. This is the ultimate path of the Infinitist, and is in
itself the challenge of our daily lives.
I would also add that while it is our belief that there is only one
consciousness, it is clearly the case that there are infinite entities
created from it. For this Infinitist, in this context, one could
reasonably assert that there IS more than on self – even though they
are seperate beings, they are all one... YOUR self.


Four:

"Science is the purist form of faith known to mankind."

(vs "There are two ways that balance meditation, The Inward Way and
the Way of Unity")

True, but as infinity equals nothingness, it is only possible that
the
creativity of science equals the same amount of faith as meditation
(The Inward Way). Saying "purist" indicates that there are no purer
form, but as with everything there is an equal duality, where
conciousness is as spiritually true as uncociousness. The
understanding of infinity equals the understanding of oblivion.

This is particularly beautiful. I would extend this concept by stating
that ultimately everything possible, however improbable, must
eventually become reality. This is in the numbers – any finite number
on a scale of infinity is as close to zero as makes no odds.
Therefore Heaven exists, as does Hell. And though huge sections of our
vast Universe must be teeming with life and matter and interest, still
larger sections must be nought but silent void; your oblivion. Our
task is therefore to embrace the darkness with the light as an
essential part of our ultimate selves.
Or to put it more concisely: Balance in all things.

Miscellany:

Woah! please let me know if you have any questions about what I mean,
and please inform me and the people of the planet if you agree with
my
reflections or if you are on another path.

I concur.
It has been a very real pleasure discussing this with you. I would ask
you to keep in touch, and to become involved with the group. It is our
belief that this religion can only develop with the input of other
minds – together, after all, we are a little closer to God.


Best regards

The Infinitist.