The Church of the Omniverse- Seeking the true nature of all things

THE BOOK of the CHURCH

of the OMNIVERSE

Observations of a Modern Neo-Taoist

A Theory of God and Everything Else

As told to and edited by

Jericho Ring

© Jericho Ring, Inc 2009 

INTRODUCTION

            I first met the man who I suspect to be The Founder at Mama Santos’ in Quito around the turn of the century.  We were both there on business. Mine was oil and gold. 

          At that time, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the crash in the Ecuadorian economy caused by the fall of El Banco de Prestimos had created opportunities for those of us who didn’t mind trading partners that didn’t settle their differences with lawyers. 

          We were both in a brothel, not for the usual reason, but rather because it was one of the few establishments in Quito at that time where a guy could get a decent pour of Irish single malt.  Also, the steaks were first rate. 

          He was quite young then, barely 21 if I am any judge, and I was approaching middle age.  For some reason, we hit it off and spent most of a long evening sipping Bushmill’s Special Reserve and discussing religion.

          The only other time we met was on his ranch in Texas many years later.  He was richer, much richer, and I had developed a minor regional cult following for my various Texanographies.  I had been invited for the annual white wing shoot along with a hundred or so other Texas dignitaries. My invitation had come not from him, but from the ranch foreman.  We barely spoke, but I caught a glint of recollection in his eyes as he greeted me and several others upon arrival.

          Ten days later, I received a curious package by Fed EX.  It was about the size of the Dallas phone book and crammed full of clippings, fading Xerox copies of various texts, passages written on legal pads, hotel stationary, sticky notes and the like. 

Although in apparent disarray, the collection had been arranged in a rough order and tied together with margin notes, karats, arrows and various other scribbles and edit marks.  The first page consisted of a hand written, unsigned note that instructed simply, “DO IT”—hence, this book.

          I claim no authorship and have put this manuscript out under the byline “as told to and edited by” because of my assumption as to the identity of The Founder.  The conversation in Ecuador is the “as told to” part, but would not be complete without the package and vice versa.  If they did not come from the same source, they should have.  None of these words or ideas are my own and, frankly, I disagree with some of them.  The only “editing” I have done is to arrange, outline, categorize and fill in a few obvious gaps.  I left out a few apparent redundancies and a couple of concepts that made no sense to me.  Don’t worry, you wouldn’t understand them either. And, frankly, I cut some really boring stuff.  The Founder could go on and on.

          Singularly, no one thought or concept herein stated is earth shattering or, for that matter, original.  However, I believe that, presented collectively as a religion, they are.¹  

          The footnotes are mine and not part of the original text.                      

Jericho Ring

Loser Key, Florida

June 21, 2025                                                                                   

1.  “Creativity is just undetected plagiarism.” Jimmy Buffet, Fenway Park, 2002 attributed to Mark Twain, “Following the Equator”.

PROLOGUE

            This is the earliest know version of the now famous website www.churchoftheomniverse.com

 WHAT AND WHY

Theory of God and Everything Else

          Like all theories, this one is subject to revision on further information and has limits and boundaries.

What is Religion?

          What is the difference between religion and philosophy?  Buddhism and Taoism, at least in their fundamentals, are more metaphysical than religious. Christianity is clearly a religion as is Hinduism and Islam.  Judaism is a moralist philosophy, a religion, race and, in some cases, a nationality.   Many religions or sects of major religions are probably more accurately described as superstition rather than religion.  Voodoo comes to mind as well as many of the practices of the Catholic Church.

  The Reason

          Why does the world need another religion?¹ Because the major religions of the world have gone astray.  Jews, Christians and Muslims are in a state of perpetual war over control of the Middle East.  Sunnis and Shiites are killing each other over doctrinal minutiae.  Hindus and Muslims are fighting over Pakistan.  They are all bound up in anachronistic beliefs and dogma from ancient times.

          Christianity has strayed completely from the teachings of Jesus and most Christians don’t even know it.  The Protestant mega-churches are selling faith by the hour and in paper back and the Catholic Church is a gigantic, evil power machine extracting tithes from the desperate and ignorant poor who can least afford it.  Well into the 21^st Century, Christianity becomes more intolerant and dogmatic by the decade.  Even the Buddhists have entered the commercial arena and shamelessly proselytize for commercial gain.  The traditional religions have gone off on ridiculous tangents and it is difficult to find any spiritual belief system that does not insult the average intelligence. 

The Problem

          The concept of religion, however, is not the problem.  Religion is a necessary component of human existence.  Big, organized religion is the problem.        

          Humans are hard-wired for religion.  It is woven into our collective racial memory and encoded in our DNA.  We can’t live without it.  Even the great intellectuals who founded this country were, not atheists or agnostics but, rather, “deists” and “theists”.  They recognized, at least partly for their own personal reasons, the necessity for religious thought.

The Purpose

          The purpose for religion is twofold, ontology² and ethics.  It endeavors to answer two fundamental questions— what is the true nature of reality and how should we behave while we’re here?  Traditional organized religion, for both better and worse, has been instrumental in codifying our morality.  For any meaningful ontological ideas, we must turn to philosophy and, ultimately, science.

          There was a time in Western thought when religion, philosophy and science were the same discipline.  They diverged, but are now coming back together into a cohesive study.  It is the purpose of the Church of the Omniverse to meld the subjective and emotional realm of religion with the intellectual and objective knowledge of science and philosophy and to seek answers to the eternal questions. Truth, and the seeking of and reverence for truth, is the backbone of all morality. 

Neo-Taoism

          Neo-Taoism, as applied in this text, is really a misnomer.  Neo-Taoism was a re-birth, in the third and fourth centuries, of the principles set forth by Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.  COTO (Church of the Omniverse) goes one step further and incorporates the principles of quantum physics, philosophy and mathematics, which are in harmony with both Taoism and Zen.  Hence, for the sake of brevity and, hopefully, clarity, the shorthand appellation Neo-Taoism is used here as another way of describing COTO. It could just as easily be called Neo-Zen or Quantum Zen. All labels are inaccurate but also apt.

1.  Religions are created by men, not God.  Jesus had no intention of founding a religion.  Christianity was created by John, Peter, Paul (and, yes, Mary, too) years after his death.  Jesus was a revolutionary Jewish rabbi who merely wanted to humanize Judaism and throw off the yoke of the Roman Empire.  Contrary to Christian dogma, he never claimed to be divine. (In fact, he wasn't even the head man.  John the Baptist mentored him.  Mary of Magdelia was a co-Jesus). Others deemed his divinity (Council of Nicea, 325 A.D.).  Christianity now only influences half of the world because Emperor Constantine adopted it as the religion of the Roman Empire in 312 A.D. Europe, Some of Asia and Africa and Australia and The Americas are merely the modern version of that Empire.  Mohammad did not create Islam, his followers did.  Siddhartha did not intend for Buddhism to be a religion but, rather a philosophy.  Likewise, Confucius and Lao Tzu.

Urban legend has it that L. Ron Hubbard created Scientology as a joke or to win a bet with Robert Heinlein or simply to make a buck.  Truly, the best way to get rich is to start a religion.  None of these are The Founder’s motivation.  He spent his life on a quest for the true nature of all things.  COTO is merely a way for him to clarify his thinking.  He is already rich and so am I.  JR.

PS.  It takes credentials to be a scientist or a philosopher.  Thanks to the First Amendment and the unrelenting gullibility of the human, any schmoe can start a religion.  Examples are too numerous to mention. JR

2.  I had to look this up.  I suggest you do to.  JR—Oh, alright! Ontology is a subset of metaphysics that studies of the nature and limits of reality. JR 

FUNDAMENTALS

          The fundamental beliefs of the COTO will not be hidden or obfuscated in mystical double talk.  They are set out below in plain English.   These are working hypotheses.  They are the product of a priori reasoning, not dogma.  They are subject to refinement or down right change as the Defining Contradiction narrows.  There is, in fact, no other way to narrow the Defining Contradiction.

God

          The Omniverse, the totality of all things (God, if you like), is an infinitely large sentient being—an Uber Intellect.  Although not anthropomorphic, It ¹ functions on the same principles as do our own brains.  This is what is meant by the pronouncement from the Bible that “God created man in his own image”.  We do not look like God, but we think like Him.  Just not as well or for as long.  Its sole purpose is to contemplate Its own existence, to predict what will happen next.  We and all other “things” are part of the Omniverse and it is our purpose to observe and pass on information up stream to the Omniverse.  We are the eyes and ears of God. 

(R)eality and (r)eality

          There are two realities—the reality that we function in and perceive every day filled with hard objects and defined by Newtonian physics, and Reality—The Totality of All Things.  (r)eality can be adequately described with words and mathematics.  (R)eality cannot.  It must be perceived and understood directly without intervening symbolism.  The closest we can presently come to understanding Reality is intuitive knowledge gained through meditation ² and quantum physics. 

          The Omniverse is an infinitely complex mosaic of interconnected energy.  Although reality appears to us to be in discrete forms of matter and “things”, existing and occurring in a uniform progression of time from past, through present to future and space from here to there, it does not.  There is no fundamental particle.  There are an infinite number of infinities, each consisting of all possible alternative realities. All of the infinite dimensions, multi-verses, places and times, and realities are interconnected, and everything, everywhere and everywhen are one interconnected whole.  All of the infinity of possible places, things and times are occurring over and over simultaneously.  The totality of all of that is Reality, the Omniverse.³

          The Omniverse does not want to be worshipped, feared or obeyed.  It wants to be understood and it wants us to fulfill our function.  Hence, it is our job to contemplate and ascertain, as best we can given our limited powers of observation, intellect and time, the true nature of all things.

Life

          Everything is alive.  If it appears to be inanimate to us, it is only because it is a collection of smaller living things or part of a much larger living thing that we cannot perceive from our limited vantage point—actually, it is both. 

          Life and intelligence are not the unique “miracle” that most religions contend.  We are not alone in this universe, let alone the Omniverse.  Life as we know it will occur whenever hydrogen and oxygen are gathered in sufficient quantities under the correct temperature and pressure to form liquid water for a sufficient time.  Once life occurs, it will be intelligent and naturally continue to evolve into a more intelligent being.  All life has value but every life is not equal to every other.

Self

          All beings are imbued with an instinct for self preservation.  Light a flame under one side of the Petrie dish and the amoebae will go to the other side.  A soldier charges the guns only because he is more afraid of the sure consequences of cowardice than the possibility of death.  The evolutionary imperative dictates that we will always act in what we perceive to be our own self interest.  This radiates outward in ever decreasing magnitude to the groups that we consider closest—family, clan, tribe, neighborhood, city, state, nation, and, finally, world.  To expect humans to act any other way is unrealistic.  The key is to educate them, and our selves, as to what our true (enlightened) self interest actually is.

Self Image

          You are not what you appear to be or what others think you are or what you think others think you are.  You are what you do.  You are what you think.  You are defined by what you love and what you despise.   

After Life

          The energy and the essence that is “us” is recycled or reformed in some way, over and over, forever.  Hence, there is an after life and reincarnation. Although we can be redeemed, how we behave in this life has an impact on the quality of our next life. There is no way to prove this, but it makes no sense to believe otherwise.⁴  See “The Defining Contradiction”, supra.

The Problem

All of the organized religions miss the mark.  Although their fundamental principles and intentions are good, they always devolve into contentious hierarchies whose sole function is preservation of the organization and accumulation of power in the hands of the few at the expense of the many.  They perpetuate outlandish dogma. And commit incredible atrocities in the name of God.

          All organized religions are social, political and commercial in nature.  Religion is easy to sell because the human condition requires it.  Therefore, organized religion can get away with the most outrageous behavior without being called to task by their parishioners or civil authorities.  They use fear and guilt to manipulate us into behavior that they deem appropriate.

Why COTO is Different

          The “Church” of the Omniverse is an oxymoron.  There is no “church”, either in the physical or organizational sense.  No physical building is needed or even desirable to belief in COTO.  Organized religion is an anathema to COTO.  BUT, Humans need at least a hint of structure and hierarchy.  They can’t help it.  The Founder coined the phrase, The Defining Contradiction, in part, to account for this obvious flaw in logic.  COTO is the religion that eschews the organization of religion and embraces the fundamental principles and purposes of all religions at the same time.

The Defining Contradiction

          The Defining Contradiction explains the dual nature of existence and provides the ‘leap of faith” necessary to all religion without creating a dogmatic belief structure that offends our intellect.

The Ten Principles

          The Ten Principles are necessary only because most organized religions have their own version of the Ten Commandments.  There are ten because humans have ten fingers and toes and, thus are used to a mathematical system based on ten.  There could just as easily be three or 127. ⁵

Holidays 

          Religious holidays are necessary for any proper religion.  Balance, symmetry and eternal cycles are the nature of all things.  Therefore, the summer and winter solstice and the autumnal and vernal equinox are designated as COTO holidays.  Also, it is desirable to know and venerate your particular favorites of the 28 phases of the moon and the visible planets. ⁶

Rituals

          There are no fixed rituals, prayers, mantras, symbols, dogma or tithing. ⁷  COTO is a 24/7/365 religion.  You live it, not just attend a service on Sundays.  Remember, every neuron fire in your brain; every nano-thought, act you commit, and word you utter is a message ( prayer if you like) to God. An hour on Sunday won’t change a thing either way.

Heaven and Hell

          The concepts of “Heaven” and “Hell” are anachronisms used by ancient religious leaders to control their parishioners. COTO teaches that the pain of being out of balance and the quality of your next life are controlled by the rightness of your conduct in this one.

Good and Evil

          There is no question that human and all other sentient beings are capable of both good and evil.  Good is productive. Evil is a parasite.  Evil can destroy good but cannot exist without it to feed upon.  Consequently, it must be that the Omniverse is more good than evil, or else it could not exist.  

Redemption   

          There is almost unlimited capacity for redemption.  Pain, suffering and self flagellation are not necessary or desirable.  Religion should be a positive and uplifting experience.  Humans are meant to struggle.  Suffering is merely a by-product.  Any religion that requires or venerates suffering is off the mark.   The worst feeling you should have is that uneasiness you get when you are out of balance or are about to do the wrong thing.  Pay attention and atone by fixing it immediately. Keep your Karma account in the black at all times.

No Proselytizing

          COTO does not proselytize.  There is a fine line between proselytizing and exchanging ideas.  Stay on the right side of it.

Membership

          This is an opt-out religion.  Everyone is a member unless he or she communicates his or her desire to not be at the following email address:  jerichoring@yahoo.com.

Tolerance

          COTO is a tolerant and libertarian religion.  If we are the eyes and ears of God, it is desirable that as many perspectives as possible be represented.  Celebrate our differences.  Any person who lives by the Principles should be tolerated, irrespective of their personal beliefs. 

Unless a person of "deviant" behavior presents a clear and present danger to others, he has the right to conduct himself as he pleases. Respect that right.  You might learn something.⁸  And you might need to exercise it yourself someday.

Judgment

          Some feel the need to make a judgment and state an opinion about everything.  Others feel that no judgment at all is best.  COTO takes a position of judicial restraint.  Don't judge unless it is necessary for an articulatable purpose. 

All judgment should be subject to revision upon further reflection or new information. No judgment should be permanent.  Your perspective changes constantly.⁹  

Suffering and Struggle

          It is the nature of our existence to struggle.  That is what we are here to do.  Suffering is merely a by-product of struggle, not a worthy end in and of its self. Embrace the struggle, not the suffering.

Both And Neither (BAN)

The Omniverse is not binary.  Nothing is “either/or” but rather “Both and Neither”.¹⁰  Here is a sociological example: We in the West generally enjoy a lifestyle materially far superior to the rest of the world.  Is this because our ancestors were more industrious, intelligent and innovative then those of the third world or were they just the meanest and most exploitive?  A logical argument could be made for either position.  Both and neither are correct simultaneously.                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Man and Woman

Men and women are different; significantly so in an anatomical sense.  We are motivated by different chemicals, testosterone and estrogen.  This is so because our bodies and minds are designed to fulfill different functions.  Over ten million years of evolution and socialization, these differences have both increased and decreased. 

In ancient times, women were house-keepers and child-bearers and little else. Typically, they were treated as second class citizens with no real status, voice or vote in the community or impact on the progress of man.  Obviously, this is not true today.

Conversely, an entire social structure has developed until recent times built upon a celebration of the differences between men and women and venerating each for their separate virtues.  This is less so today. 

The fact remains –men and women are different.  They have different biological functions and, barring major scientific and social change, this will always be so no matter how much well intentioned social engineering is brought to bear by zealous social reformers.  For the most part, most men and women like the traditional male/female distinctions. 

This is not to say that women shouldn’t rise as high as their abilities allow in business or that men can’t be nannies.  It does mean that pregnant women don’t make good infantry and men who excessively enjoy the company of children should be viewed with some degree of suspicion.

Men and women are different.  Over the millennia, men have made life on earth possible.  Women have made it worth living.  But, no matter what their differences in the turbulence of youth, a wise old man and a wise old woman will usually agree.

Races and Societies

          Someday there will be only one of each and they will not be any of those that exist today.  It’s bound to happen and we couldn’t stop it if we wanted to.

Drugs and Alcohol

          The essence of our being is the neural transmitters and synapses in our brains.  They are electro-chemical.  Everything we say, think or do affects the function of these in formulating thoughts and our ultimate messages to and from the Omniverse.¹¹ Exercise alters them.  Food, coffee and Coca-Cola alter them.  Fear, loneliness, happiness, apprehension, anxiety and depression both alter and are an alteration of them. The very act of breathing (and not breathing) alters your brain chemistry. 

To alter your brain functions with drugs or alcohol may or may not be harmful to your ultimate purpose.  Moderation and awareness of purpose are the key.  An occasional Xanax to help fight an anxiety attack may be helpful.  A quart of Scotch a day—probably not.  Be aware of what you are doing and its probable consequences at all times.¹²

Pain, fatigue, despair, disease, and every other adverse physical condition alters our brain chemistry and, therefore, our perception.  Which perception is “real”, that tinged by adversity or that enhanced by “artificial” stimuli?  Answer, Both and Neither.  The point here is that your brain chemistry is fundamental to your perception of reality.  It can be altered for the worse by “natural” stimuli and for the better by “artificial” stimuli.  Know the difference.¹³

          Evolution

          It is a testament to the human being’s religious tolerance of the beliefs of others that this section even needs to be written.  Humanity is certainly the product of a continuing process of evolution.   This scientific fact is without dispute.  HOWEVER, let’s not lose sight of the possibility that evolution has been guided by an intelligent force.  Fact? No. Possibility? Definitely.¹⁴

Purpose

          From the Omniversal perspective, the immediate purpose of the human race, aside from being the eyes and ears of God, is to become civilized and then expand that civilization to the reaches of the universe and beyond.  The Earth is a Petrie dish, a life boat, seed pod, egg, and, ultimately, a cocoon.  It is not meant to last forever; only for as long as it takes for us to find our way to the stars.

The Significance of Insignificance

          It is significant to realize that each of us, individually, is insignificant.  The Omniverse does not need any one of us.  Each of us, therefore, is both allowed and mandated to find our own significance.  Full realization of this concept is both liberating and frightening.

Meaning and Meaninglessness

     The great philosophies of the world range from Determinism to Existentialism. They all deal with “meaning”. Determinists believe that the universe unfolds according to the laws of cause and effect so that we have no free will and, consequently, no reason to seek meaning. Nietzsche believed that coming to grips with meaninglessness was the first step to becoming an Ubermensch or enlightened “superman”. Existentialists believe that the meaninglessness of life frees us to find our own meaning. These are all subtle variations of the belief of COTO—There is meaning. It is infinitely complex. It is our hopeless task to find it.

Materialism

          God wants us to be prosperous but not materialistic. Learn and practice the difference.

The Ministry

          Simple. There isn’t any. Each member ministers to the others as needed. We are all teachers and we are all students.

1.  The Founder struggled with the proper pronoun for God when referring to the Omniverse.  “He”, of course, is sexist and inaccurate.  So is “She”.  “It” is accurate but, in some way clumsy and inappropriate.  He/She/It is just stupid and still sexist (why not She/He/It?).  In the end, the Founder stuck with He.  You can say it any way you want.  In this text, the Omniverse will be referred to as “It”, God, meaning the Omniverse, will be referred to as “He” and God or Gods when referring to beings commonly deified by other religions will be referred to as “God” or “Gods”. JR

2.  All religions have a version of Zen to provide meditative techniques. JR

 3.  “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” William Shakespeare. “My Father’s house has many mansions.” Jesus of Nazareth. JR

4.  Pascal’s Wager. JR

5.  The Founder, like George Carlin, knew that the Ten Commandments were not the Word of God because, frankly, they are so poorly written.  COTO started from The Founder’s effort to prove this by writing better ones.  Unlike Moses, The Founder acknowledges that he is the source, not God.

Wiccans have reduced the “commandments” to one—“Do as you will but do no harm”.  Frank Herbert, paraphrasing the OC Bible is most succinct—“Do no damage to the soul”. There are actual 613 commandments in the Old Testament. They picked ten as an easy number to remember.

6.  To honor The Founder and to add a touch of imperfection, asymmetry and whimsy that I believe also symbolizes the dual true nature of all things and the Defining Contradiction, I threw in one more holiday—  his birthday— It is January 27. JR

7.  Donations are accepted and this book is for sale, however. JR

8.  The most profound epiphany comes, not when we first realize that others have different points of view but when we first realize that other points of view may actually be more accurate than our own. JR

9.   You never step in the same river twice.  JR

10.  In quantum physics this principle is illustrated by Schrödinger’s Cat. JR

11.  The Founder, who’s mother was a brain surgeon (and, believe it or not, who’s father was a rocket scientist) went into a very long and arcane explanation of brain function and how it relates to the Omniverse which neither I nor you would understand or appreciate.  Here is a brief synopsis:  The brain is divided into four parts, each with a specific function.  Part one controls the autonomic functions of our body (breathing, etc).  Part two allows us to formulate abstract thought and ideas necessary to function in reality.  Part three sends and receives messages up and down the line to and from the Omniverse.  Part four regulates the intercommunication between part three and the other parts.  This is why “special” people often are gifted with clairvoyance or other “para-normal” abilities.  For one reason or another, the balance between part two and three is out of whack.  It may be wise to listen to those among us who sometimes bay at the moon for no apparent reason—the idiot savant, schizophrenics, brain damaged.  They may be just nuts or they may be on a mission from God. JR

12.  As a general aside here, I personally don’t see anything wrong with a little toke now and again and an occasional Monte Two but only a complete moron would smoke cigarettes.  I intend to quit—tomorrow. JR

13.  Who doesn’t think better after a couple of cups of coffee in the morning? JR

14.  I think this is a crock.  TF is just being diplomatic. If you believe in anything but Darwinism, you’re an idiot. Period, paragraph, end of memo.  JR

THE DEFINING CONTRADICTION

          At this level of our existence, in order to most fully understand the dual nature of our reality/Reality, we must engage in a logical fiction to avoid time wasted on unanswerable questions.  In math or accounting this would be known as a plug number that makes the books balance or the equation work.  Navigation requires an edge of the world calculation to even up the longitude of our imperfect Earth. Newton explained the tiny flaws in his celestial calculations caused by the gravity of undiscovered planets as the work of “the hand of God”.  Einstein knew that the relativity theories broke down at speeds faster than light or with “bodies” smaller than an atom. Quantum physics has the uncertainty principles to make ends meet.  Every theory has limits and flaws.  Any real scientist knows that a true “Theory of Everything” is no more possible than a perpetual motion machine.  Plug numbers are acceptable if they are honest. The Defining Contradiction is the Gödel Sentence of COTO.

          Religion uses faith—a required fundamental dogmatic belief in something our common sense tells us is untrue—as its plug number.  It asks you to take a leap of faith (that is, to begin reasoning from a false premise) to reach an illogical conclusion by seemingly logical reasoning.

Science has a dogma of its own.  Science tells us not to believe that which anecdotal evidence or common sense and ten thousand years of human experience tells us could probably be true unless it is proven by the scientific method.¹  This limits the use of intuitive knowledge and our ability to ascertain the true nature of all things. 

          COTO is the organized religion that replaces organized religion.  COTO attempts to define Reality with words, figures and symbols which, by definition, is impossible.  Hence, the Defining Contradiction—there is no rule without an exception, including this one.  Everything is the polar opposite of its self.  Reality should be perfectly symmetrical, but reality is not. What we commonly think of as order is really chaos.  Entropy is the true order of things.²   

          (r)eality, the limits of our perception, is asymmetrical.  (R)eality, the totality of all things, by definition must be symmetrical, but it is not.  The Omniverse is in a constant state of change or Becoming.  It never “is”.  It is always on the verge of “will be”. Therefore, it must be at least a tiny bit asymmetrical or “imperfect” because it is always slightly unbalanced and in a state of flux.

          Even God does not know what, exactly, will happen to it next.  But how can God not know; be imperfect? What was before the Beginning and will be after the End?  Who or what created God? 

Here is the answer—we don’t know and, in this reality, never will.  We must accept the Defining Contradiction as our plug number.  The mission is to make it smaller by thought and deed.

1.  Case in point- UFOs.  Science refuses to recognize them because there is no scientific proof.  There is, however, anecdotal data since the beginning of human history and billions of possible explanations for them.  To deny the possibility of their existence is just as ignorant as believing in them without sound reason.  I personally want them to exist, but my mind is open on the subject. JR

2.  “Consistency is the hob-goblin of small minds.”  JR 

ANALOGIES¹

          (r)eality can be adequately explained by words, pictures, symbols and math.  (R)eality cannot.  It must be experienced directly and defies accurate description by common means.  If it must be talked about, analogy is a good tool.  Words, symbols, pictures and math are the maps that help us understand Reality, but they are not the land that is Reality. Here are some simple examples.

The Propeller Analogy

          If we lived in a reality where airplane propellers never stopped spinning at top speed, they would commonly be perceived to be “solid”, round, shimmering disc-like objects that were highly dangerous to the touch.  Scientists would tell us that they were, not as they appeared, but rather long, narrow dual blades that were 90% air and that, at least theoretically, we could stick our hand into one and pull it out again with out injury if we did it at exactly the right time.  They would show us high speed photos of “stopped propellers” to illustrate.  Others would tell us that they were small wedge shaped objects that tumbled through the air and show us high speed photos of a “stopped” propeller taken at right angles to its spin plane.  Still others would tell us that they were both.

          (R)eality is like that.  What appears to us to be solid, discrete pieces of matter is, in actuality, like the propeller, quite different.  Common human knowledge tells us that the Reality that is the propeller is comprised of an infinite number of realities.  It is a shimmering dangerous disc; it is a long double blade.  Inside its molecular structure it is another reality.  Inside its atomic structure it is another.  Inside the nucleus of one of its atoms it is still another.  It is a different reality up close than it is far away, from its right as opposed to its left, and today as opposed to tomorrow, and so on.  All of these realities make up its Reality.   

          Hence, as we use the Propeller Analogy to explain Reality, we will use other analogies for the same purpose.  There is no other way.

                             The Fiji Islander Analogy

          In 1750, a Fiji Islander could stand on the shore of his home island and believe that, because he had not seen it or known someone who had, snow did not exist.  The average Fiji Islander would, quite reasonably, share his belief.  An average Islander who had been taken by British sailors to the Cape of Good Hope and experienced snow first hand would be ridiculed and not believed by all of the others when he told of his experience.   

          A more intelligent Islander could, although not having seen snow, predict its existence by observing the tilt and rotation of the Earth as evidenced by the apparent movement of the sun and stars and postulate that in more northern or southern climes, because of changes in weather, rain presented itself as iced water.  Needless to say, he would not be believed either.

          Now, of course, every Fiji Islander has a TV.  Many have been to college or otherwise traveled off the Islands and have been educated to the point that all of them, even those who have not seen it, believe in snow.  Those that do not are ridiculed.

          Mankind is like the islander.  We stand on the shore of this tiny island called Earth and state, because we cannot see it, positions about what lies beyond that are almost always untrue. Man thought, quite logically, that the earth was flat.  This became Catholic dogma and, to protect the credibility and infallibility² of the Church, 14^th Century scientists were executed for proving that it was round long after it was common knowledge among scholars of the time.

          Our modern science is giving us profound insights into both the far reaches of outer space as well as the true nature of the sub-atomic world that makes up “inner space”.  These insights into the metaphysical state of our being are religious in scope.

The Navajo Blanket

          The Navajo always weave an imperfect stitch into each blanket.  Only God, they believe, can create a perfect thing.  “Perfection” in this reality is imperfect.  This is their version of the Defining Contradiction.

The Elephant

          This is one we all can relate to.  Remember the blind men describing the Elephant?  The whole elephant is Reality.  Each of its parts is reality. 

The Cave

          Saving the best for last, Plato is one of the first philosophers, in western thought, to distinguish between reality and (R)eality with such a clear analogy.  Google it. 

1.  The Founder loved a good analogy.  JR

2.  Power. JR

QUANTUM ZEN

          Quantum physics gives us four insights into our ontology that are helpful—(i) there is no fundamental particle; (ii) the dual nature of “matter”; (iii) the principle of uncertainty; and (iv) the interconnectedness of all existence.  AND, PERHAPS, A FIFTH—that all science is first intuitive and then objective.  True understanding requires both.¹

          Thinking of the universe as comprised of small fundamental particles called atoms dates back to the Greek philosophers.  Quantum physics, starting in the 20^th Century, has continuously found smaller and smaller “particles”.  It is evident that what we think of as “matter” is, in Reality, just energy arranged in patterns that appear to us, from our limited vantage point of time and space, to be solid, discreet objects instead of a homogenized part of an infinitely complex whole which is the Omniverse.

          As every high school kid now knows, light presents itself to us in the form of both “waves” and “particles”.  All “matter”, likewise has a “dual”² existence.  It is, ultimately, the opposite of itself.

          The principle of uncertainty allows us to “predict” 2 of the 3 (position, speed and direction) qualities of sub-atomic “particles” (of which all “matter” is comprised).  This leads to the logical assumption that the “particle” spends some of its time “elsewhere” other than in the universe or dimension in which we perceive our existence.  This validates the long held human belief that there are other worlds and helps define the reality/Reality dichotomy.

          Unlike less sensitive Newtonian science, quantum experiments must include the experimenter as a variable. This demonstrates the inter connection among the various forces that make up the Omniverse.³

          Taken together, these four basic revelations gleaned from quantum physics lead to a fifth—ontologically, modern science has validated the ancient beliefs of the Taoist and Zen masters.  True knowledge can only be gained through intuitive insight but can only be recorded and passed on to others (albeit imperfectly) through objective scientific methods, words, symbols and figures.  To educate ourselves as to the true nature of all things, we need only meditation.  To use the information or pass it on to others requires science.⁴ 

1.  If you have not read The Tao of Physics by Frijhof Capra, drop this book and go do it right now.  It is on CD for the increasing number of you too lazy or illiterate to read. JR

2.  A misnomer.  “Matter”, exists in an infinite number of forms.  We can only perceive a few of them. JR

3.  This is also true of traditional scientific experiments but the impact of the experimenter is too small to be detected. JR

4.  How many times in the past was the Theory of Relativity intuited by someone without the math skills to record it until Einstein finally did it? JR

THE TEN PRINCIPLES

 Seek the True Nature of All Things

          If there were only one Principle, this would be it.  Adherence to this Principle would necessitate adherence to the other Nine.  As pointed out previously, we are the eyes and ears of God.  To say it differently, we are the sensors of God.  We are God’s information gatherers.  We are the radio, TV, movies and internet of God.  We supply God with the information necessary to determine the future of the Omniverse. 

We are also God’s entertainment.  The Omniverse knows and appreciates our art, culture and science.  This is our raison d’ etre.  God wants us, individually and as a collection of societies, to continuously seek the truth by all possible media.

          To use an analogy, the totality of all of our transmission to the Omniverse from the beginning of our present existence to the end will be one bit of information on this computer; one nano-pixel on this screen.  The entirety of the existence of this universe, from the Big Bang to the final singularity will be one neuron fire in the synapses of the brain of God.  Truth seeking is both our nature and our reason for being.

          This Principle is both metaphysical and ethical.  The basis of science and all morality is a reverence for truth.

 All Gods Are Found in the Omniverse

          This Principle has a two-fold purpose.  COTO embraces the fundamental principles of all religions and reveres their prophets.  Zoroaster brought the concept of monotheism to the world. Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, David and the other Jewish leaders embraced Yahweh and fostered a heightened sense of morality and humanity.  Lao Tzu and Buddha taught a world view that is in line with current Western scientific thought.  Jesus brought humanism to a brutal world.  Mohammad and his followers sustained civilization throughout the Dark Ages that followed the fall of the Roman Empire.  The core teachings of these men should be separated from the dogma fostered by the organized religions that others wrought around them. 

          On a different plane, it seems within the realm of ontological possibility that there is a “God” or series of “Gods” that, within the structure of the Omniverse, “control” life in this dimension, in this universe, on this planet.  They are not the Omniverse but just part of it as we are—only higher up in the chain of command.  They are not within the pantheon of COTO but their existence is not ruled out.  Believe in them if you like.

Do Not Practice Violence Except in Defense

          This Principle contains both a prohibition as well as a mandate.  COTO is a peaceful, not pacifist, religion.  We are obliged by this Principle to respect the person, property and territory of others, BUT we are both permitted and required to defend our own.

          The Old Testament commandment “Thou Shall Not Kill”¹ was clearly not issued by God.  Firstly, more killing has been done in the name of that “God” in human history than for any other reason.  Secondly, it violates the evolutionary imperative that requires us to fend for and defend ourselves and our own kind to insure our survival.  

          This Principle acknowledges the egocentric and ethnocentric nature of all creatures and allows defensive violence.  To act otherwise as some pacifist sects would have us do would be unrealistic.  Also, if this Principle were universally followed, it would eliminate all violence.

1.  In some translations, the word “Kill” is replaced with “Commit Murder”, a completely different meaning which allows both defensive killing and aggression in war; further evidence that the translators were not guided by the hand of “God”. JR

 Do Not Practice or Condone Deceit

          This Principle replaces at least two commandments—“False Witness” and “Adultery”.  False witness is a prohibition against purgery, not lying which, apparently, under the Commandments, is perfectly acceptable—a glaring oversight if these are really the words of God.  The only real sin of adultery is the deceit it requires that destroys the fabric of human relationships—not having sex outside marriage.  This Principle replaces at least two Commandments and does a better job of it.

          Sex is not inherently sinful—only sexual irresponsibility.   Sex is morally neutral, just like any other human activity—driving, for example.  It has a myriad of purposes ranging from pure pleasure to procreation.  It has a myriad of consequences as well.  Moral value is attached to the consequences, not the act.

Find Balance

          “Balance” is really an illusion.  This world and this universe are as lop-sided as an egg.   The reality in which we live is naturally in flux.  We must all find a place in this existence that suits us and go with it, like a swimmer in a current; an eagle in flight.  This is balance.

          As societies and as individuals, the population of the Earth is woefully and perpetually out of balance.  We spend our lives working at jobs we hate so that we can buy things we don’t need, can’t afford and, ultimately, don’t want.  We scurry to and fro in gas guzzling cars buying factory made trinkets for temporary gratification to the point where we have turned our lives into a shallow quest for material “wealth” and the Earth into a toxic waste dump. 

Our heroes and celebrities become increasingly banal and have questionable value to society.  They live lives of even less balance than we do.  Our streets and cities are unsafe because of the growing imbalance between the haves and the have-nots; the educated and the uneducated; the chosen and the rejected. 

And this is just in America where unfettered exploitation of nearly limitless natural resources has allowed us to live in an enclave of civility protected from the real problems of the world.  The history of the world, and the present of most of it is one of war, famine, violence, pestilence and general misery.  The typical human life has been short, painful and brutal.

          We finally, here in the West, in the twenty-first century, have the resources and leisure to live in balance and harmony with our fellow human beings, our ecology and ourselves.  Yet we voluntarily bombard our senses constantly with a cacophony of competing distractions—ringing cell phones, beeping answering machines, bad music, obnoxious advertising, traffic noise, inane radio and TV blather and increasingly shrill and sensationalized news.   We pursue a superficial, two dimensional ideal, envying those who most resemble it and ridiculing those who do not.  Half the population is on some drug or another to adjust their brain chemicals and the other half probably should be.   In short, the human race is and always has been out of balance.

          There is no logical reason in a just, equitable and viable society for some to live in opulent excess while others don’t even have the basic necessities; where some always lead and others always follow; where some always serve and others always are served. 

          It is a moral imperative that we find balance in our own lives and encourage and enable it in the lives of others.  We must find balance between our selves, our family and our work.  They should overlap like a triple Venn diagram.  The more overlap, the better the balance. 

        In America’s work ethic society, this does not come naturally or easy.  It also varies from person to person.  Obviously, one who must work 10 hours a day to feed his family and provide basics should spend a little “family” time on the job.  The person who is working on his second billion at twenty five, maybe a little less.   Grandma can afford a little more “self” and “family” time than her working granddaughter.  And so on, you get the picture.  Strive for the kind of balance where you usually feel right most of the time and avoid that “I really need to be somewhere else doing something else” feeling that we all have from time to time.  

 Be Responsible

          Irresponsibility is the root of all “sin”.  Intentional irresponsibility is itself a “sin”.  Almost any conduct can be successfully and harmlessly engaged in if done so responsibly. 

Contrariwise, all conduct done in an irresponsible manner is potentially harmful.   The price of freedom is the responsibility to bear the consequences of our actions.

 Simplify

          William of Occam¹ said it first—reduce your equation to the simplest form.  Eliminate all unnecessary variables. Henry David Thoreau said it best.  “Simplify, Simplify, Simplify”².  Albert Einstein agreed. “Everything should be made as simple as possible but no simpler.” Simplicity is the key to balance which, in turn, is the key to happiness. 

          Humans are acquisitive creatures.  We can’t help but covet material objects and attempt to reduce them to our possession.  Some objects are useful and necessary.  Others are not.  Unnecessary possessions, contrary to our expectations when we acquire them, ultimately add to our unhappiness.  Any unnecessary possession is not liberating but, in fact, a limit on our freedom. We must work to earn money to buy it or go without something else.  We must clean, maintain, store and insure it.  We worry about it and spend our time and energy protecting it from theft or destruction.  It puts our life out of balance.  

          Be reminded of a very wealthy man, who always drove an old pick-up truck and wore blue jeans.   He could afford anything he wanted, yet he eschewed most material things.  He was freer and happier without them.³

Albert Einstein lived the simplest life possible.  He saved energy, both his own and that of the Omniverse, by boiling eggs in the water he used to make tea.  He did this not because he couldn’t afford water or heat to boil it twice but, rather, to demonstrate and practice the art of simplicity.

          Simplicity is also desirable in our non-materialistic endeavors.  Eliminate the unnecessary drama in your life.  Quit the club you no longer enjoy attending.  Stop wasting your time on people, ideas and things that don’t form the core of your being.  The Bible tells us that there is a time for gathering stones and the time for the casting away of stones.  This is an analogy.  It tells us to clean out our closet, both mentally, emotionally and physically, on a regular basis. As demonstrated by Dr. Einstein, simplicity is a way of life.  Analyze why you do what you do and stop wasting time and energy on things that don’t really matter.

 1.  14th Century English friar and mathematician.  For some reason, this angered the Pope. JR 

2.  It would have been better if he only said it once.  JR

3.  Here, The Founder is no doubt talking about himself. Yet, he owned a ranch in South Texas and Mexico the size of Rhode Island.  He enjoyed few things more than acquiring the land comprising this ranch.  He claimed he didn’t really ‘own” it. He was just a steward saving it from development.  See “The Defining Contradiction” above. I can’t help but inject my own thoughts at this point.  Americans seem to acquire possessions, not for their convenience but, rather, as symbols of their self.  An enlightened person, I believe, would not own any appliance whose function and operation is not self evident.  Yet, the kitchens and houses of Americans are full of gadgets whose function is obscured by complexity.  Who hasn’t been stymied by an overly complex coffee pot?  Why does it now take two remotes and an instruction booklet to turn on the average TV?  Do we really need wrist watches that do split times and tell us the relative humidity?  I’m just asking.  JR

Unify

          We are God’s window to His own future.  He wants us to live together in peace and harmony so we can do our job.  In Reality, we are all unified, but our reality does not allow us to perceive this unity on a regular basis and, consequently, we all feel alone in the world.  The evolutionary imperative fosters an ego and ethnocentric “me against them—them against us” mentality. 

          As modern communications bring the pictures and sounds from around the world that inform us, minute by minute, of the pain and misery of others, we become more aware that the suffering of strangers is not unlike our own and the world becomes, more and more, a global village.  Eventually, the races and disparate cultures of the world will blend and assimilate into each other.  Hopefully, they will then evolve into the best humanity possible.¹   

1.  The original text of this Principle was written in Esperanto which, I’m sure, amused The Founder no end and was meant to symbolize the unification of the world into one culture.  It was, however, a bit of a pain in the ass for me to translate. JR

Maintain Discipline

          Self discipline is essential to a properly lived existence.  There is a natural order to The Omniverse, the universe, this planet and all society.  At least in this reality, the laws of physics must be obeyed.  The laws of Man are a bit more flexible but most of them exist for good tried and true reasons.  If not, they can be changed and refined by political process or even civil disobedience.  Silly laws are often ignored by all, including the police.  Know which are which and conduct yourself accordingly.

          Discipline is an adjunct to responsibility and balance.  A proper discipline will simplify your life and lead to happiness.  Discipline is necessary to freedom.  Beyond the simple discipline necessary to follow the Principles, be easy with yourself and those around you.

          Hierarchy—pecking order, if you like—seems to be another hardwired human trait.  Alas, someone must be in charge.  That’s just the way it is.  Live with it, but don’t elevate the system above its purpose.¹

 1.  The Founder had a run in or two with the law as a young man and eventually converted, politically, from an anarchist to a libertarian. The difference being, in short, that a libertarian believes that there should be only such little government as necessary to keep order, not no government at all.  But remember, in the last analysis, government is nothing more than an armed force that will kill or confine you if you run afoul of it.  Government is at its worst when it is more evil than the things it purports to protect us from.  Government can never be good, just less bad.  Thomas Jefferson, a patron saint of COTO, said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have.”  I’m sure he would approve.  JR  

 Seek Happiness

          When dealing with a whiny child, mothers say, “We are not here to be happy”.¹  What most mothers mean by this, one would hope, is “we are not here to be happy all the time”. The sad fact is that many of the people on this earth spend the first half of their life waiting to live and the second half waiting to die.²  They are never happy.  They believe that “if only…then my life would be perfect and I would be happy.”  Or “If only …had (or hadn’t) happened, I would be happy.” 

 Life will never be perfect.  The time for happiness is now. Happiness must be found, earned, cultivated and maintained like any other thing of value.  It is, however, both permitted and encouraged by COTO.  Follow the Principles and achieve your destiny.  This is the surest way to happiness.

1.  At least The Founder’s mother did.  She was a psychiatrist/neurologist so I’m sure she said it better. JR.

2.  ”Those ain’t busy bein’ born are busy dieing’” Bob Dylan - It’s alright, Ma. JR

The Eleventh Principle

          This is not really a Principle, just a suggestion.  De minimus non curiat.¹  Loose translation—don’t sweat the small stuff. Fill in the gaps with common sense and don’t fret over minutiae.  It doesn’t matter if there is a pantheon of lesser gods or angels that rule our reality.  Don’t quibble over which is the “true” prophet.  Not only is this annoying and dangerous, it clouds your vision of the higher truths which transcend such petty inquiries.   

1.  Apparently, The Founder could not resist throwing in at least one Latin phrase. JR

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

          This is a non-exhaustive list of books, movies and miscellaneous publications that illustrate or give insight to the beliefs expressed herein.

Tao Teh Ching- Lao Tzu

The Collective Unconscious- Jung

The Tao of Physics- Fritjof Capra

The works of Chuan Tzu

Many Lives, Many Masters

Defending Your Life (movie- Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep)

What the Bleep Do We Know (movie- Marilee Matlyn)

Tibetan Book of the Dead

Sermon on the Mount-Jesus of Nazareth

Understanding Zen-Radcliff &Radcliff

Anything by D.T. Suzuki

The art of War- Sun Tzu

God is a Verb- David A. Cooper

A Brief History of Time- Stephen Hawking

The General and Special Theories of Relativity-Albert Einstein

The Uncertainty Principle-Werner Heisenberg

Collected Writings of Thomas Jefferson

Any Jimmy Buffet album up to but not including “Riddles in the Sand”

All Bob Dylan albums before he went electric

Various texts on the Kabala

The Bible (in Hebrew or Greek, if you can) but including the Gnostic Gospels and the Apocrypha. 

The Koran

Religion for Dummies¹

Philosophies of the World

The Celestine Prophesies²

The Desiderata- author unknown

The Prophet- Kahlil Gibran

The Dune Trilogy- Frank Herbert

Stranger in a Strange Land- Robert Heinlein

Catch 22- Joseph Heller

How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World- Harry Browne

Gödel’s Theorems

The Travis McGee series by John D. McDonald

Before the Dawn

1.  No kidding.  It’s pretty informative.  JR

2.  I personally believe that this is just Zen for housewives with a pretty thin story line but the guy sold a butt load of copies and turned it into a franchise.  You’ve got to admire that. JR

EPILOGUE

          Does the world really need another religion?  Not really—just a better one.  One that makes metaphysical sense.  One that doesn’t control behavior through fear and guilt. One that’s primary purpose is the peace of mind, edification and well-being of its parishioners, not the size of the church building fund.

          This is merely intended to be a simple, seminal explanation of COTO, subject change and further development.  All members are welcome to contribute.