Recently, I wrote Mark Thomas, an atheist.

I thanked him for his very interesting site
http://www.godlessgeeks.com/WhyAtheism.htm

He begins his essay by saying that, "Life is a process ? not a design. It requires an explanation ? not an intelligent designer." I told him that I agree. Then I went on to write:

Quote:
WELCOME TO PROTHEISM and to G?D as Love
Like you, I do not believe in gods, or a god called God. But I am not
an atheist. That is, I am not one who is against the concept of 'god'
consciousness, properly understood. Therefore, I feel comfortable
calling myself a protheist. That is, I see all things--even those
which are apparently evil--as parts of a process which can,
eventually, become total goodness, order and design, for which I use
a special word I coined, G?D. I do it for the same reason Orthodox Jews write G-d., to avoid making divine being an object.

ALL THINGS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING
I say this because I have a strong feeling that, backed by a rational
faith and a reasonable hope, all things, including humanity, are in
the process of becoming fully realized.

Furthermore, I also choose to
have this faith and hope. In addition, I choose to have a strong and personal will (love)
that it be so. Because of this, I think I now understand why John
wrote: Ho theos agape--God is love (1 John 4:16).

Agape/love, in my opinion, is not just a feeling, one which depends on
physical, mental and spiritual circumstances, on others, or on our
heredity and/or environment. It is an act of pure will, originating in
the spirit--our consciousness of self.

I CHOOSE TO BE A PROTHEIST
Based on this, at this point, until otherwise convinced, I choose to
think of myself as a protheist--that is, one who aagrees with you and
believes there is an explanation for all of nature. It begins with
believing in, and acting on the premise that G?D, as Love, is that
which is total, infinite, eternal, all-encompassing and universal.

LOVE IS THE GOOD NEWS
You conclude your article by letting us know, "... the bad news ...
and the good news." You say that, "The bad news is that there is no
god to watch over and care for us. The good news is that there is no
hell, and we can all love and care for each other ? if we so choose."

Ah yes! the power to choose and to value the highest good. Obviously
you and John have something in common: You both choose and value the
highest good, love.

Thanks, again, for your stimulating essay.

Yours in the spirit of the highest good--agape/love...