What would I expect to be in the Bible?

In #religion

I've read the entire Bible twice, the most recent time this past year. Both times I was underwhelmed by the content in the book. It had so much barbarism, and was barely inspiring even at its best points. I wrote in my notes

"There is nothing in the Bible that even suggests that the person writing this knew more than me or anyone else in history, let alone an omniscient being. If someone could point to anything in this book that indicates omniscient input, I'd love to hear it."

So what would I expect? I don't know specifically, but when I read a newsletter by Carolyn Porco an idea struck me. Here was a mere mortal, one of 8 billion, writing something more inspiring and prescient while being entirely accurate, communicating a message of thanks that far surpasses anything in the Bible. If this can be done by mere people, why do we think this couldn't have been accomplished in spades by an all-knowing being who supposedly created the universe?

Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving Day in the US ... the day that we Americans pause to express thanks for all those things that make our lives and our time on this planet meaningful.

To take reckoning of your own life, and all the wonder-filled moments and events, both personal and not, and the opportunities and knowledge -- yes, knowledge! -- you have gained from them, and to dwell on and be grateful for all of it, is a salve for the heart and soul. One of the most effective practices of gratitude for me starts outdoors, on a clear, dark night, gazing up at a starlit sky and absorbing its message.

I repeat here what I wrote on Facebook on Dec 20, 2022, prior to the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn two days later:

"Be sure to spend some time reveling in the rarity of the moment, the beauty of the starlit skies of our planet, the antiquity of the Universe, and how fortunate we all are to have the celestial wonders that surround us ... our planetary neighbors, the very distant stars and nebulae in our own galaxy, all the billions upon billions of immensely distant galaxies ... laid out before our eyes in such glorious splendor. The night sky is the only scene we can savor that is 13.8 billion years old. No experience can better convey the profundity and significance of our own limited existence and the improbable blessing of being alive, than gazing, with knowledge and acceptance, upon its starry countenance."

There is enough gratitude to be had in that magnificent view and what it has taught us to last a lifetime.

Remember that tomorrow and be sure to have a Happy Thanksgiving!