Exploring the God Idea: In Search of a Pragmatic Religious Philosophy

By Raymond Macdonald Alden Jr

The author describes a unique image of God and tells how it has led him into his ninety-ninth year, physically and mentally active, in good health, and without stress or conflict. In this view, science and religion are perfectly compatible with each other, and both become consistent with teachings about God by mainstream religions. The human body, brain, and mind can learn to function in harmony with one another, aligned with God’s objectives as they are understood and taught by philosophers, prophets, and saints of old; by ministers, priests, and rabbis today; and by shamans, kahunas, and medicine men of ancient times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781984586339

Raymond Macdonald Alden Jr

Raymond Macdonald Alden (Jr.), born in 1921, grew up in Palo Alto, California, as the youngest of five siblings, children of a university professor who was also a notable author of scholarly works and of popular stories for children. (Many of the latter are again being published over a century after they were written. The best known is Why the Chimes Rang.) Raymond Jr. graduated from Stanford University in 1944 and went immediately into the US Naval Reserve. After the war, released from active duty, he worked as an engineer in the communications industry, employed successively by three companies. He held positions of engineer, chief engineer, vice president of operations, director, president and COO, and vice chairman of the board. During his working years, he lived in California, Oregon, Hawaii, Kansas, and Missouri. He retired in 1983, settling in Santa Rosa, California, where he now resides. He and Sara Wills Alden, his wife of sixty-nine years (now deceased), have had three children, seven grandchildren, and (thus far) eight great-grandchildren. His autobiography, Reflections of a Renaissance Pilgrim, was self-published through Xlibris Corporation in 2010.

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Copyright © 2020 by Raymond Macdonald Alden Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Website

Rev. date: 06/30/2020

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The Route to Be Followed

Preface

Chapter 1   About the Territory

Chapter 2   About Attitude

Chapter 3   About Systems

Chapter 4   About Images

Chapter 5   About Spirit

Chapter 6   About Bodies and Brains

Chapter 7   About Minds

Chapter 8   About Utility

Chapter 9   Conclusion

Appendixes

First Principles

Shared Belief in the Golden Rule

About the Author

For my great-grandchildren

and, not incidentally, for their parents

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

—St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, 4:8

New Revised Standard Version

Preface

Sometime long, long ago, shrouded in the deep fog of childhood memories lay the origin of this book. As the youngest member of a large family, I grew up deeply imbued with religious principles but without a close association with any religious institution. This stimulated spiritual and conceptual thinking without structure or boundaries. My early concepts of right, wrong, wise, and foolish were developed strongly but not defined by dogma and were always growing and being shaped by experience. It has taken nearly a century for their form to become apparent. And this is not because of their complexity; it has taken that long for their simplicity to be recognized and appreciated.

Disclaimer: This book is not the product of research or of deep theological thinking, reading, or prayer. It is the product of a mind trained and practiced for professional-level engineering and for management—not, by far, anything like that of a seminary student. It is my custom to seek practical, useful results from my effort on any subject or project, and the reader will, I hope, judge this product by that standard.

My experience as a practicing professional