Nobody but You and Me: God and Our Existence in the Universe

By Jay Thomas Willis

This book puts forth the idea that rather than there being a “God, or a Balance in the Universe”: “God is the Balance in the Universe.” It also puts forth the idea that Jesus Christ was basically conceived by 300 Roman Catholic Bishops at the Nicene Council in 325 A.D. The Bible is indeed not the Word of God, neither was it influenced by God. It consists of Fables, parables, myths, folktales, and allegories taken from other mythical-religious doctrines. The Bible consists of too many inconsistencies, disparities, irregularities, and unrealistic stories to have any basis in reality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664167421

Jay Thomas Willis

Jay Thomas Willis graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a B.S. degree in sociology. He also graduated from Texas Southern University with a M.Ed. in counseling, in addition to receiving a MSW in social work from the University of Houston. Willis has held numerous social work positions.

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Copyright © 2021 by Jay Thomas Willis.

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.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 04/28/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

828878

CONTENTS

Also By Jay Thomas Willis

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1     Remembering Selective Background, Childhood, And Religious Experiences

Chapter 2     Believers And Non-Believers: A Comparative Analysis

Chapter 3     Origins Of The Universe And Man

Chapter 4     Ancient-African Spirituality, Religiosity And Spirituality

Chapter 5     The Balance In Proper Perspective

Chapter 6     Religion In Modern-Day Society

Chapter 7     Conclusions

About The Author

ALSO BY JAY THOMAS WILLIS

Nonfiction

A Penny for Your Thoughts: Insights, Perceptions, and Reflections on the African American Condition

Implications for Effective Psychotherapy with African Americans

Freeing the African-American’s Mind

God or Barbarian: The Myth of a Messiah Who Will Return to Liberate Us

Finding Your Own African-Centered Rhythm

When the Village Idiot Get Started

Nowhere to Run or Hide

Why Blacks Behave as They Do: The Conditioning Process from Generation to Generation

God, or Balance in the Universe

Over the Celestial Wireless

Paranoid but not Stupid

Nothing but a Man

Word to the Wise

Random Thoughts on My Reality

Born to be Destroyed

Things I Never Said

Got My Own Song to Sing: Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome in My Family

A Word to My Son

Off-the-Top Treasures

Going with the Flow

Messed-Up Kid

Man’s Basic Purpose

God Told Me to Tell You

Fiction

You Can’t Get There from Here

Where the Pig Trail Meets the Dirt Road

The Devil in Angelica

As Soon as the Weather Breaks

The Cotton is High

Hard Luck

Educated Misunderstanding

Longing for Home and Other Short Stories

Dream On: Persistent Themes in My Dreams

Poetry

Reflections on My Life: You’re Gonna Carry That Weight a Long Time

It’s a Good Day to Die: Some Personal Poetry About the Ups and Downs in My Life

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to those who have encouraged me to continue writing up to this point, either by purchasing a book, or otherwise through their words or deeds.

–––––-right on; white america–––—

this country might have been a pioneer land once. but. there ain’t no mo indians blowing custer’s mind with a different image of america.

this country might have needed shoot/outs/ daily once. but. there ain’t no mo real/white allamerican bad guys. just u & me blk/ and un/armed.

this country might have been a pioneer land once. and it still is. check out the falling gun/shells on our blk/tomorrows.

–—Sonia Sanchez–—

PREFACE

R ECENTLY, I WROTE a book entitled, God, or Balance in the Universe ; in which I considered there was no Almighty God of the universe, but only a Balance in the Universe. In this book entitled, Nobody but You and Me: God and Our Existence in the Universe , I crystallize my thinking, and state emphatically that God and the Balance in the Universe are synonymous.

In this book I talk about the idea that we created this all-powerful God that is worshiped by many denominations. Out of our existential longing to have a relationship with something or someone greater than ourselves, we came up with the concept of God. From our dreams, wishes, and fantasies, we came up with this all-powerful, omnipresent, all-seeing force in the universe.

It seems only natural for us to come up with such a God. Every group on the planet has come up with such a God. It is a normal process in the evolutionary development of a group. All cultures in their development have come up with their own concept of God and religion.

Our problem is that as Black people we have been indoctrinated to accept this God with blonde hair and blue eyes. We acquired this God in slavery. We needed something to help us survive the trials and tribulations, but this God has caused us more problems than it has solved. We need to return to Ma’at, the ancient-African philosophy of our ancestors. We don’t need more religion; we need more righteousness, balance, harmony, justice, and reciprocity, etc.

This book is not designed to convert anyone. It is meant for those who hear so much about God without having heard from the other side. I’m not trying to convince anyone of my views. It’s up to the individual to think what he wants. The intent here is simply to present the author’s perspective. I believe I have earned the right to present my views in a Democratic America. Most of my relatives would wonder if I have lost it by presenting such a perspective, but they would probably wonder about me if my views were in the mainstream.

I attended a backward little church as a child. Usually I attended with my mother, my father worked out of town. I was the last child at home out of ten children. My mother and I had to walk across pastures and open fields to get there. It was approximately four miles the way the crow flies. The church had a rusty-tin roof, and pews made of rough-hewn pine wood that was a ready source of splinters. It was hot in summer and cold in winter. It was heated by a potbellied stove. The church hadn’t been painted in many years—if ever. However, I was able to absorb a few decent values.

Somehow, I finished high school, went to college, and joined the Navy. I even went to several different graduate schools: first, for two different Masters’ degrees; second, I made an unsuccessful bid for a Ph.D. at two different programs.

As an adult I have strayed away from the church, attending only on an occasional basis. My earliest views of the church colored my adult perspective.

In this book I discuss the origins of the universe, the origins of man, the origins of religion, the Balance in the Universe, and modern-day religion. As always, my books are designed to help us think more critically about important issues.

All and any of my other books may be previewed at amazon.com by Jay Thomas Willis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I WANT TO THANK all my teachers at the old Galilee elementary, junior high, and high school in Hallsville, Texas, for putting up with me as a student. Some mornings I know I came to school smelling of urine, disheveled, with bad breath, and otherwise poor hygiene. My behavior was usually appropriate. They never showered me with any special attention, but at least allowed me to sit in the classroom and finish my education. I’m surprised I wasn’t abruptly terminated from my attendance.

Thanks to my brother wade for motivating me to continue in school, by reinforcing some of my more positive behaviors.

INTRODUCTION

I AM SEVENTY-YEARS OLD, have read a great deal, and have had a variety of experiences. I have two Masters’ degrees and two Bachelors’ degrees and worked on a Ph.D. at two different universities in the Midwest. I have worked as a social worker, therapist, and teacher for many years. Yet, I realize that I know nothing. Of course, many people feel they have cornered the market on truth but are usually completely wrong. This book mostly comes from my own thoughts and ideas. Most of these ideas are not ideas I have read in books, but notions that I believe to be true based on my experiences. I came to these conclusions over many years of consideration. No one situation gave rise to my thinking on this subject. Sonia Sanchez stimulated my thinking toward writing the book many years ago when I read her poem, right on; white america. Sonia makes another point, but I used one statement from her poem, Just you and me.

I can’t say realistically that there is no God of the Bible, but don’t believe there to be one, my concept is that there is only the Balance in the Universe. This Balance in the Universe is the only God we will ever be able to know and claim. Here, I simply present an alternative perspective to believing in the God handed down from the slave masters. The Bible was given to us to keep us subservient. Religion was designed to empower the people who created it. Religion anesthetizes us; it puts us to sleep. Religion was designed to keep us spiritually, culturally, and mentally impaired. Religion is about conquering and controlling.

This book concludes that there’s nobody here to resolve our issues but you and me. We must learn to live together and to respect one another. Our difficulties will be attacked when we learn to respect one another as brothers, not when we learn to respect the God of the Bible. We have been conditioned in such a manner that it’s hard to get away from believing in this God of the Bible. This God supposedly died for our sins and will intervene to help us in difficult circumstances in our lives. We have been lied to about religion. No matter what happens in our lives, we don’t know for sure it was the God of the Bible who intervened to help us. It could have been simply the Balance in the Universe. Sometimes what we want to be real can be real for us. We must forget about the God of the Bible and learn to rely on ourselves. We pray about situations that we should handle ourselves. We tell people to put their trust in Jesus and everything will be all right, but it will be all right if and only if we believe it will be all right. W. I. Thomas says what we perceive as real is real in its consequences. We invest in religion and faith, forgetting that we should be trying to empower ourselves. We are apathetic and can’t see the consequences of our apathy. We must be concerned about our empowerment, spiritual development, and growth. The task of waking up a people who enjoy sleeping is not one to be envied.

Everyone has the right to what they believe is best for them. No person has to live life for anyone else. It is the individual’s reality and his life. The other person’s life has nothing to do with you. One person has nothing to say about what the other person does with his life. We must respect other people’s realities. When people make decisions, they are making the best possible decision at that time.

Even the Balance in the Universe will not change the condition of a people until they change themselves. You must create the conditions that will impact your situation. It’s not what God is going to do, but what you’re going to