Omnism is cool. The perennial philosophy is cool. Fundamentalism not so cool. Sacrificing reality for magic beliefs ... not so cool. The zealot true believer gets it exactly backwards.

The true believer gets it exactly backwards because, on the spiritual path, we have the option of submitting and conforming and calling that a virtue, or, we can demonstrate some autonomy and pave our own path. Whether the obedience be to this religion or that, this cult or that, this leader or that -- the Mormons, the Moonies, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Heaven's Gate, the Pope, David Koresh, Jim Jones -- they are all the same in this regard. One good way to exercise autonomy is to use knowledge and understanding in lieu of superstition, legend, belief, and, above all, in lieu of blind conformity and obedience. This blind submitting to authority is the root of much evil in the world, as becoming puppets to any manner of dictators has clearly borne out. Yet religion, with its backward, primitive values, often establishes just this kind of utter authoritarianist lust as moral. Most all of the religions prey on it, each establishing their little corner of the market of adherents. Of those not seeking to establish or find a path, but to follow one prescribed to them. If a god of love is telling you to kill those in the neighboring town, to kill homosexuals, to kill unruly children, to kill unvirginal women, and you see it as your part of the bargain to say, "Okay, if you say its holy I believe you" ... then mind and morality has been sacrificed to an abomination. Everybody knows this, but they forget it real quick ONLY FOR THE RELIGION THEY ACCEPT BLINDLY. Not to find a moral path, but to be religious, look religious, and sound religious becomes the bastard version of morality they espouse.

Here is the difference between a micro stakes player and someone who is playing at the highest level in this morality game:

The micro player has a rule which says if there is even moderate risk of becoming lost in a certain domain (eg: religion), then I must demonize and avoid it no matter the potential upside. As a result, this person cuts themselves off from the transcendent domain. Using hyper-feminine language to describe the scientific frame is not a replacement for the transcendent, religious realm.

The person who plays to win is unwilling to be limited at all in where he can explore. Even if he becomes lost, it doesn’t matter in the bigger picture. Even if he becomes dead, it doesn’t matter. Why? It doesn’t matter because the game has already been won by him. It just hasn’t been fully realized in this world yet. How can he be truly lost or dead if he emerges victorious at the end?

At its core, the morality game is about identity. If you lack self belief and are unwilling to stretch or test your faith in yourself, you will never get out of the micro stakes. You will never win in a way that is significant at all.

Can we just go with Omnism and the "perennial philosophy" and some humanist spirituality ... or do we have to go with you have the special message and understanding of god almighty? Is that a problem for you?

Humanist spirituality is like a mobius strip in that you can never get off the path. Your life is the path. And the supernatural claims and fabrications ad infinitum through history are irrelevant to that.

Every second of blithely imagining ourselves to be speaking for god, revealing "the one true god's" nature, is a moment of self-delusion. The bullshyt confidence of that is anti-spiritual. The better, realer option is to face our plight: we don't know, we face our existential concerns and anxieties without resorting to magical solutions. Bit by bit this way, we find our path. Or, admittedly ... you can just default and do whatever is prescribed centuries ago in the world's biggest murder, bigotry, misogyny, magic book.

Every fancy word of theology ever devised is sophistry. In seeking to ignore and misdirect from the actual barbaric nature of the morality of much religion, all kinds of elaborate theologisms are put forward as coming straight from god, or about the nature of god. Yes there might be some infinite intelligence overseeing our path, but, really, it probably isn't the "guy" for killing babies and stoning homosexuals. Theology, theology, theology ... sophistry, sophistry, sophistry ... is the strategy to get away from the core morality being brandished by barbaric magical belief systems.

Blind obedience was never a virtue anywhere, and that religion wields it as the crux of morality says it all. The mystery is the mystery is the mystery ... and it was not solved by ignorant, superstitious goatsmen in ancient times for whom the list of things they believed, religious and otherwise, proves categorically that an omniscient god was not the source of it.