"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." Marcel Proust.
"Better to face the truth head on than to believe a lie which gives you hope."
JOBISM in 2009 - A statement of our principles
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JOBISM is a brand new belief system for the 21st century. It's simple and it's for everyone.
Read on - You may be surprised to find that Jobism describes what you already believe!
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Jobism1 was founded in 2009 after years of searching for the truth which gives both inward peace and future hope.
PRIMARY DIRECTIVE - Jobists are united by their common acknowledgment in the existence of The Originator - God.
Jobism is a belief system based on the evidence of what we can see rather than on faith, which is a belief in things we can't see.
Jobists believe that abundant evidence of God is seen in the wonder of creation all around us. i.e Human Beings, Animal and Plant
life, the physical Earth and the Universe beyond. Jobism is a triumph of reason over revelation2.
WHO IS THE ORIGINATOR? - The Originator is the supreme Architect, The Creator of the Universe - God.
Jobism proposes that God is an all-powerful being, a Spirit. Is God male or female? Gender identification are biological issues. Since God is a spiritual
and not a biological being, there is not a satisfying answer to this question. We therefore propose that God is viewed as both male and female.
JOBIST MAXIM - Jobists strive to live each day like Job3 who is described as "a good man, who feared God and stayed away from evil."
DIRECT, PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP - Jobism recognizes a man or womans right to a direct, personal, intimate relationship with
God without having to go through any man or prophet. We are all special. God has an equal interest in each one of us.
INCLUSIVE - Jobism is an "inclusive" belief system and rejoices at being open to everyone.
Jobism believes that the origins and mechanics of most, if not all world religions are man-made and most
suffer from the major problem of "exclusivity". In other words "join our club and you will inherit
eternal life after death". e.g Christians believe that Christianity alone secures salvation and eternal life in Heaven.
The bottom line is - If you're not a Christian you're going to hell forever. Islam again preaches exclusivity.
Being a practicing Muslim guarantees salvation and eternal life in Heaven. If you're a non-Muslim then you're an "infidel"
and you're going to hell. Everyone is going to hell according to someones religion. Jobism does away with the "fear of death".
However, Jobism strongly recognises an individuals right to believe whatever they please4.
CONSCIENCE - Jobism proposes that God wants human beings to behave morally. The Originator created human beings with a
moral compass - the conscience. Jobists are urged to listen carefully to their consciences. It is Gods "built-in" mechanism
for helping us determine if our actions are right or wrong.
ACCOUNTING - Given that we do both right and wrong, Jobism proposes the idea of "accounting".
We have one life and we are to live this life to the very best of our abilities, to please our maker.
It seems right that one day we will all have to account for how we have lived our lives on earth. The subsequent
consequenses and possible rewards & punishments in the life to come is not something we have any real knowledge of.
We know that we all die but no-one knows for certain what will happen after death.
EQUALITY BEFORE GOD - Jobism proposes the idea of "equality". In other words, all men and women are absolutely equal
irrespective of gender, race, creed or colour of skin. God loves us all the same. No man or woman is more special than any other.
PRIMARY PRINCIPLES - Jobism proposes that these "Primary Principles" should govern the way we live every day
and the way we interact with other people in the home, at work and in the communities and countries in which we live.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Forgiveness, Selflessness and Self-Control and the greatest of these Principles is Love.
"Love is patient and kind and is not jealous, boastful, proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or resentful.
Love does not hold grudges and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice in injustice but rejoices
whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
COMMUNICATION - Jobism proposes that just as with any human relationship, our relationship with God involves two-way communication.
Jobists communicate with God to offer worship, thanks and to ask for help. God speaks to us as individuals
through thoughts and feelings and helps us in our daily lives. God does not generally speak to us about other people.
As to Gods exact involvement in our day-to-day lives, and how and when "prayer" is answered - the jury is still out.
SANCTITY OF LIFE - Jobism proposes that all life is precious and should be preserved where possible.
NON-EVANGELICAL - Jobism does not advocate "proselytising". Live your life and lead by example.
Surprise people by your attitudes and quality of life. If people ask you what you believe then be ready to tell them but do it
in a quiet and respectful way.
EVOLUTION & AGE OF THE UNIVERSE - Jobists do not believe in the theory of evolution but support
the concept of "Intelligent Design". Jobists feel that there ample evidence provided by reliable dating methods of by modern
science to believe that the universe is very old, probably billions of years old. Jobists propose that all life came about
as a result of a creative act of The Originator. As to exactly when - the jury is still out.
PRIMARY MOTIVE - Sometimes when we are prompted to do good to someone we may have cause to hesitate because we discover
that we have mixed motives. e.g Doing a kind act towards someone may make have the spin-off of making you look good
in their eyes. As long as your Primary Motive for doing something is pure go ahead, do it.
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1It appears that Jobism has many similarities to Deism. Deism is a religious and philosophical belief that a supreme being created the universe, and that this and religious truth in general can be determined using reason and observation of the natural world alone, without a need for either faith or organized religion. Deists tend to, but do not necessarily, reject the notion of divine interventions in human affairs, such as by miracles and revelations. These views contrast with a dependence on revelations, miracles, and faith found in many Judeo-Christian, Islamic and other theistic teachings. Deists typically reject most supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and tend to assert that God (or "The Supreme Architect") has a plan for the universe that is not altered either by God intervening in the affairs of human life or by suspending the natural laws of the universe. What organized religions see as divine revelation and holy books, most deists see as interpretations made by other humans, rather than as authoritative sources. Deism became prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries during the Age of Enlightenment, especially in the United Kingdom, France, United States and Ireland, mostly among those raised as Christians who found they could not believe in either a triune God, the divinity of Jesus, miracles, or the inerrancy of scriptures, but who did believe in one god. Visit http://www.deist.com for more information. (Deism website)
2The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall. (Thomas Paine, "The Age of Reason")
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3The Book of Job differs in character from all of the books [of the Bible] we have hitherto passed over. ... It is the meditations of a mind strongly impressed with the vicissitudes of human life ... The book of Job does not really belong to the Bible. I have seen the opinion of two Hebrew commentators, Abenezra and Spinoza, upon this subject; they both say that the book of Job carries no internal evidence of being a Hebrew book; that the genius of the composition, and the drama of the piece, are not Hebrew; that it has been translated from another language into Hebrew, and that the author of the book was a Gentile ... It may also be observed, that the book shows itself to be the production of a mind cultivated in science, which the Jews, so far from being famous for, were very ignorant of ... The Bible-makers and those regulators of time, the Bible chronologists, appear to have been at a loss where to place and how to dispose of the book of Job; for it contains no one historical circumstance, nor illusion to any, that might serve to determine its place in the Bible ... The probability however is, that it is older than any book in the Bible. (Thomas Paine, "The Age of Reason")
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4"I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it."
"I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life."
"I believe the equality of man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavouring to make our fellow-creatures happy."
"It is a contradiction in terms and ideas to call anything a revelation that comes to us at second hand, either verbally or in writing. Revelation is necessarily limited to the first communication. After this, it is only an account of something which that person says was a revelation made to him; and though he may find himself obliged to believe it, it cannot be incumbent on me to believe it in the same manner, for it was not a revelation made to me, and I only have his word that it was made to him."
"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church."
"Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst. Every other species of tyrrany is limited to the world we live in; but this attempts to stride beyond the grave, and seeks to pursue us into eternity." (Thomas Paine, "The Age of Reason")
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I think this life is not just a game for God.
Creation is not just God's play.
Everything has a purpose and a goal.
Nothing is in vain. (Anonymous Quote)
Do you believe in God but not in organised religion?
Feel free to contact me by email at jobism.today@gmail.com. Thank you for your interest.
(c) September 2009. Work in progress. Text is subject to change. All Rights Reserved.
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