The Bible Could Free You From the Simulation but Enslaved You Instead
The Bible Could Free You From the Simulation but Enslaved You Instead
Is the Bible just a collection of old stories, the word of God, a self-help manual, or a simulation-hacking masterpiece? Alternative interpretations of the Bible are abundant and some make sense.
The simulation theory has often been compared to the creation myth of Christianity. The script seems familiar. Someone created a world and everything in it, determined rules of conduct, and let the simulation run indefinitely. It's a good theory. Alas, I believe "The Good Book" is misunderstood, hence the title.
In the Biblical sense, the way most understand it, there is this God entity, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, that is all-knowing and all-powerful, not to mention eternal. Fine. If you look at the Bible's content through this lens, it reads like a fairytale full of warnings, rules, and punishment for misbehavior. Christianity presents it this way.
It never resonated with me, and since I was raised in a somewhat cultish branch of Christianity, where they take everything literally and enforce submission to the rules, I grew to hate religion. That was a long time ago, however.
Through extensive research, I've come across a different interpretation of the Bible—one that empowers instead of judges, frees instead of enslaves, and guides instead of threatens.
When I looked at the same texts I knew almost by heart, things started to make sense for the first time ever.
Alternative interpretation
The essential differentiation between the classical Christian interpretation of the Bible and this "new age" version is the following.
What is God?
Revelation 22:13 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."
Christians perceive the text as the word of some external god. We are mere mortals, always at his mercy, begging for love and forgiveness. He is meant to be our creator, the father of all, and we are anything but worthy of his love—born in sin, as it were.
Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV): 26 "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."
Newer interpretations perceive the text as an instruction manual on how to play the game of life on "god mode." They understand these instructions as a path toward self-actualization and recognizing our own divinity.
God is all, God is perfect, and since God is all and God is perfect, that includes us and everything in this world - the good and the bad.
2 Corinthians 13:5 - "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?"
Furthermore, everyone is God and has the same power as God, if only he had sufficient understanding and faith to wield it. Replace "Lord" with "Law (of attraction or assumption)," and you have a completely different book on your hands.
Mark 11:22-24 - "And Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in Lord/Law. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
You are not God's creation but a god creating your reality. God is, therefore, within. When you see God as some unseen force that is contained in and governs everything, things begin to make more sense.
Jeremiah 23:23-24 - "Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord."
What are heaven and hell?
The classical interpretation explains heaven and hell as real places where our souls go to either enjoy the eternal reward for being good or eternal damnation and suffering in hell for being sinners.
Romans 14:17 - "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
The alternative idea is that heaven and hell are nothing more than states of mind. Right here, right now.
A good, ordered, happy mind brings about heaven on earth.
In contrast, a depressed, miserable, chaotic mind brings about the experience of hell on earth.
Happiness or misery is nothing more than a direct consequence of the quality of your mind, regardless of circumstances.
Luke 17:20-21 - "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."
Who is the creator?
Christianity teaches that God created the whole universe (the simulation) by uttering the right words. He is the only one this powerful, apart from Jesus and perhaps some chosen apostles. However, this is a flawed interpretation that goes against numerous texts in the book.
Proverbs 18:21 - "The tongue has the power of life and death."
Different interpretations suggest that the Bible is trying to teach you how to create anything by your faith and words alone, as you are constantly creating your reality (your mind-made simulation).
Matthew 17:20 - "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Most of the lessons are about taming your mind, staying true to your faith (belief in the coming good), and trusting that what you have prayed for will come to pass.
James 1:6 - "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt."
What is prayer?
Prayer, in a religious sense, is asking God to grant you your wishes. He then decides if he agrees and if you are somehow worthy of his grace and either ignores you or gives you what you asked for.
Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Prayer in the alternative sense in mind self-reprogramming. It's an affirmation, a declaration of who you are and what you have.
You're not asking for anyone to grant you your wish, as you're the only one who can determine what you "are given," being that you are God of your reality, and your mind, beliefs, thoughts, and emotions are what determines all the content in your life.
Matthew 7:7 - "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Your mind creates reality automatically according to what your subconsciousness believes. There is no gatekeeper, and anything is fair game.
You're the only one who can deny yourself by not believing that you are worthy, that you have that power, or that you already are what you desire to be.
Proverbs 23:7 - "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."
What is sin?
Sin, in the Christian sense, is going against God's wishes and commands. Breaking his rules, in essence.
Your father in heaven said you're not allowed to do something, but you did it anyway, which now makes you a sinner. We all know what dear old daddy does to sinners, don't we? He punishes them with fiery fury!
The alternative interpretation of sin is a "bad thought." As all thoughts are made manifest in your reality (this simulation), then sinful thoughts, fears, emotions, lust, etc., all necessitate negative future consequences by default.
The hell you end up in is of your own doing, as your world automatically conforms to your thoughts and feelings, which, when you "sin," take you straight to your own version of hell right here in this lifetime.
James 3:6 - "And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell."
It's not a punishment but a cause-and-effect correlation. It is a warning, not a threat.
Who is judging you?
Christianity warns that you are judged by your words and actions. Some external god is listening to your every thought and word and sneakily watches over all the neighbors' wives with whom you might fornicate, etc.
If caught, and God sees everything, he will punish you.
Matthew 12:36-37 - "But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
An alternative explanation is that your thoughts, words, and actions have consequences, though not because someone is judging you, but because the system of this universe (simulation) is designed to always give you more of what you believe, say, think, and do.
The answer is not "yes or no." It's always "yes" to everything, including the good and the bad. You determine everything without realizing it.
Why seek forgiveness?
Since you are a sinner, you must repent and ask for forgiveness from the almighty God in the sky. All will be forgiven if you repent. Once forgiven, you'll be welcomed back on his good side.
Again, there is this otherworldly entity who forgives you of your sins.
James 1:14-15, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
An alternative way of looking at forgiveness is to recognize your sins, which are "unproductive" thoughts, words, ideas, visions, and deeds, and nullify them by correcting your thoughts. Either by overriding the old programs and beliefs with newer ones, leading you down a better path as they manifest, or by denying that old "sins" ever existed, deleting their influence from the causational tree of manifestation.
All thoughts must manifest in some form. If you catch yourself entertaining thoughts of poverty, lack, sickness, death, and loneliness and are aware that they must manifest in your life, you are encouraged to "ask for forgiveness" and repent, not to some god outside you, but within your mind. Delete, deny, and replace them asap!
Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Is this the same Bible?
This alternative interpretation makes all the difference. After reading the same passages through a different lens, you cannot unsee how the text has had to be manipulated to appear as anything but an instruction manual on how to live like a god and accept responsibility for everything in our lives.
Since seeing is believing, I suggest rereading the whole Bible from this perspective and seeing if it makes more or less sense. Whatever you do, don't believe anyone's interpretation—not the churches or authors with alternative views, including myself.
No one knows anything. We all just have opinions. The more someone says they have all the answers, the more you should be careful and make your own decisions. This is the golden rule in everything, dear friends. Never forget it.
What does the Bible have to do with living in the simulation?
Well, it could be everything or nothing. It could just be a set of old meaningful tales meant to scare the children into submission, or it could be an ancient self-help book, trying its best to explain complex ideas to simple minds using stories and anecdotes. Let's not forget—it could theoretically also be the word of God as instructions for his children, as religions would have us believe.
In other words, it is a simulation instruction manual from the architect, the omniscient programmer of the universe, to his creations—the sims.
Or it could be a set of ancient wisdom passed down through the ages, teaching us how to control the simulation from those who figured it out.
It's a scary and blasphemous thought to think of yourself as God or even Godlike
Let's say it's 50/50. If Christianity is correct, and you play God, trying to better your life by conscious creation, you'll end up in literal hell sometime after death, as you defied the will of the Almighty, and we all know he's not the forgiving kind, despite the marketing propaganda.
If the alternative view is correct, you will have wasted your lifetime worrying about nonsense and created hell on earth right here and now instead of heaven, which is just another version of your mind-made reality.
I guess we'll find out soon enough.
So, which version makes more sense to you?
An ancient angry, vengeful, and resentful God in the sky that is simultaneously everything and separate from you, watching your every thought, demanding blind obedience? (or)
An objective force residing in everyone and everything, a natural law of the universe, where like attracts like, like magnetism and gravity? (or)
A simulation, artificial or mental, that can be hacked and controlled to an extent by using your mind?
I find two out of three a hell of a lot more likely than the odd one out, but you’re going to have to figure this out for yourself. Good luck!
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