Philosophy

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Man seems to have a need to believe in a higher power.  Over the generations, mankind has believed in thousands of gods, Zoroaster, Krishna, Yahweh, Osiris, Marduk, Baal, Zeus, Ishtar,... and the list goes on.  At first they were local gods, like gods of the forest, or they were families of gods.  Often they were stone idols that could be touched and revered.  In the Ka'bah Muslims revere a large iron meteorite, which in some complex way is linked to Allah, an invisible god inspired by the Judeo-Christian deity.  Similarly, Christians have a very nuanced set of three gods that behave as one - a profoundly complicated compromise reached at the Council of Nicaea in 325AD. 

The stories of the gods are quite similar - often replete with miracles such as virgin births, resurrections, healing miracles, immortality in another plane of existence  and so forth.  Though the names and details change, the themes remain similar.  There are various ways to appease and get satisfaction from the gods, such as sacrificing animals, donating money, or following elaborate rituals.  These acts of worship form bonds between people, defining the group, and building a framework that brings a sense of belonging and community.

Religious texts show the culture and reflect the values of the societies that wrote those texts, and are often mismatched to our needs today.   The old testament, for example, reflects the iron-age values of a primitive agricultural society, with facts that contradict what we now know of the world.  The whole concept of faith runs counter to the scientific skepticism, on which we base modern society.  Yet religions still dominate because we have a need to belong, and we are willing to throw away our reason to be a part of something bigger.

It is among this plethora of false gods that Ta'aroa - the one true god - reappeared recently in the form of a garden statue in California.  Any pure soul, glancing at his divine beauty, is instantly transformed and comprehends that unlike the other false gods, Ta'aroa is in fact  the final divinity, speaking the truth to our hearts.   Ta'aora reveals the ultimate truths to the faithful who open their hearts to him and donate money to his cause.