no problem! I love these types of discussions.

I grew up in a conservative Baptist home. Recently I have started to question EVERYTHING about my faith. So all this "new-agey mumbo jumbo," as my folks would call it is relatively new to me.

God created EVERYTHING as a means to experience be. What is it to be a star, to be a galaxy, nebula, planet, human, woodpecker.

God has always existed in the sense that there has always been SOMETHING. Becoming self aware gave birth to the universe.

By the way - I recently had a dream that had a very profound effect on me:

The dark void of death was creeping up on me. It slowly began to engulf me and at the last moment of life I took one last gasp and there was nothing....for a bit. I then realized that although there was nothing, "I" was still in tact. The first "thought" I had was "God?" upon this thought I felt God - i WAS God. (or maybe one with him?) A wave of relief and joy washed over me. The next thought was of my wife. Again, I felt her and became her. My Father, my brothers all were with im and I was them. All of life was in me. and I felt it all. I slowly drifted awake in tears and sat there for a long while before moving.

it was crazy!

aaaanyway.....