Hi all

I know my beliefs anger some on here, and I am truly sorry for that, but here is something I wrote somewhere else, that I want to share with you, and ask what do you believe is the nature of your god? Sorry to those that might have read it before, I have changed some of it.

I believe that god is life, and life is god. I am apart of life, so god is within me, and I am within god. ALL LIFE such as you, me, the trees, the wind, the sun, the stars, everything that you and me can see and feel, is life (God).

I am like a cell in the body of God, my consciousness is one atom, in the consciousness of the mind of God. Kind of like all physical matter in the universe is the physical body of God, just like your physical body of matter is yours, and all of the consciousness and thoughts of living things is a connection of mind and spirit, that is the combined mind and spirit of god.

I think about the nature of god as a huge spider web, full of threads that connects with each other, just as I believe that I am connected to everyone and everything, so when I harm another person I am in fact just harming my self, like if you brake one of the threads in a spider web, there is a vibration that causes others around it to brake also, god is like a spider web, so when I harm other life (including my own) all I am doing is harming god. We are not our own god, we are apart of god, all connected by threads. Its up to us all, to keep Gods spirit alive on earth, with love.

We all need the different forms of life that exist in the physical world, in order that we can exist here, like without the life of trees we can not breath, without the rivers, sea, and rain we can not drink, without Dr’s we can not be as healthy, without the baker we can not be fed, without the builder we can not be sheltered, without the priest or minister we can not find comfort and hope, without the money we earn to live comfortably that we earn from others, and then give to others, we can not give to charity, helping someone half way around the world, without the next man or woman beside us we can not learn how to love. Do you see now how we all need each other?

We all connect to each other in so many ways, and we should do our best to help and connect with each other more, rather than hating each other, and braking them threads, its better we strengthen them threads, because the spider web of god and life becomes stronger the more connections we make.

We all complement each other, in that we exist along side each other, we are all connected to each other in one way or another by threads, brake them threads by killing and harming, and you cut them threads and harm the psychology of god or the psychology of life.

We are basically connected as one because, we are all LIFE.

Many peope say they love god, but yet fear god. Love life and you will love god.

I believe that if you recognise that all life, and all people are apart of god, treat them how you would want to be treated then you earn the true title of a godly person.

I believe that the threads I talk about are connected from one life to the next from heart to heart, if you use your heart to hate you will brake them threads, collapsing the structure around you. Use your heart to love and you will strengthen the threads and the structure around you.

Spread love around you, and it will spread out from your life and around the world. The more people love the closer the love of god and heaven will be to earth.

The more people hate and fear, the closer the darkness of hell will be to earth, and the further away god will become.

Isn’t it better to connect with others, and keep the love of God alive?.

all the best

Faeden

I give nature the same respect that (As an example) Christians give God. I do not worship nature but give it the respect (And love at the special things ) that I feel it deserves.

Really, the belief in the supernatural, or god(s) I philosphically do not hold for several reasons and I won't go into them here. (Anyone can read my posts to find that out.)

I honestly do not have a problem if someone who holds a belief in the supernatural, however logically impossible it is. And in some cases, I do take a cruel delight in tripping people when irrational claims of truth are made. It's a mia culpa of mine, I know.

My greatest objection extends to doctrines that are false or have been historically used to oppress humanity. Original Sin and Salvation is one such doctrine or any doctrine that puts its ideology before compassion. I am strongly gay-rights for this reason, but that's for another time.

Also, I am generally this way around when superstition is valued before empiricism.

Hi

Respect becomes worship, when one is at peace with what ever it is they believe is there creator. Many people that claim to worship god fear god, so therefor respect nothing about there creator.

If I thought that god was the type of "person" that sent human souls into a lake of fire just because they did not "worship him" or kiss his butt, I could not respect that god.

All the best
Faeden

imo "life" is the physical manifestation of creation and a "god" would have to be the "reason" for that creation-only "love" could have offered us this unique opportunity to wonder at the slpendor of the universe and fuel us into reproducing and creating more love- ie GOD = LOVE

But.. I don't wanna say it agaaaiiiin no one listens.

I hear you Faeden.

More often one talks about God's rules and His desires they are talking from a reflection from themselves within themselves, not what "God" wants. Most notably are these pios bigots who condemn homosexuality.

Really, that worship is the worship of themselves and not the worship, or the respect of life.

I used to have a definite opinion about what "God" is. My idea was grand and glorious. Now that I'm older, I'm not sure anymore. The older I get, the less I know about anything. The one thing I'm sure of is that there is a Creator... I don't believe his true form is human-looking. I think there is more than one creator. I think that our "god" is the creator of humans, here and on other planets. I think he/she/it isn't the creator of non-human beings, such as the reptilians. I don't think the reptilians and insectoids has a soul matrix (created by our "god").

I guess I have more ideas on what the Creator isn't.....

That sounds a little like Spinoza's god.

The nature of my god?

GM

He brought forth the '57 Chevy. And praise be to the hubcaps.


Reality, I have no religion, but I do have faith. And I have learned that on this board many will bash you for your beliefs. So why bother. I cannot change them and they will not change me.

But Good post and may the lord of chrome be with you

I am not sure...about the only thing that I am sure about is that NO ONE really knows, and that anyone who tells you they do know the true nature of god is probably trying to sell you something.

On a gut level I think that there is something out there that we have yet to comprehend, but I haven't the slightest idea what that may be.

Like everything else in this forum; everyone has their own opinion and is entitled to it. I just hate it when people start moaning about how they are right and everyone else is wrong...

Actually, you are right Fluffy, no one no matter what they bleive knows exactly what God thinks/feels at any given moment. The only one who is knows is God Himself. Just as no one on this planet can know what you think at any given moment, but you.

However, on a sidenote, people who are quoting God from words God actually did say as per Him talking to people throughout the Bible, and in the manner it was done, etc, I wouldn't say is a misquote. But everyone is entitled to believe what they believe.

However, even with that, God does, what God wants. God is not bound by laws, He created them. It is within God's power to change anything, if He wants to.

This is what God is to me also. Youve summed it up quite nicely Faeden. God is not an external entity that has a finite shape and form; God is limitless, God is infinite and Omnipresent; God embodies both aspects of the feminine and masculine and is not a 'he' as opposed to a 'she'. God cannot be there as opposed to here, because God is everywhere.

I do not worship God in the traditional sense, like someone worsips an idol, or a finite entity, I worship life itself. And Life = God = Universe.

O, that all men would know, "Know, O ye children of men, the Lord thy God is ONE!" Each spirit, each manifestation of LIFE is ONE, and a manifestation either in this, that or the other sphere, or scope, or space of development TOWARDS the knowledge, the understanding, the conception of that ONE - HIM - I AM - God - Jehovah - Yah [?] - ALL ONE!

"Know, O Israel, (Know, O People) the Lord Thy God is One!"

From this premise we would reason, that: In the manifestation of all power, force, motion, vibration, that which impels, that which detracts, is in its essence of one force, one source, in its elemental form. As to what has been done or accomplished by or through the activity of entities that have been delegated powers in activity is another story.
As to the one source or one force, then, are the questions presented in the present.
God, the first cause, the first principle, the first move- ment, IS! That's the beginning! That is, that was, that ever shall be!
The following of those sources, forces, activities that are in accord with the Creative Force or first cause - its laws, then - is to be one with the source, or equal with yet separate from that first cause.
When, then, may man - as an element, an entity, a separate being manifested in material life and form - be aware or conscious of the moving of that first cause within his own environ?
Or, taking man in his present position or consciousness, how or when may he be aware of that first cause moving within his realm of consciousness?
In the beginning there was the force of attraction and the force that repelled. Hence, in man's consciousness he becomes aware of what is known as the atomic or cellular form of movement about which there becomes nebulous activity. And this is the lowest form (as man would designate) that's in active forces in his experience. Yet this very movement that separates the forces in atomic influence is the first cause, or the manifestation of that called God in the material plane!
Then, as it gathers of positive-negative forces in their activity, whether it be of one element or realm or another, it becomes magnified in its force or sources through the universe.
Hence we find worlds, suns, stars, nebulae, and whole solar systems MOVING from a first cause.
When this first cause comes into man's experience in the present realm he becomes confused, in that he appears to have an influence upon this force or power in directing same. Certainly! Much, though, in the manner as the reflection of light in a mirror. For, it is only reflected force that man may have upon those forces that show themselves in the activities, in whatever realm into which man may be delving in the moment - whether of the nebulae, the gaseous, or the elements that have gathered together in their activity throughout that man has chosen to call time or space. And becomes, in its very movement, of that of which the first cause takes thought IN a finite existence or consciousness.
Hence, as man applies himself - or uses that of which he becomes conscious in the realm of activity, and gives or places the credit (as would be called) in man's consciousness in the correct sphere or realm he becomes conscious of that union of force with the infinite with the finite force.
Hence, in the fruits of that - as is given oft, as the fruits of the spirit - does man become aware of the infinite penetrating, or inter-penetrating the activities of all forces of matter, or that which is a manifestation of the realm of the infinite into the finite - and the finite becomes conscious of same.
As to the application of these as truths, then:
It may be said that, as the man makes in self - through the ability given for man in his activity in a material plane - the will one with the laws of creative influence, we begin with:
"Like begets like - As he sows, so shall he reap - As the man thinketh in the heart, so is he."
These are all but trite sayings to most of us, even the thinking man; but should the mind of an individual (the finite mind) turn within his own being for the law pertaining to these trite sayings, until the understanding arises, then there is the consciousness in the finite of the infinite moving upon and in the inner self.
So does life in all its force begin in the earth. The moving of the infinite upon the negative force of the finite in the material, or to become a manifested force.

Think on This ...
Who hath sought? Who hath understood?
Only they that seek shall find!

How to know self.
Personally I feel there is one sure way, take the old book the Bible and read the 30th Chapter of Deut., then turn to the 14th - 15th - 16th and 17th of John, not merely read them or learn them by word, but get their real meaning - there you will see the ideal relationship between God and man as exemplified in Jesus a man - who became the Christ by living just that. Now measure self up to that standard - then you have the inner sight - there you have the way the manner to look within self - for it isn't somewhere else but within you one must find the answer to every problem.

I do not concern myself with a higher power. I'm not saying there isn't one out there and I won't argue with those that believe. I personally do not know, and find a measure of peace by not concerning myself with it. I live my life in the here and now. I am not concerned with what happened yesterday..it's ancient history. I am not worried about tommorow..it hasn't happened yet. By doing so one can release themselves from alot of unnecesarry tension.
You too can follow the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama

Nature of God? Thats a good question...

I have answered it before, its really quite simple...

love..


LBD

Signs of dyslexia: I read that God of Nature? Love

I was thinking "But.. Love's always been a goddess... and the god of Nature is Cernnunos, or the horned god... ._o

Then I read it again, and the words went in right. >.< Light

I'm a Deist, plain and simple. For those that don't know what it is, look it up. But ALL must agree that the question of "God, Gods, and Creators", WILL NEVER BE ANSWERED BY THE LIVING. PERIOD. We are part of something so vast and complex, and spans back before the first star burned bright. That much complexity will never be understood. It certainly won't be found in a "book". I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I believe I speak the truth. Find something to hold onto, and believe in that, that's all you can do. And only after you are dead and gone, will you KNOW the truth...

On the contrary, my dear friend fluffy. I am well aware of the true nature of god. That said i will only say that i have complete faith in myself .


While i have you here, i'd like to talk to you about some swamp land that ive recently acqired in florida, its a deal you should not miss out on, and its going fast.....
















*but seriously, i stand by my first statement

here are some descriptions of the nature of my God.
Numbers 23:
19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Deuteronomy 4:23-25 (King James Version)
23Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
24For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
25When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:

Deuteronomy 4:31
(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Deuteronomy 10
17For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
18He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

Psalm 46
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Psalm 74:
12For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

Isaiah 12:2
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Daniel 2:
47The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

Matthew 22:32
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

John 4:
23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

1 John 1:5
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1 John 4:7-9 (King James Version)
7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

1 John 4:15-17 (King James Version)
15Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Hi gsr

I’m sure you have a brain of your own in there somewhere.

Can you add to the conversation please ? What’s the point in posting, if all you ever do is cut and paste other peoples work and thoughts?

Join in with the discussion, and listen, you might actually learn something

All them bible quotes did, was to say that "you worship my way, or you can go burn". So if your last post represents your gods nature, your god is egotistical is he ?

All the best
Faeden

Hello Faeden,
I have just read gsr's post and I myself did not see where it stated (you worship my way, or you can go burn"), And where does it show in "any" way that our God is egotistical??

As to what I "did" see... That our Father/God is a patient, loving, kind, long-suffering and most "forgiving God". How many of we humans would have shown such as this to our earthly children for all that has been in mankinds history? Few and far between, unless they have God "living" within them.

Blessings.

Hello gsr,
ALL knowledge is to be used in the manner that will give help and assistance to others, and the desire is that the laws of the Creator be manifested in the physical world.

Your post has done just this for me....

Thank you.

What real meaning?
The meaning that you want me to conclude, or something else?

Tertullian's opinion and teaching of the Bible that reading the Bible was not so much a matter of what to read (although that did matter), but how you read it. That is, your God that became Jesus that died on the Cross to appease himself must always be thought of in one way, and not in any other way.

In other words, "orthodoxy."

WOW……. its odd and a little scary how some folk seem to gloss over someone’s beliefs, or even try and justify mental cruelties. Some people just cant see what is staring them in the face, normally because of the ignorance they where brought up with, I suppose its understandable and forgivable though, being that some people just dont know any different, being they where mentally manipulated as a kid. What a horrible vicious circle some people live in. Many people seem to kid them selves rather than see things for how they truly are and using there common sense, but then that is the nature of brainwashing and extremism isn’t it.

Do you ever get the feeling your not right for this world I sometimes cant wait for my time to come, I get repulsed that I have to share it with such savagery, and the denial of horrors people cause to others.

So much ignorance is done all over the world, because people have deluded them selves that the evil they do is in fact for "god" or goodness. Could there be a more horrific "sin" against humanity that the one of ignorance ? I’m just glad I was brought up with good morals, and was taught that everyone is equal and to over look those that do harmful things to others, and to try and understand there circumstances, I find it hard sometimes, but then life was never going to be easy I suppose

All the best
Faeden

What is the nature of your god?, God is what?

That is the questtion you are asking. I answered your question using an objective or subjective source. So, you would like the same without the quotes.

God ia:
1. Creater of heaven and earth ane the universe(s) that contain them.
2. Creator of all living things withing our universe and the angelic spirit beings as well.
3. Redeemer of who recieve eternal life, the gift of God through Jesus Christ alone.
4. Creator of hell, initially to be a place of punishment only for the fallen angels, until sin entered the nature and conduct of mankind.
5. Spirit in physical nature, beyond time in temporal nature, beyond space in physical manifestation.
6. Expressed to we limited humans as Father, Son [Jesus], and Holy Spirit all One God. YHWH, Elohim and Adonai are plural nouns.

Do well, be well.

so where did he come from?
did he create all the other gods?
or did he kill all the other gods so he could be "the one" (thinking of that movie after phrasing like that )
why is he so destructive?
why is he petty, jealous, vindictive, controlling, muerderous, egotistical?
where does he live? if he created our universes, he must exist outside it. where is this outside, and how do we know he is the only one left there? if he created this place, and the only word we have is his, how can be believe anything he says? he is not exactly the type to instill trust. what are his real motives?

What great questions!


Before time and space, God always is. As He called himself to Moses, I AM.


All other gods are from the deception of mankind and their manifested powers on earth may be attributed to the fallen angels.


No, all other gods are nonexistent, fictions created by man for man and for serving the fallen angels.


His aim is to destroy sin. Before Jesus Christ, in the BC era destruction of tribes and even the whole earth with the flood were necessary to prevent the fallen nature of man from completely ruling the planet.


All gods and yes, Elohim is egotistical by definition of the nature of any god or God.
You will neec to explain the others to me. I see the other behaviours in the myths and shaman tales, but where and when does the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob show these traits?


Any where He chooses.

From previous question, he may exist simultaneously in and outside this universe. We know that He is not the only one there due to the existence of fallen and not fallen angels.


Yes, He created the place, no, we also have the word of the fallen angels and the followers of the fallen angels. If God be true, let every man be a liar. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and belief in things unseen.


That depends upon whose trust you are seeking. The problem is that manikind lost trust in God, not that God lost trust in mankind.
If God be God, then serve Him. If God is not God, the server your gods and fallen angels. Ged did not send His Son so that all may perish, rather that all may have eternal life through Him.

So the universe(s) contains the creator? Well, so much for being all-powerful. Even your God can not create square circles as He is subject to the same laws of identity and logic that we are.

Not a primary attribute that hyperactive asks for.


Define "spirit" so that we may know it by its primary, secondary and tertiary attributes. You can't. So we must necessarily remove spirits as a definition of God and that God could create since your God is contained by the Universe, and spirit is not irreducible, he can not create them.

Again, not a primary attribute.


Not a primary attribute.

I love that. God becomes a human, but not really because humans are not perfect and He as Jesus is, and then appeases himself by dying on the cross for himself.


Still not a primary attribute.


Then it is meaningless. Since humans are subject to time, and nature, anything beyond is outside of our scope of understanding.

To make a claim of knowledge about such things that exist outside our understanding, is to engage in non-irreducible concepts and delusions.


Zeus, Allah, Apollo, Dionysis, Sophia, Horus, Krnsa, Rudra, Sheba, the God that the Heavens Gate ppl died for, etc.

You listed names like I did, still not a primary attribute.

Could you tell me what criteria you used to establish that all other Gods are nonexistent and are just fiction?

I think it would be most interesting for members of this site to read your criteria so they may apply it as well never minding for a moment that god is not an irreducible concept and incoherent.

More great inquiries!


See above.



Well if I could totally define the primary, secondary, and tertiary attributes of God or any thing, I would have to be the God or thing's equal at the very least. All other data must be given by the God or god in question to its creation. The mere nature of this universe is an indication of the existence and nature of God. And then there is a Scriptural record.


Exactly what happens in all other religions. Yet the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has given us all the record of creation and Scriptures. No other religion has as many and detailed consistent documents spread over such a long time period.


Ah, but any student of ancient languages understands that names are directly related to the nature of the objects they describe. Plural nouns indicate one being with many attributes. The major ones shown to humans being a Father who sent His only begotten Son to die and rise again so the Holy Spirit may be sent to work in the lives of those who give their lives to God through Jesus alone.


The others are names of deities, true. But did any of those deities create a record for their forllowers from the beginning of this universe until some time past the arrival of any god as a redeemer for all mankind? Did any of the others listed provide any definitive path to a heaven or hell apart from the works of man? Since man at best is flawed, do those other gods really provide any real satisfaction for self or the god?

For a better listing of what I think you mean by primary attributes, look at the previous list of quoted Scriptures.

God is love, and in Him is no darkness at all.

Do weel, be well

Is the creator subject to the laws of the universe that He is supposed to have created or not?

You're just dodging the fallacy in your thought.

Not a primary attribute of what God is regardless.


Still, you need to list the primary attributes of what God is. Again you're just dodging the problem of defining what this God is.

And its quite funny that you state that you have to be god to define god, yet believe in such an entity that you can not coherently recognize. Speak of which, since now you have to be god in order to understand what that is, you can not say that the Bible is the word of God or not. So, you've just refuted the Bible.

Nice touch.

Also, if angels are physically incoherent with our world, then they can not exist in it.

Doesn't matter how many you can fit on the end of a pin.


That's the problem. You have to ask me to define a primary attribute of God. I can't. You can't. But yet, you claim knowledge on something that resists even cataloging its primary attributes.

Here's a clue for you though.

"To exist is to exist as something, to exist as something is to exist as something specific. To exist as something specific is to have certain properties and to not have certain properties, thus we shouldn't expect an acorn to sprout into a pumpkin, a snowball, or a theologian - we should expect it, obviously, to grow into a tree." George Smith.


Good. Then I am sinless now as God finally appeased himself by dying on the cross for himself.


Well, scriptural record is now meaningless because you said it yourself that you need to be God to understand God. Accordingly, you can not establish that the Bible is truth as it is alleged to be the word of God.


Yeah. But since you can not know what God is without being God as you stated, you can not establish that your religion is not false.


I guess you haven't read The Bacchae by Eurpides. The God Baccus left behind a great account of his existence too.

Also, we can dispense once again with scripture because you have no way to validate that scripture is valid because you are not god that knows God.


Again, unless you are God to know God, you can not make this statement.

Simply, by any definition of God, ominscient, omnipresent, and all the other omni's implied in previous conversation, either the God or god you serve is or is not. If the God or god existing is fitting of all the omni's, then all others have no room for existence.

So, you really have no way to distinguish whether the God you serve is the one true God. If any God has those qualities then all Gods are equally true.

If I conceive of a God, named el Harko that is all powerful, all good, all knowing (all PKG) then your God has to hit the road. Sorry pal, my god and the subsequent religion that I developed has just made yours irrelevant.

I just met your criteria.

Actually I have read pleny of that stuff. Again, has no comparison to the Scriptures in scope or content.


Since the purpose of Scripture is God revealing Himself to man, the burden of that lies on God, not man. Just because God is not revealing everything about Himself, does not mean we have to exclude what He does reveal about Himself.



Again, God does not have to reveal everything about Himself to us. What He does, that we may know.

There is a distinct difference between the creature and the Creator. We at best may see through a glass dimly now, our great hope is seeing Him as He is after we have been changed by Him in a twinkling of an eye.

.

again, why should he be trusted? and where did he come from? what is the origin of the origin of creation? if there must be a beginning, which is what the religious argue, than what is that beginning? What did the god creature come from? did it evolve to a non-corporal existance from something similar to ourselves?.....

what would he possibly have to hide?

if he is only this loving,caring creature his followers profess, what does he have to keep from those that do not believe? Why would he not reveal all so that his challengers could be put to rest?

if it does exist, it is a deceiver. It does not reveal anything other than its own truth. We can not confirm or deny the validity of its truth, so compare it to a scientist that makes an astounding claim of discovery but won't release the data and experiment to other scientists to study and replicate. What do you think the scientific community makes of the claim and the scientist? The same scrutiny is being applied here.

Man, it is deep in here!!!!
What is the nature of my God?
Honestly, I cannot prove God exists, but the fact that we are all here is a start, but thats not enough is it?? Scientists can give believable explantions of that, can't they?? Obviously I am not a scientist--- and I will not present my beliefs like they are fact... i was raised around and by "fundamentalist Christians", who always said--- "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it""" but when they are asked something really deep like you have asked, H, all they could do is quote what they have been told to say or they quote scriptures, but can't explain what they quote, which quite frankly, comes off arrogant and ignorant. Having said that let me set myself up for some backlash, I believe God is love and truth.. why? because of all the beauty in the world, the creative nature of mankind--- (arts, music, and literature) and charity(love.) Why is there pain, war, hunger and the like? Why doesn't God do anything about it??I don't know, but I do know we can do something about it. I believe we are more in control of what happens on this planet than we want to take responsibility for. If you say God is in total control--how can you explain all the bad things he allows to happen---man's sinful nature, right--- well flip it, if you say the devil(evil) is in control of this world, how can you explain GOOD??? How do you explain non-Christains ability to do good things???
According to my church, we are given the choice to choose to accept God or reject him, we if we have that choice, we have choice about other things too. If everything was only good--how would we know??? Pain and suffering help us know what is good and it gives us an opportunity to love, if we choose. Let me really step out here and say, I can't prove wheither the Bible is the "unadulterated, infalible, word of the Living God"--- Oh that's King James only too--I'm quoting my old pastor back home, but what I believe about the Bible is the Old T is the Jewish peoples take on how much God loved them---they believed he could take care of them at all costs!!! Can I prove it is FACTUAL?? no I can't. That's not my job-- I can learn alot from the stories, did the flood engulf the whole earth or just a region?? I don't know, but I can see how Noahwas protected when he made a stand for his beliefs and that can give me courage. Whats my take on Christ??? I believe he was God on earth because if you read only about him---nothing else you will see love. I don't think he died to serve himself. I think he laid his life down---like a soldier would do for his fellow brothers, out of protection, not ego. What do I think of Buddha, Vishnu, Mohammad? To be honest I am just now learning about them but I know they were looking for the truth and it is not up to me to judge them. I am a mere mortal, that's God's job. I do believe we need to learn about other beliefs--and not just through our own biased eyes but through the eyes of other seekers of the truth. My home church was all about witnessing, witnessing, and more witnessing---How can you win someone over to the love of God if you are jugdmental, hate-filled and arrogant??? Sorry my post is so long---but I had to vent!!!!

What???

i can accept that. I never claimed that there was not some truth or some value to the bible (or other texts). I only dismiss them as being infallable, the word of god, and being literal.

I myself am influenced by my buddhist teachings, but moreso by philosophy, physics, psychology, and mathematics (my fields of study). I am somewhere in the midground in that I don't confirm or deny any gods, aliens, ghosts, etc because I lack sufficient evidence to confirm or deny. I do refute the completeness of religion, and consider it nothing more than a philosophy. (we can learn from it, but not give it more standing than it is capable of earning)

Cool!!!
I am glad I found this forum!!! I am very interested in Buddism. I would like to hear more about it from you. I also love psychology, especially Jung---i think he was a fasinating person. Glad to have met ya H.

Buddhism, math, physics, philosophy and psyshology, fascinating subjects.

From your understanding of Buddhism does it have the characteristics of a religion with a deity or is it more of a philisophical foundation for living? Do you favor a physical/chemical basis for psychology over a social/environmental basis or something else? Or maybe some of this belongs in another thread?

For me it is a philosophy (although there are those that "worship" him, making him a deity - anything can be turned into a religion).

When people came to Buddha they asked him:
"are you a god?"
he replied "no"
"an angel?"
he replied "no"
"a saint?"
he replied "no"
"then what are you?"
he replied "i am awake"

buddha = Sanskrit budh = to wake up and to know = "enlightend one" = "awakened one". he was but a man.

my psych background is animal behaviour, social psych, and clinical psych. While we can map and understand the brain and identify the chemical processes involved in life, we also identify how the brain grows and changes over a lifetime. Environmental factors are very important to development. We can't place one ahead of the other.

Asking questions of God is not "tempting" him. If that were the case then King David--Ya know the head guy of the family that Christ came from---is so screwed because he questioned God all the time--proof--- The book of Psalms!!!!!!

1 John 4:1 also says to test or question the spirits to see whether they are from God (I think that might include God)

Also any Christain that has read the Bible or gone to any type of church service knows that evil, i.e. the devil quoted scripture to Christ but he had no real understanding of what he was saying. Many professing followers of Christ only have the ability to quote bible verses or repeat those "cutesy" little sayings that they have been taught to say---a mantra if you will (oops!!) did I just mix some pagan word in with that--- my bad---but seriously I have heard alot of those "saying" in our copy and paste thread here before---nothing wrong with having mantras that a person uses to affirm their faith to themselves---that's great however, when asked by someone, wheither of the faith or of a different faith, or no faith at all--- the need to explain those beliefs from a personal, in your own words, way comes into play---check it, Luke 9:18-20 Jesus asked his disciples who the people thought he was---they quoted what they had always heard---which is okay but then he asked who do you say that I am? guess what, Peter does the same, he rpeats what he has heard---The Messiah(remember Peter, he's the one who after that grand statement right there, denied that he even knew Christ later on) Hang on, there's a little more--- Later after the crucifiction and resurrection, John 21:15-19 Jesus didn't talk to Peter about who he was he spoke of love--- and asked Peter to walk in that love. Christ didn't tell his followers to quote and post he told his followers to walk in love. Love is not judging others, love is not prideful, love is accepting others as hey are, wheither they believe the same as me or not. I personally apologize to anyone who has been offended by the cruel comments my religion's take on what God is all about have said. It is of my opinion that God reveals himself in truth and love, not what the Christain religion has turned him into.

gsr,

Again you are incapable of making any determination about God because, as you stated that I would have to be the God or thing's equal at the very least in order to establish that the God you feel you serve is actually what it says it is.

Therefor you have refuted yourself. You can not make any subsequent claims of knowledge, of truth, about your God. You can not claim that the scriptures are His scriptures because until you become a GOD yourself to establish that the God you serve is in fact what it says it is, you can not say you know.

Rue, gsr can not distinguish between a "true" god and a "false" god. I met his demands and criteria with my new god, a god that revealed himself to me as I was typing my post him, el Harko. El-Harko is not only all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, but He's all-intelligent as well. Something that his God doesn't even have. All-intelligence. (That was revealed to me on my way to work this morning.)

You see, the only thing he can do is assert mine is false while his is true. I can play that game to. His is false and mine is true. Why can I do this? Well, gsr's criteria is not criteria, it's a list of presumptions that are not irreducible and internally incoherent and logically unintelligible.

I believe God is all things in oneness.
God is good and evil, love, and hate, pleasure and pain, Monism. none of that dualistic crap.