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I understand what you're saying, but I don't see God as being "sad" because each person is "getting to God" in their own unique way and in their own time. God already knows this. Why would he be sad about something he already expects and anticipates, given our freedom to walk towards Him or away from Him. He knows no matter how far down the path that we walk AWAY from Him, we eventually will wind back around and walk towards Him. Even in this far walk down the path AWAY from Him, our sufferings are creating something. There is nothing in the darkness that God is not going to eventually turn it all around. Even the worst things in our history. In a sense, I don't see God as having a reason to be sad.
Look at it this way, if you look at yourself at a point in time in your history where you went through something painful, but ended up growing tremendously from the event, are you really looking back and focusing on the sadness of the pain.. or is that pain (now long gone and forgotten) irrelevant in comparison to the growth and wisdom that you gained? Why be sad? It's in that type of perspective that I see God as having... seeing far further than we can. Into our past and into our future and reconciling the two, ALREADY.
Even in our "sorrow" or "sufferings" or "darkness" or "walking away from Him" (walking away from LOVE)... it is not the end result. It would be far better had there not been the sorrow, or walking away from Him, from our view, however.. even in this darkness... the light will eventually win. Darkness is the illusion, in a sense. It is the flimsy thing that is fleeting. The light (love, God) is what is real and rock solid. If this being (God) already knows this... why would he be sad over our VERY TEMPORARY state of learning. Even IF we get dragged through darkness..
It's basically for THAT reason that I feel that God is kind of neutral towards our "walking towards" or "walking away" from Him because He already knows that we are here to learn. God would not have the same perspective as us. We're just here in the thick of it, trapped by time. He's beyond. He reaches into our past and reaches into our future and His "present" is not the same as ours.
sort of.
Sorry for the rambling, I hope something up there made sense.
I see what you're saying, too, .sparrow., but I think it's about more than just what's going to happen in the end. Think about it this way... If you reject someone as a friend, you're not going to be able to be the recipient of what the friendship could offer you -- right now. If someone rejects God, and is going through a rough time, he's not going to be asking God for comfort, help, and direction. God would want very much to help him, but is unable to, due to the wall the individual has set up. Wouldn't that make Him sad? Even if He knows the person will eventually come around?
Doesn't alter the fact that God set the machinery up. We didn't. Either he is miffed at you and bars you at the door or he is sad that you didn't make Hid cut. Or he is coldly detached in dispassionately watching his sieving machine shaking souls to separate them out. Has to be one of those.
You set your own false dilemmas, Arq. We do NOT know that God set anything up by His Will (even though that is the preferred belief among so many theists with their beloved Omni's). But we know that things ARE set up by God's very existence (unified consciousness field) and life follows a set of stringent requirements. Maturation is a time-dependent process that limits capabilities at each stage of development. Seedlings differ in their capacities from sprouts which differ from saplings, which differ from adult trees which differ from mighty oaks . . . in their ability to weather the vicissitudes of life. Their spiritual analogues would differ as well.
I see what you're saying, too, .sparrow., but I think it's about more than just what's going to happen in the end. Think about it this way... If you reject someone as a friend, you're not going to be able to be the recipient of what the friendship could offer you -- right now. If someone rejects God, and is going through a rough time, he's not going to be asking God for comfort, help, and direction. God would want very much to help him, but is unable to, due to the wall the individual has set up. Wouldn't that make Him sad? Even if He knows the person will eventually come around?
Hi Katz, I think we just might see it from different perspectives. Your example of someone rejecting God and God wants to help him but is unable to is a good example. If Frank the "God-rejecter" is going through a rough time, and is unable to buy groceries and is sad and hungry. Mike the "God accepter" looks at Frank, knows his plight and walks on by. Then here comes Bob, another so-called "God rejecter" like Frank. Bob offers Frank a meal and gives Frank some much-needed advice that helps him in his job search, bringing him great comfort... Do you see what I'm getting at?
There are many people who "reject God", yet are they.... really?
There are many people who "accept God", yet are they....really?
Bob the "God rejecter" acted in loving kindness towards his neighbor, Frank.
Mike did not. If God is love, who here is the real "God rejecter"?
And did Frank the "God rejecter" receive comfort? Yes. Was it through God? I say yes, because God is LOVE. God is source of Love, in my humble opinion.
All of this "rejecting God" stuff... most of it is just shallow label stuff.
How does God comfort us? "Love your neighbor as yourself".
A lot of things depend on us FAR more than we realize.
When we act in LOVE we are walking towards God, for God IS Love.
Just because a person does not believe in God, doesn't mean a person rejects God.
Just because a person believes in God, doesn't mean a person accepts God.
You set your own false dilemmas, Arq. We do NOT know that God set anything up by His Will (even though that is the preferred belief among so many theists with their beloved Omni's). But we know that things ARE set up by God's very existence (unified consciousness field) and life follows a set of stringent requirements. Maturation is a time-dependent process that limits capabilities at each stage of development. Seedlings differ in their capacities from sprouts which differ from saplings, which differ from adult trees which differ from mighty oaks . . . in their ability to weather the vicissitudes of life. Their spiritual analogues would differ as well.
No, we don't know any such thing. But, if we use the belief that he did, then the conclusions follow.
......
When we act in LOVE we are walking towards God, for God IS Love.
Just because a person does not believe in God, doesn't mean a person rejects God.
Just because a person believes in God, doesn't mean a person accepts God.
But did that father know the son would come back..?
No,he didn't. The meaning of the story is God doesn't want any of us to leave Him and wants us to come back. When we do there is much rejoicing. You can't rejoice if you aren't sad to begin with. God wants all His children to come back to Him.
No, "Heresy" is what any particular church says is a lie. If what they teach is a lie, then the heresy may or may not be the truth, but it is always a challenge to the particular power structure. For some reason they don't seem to like that and brand the heresy as a lie instead of demonstrating the "truth" that is being challenged.
No, the early Church had counsels that met to debate what is a lie and what is truth. At one they debated about Jesus being man and also God. Study the Church counsels to see why they were called.
No, the early Church had counsels that met to debate what is a lie and what is truth. At one they debated about Jesus being man and also God. Study the Church counsels to see why they were called.
I have, Janelle, but I don't share your assumptions and therefore your conclusions don't necessarily follow.
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Matthew 21:28-31
