Your God = Your Ultimate Concern (church, atheist, worship, quote)

[SuperSoul]

As ironic & entertaining as it can be to see many deny God with such passion,
I feel the need to point out what Philosopher, Paul Tillich wrote,

"God is whatever concerns us ultimately, whatever is most important in our lives.
This is true, when one denies the existence of God. Where there is ultimate concern,
God can be denied only in the name of God."

God, as in creator is not understood - but probably linked to attraction & dark energy/matter.
Yet, God as in personal application is about what we worship - what our ultimate concern is.
So, let me ask you what your mom may have used to ask...
"What are your priorities?"

[hackwrench]

According to that definition, I could not rule out perhaps that I am my God.
However, I have another definition of God that I call my God:
I posit a portion of that which exists, that is read-only that exists as such only in God, and a portion that is writable to only by God and thus exists as a part of him as well. Everything else is the universe, or perhaps the multiverse. I believe that even if any portion of God were to be unreadable to the universe, it can be derived.

[Aganusn]

What is the point of this thread? People who don't believe in god have no problem with that. Our problem is people that apply their beliefs to the lives of others i.e. Rick Santorum.

[hackwrench]

Originally Posted by Aganusn

What is the point of this thread? People who don't believe in god have no problem with that. Our problem is people that apply their beliefs to the lives of others i.e. Rick Santorum.

Not true. I have no problem with people that apply their beliefs to the lives of others, and would still have no problem with people who apply their beliefs to the lives of others even if I did not believe in a God, which under many interpretations of the concept of God, I don't.

I do have a problem however when people that apply their beliefs to the lives of others do so in a way that is detrimental to those others which is in turn a detriment to me, according to my judgment, which is the only judgement I have to use, be it better, the same as or worse than any other.

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by SuperSoul

As ironic & entertaining as it can be to see many deny God with such passion

<snip>

So, let me ask you what your mom may have used to ask...
"What are your priorities?"

It is not really about the fact that god does not exist, but the intrusions into society, politics, our laws imposed by those that disagree.

This country was founded on the separation of church and state, and I know of no atheist that has a problem with that. The push back you see from atheists is the fact the theists insist on continually and repeatedly ignoring and making incursions across the DMZ that separates church and state.

The most accurate analogy of your beliefs is that you should treat them just like your genitalia. Don't pull it out in public and force it on no one.

My priority? To protect myself, society, and our future from the willful ignorance of bronze age superstitions. It protects you also, for it also protects you from having the ancient superstitions of a different religion forced upon you.

[hackwrench]

Originally Posted by Asheville Native

The most accurate analogy of your beliefs is that you should treat them just like your genitalia. Don't pull it out in public and force it on no one.

I'm sorry but that conflicts with the fact that my beliefs and judgements are the only ones I have and thus I should enforce them everywhere and every place I have the power to do so.

Originally Posted by Asheville Native

My priority? To protect myself, society, and our future from the willful ignorance of bronze age superstitions. It protects you also, for it also protects you from having the ancient superstitions of a different religion forced upon you.

I'm afraid you have just pulled out your belief that the willful ignorance of bronze age superstitions is harmful and in declaring that you will protect society from it are forcing it on everyone. I will protect me from having the ancient superstitions of a different religion forced upon me, thank you very much, and I will do so to the extent that it serves my purposes for everyone else too, for I have no belief that my beliefs should not be "pulled out in public".

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by hackwrench

I'm sorry but that conflicts with the fact that my beliefs and judgements are the only ones I have and thus I should enforce them everywhere and every place I have the power to do so.

Based on your ancient superstitions and totally without proof, sorry chum, you are way overstepping your boundaries. That is what this country was founded on, and the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights says you are wrong.

Want sharia law, may I suggest Saudi Arabia, they cleave to the ignorance of the bronze age with a great deal of zeal.

[hackwrench]

Originally Posted by Asheville Native

Based on your ancient superstitions and totally without proof, sorry chum, you are way overstepping your boundaries. That is what this country was founded on, and the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights says you are wrong.

Want sharia law, may I suggest Saudi Arabia, they cleave to the ignorance of the bronze age with a great deal of zeal.

But then I am not below the law.

[agnostic soldier]

My priorities lie in the progress and betterment of humanity, not god or faith.

[hackwrench]

Well then according to this definition of "God", your god is the progress and betterment of humanity