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It's a very interesting theory, to me very much in the same ball-park as a comment TroutDude made a few weeks ago about a god that is maybe 'evolving with us' (did I get that right TroutDude?)
...snip....
Sorry I know I'm joshing with you a bit but actually as god theories go I actually think it makes some sense. Really one of you guys should start a thread on it.
Yes, it's a concept I've been mulling more and more often of late.
But I don't see it as having any connection at all to that ridiculous deity conjured up in the bible. Or any deity described anywhere.
I think it more and more likely that this "growing collection of consciousness" is unaware of itself as a separate being from anything else - perhaps because it is not apart from anything.
Yes, it's a concept I've been mulling more and more often of late.
But I don't see it as having any connection at all to that ridiculous deity conjured up in the bible. Or any deity described anywhere.
I think it more and more likely that this "growing collection of consciousness" is unaware of itself as a separate being from anything else - perhaps because it is not apart from anything.
But everything is a part of it.
Maybe.
Ish.
It is NOT apart from anything and its love and acceptance of all life is unconditional, of that I am certain. Everything else is moot. I fully expect to find out, though.
Yes, it has all to do with God's legal system. It's your mistake to fail to comprehend.
1 John 3:4 (NIV)
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
Being born into a subjective law that you can't escape is supposed to be fair?
Such Politics of Heaven are quite a self-inflicting contradiction. They can be both sadistic and masochistic.
Yes, it's a concept I've been mulling more and more often of late.
But I don't see it as having any connection at all to that ridiculous deity conjured up in the bible. Or any deity described anywhere.
I think it more and more likely that this "growing collection of consciousness" is unaware of itself as a separate being from anything else - perhaps because it is not apart from anything.
But everything is a part of it.
Maybe.
Ish.
The whole agnostic -sortagod -belief is indeed quite remote fro personal gods. Which is oe reason why "agnostics" and atheists ore really on the same side. You have a god belief..Sorta...but not a religion.
Mystic, uniquely so far as I can tell, has a way of bringing the NT back into it as God's latest step in our "spiritual evolution". Do you think you could 'mull' your way to buying into that idea?
The whole agnostic -sortagod -belief is indeed quite remote fro personal gods. Which is oe reason why "agnostics" and atheists ore really on the same side. You have a god belief..Sorta...but not a religion.
Mystic, uniquely so far as I can tell, has a way of bringing the NT back into it as God's latest step in our "spiritual evolution". Do you think you could 'mull' your way to buying into that idea?
LOL. Not a chance.
Although, I think the idealized, liberal Jesus - the rebel with a cause who promoted love, tolerance, forgiveness etc. is not a bad role model for folks to follow.
I just don't believe he worked miracles or was any more godly than any of us.
Yes, it's a concept I've been mulling more and more often of late.
But I don't see it as having any connection at all to that ridiculous deity conjured up in the bible. Or any deity described anywhere.
I think it more and more likely that this "growing collection of consciousness" is unaware of itself as a separate being from anything else - perhaps because it is not apart from anything.
If I failed to comprehend then perhaps you didn't explain yourself clearly.
You are referring to what you term 'Gods legal system'. In that case you need to make a distinction between this and what you referred to as 'today's legal term' implying that what you read in the bible somehow has something to do with today's legal system, which clearly it does not.
Today's legal system doesn't look too kindly on slavery for example.
It might help if perhaps you could be more specific about what you consider to be 'Gods law' and what you consider sinful. Are you talking about the 10 commandments say or the entirety of the bible?
I think it means the 613 Jewish laws of the Torah. Which are for...Jews.
I would want a bit more.Just sitting 'fine with where I am' (as someone posted) satisfied with assuming there is some 'collective purpose' would be like...
"Because".
No, I need to look further and consider what this purpose could be, whether there needs to be one and indeed what the term even means. That is why I say rational and evidence- based enquiry is actually going further than accepting a big unknown, regarding it as some kind of deity, and refusing to look further and even denigrating those who do. No,I would want a bit more.
To clarify, I too want a bit more, more than a bit, which is why I found myself on this liberal Christian path that's open to input from other traditions and cultures.
What I meant was that if it turns out I'm completely wrong and savoring this life is the end game, I'm ok with that. Hell I wouldn't have a choice!
As an atheist I don't believe in the concept of sin.
I just believe that people should respect one another, be nice to one another and not hurt one another or other animals.
The Golden Rule basically.
As long as people live by this I'm basically good with how people live their lives.
I can't remember the thread or the poster now but I noted the other day an atheist using the term 'sin' as though it were a thing, presumably a remnant from a past history as a Christian.
I'm interested to know if other religions other than Christianity hold with the concept of sin?
For once I didn't find wikipedia particularly helpful on the subject. It's a bit vague from the perspective of religions other than Christianity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin
Please no meanness / prosthelytzing or lecturing me or anyone else that they are going to hell for being an atheist in this thread. That's so missing the point.
Otherwise please contribute from an educational perspective. Thanks.
I don't believe in sin either. The concept of sin is basically from pre-Christian guilt mentality.
Judaism was an orthopraxy (right practices) rather than an orthodoxy (right beliefs) meaning, if you did things wrong, you were a sinner or evil or whatever. Interestingly, after the death of Jesus, and for 40 years until the temple fell, certain miracles wouldn't work.
This is because Jesus, and not right actions, became the new sacrifice for atonement of sin. Given this, unless we believe that a Messiah is to continually be sacrificed, your sins are forgiven. That means sin is kinda moot.
I don't believe in sin either. The concept of sin is basically from pre-Christian guilt mentality.
Judaism was an orthopraxy (right practices) rather than an orthodoxy (right beliefs) meaning, if you did things wrong, you were a sinner or evil or whatever. Interestingly, after the death of Jesus, and for 40 years until the temple fell, certain miracles wouldn't work.
This is because Jesus, and not right actions, became the new sacrifice for atonement of sin. Given this, unless we believe that a Messiah is to continually be sacrificed, your sins are forgiven. That means sin is kinda moot.
Flip-flopping gods; like flip-flopping humans. A lot of Jews have told me that animal sacrificed were "for the people" to control themselves and not for God. It was necessary because it was harder for people to look for forgiveness and rightification in their proper ways back then (plus a non-vegetarian temple workforce has to eat).
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