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My take is a rock is God's, a dust particle is God's, a criminal is God's...nothing would exist if not for God.
I can only work from what my mind and heart lead me to think is right and good. I have studied scriptures and histories of many religions. I find in them Truth and Wisdom and Beauty. But to me no single belief system like these--no specific religion or holy texts thereof--is complete or perfect at the exclusion of all else.
It feels to me like there is an ongoing dialog, and I am trying to be receptive to it.
At base, my feeling is whatever we may call God is not separate from us; it is the collective energy of all matter and all vibrations. I have difficulty envisioning a deity that exists apart from us...a separate being, looking down and dispensing rewards and punishments, dictating our fates. I believe we are all a part of it. We emanate from it, and it from us.
I do not claim to have special knowledge or understanding. Far from it. And thus I don't claim to be "correct." It is just what is in my heart since I opened it up more. It has caused me to want to experience and share love, hope, joy, peace and curiosity.
I have come to believe that the love and help you give freely comes back to you, and may be the most important thing we can do in this life, in this world.
Whatever it is I am feeling, I think it has helped me not succumb to darkness and confusion, and has given me tools to rise above those things, because I want to improve my human self and my consciousness. In so doing, I can be, hopefully, a positive presence in the lives of others.
I can only work from what my mind and heart lead me to think is right and good. I have studied scriptures and histories of many religions. I find in them Truth and Wisdom and Beauty. But to me no single belief system like these--no specific religion or holy texts thereof--is complete or perfect at the exclusion of all else.
It feels to me like there is an ongoing dialog, and I am trying to be receptive to it.
At base, my feeling is whatever we may call God is not separate from us; it is the collective energy of all matter and all vibrations. I have difficulty envisioning a deity that exists apart from us...a separate being, looking down and dispensing rewards and punishments, dictating our fates. I believe we are all a part of it. We emanate from it, and it from us.
I do not claim to have special knowledge or understanding. Far from it. And thus I don't claim to be "correct." It is just what is in my heart since I opened it up more. It has caused me to want to experience and share love, hope, joy, peace and curiosity.
I have come to believe that the love and help you give freely comes back to you, and may be the most important thing we can do in this life, in this world.
Whatever it is I am feeling, I think it has helped me not succumb to darkness and confusion, and has given me tools to rise above those things, because I want to improve my human self and my consciousness. In so doing, I can be, hopefully, a positive presence in the lives of others.
the common threads through all religions are a better truth. Both the good parts and the not so good parts about being human.
I can only work from what my mind and heart lead me to think is right and good. I have studied scriptures and histories of many religions. I find in them Truth and Wisdom and Beauty. But to me no single belief system like these--no specific religion or holy texts thereof--is complete or perfect at the exclusion of all else.
It feels to me like there is an ongoing dialog, and I am trying to be receptive to it.
At base, my feeling is whatever we may call God is not separate from us; it is the collective energy of all matter and all vibrations. I have difficulty envisioning a deity that exists apart from us...a separate being, looking down and dispensing rewards and punishments, dictating our fates. I believe we are all a part of it. We emanate from it, and it from us.
I do not claim to have special knowledge or understanding. Far from it. And thus I don't claim to be "correct." It is just what is in my heart since I opened it up more. It has caused me to want to experience and share love, hope, joy, peace and curiosity.
I have come to believe that the love and help you give freely comes back to you, and may be the most important thing we can do in this life, in this world.
Whatever it is I am feeling, I think it has helped me not succumb to darkness and confusion, and has given me tools to rise above those things, because I want to improve my human self and my consciousness. In so doing, I can be, hopefully, a positive presence in the lives of others.
Well put. This is in essence what, for example, liberal Christian and post-Christian theists do, they look at their urtext symbolically and metaphorically and derive from it what works for them and/or for society. While it is not specifically for me, I can see some value in that for some personality types, and most particularly agree with not being on the fool's errand of "determining" what is theologically or dogmatically "correct" but rather with a humbler and more curious approach that seeks that which tends to lead towards positive, life-affirming ways of being in the world with others. I don't personally need the religious cruft or find much motivation in it over against the time and energy it tends to require, and the extra layers of abstraction between myself and bare-metal reality, but I certainly don't begrudge others indulging if it works for them.
Well put. This is in essence what, for example, liberal Christian and post-Christian theists do, they look at their urtext symbolically and metaphorically and derive from it what works for them and/or for society. While it is not specifically for me, I can see some value in that for some personality types, and most particularly agree with not being on the fool's errand of "determining" what is theologically or dogmatically "correct" but rather with a humbler and more curious approach that seeks that which tends to lead towards positive, life-affirming ways of being in the world with others. I don't personally need the religious cruft or find much motivation in it over against the time and energy it tends to require, and the extra layers of abstraction between myself and bare-metal reality, but I certainly don't begrudge others indulging if it works for them.
well put. joel would be proud.
of course like joel, when it comes to how the universe works, you will insert the flawed statement of belief that reflects the mental state trying its best to keep a belief alive that doesn't match observation. for personal practical reasons. just like joel, you will deny, shun, minimize any discovery that doesn't help sell your belief statement.
but the self help part is good. its why i don't shun joel or any other, like you, that uses a statement of belief about god to try and help.
Adam is the ultimate cause? Seems to me a father should be responsible for their child, and a creator responsible for their creation.
One thing a father is responsible for in his children is to punish them for disobedience. Prov 13:24 is probably the most 24 misquoted verse in the Bible. WE usually hear it as "spare the rod and spoil the child." It actually says, "He who withholds the rod hates his son, but he who loves him, disciplines him diligently.
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What? the trees were out of reach? Or are you saying that failure was part of the perfectly caused ultimate plan... and that what Yahweh of the head-covered-in-dark-clouds hates is what he planed for all along, having known it and set it on its course.
Why do you think the tress were out of reach. God say hey could eat from any one the except one. To say it was in God's plan to fail is foolishness. What loving parent would do such a thing?
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Who would you send to hell yourself? Seems rather sadistic to torture rather than imprison wrong-doing people, let alone to punish a finite fallible being with infinite perfectly-torturous life.
Only if God did not provide a way of escape, and He did. God covering their nakedness with a robe He made they were forgiven and are now in in heaven.
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Educate and change them would probably be the best idea, especially being a limitless being (in supposition). He could change them by force sort of like we often forcibly prevent damaging suicides, or how he is in control of every human decision (think "pharos hardened heart" or "Paul's conversion" or Islam) and even action such as when to procreate and which sperm and eggs will meet (children supposedly created according to "ultimate but not responsible" plan rather than parent's supposed free-will).
God did not intend them to remain innocent or ignorant. He would have eventually educated them by letting them eat from the forbidden tree.
Numbers 14:28-32. Basically those verses teach that the children 20 and under were not held accountable for their parents believing the bad report of the spies, even if they agreed with their parents. None of the parents would be allowed to enter the promised land, but the children would.
Even Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land. The only 2 adults that were allowed was Joshua and Caleb because they did not believe the bad report.
Why do you think the tress were out of reach. God say hey could eat from any one the except one. To say it was in God's plan to fail is foolishness. What loving parent would do such a thing?
Your god apparently.
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