This being Sunday, some interesting Facebook discussion under that meme, into which I joined.
Jennifer
I guess I am thinking about it as there is one god. But not god. That word is too small. He(and you will hopefully forgive the pronoun) is not in our image, thank you. God is the Universe. She does not give or receive, you can't curry favor, he does not have a palace in the clouds. He/She does not show favor, and does not back anyone's war. She is not judging. He is the clouds and the earth. We may call her different names, but He is us. Just a thought.
Norman
Jennifer, like the way you think!!!
Philip
Jennifer Greene Well said. I like to think that God (the most loaded word in the universe) is about the connections between things. To think of God as something that thinks like or talks like humans seems almost insulting to such a huge concept. God just is.
That said, I respect other opinions- as long as people don't use religion like some huge stick to bash people with.
Jennifer
Yes. It all goes awry when someone says, "My god is the only god and you all better bow down to him/her/them)
George
Jennifer, the collective
Keith
I've long felt that convincing me there is a god isn't the challenge. It's convincing me to worship yours.
From my experience in life, there is nothing causing me to believe that any god exists that seems interested in truly convincing us it exists, much less that it wants to be worshipped.
So I simply don't believe in and don't worship anything. It's just not a behavior that fulfills anything in my life. I'm fine with the universe as a physical existence that is indifferent to us. There's no grand cosmic plan. And that fills me with awe and wonder at the sheer magnitude and beauty of it all without the need to believe a god created it and wants me to worship it. I'm cool with that. It brings me peace
Jennifer
Keith, like that a lot.
Keith
Jennifer, People tend to like that until I start making fun of astrology and other woo spiritual ideas lol! Not saying you, personally, mind you
Jennifer
Keith, You haven't hit my woo woo spiritual idea yet! But don't you dare insult The "Secret". !!
Sloan Bashinsky
If God didn’t exist, the topic would never come up
Jennifer
Sloan Bashinsky That is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. I think We- the human race created a god in our own image. but that is certainly not an opinion shared by all, or even some. Everyone should believe as they choose. I won't tell you what to believe.
Sloan Bashinsky
Jennifer, I think remaking God in our image, what a bizarre habit, is called transmorgification?
Loren
Not necessarily true, Jennifer, for a couple of reasons:
First, if we're talking an infinite Deity, our human minds would be unable to perceive that infinity. We'd be able to perceive facets of it only. And not everyone would see the same facets. Hence, we would have different religions.
Second, consider the tendency of people to continue to believe what they believe even in the face of evidence to the contrary. This alone would keep everyone from agreeing on a single religion.
Janet
Adding on to these thoughts - People in different locations in the world may have perceived God's message differently - hence many loving Deity including Native American - The Great Spirit.
Laurie
Janet, Mother Earth, Father Sky, there's already 2 Deity concepts, Native American's embrace..
Keith
Loren, but wouldn't an all powerful deity who (apparently) wants to be worshipped (as evidenced by its followers who tell me so) be capable of convincing our tiny human brains that it clearly and unequivocally exists so that we would all be aware of it in the same way and worship it in the same way? What kind of weak sauce "omnipotent and omnipresent" god creates us and then doesn't bother to make sure we are all clearly aware of it and worship it properly? What weak ass god leaves it open to such ridiculous confusion and in ways that are so open to conflict? It doesn't make sense. And to claim it exists and then on top of it demand I worship it is a huge ask.
If a god, any god, existed, there wouldn't be thousands of gods recorded by man. There wouldn't be religious wars. There wouldn't be thousands of denominations. There wouldn't even be a need for a religious institution such as churches or temples. It would be as clear as day to everyone on earth.
Jennifer
Keith, Just to provoke argument... If I was a religious person(I am not) I would say: "Its god's will" which I think is a BS argument anyway.
Loren
Keith, Wow. That opens up some fascinating theological doorways.
If there is an infinite, omnipotent God, then why isn't that God using Its power to prove unequivocally that They exist? The theologians say it has to do with free will, and that God only wants those who *choose* to worship Him. I got no way of knowing whether that's true, or just some fancy logic-dancing by the priesthood to cover a huge logical fallacy.
But it's an interesting concept to ponder.
Keith
Right. I hear that one a lot. If a god created us and then left us to do what we do, then it's an indifferent and uncaring god and I don't want to worship it. If it created us and allowed terrible things to happen to innocent people as part of some plan, it is a malevolent god and I don't want to worship it. If it's all powerful and all knowing and everywhere and it allows or causes everything, I definitely don't want to worship it. The Christian god is a monstrous entity no matter how you slice it. People are much better than the gods they create to explain away that which they fear or don't know. I want no part of religion. I value people more than some invisible sky wizard
Loren
Me, the older I get the closer I come to believing that the lack of righteous smiting of obvious evildoers in our current society may be due to the lack of an all-powerful Deity.
Sloan Bashinsky
I have had thousands and thousands of experiences with what clearly is not human, and I can't prove even one of those experiences happened, nor can anyone disprove. Most of the experiences were with angels and demonic entities. A few experiences with ETs and entities that were more ethereal than ETs. I have been attacked, a lot, by demonic entities, and some by other entities. I have been directed, redirected, rebuked, spanked and scared out of my wits by what I call angels, for straying from what they taught me and advised me. Again, can't prove any of that. I would be nuts if I thought I could prove it. I simply tell it. Someone said yesterday that money and religion are what cause wars, and I agreed, and added politics. God is unfathomable. The angels have told me they do not entirely know or understand God, and they do what they do until they understand they are to do something else. They are trying to teach a few people to live as they live. I have known a few such people, and they were very desperate and were candidates for the angels to try to work with in that way. I wish the angels tried that on every person, but that does not seem to be in the cards. But if it happened, humanity would be very different, And, perhaps there would be a lot less people on this planet, because such an intervention is difficult and pushes the recipients beyond human conception. The point of a person living on this world is for that person to experience what life serves up and to learn and grow, or not. It's one thing for a soul to emanate from God, it's yet another thing altogether for a soul to descend into human form and experience that. Jesus in the Gospels modeled and tried to teach people how to live in ways that evolved their souls. He did not offer a fast, cheap salvation. He said the way to life is difficult and few enter the gate. Many are called, but few are chosen. Christendom does seem not give that much attention. Meanwhile, if you apply as above so below, as below, so above, that "algebra" suggests the heavens ain't entirely wonderful, and so where do people in up after they leave this life? I suppose that can be argued for perhaps ever and ever. But what I was told was there is a life review after crossing over, to the extent it was not done while a person on this world. The angels on my case have been giving me a life review since 1987, which involved being stood before lots and lots of mirrors, still happening.
sloanbashinsky@yahoo.com
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