The GOD Thread~

[Alea_iacta_est]

Because He is the Great Sovereign LORD Almighty. He is not one of many deities.

Jews didn't even utter His name aloud because they feel He is so sacred and reverent. Have some respect for your God.

Never got into monotheism, so respect should only be given in the second person in this case, which would be your god, in fact, I think I had more of a fascination and interest in polytheism than monotheism altogether.

Did God ever directly say through his own voice (not indirectly, I know what you are thinking) that he is the only one out there? Why would other deities be bad anyhow? They could be subordinate to God if you so desired.

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

Never got into monotheism, so respect should only be given in the second person in this case, which would be your god, in fact, I think I had more of a fascination and interest in polytheism than monotheism altogether.

Well then, you are in the majority, because most people believe in idols (polytheism).

Did God ever directly say through his own voice (not indirectly, I know what you are thinking) that he is the only one out there? Why would other deities be bad anyhow? They could be subordinate to God if you so desired.

He spoke to Moses about it. And it became the first and second commandments, the most important commandments behind the two Great Commandments (to love God and to love your neighbor).

It's not about what I desire. It's about the Truth. There is One God. He made you. He made me. He is watching us now. And He just wants the respect that is His due for creating us, and our love.

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

Well then, you are in the majority, because most people believe in idols (polytheism).



He spoke to Moses about it. And it became the first and second commandments, the most important commandments behind the two Great Commandments (to love God and to love your neighbor).

It's not about what I desire. It's about the Truth. There is One God. He made you. He made me. He is watching us now. And He just wants the respect that is His due for creating us, and our love.

I told you that I knew what you were thinking, that was an indirect example, second-hand information.

I am not a follower of polytheism and neither can it be objectively defined as the worship of idols, for they probably see you as a worshiper of a sole idol and them the worshiper of the truth. In the objective eyes of all technical viewpoints, I am the only one who does not worship an idol, but I am not objectively the worshiper of truth, for none of us are, as there is no unanimity to one particular belief system.

You evade the question, why is it bad to consider the possibility of deities subjected to God?

 

[greenfairy]

Well then, you are in the majority, because most people believe in idols (polytheism).

Believing in/worshipping "idols" =/= polytheism.

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

I told you that I knew what you were thinking, that was an indirect example, second-hand information.

I am not a follower of polytheism and neither can it be objectively defined as the worship of idols, for they probably see you as a worshiper of a sole idol and them the worshiper of the truth. In the objective eyes of all technical viewpoints, I am the only one who does not worship an idol, but I am not objectively the worshiper of truth, for none of us are, as there is no unanimity to one particular belief system.

You evade the question, why is it bad to consider the possibility of deities subjected to God?

Because God commands us not to, and He is very clear about it in the Bible. It is stated over and over again.

What do you believe then?

Believing in/worshipping "idols" =/= polytheism.

It is in my book. I see no difference. Idols are deities and represent the divine. More than one divine deity = polytheism. Right?

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

Because God commands us not to, and He is very clear about it in the Bible. It is stated over and over again.
What do you believe then?

Still, in terms of technicality, the Bible is a second-hand source and an indirect word of God. If anything, the closest thing we have to a direct source of God's word would be the Dead Sea Scrolls, and those are hard to come by and are still inevitably indirect.

I believe that God and all religions are metaphors attempting to humanize the same thing, existence; therefore, I believe in existence, which is neither an idol nor a deity.

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

Still, in terms of technicality, the Bible is a second-hand source and an indirect word of God. If anything, the closest thing we have to a direct source of God's word would be the Dead Sea Scrolls, and those are hard to come by and are still inevitably indirect.

I believe that God and all religions are metaphors attempting to humanize the same thing, existence; therefore, I believe in existence.

The Bible is a starting place. And it is an ending place. It's the beginning and ending of the story of the Children of God. It opens with God's Law, the Torah, and it ends with Jesus' Gospel of grace and truth. The only other part of God we need is His Holy Spirit which we can feel by him directly. As I said in responding to Effem, we cannot JUST converse with God directly because He demands obedience and us to live in consciousness of Christ's sacrifice.

The patriarchs of the religion of God are explained in the early narrative in the Bible. God spoke to several key holy men who, for the most part, got His word right. It's right because it has stood the test of time. It's okay that it's indirect. I have become certain of God as Truth and His word as divine over time of studying and meditating upon Him and the Bible.

I worship God not just because He commands me to. I worship Him because I want to. Because I have, through many signs and wonders in my own life, become certain of Him and His existence. He is waiting for all His children to wake up and live in His compassion and grace and abundance, which is the message Christ brought.

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

The Bible is a starting place. And it is an ending place. It's the beginning and ending of the story of the Children of God. It opens with God's Law, the Torah, and it ends with Jesus' Gospel of grace and truth. The only other part of God we need is His Holy Spirit which we can feel by him directly. As I said in responding to Effem, we cannot JUST converse with God directly because He demands obedience and us to live in consciousness of Christ's sacrifice.

The patriarchs of the religion of God are explained in the early narrative in the Bible. God spoke to several key holy men who, for the most part, got His word right. It's right because it has stood the test of time. It's okay that it's indirect. I have become certain of God as Truth and His word as divine over time of studying and meditating upon Him and the Bible.

I worship God not just because He commands me to. I worship Him because I want to. Because I have, through many signs and wonders in my own life, become certain of Him and His existence. He is waiting for all His children to wake up and live in His compassion and grace and abundance, which is the message Christ brought.

I respect your adherence to a religion based on your own conclusions.

I am not particularly fond that you refer to others' deities as idols, however, and even if you do believe yourself to be in the right, I would ask that you do not forsake those who have traveled a different path based on their own conclusions.

I am curious to the second paragraph as well, how was it proven that they got the word of God right?

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

I respect your adherence to a religion based on your own conclusions.

I am not particularly fond that you refer to others' deities as idols, however, and even if you do believe yourself to be in the right, I would ask that you do not forsake those who have traveled a different path based on their own conclusions.

I am curious to the second paragraph as well, how was it proven that they got the word of God right?

This is "The GOD Thread" I was pretty clear I was referring to One God and LORD in the OP.

I think that when God's Law can stand the test of time, it is just another illustration that it is right. It is right because God gave it to Moses. End of story. But Moses was just a man, even though he was a holy man of God. However, if the commandments of God did not serve man, then that would become apparent over time. God's Law has been serving man for about 3300 years now! Yes, Jesus changed it a bit, but overall it's still the best rule book we have to knowing how to serve God best.

 

[greenfairy]

It is in my book. I see no difference. Idols are deities and represent the divine. More than one divine deity = polytheism. Right?

The word "idol" can have different meanings depending on context, and the Biblical context was specific. It didn't just mean deity, and deity does not equal idol. By your definition the commandment not to worship idols would just mean don't worship more than one idol; I'm pretty sure it means don't worship idols at all, worship the (correct) divine. It is implying that divinity cannot be found in material objects and the physical world if I remember correctly (which I disagree with, but that's another story).

Edit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idol

So ok, an idol represents something one worships, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a deity which is worshipped. I suppose in the Biblical context it could have been an idol representing the "correct" god or it could represent "incorrect" gods, but I was pretty sure the lesson was that the problem was that the attention was being directed at the wrong thing. In any case, polythiesm does not involve idol worship any more than monotheism does. If an idol is just an image representing something worshipped, it can be in the context of any religion.

 

[á´…eparted]

Honest questions:

Do you believe that the earth is only ~4000 years old, and subsequently that creationism is correct and evolution is wrong?

Why do you capitalize "LORD" and "GOD" and the like? I have seen others do this before. I always read it as shouting, but I wonder if there is a different purpose?

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

Honest questions:

Do you believe that the earth is only ~4000 years old, and subsequently that creationism is correct and evolution is wrong?

Why do you capitalize "LORD" and "GOD" and the like? I have seen others do this before. I always read it as shouting, but I wonder if there is a different purpose?

I am an old earth creationist, which means I believe in the likelihood of the Big Bang, but that God created everything. I have a unique belief that Time came before God, but that is just an educated guess on my part. The Big Bang Theory actually ties in amazingly well with Genesis Chapter 1. I believe God created man, as we exist and as the ancient Hebrews existed, as separate from animals, including apes. There is a missing link because there is no link.

I capitalize LORD because that is how the Bible does it in reference to God. Otherwise Lord usually refers to Jesus. God is only all caps when I mean it more fully, as in the title of this thread.

 

[á´…eparted]

I am an old earth creationist, which means I believe in the likelihood of the Big Bang, but that God created everything. I have a unique belief that Time came before God, but that is just an educated guess on my part. The Big Bang Theory actually ties in amazingly well with Genesis Chapter 1. I believe God created man, as we exist and as the ancient Hebrews existed, as separate from animals, including apes. There is a missing link because there is no link.

I capitalize LORD because that is how the Bible does it in reference to God. Otherwise Lord usually refers to Jesus. God is only all caps when I mean it more fully, as in the title of this thread.

Ok, thanks. I'll respect the initial purpose of your thread and leave it here.

 

[ndovjtjcaqidthi]

We are inter-subjective animals, so evidence is what we can share with each other.

A fantasy, an imagining, an hallucination, that can't be shared with others is not evidence.

I fear this is where our dialogue must come to it's end, Mole, because I cannot possibly describe to you the colors and textures of the skies, and the seas I see in my dreams. This crushes me.

 

[Ivy]

It is wrong to relate to God as one of many deities.

But that's exactly what you're doing when you say it offends God to be called by another god's name. I've never understood why people who profess to be monotheists but then act like their God hates all the other gods they supposedly don't believe in.

 

[prplchknz]

If God is truly benevolent, wouldn't he not punish you for simply not believing in him? I mean sending someone to hell for simply not being Christian seems like an asshole thing to do. Also wouldn't he not care what you called him? Like people sometimes call me the wrong name and I don't correct them, because I don't put much stock in my name. My name is a very minor part of who I am, I just have my name so people can address me, instead of only with her,she,it,female.

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

But that's exactly what you're doing when you say it offends God to be called by another god's name. I've never understood why people who profess to be monotheists but then act like their God hates all the other gods they supposedly don't believe in.

I see what you are saying and it is a common debate polytheists often like to have with monotheists.

But I've read carefully, and the God in the Bible speaks often to the fact that people worship other gods, and that no other gods should come before Him. This doesn't necessarily mean there are other gods, so much as that people believe there are other gods, and they worship them, and they shouldn't.

Of course, in today's world, our gods are not so mystical anymore, but more material, such as gadgets and addictive substances that we use to try to seek peace.

 

[Octavarium]

This is "The GOD Thread" I was pretty clear I was referring to One God and LORD in the OP.

I think that when God's Law can stand the test of time, it is just another illustration that it is right. It is right because God gave it to Moses. End of story. But Moses was just a man, even though he was a holy man of God. However, if the commandments of God did not serve man, then that would become apparent over time. God's Law has been serving man for about 3300 years now! Yes, Jesus changed it a bit, but overall it's still the best rule book we have to knowing how to serve God best.

Why do you think that, if it can stand the test of time, that makes it right? Just to be absolutely clear, are you saying that, if it didn't come from God, it wouldn't have stood the test of time? And what criteria are you using to judge whether the laws "serve man"?

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

If God is truly benevolent, wouldn't he not punish you for simply not believing in him? I mean sending someone to hell for simply not being Christian seems like an asshole thing to do. Also wouldn't he not care what you called him? Like people sometimes call me the wrong name and I don't correct them, because I don't put much stock in my name. My name is a very minor part of who I am, I just have my name so people can address me, instead of only with her,she,it,female.

I believe Hell exists on earth, and people who go 'there' end up in a perpetual cycle of repetition of pain which they have brought on themselves by resisting to submit to God. This might manifest as coming back as a tortured animal, an abused child, or an unhappy businessman.

God is truly benevolent, but He expects something in return. He expects your respect and hopes for your love. Acknowledging Christ's sacrifice by knowing we are never going to be worthy enough to come before the King in Heaven stops this cycle of repetition, and we can finally reside in Heaven with Him, where our soul really belongs. If someone does not know about Christ, I believe God has the ability to see their heart and know whether He wishes them to go to Heaven or repeat Hell. Sometimes, God sends Heavenly missionaries out into the world to do His work as well, and these manifest as angels, or workers or warriors of God. They haven't done anything wrong to be here, but have chosen [from Heaven] to serve Him in this way.

Calling God a name by using beauty and reverence is a worshipful act. If you don't feel worshipful, then you won't really care what you refer to Him by, or how you refer to Him.

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

Why do you think that, if it can stand the test of time, that makes it right? Just to be absolutely clear, are you saying that, if it didn't come from God, it wouldn't have stood the test of time? And what criteria are you using to judge whether the laws "serve man"?

Yes. Pretty much. I think the Law proves itself over time. God is with those who love and worship Him, and He is against those who don't.