The GOD Thread~

[Alea_iacta_est]

Seen here: Jesus Christ.

I think it looks kind of like Muhammad, but that's just me.

 

[prplchknz]

Seen here: Jesus Christ.

I see a beatle holding the skins of two people that once covered their heads and the front of their necks in two of it's legs. and the skins are blowing something out of their mouths (I don't know what, but it looks identical whatever it is) but I do not see jesus....does that mean i'm going to hell?

 

[highlander]

Do you still consider yourself a christian? If so, why?

I have always had a strong underlying faith in God. I believe in Jesus as our Savior, who atoned for the sins of all mankind. So yes. Do I center my life around him as much as I should? Probably not, though I aspire to do better there.

Why do I believe? The fact that I was brought up that way is no small part of it. I believe in the basic values of the Christian faith. I've read the Bible and though at times the content is repetitive, there is a great deal of wisdom and insight there. It's quite remarkable really considering how long ago it was written and how much the important messages are relevant today. I find that people who are strong in faith tend to be more peaceful, happy, kind and good. I have seen a good deal of evidence of the positive things that being a Christian has on a person's own life and the people around them. These being said, I do have serious problems with people who profess to be Christians and yet their behavior doesn't match the values associated with the faith they ascribe to. I also take issue with the judgmental nature of some Christians because that behavior to me seems again, quite unChristian. I find some of the overly conservative views and interpretations to defy common sense as well.

If I am wrong in my beliefs, the worst thing that would happen is that I will have attempted to live my life according to principles that I believe in.

 

[Coriolis]

My church hosted a regular Sunday service where they brought a Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Buddist to talk about their faiths, to compare and contrast (like a panel). The place encourages open dialogue and questioning on these sorts of things. It was pretty interesting. I was surprised at the number of similarities between Muslim and Christian beliefs and many of the underlying principles across all of them were more similar than I thought they would be.

I was surprised by the similarities, even with the Hindu worship I recently visited. This is part of what convinces me we are all worshipping the same one God, who keeps trying to get the message across to diverse and often dense humanity (or is it that every so often, someone really "gets it" and is able to share that insight with his/her fellow humans?) Anyone interested in this perspective should read Joseph Campbell.

About the only thing I think is worth noting about the tenets of original Buddhism (and one must be careful that what they read isn't tainted by later followers) is that "teachings should not be accepted unless they are borne out by our experience and are praised by the wise." Nothing here about scientific method needing to be proved to believe something as Truth!


EDIT: Plus I see no obvious nor direct acknowledgment of God anywhere in their writings!!!!!

Perhaps you don't, but others do.

As for scientific method, the highlighted comes pretty close: theory must be supported by observation/experience. The Bahai's have a similar saying, namely that you shall know a true prophet by his fruits, i.e. the effects of his teachings.

What I find fascinating is how the Jews are far more flexible with their OT understanding than the modern conservative Christians, yet it was their book originally. Shouldn't they understand it the best?

The OT stands on its own pretty well. The NT claims for Jesus, however, require a certain interpretation of the OT, which may lead to the inflexibility you see. If you separate the historical Jesus from the Christ myth, this becomes unnecessary.

II find that people who are strong in faith tend to be more peaceful, happy, kind and good. I have seen a good deal of evidence of the positive things that being a Christian has on a person's own life and the people around them. These being said, I do have serious problems with people who profess to be Christians and yet their behavior doesn't match the values associated with the faith they ascribe to. I also take issue with the judgmental nature of some Christians because that behavior to me seems again, quite unChristian. I find some of the overly conservative views and interpretations to defy common sense as well.

The highlighted bothers me as well, but many Christians truly believe theirs is the best if not the only legitimate belief system. The only way they can be true to their beliefs is to be judgmental of others. The Bible, unfortunately, gives them plenty of ammunition. When Christians use the Bible to hurt others, as Prpl's cartoon aptly called it, reasonable folks will blame those particular Christians, while they themselves will assign responsibility to the Bible itself: "that's God's law [not just for me, but for everyone]"

That is why this below is a perfectly acceptable and respectful presentation of one person's individual beliefs:

I have looked into those religions and personally not found them to be anywhere near Judeo-Christianity for spiritual insight and having a divinely inspired holy book. Do Buddhists even believe in God? I haven't seen that they do. And I think Hindus are more polytheists? Buddhism, the Buddha, and Muhammad, just seems to copy Christianity, and try to claim it as something original, with Buddhism being more humanist, not even attributing creation to God. But as I said, I am not an expert at those relgions at all!

People have a right to believe what they like! This thread is about the Hebrew God in the Bible. The God of Adam and the patriarchs. The Father of Jesus.

If we all limited our faith statements to something like this, without encouraging or expecting others to see things the same way, and heaven forbid, without judging those whose beliefs differ -- well, there would be far fewer unproductive arguments, and much more mutual understanding and appreciation.

 

[prplchknz]

I've been thinking and my realization is, the bible is such a large text with many different laws that really it can be used as a tool of manipulation. To push forward one's own agenda. So how do we stop it? we really can't, because so many don't read the bible or rather study it closely. and because it's so much information at once someone can come in, and be like blah blah blah and others would be like oh yeah! I agree! even if they don't actually know what they're agreeing to. It's particularly bad if the person manipulation is a leader, or someone the church looks up to. And these beliefs can last generations, because religious opininion doesn't evolve as fast as other opinions. Since people are going "look! look! it says right here that I'm right (picks out random verse), and because I'm right it gives me the right to judge and persecute you" funny how such christians forget that jesus said like at least 5 times in the gospel to not judge or persecute.

 

[Totenkindly]

If this thread is truly about the "Hebrew God," once again I respectfully suggest that we change the title to label it as such.

Otherwise, the thread is fair game for anyone's beliefs.

 

[Nicodemus]

Otherwise, the thread is fair game for anyone's beliefs.

Given its content up to this point, I think it is fair game of anything.

 

[Qre:us]

It is the nature of your flesh to be able to practice homosexuality, to desire it, whether it is for love or for mere sex. If animals practice homosexuality occasionally, then that is just more proof that it is of the flesh.

The whole point is that to do God's will, you must rise above what the flesh drives you to do, and the desires of your heart. Because He knows what is best for you. And He has said in Genesis 2, the very beginning of the story, that he made a woman out of man, and that a man should leave his family and cling to his wife.

If someone dies, then God has the ability to provide for them again. Some might have a succession of Divine partners. And some might have none, only God. God was able to provide Job with more than he had before after everything he had was annihilated by the devil. God CAN do anything.

Holy god almighty!

If this is your idea of god and god's will, no wonder you sound like you're swimming in a trance in the shallow end, but believing yourself to be in the depth of a vast sea.

The drive for sex is the desire of the flesh. Whether it be homosexual or heterosexual or whatever else kind of sexual desires humans can imagine.

God sanctions only one of those kinds as A-okay! For procreation.

So, god wants you to rise above such desire of the flesh, but to also succumb to them for certain instances? What an inconsistent god, you have. This explains a lot.

Okay, well, I said that wrong. Let's restate that as Buddhist concepts came way after the God of the patriarchs had revealed himself to Terah, the father of Abram, around 1800 bc. In my exploration of different religions, to find the truth, I have copied some stuff down in my spiritual journal about the Buddha. Here is what I copied down:

The 4 Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the definitions of Dependent origination, and Rejection of the infallibility of accepted scripture, and some other definitions. There is not much recorded that we can know for sure about Buddha. But surely he was enlightened.

I took from my brief study in Buddhism (from the above study and previous studies when I was an atheist) that it is rather vague, because the Noble Eightfold Path says you should have the "Right View, the Right Intention, the Right etc........" This is nice but not very much guidance that you can practically take, grab a hold of, and use. Also, I disagree with their views on suffering. Suffering comes from us, but suffering can also come from without us, from God, as punishment. I also disagree that 'nothing is satisfying.' Living for God can make one very joyful and satisfied, through communing with Him, and via other people, to glorify Him.

About the only thing I think is worth noting about the tenets of original Buddhism (and one must be careful that what they read isn't tainted by later followers) is that "teachings should not be accepted unless they are borne out by our experience and are praised by the wise." Nothing here about scientific method needing to be proved to believe something as Truth!


EDIT: Plus I see no obvious nor direct acknowledgment of God anywhere in their writings!!!!!

If you stopped looking at the philosophy of Buddhism from the Abrahamic religions' didactic point of view, you would understand quite a lot more about what Buddhism is aiming to teach.

At its core, there is no "self", there is no you, or me, or he or she or they or any other individual entity. That is the illusion of the ego. As such, if you extend this thought, you'll see how the concept of God then deteriorates, as "god" as a distinct OTHER becomes irrelevant, when we stop perscribing each individual as an individual entity. The goal, the aim, then is nirvana, to basically transcend this game of life, and death, and reach a state of enlightenment, where ego falls away, and as such, there is no you, as different than me, as different than she, as different than he, as different than "god", the HE.

 

[Showbread]

God's Word and everlasting covenants live on whether a temple was destroyed or not. They live on in the Bible, and should be living on in Christianity.

I think it's so sad that most Christians are ignorant and apathetic when it comes to our Judean roots.

Came across this verse in my study today and I was curious as to your interpretation of it: "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all." Colossians 3:11 ESV

To me this says that are now equal in Christ... I would think if it was still considered important to practice Judaism surely Paul would have encouraged us to do so? I also would like to point out that I do not have any Judean roots. I am not Jewish, nor have I ever been...

I don't think "apathy" is the correct word to describe my attitude towards the laws in the Torah. Apathy implies I recognize them but am too lazy to follow through. This is not the case. I do not think they are necessary.

 

[Cygnus]

To worship God, you must devote all of your existence to his will.
The prospect of entering heaven is completely selfish.
You can not follow God or enter heaven because you want to enter heaven, no matter how much of the law you uphold.

We cannot at present predict how a given human brain would work during its lifetime, but in this world, under a given set of circumstances, however unpredictable the outcomes may be, there is only one outcome that will be true, though we may not know what it is.

Scientists have found parts of the brain that analog all facets of personal identity that we attribute to the soul. Ergo, the brain most likely generates the soul.

The human brain is just a biological machine. If the function of a single given human brain were fully understood and the information put in were understood, we could predict how that human brain would react to the input information. In other words, everything we think, all of time has led up to that decision. Personal choice is just a function of a brain that functions according to the predictable logical rules of how machines work: if this part is in this position and this input is put in, then this output will come out. In other words, we are predestined.

Ergo, some people will have the desire to actually worship God with no thought of how they will benefit from it. If a person makes the conscious choice to change their minds to be good and loving, then we could have predicted that they made that choice and they were bound to do it all along.

So it's not this subjective "Believe in God, go to heaven; don't believe, go to Hell" that Western society makes it out to be. He that believes not is condemned already, he's not going to be condemned.

In other words, either I go to heaven or go to hell, and wherever I will end up I can't change, because a decision to change is influenced by factors in my environment that effectively "control" the machine of my brain. You're either already in or you're already out.

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

If you stopped looking at the philosophy of Buddhism from the Abrahamic religions' didactic point of view, you would understand quite a lot more about what Buddhism is aiming to teach.

At its core, there is no "self", there is no you, or me, or he or she or they or any other individual entity. That is the illusion of the ego. As such, if you extend this thought, you'll see how the concept of God then deteriorates, as "god" as a distinct OTHER becomes irrelevant, when we stop perscribing each individual as an individual entity. The goal, the aim, then is nirvana, to basically transcend this game of life, and death, and reach a state of enlightenment, where ego falls away, and as such, there is no you, as different than me, as different than she, as different than he, as different than "god", the HE.

I understand and agree about the ego falling away, but God created us to be distinctly different, to have different strengths and weaknesses, and to serve Him in very different ways, via His Divine Will.

We are not illusions. We are real, and exactly how God intended us to be. To wash that away, or overlook it, is not only an affront to Him who made us, but it is akin to putting ourselves on the same level of God.

Reminds me of Shirley Maclain who said in some video interview that she was God. Is she a Buddhist?

One can hope to come close to being God, but God is a Divine, real Being, not a coalescence of imperfect life deluding itself into believing it's its own creator.

Came across this verse in my study today and I was curious as to your interpretation of it: "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all." Colossians 3:11 ESV

To me this says that are now equal in Christ... I would think if it was still considered important to practice Judaism surely Paul would have encouraged us to do so? I also would like to point out that I do not have any Judean roots. I am not Jewish, nor have I ever been...

I don't think "apathy" is the correct word to describe my attitude towards the laws in the Torah. Apathy implies I recognize them but am too lazy to follow through. This is not the case. I do not think they are necessary.

Yes! Jesus is the end of the story! But He is not the beginning of the story! The beginning of the story goes back to the Patriarchs, the Prophets and the Law. Jesus is a necessary part of the story, but not all of the story. Paul was enamored with Him because religion had become so steeped in legalism and debauchery that Jesus was a refreshing and necessary reminder of God's compassion, and of the need to have faith and trust in God.

Paul decided, along with other early church fathers, to forego making the gentiles learn, and adhere to, the Law. I think this was a mistake. It ignores much of the OT, and I don't believe God is pleased about it, honestly, because it is stated throughout the Torah that "this is an everlasting covenant forever!" Jesus himself said He did not come to replace the Law, but finish it. Paul never met Jesus while He was alive. Paul made the decision to go easy on the Gentiles. Jesus Himself never said that. In fact, His whole mission was to the 'lost sheep of Israel', Jews who had fallen away from God.

Christian conceptualists take Christianity completely out of context. It is not advantageous for us to forego our Jewish roots. And whether you are Jewish by DNA or not, if you believe in the One God, and in Jesus' sacrifice for us, you are one of His Chosen Ones.

To worship God, you must devote all of your existence to his will.
The prospect of entering heaven is completely selfish.
You can not follow God or enter heaven because you want to enter heaven, no matter how much of the law you uphold.

We cannot at present predict how a given human brain would work during its lifetime, but in this world, under a given set of circumstances, however unpredictable the outcomes may be, there is only one outcome that will be true, though we may not know what it is.

Scientists have found parts of the brain that analog all facets of personal identity that we attribute to the soul. Ergo, the brain most likely generates the soul.

The human brain is just a biological machine. If the function of a single given human brain were fully understood and the information put in were understood, we could predict how that human brain would react to the input information. In other words, everything we think, all of time has led up to that decision. Personal choice is just a function of a brain that functions according to the predictable logical rules of how machines work: if this part is in this position and this input is put in, then this output will come out. In other words, we are predestined.

Ergo, some people will have the desire to actually worship God with no thought of how they will benefit from it. If a person makes the conscious choice to change their minds to be good and loving, then we could have predicted that they made that choice and they were bound to do it all along.

So it's not this subjective "Believe in God, go to heaven; don't believe, go to Hell" that Western society makes it out to be. He that believes not is condemned already, he's not going to be condemned.

In other words, either I go to heaven or go to hell, and wherever I will end up I can't change, because a decision to change is influenced by factors in my environment that effectively "control" the machine of my brain. You're either already in or you're already out.

I actually believe this is Hell. Lol. Not necessarily Type C, but sometimes yes! but how we treat each other on earth.

But I do believe God will put our souls where they deserve to be; either with Him--close to Him or far away from Him, or back here on earth for another go round. Your little mind/brain cannot know the workings of God! Suffice it to say it's probably WAY more intense and foreboding that you give it credit for being.

God is IN OUR BRAIN. He is in every cell of our body! He has the ability to influence you or leave you alone. IF science finds out the inner workings of the brain to that detail, they will find God behind it all. And, trust me, God will not like that. Nor allow it to go on for long.

Also, I was a sort-of believer, an atheist, and now am reborn into and unto God. I'm a ascetic and recluse for Him. I worship Him and delight in Him every day. IF my brain suddenly changed, it's because He flipped switches in it.

 

[1487610420]

 

[Mole]

To worship God, you must devote all of your existence to his will.

God is a person who wants to be worshipped.

But what kind of person wants to be worshipped?

A person who wants to be worshipped has not grown beyond the narcissistic phase of early childhood.

 

[Mole]

Came across this verse in my study today and I was curious as to your interpretation of it: "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all." Colossians 3:11 ESV

To me this says that are now equal in Christ... I would think if it was still considered important to practice Judaism surely Paul would have encouraged us to do so? I also would like to point out that I do not have any Judean roots. I am not Jewish, nor have I ever been...

I don't think "apathy" is the correct word to describe my attitude towards the laws in the Torah. Apathy implies I recognize them but am too lazy to follow through. This is not the case. I do not think they are necessary.

Christianity does say we are all equal in Christ, but we had to wait for the European Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries to discover universal freedom and equality.

So Christianity gave us the limited equality of Christians, but the Enlightenment gave us universal freedom and equality, expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10th of December, 1948.

 

[Qre:us]

I understand and agree about the ego falling away, but God created us to be distinctly different, to have different strengths and weaknesses, and to serve Him in very different ways, via His Divine Will.

We are not illusions. We are real, and exactly how God intended us to be. To wash that away, or overlook it, is not only an affront to Him who made us, but it is akin to putting ourselves on the same level of God.

Reminds me of Shirley Maclain who said in some video interview that she was God. Is she a Buddhist?

One can hope to come close to being God, but God is a Divine, real Being, not a coalescence of imperfect life deluding itself into believing it's its own creator.

This shows a distinct lack of understanding. You can't disagree with a point if you don't understand its premise first. What would be more accurate is to say that you don't understand Buddhism, not that you can't agree with its philosophy.

We are not illusions. How we play our our life, as guided by our egos, and our belief in this ego-veil as reality, is an illusion because it is not enlightened to the truth.

But, nvm.

You're not the first person, who I've discussed this with, coming from a deeply-held Judeo-Christian faith that is willfully blinded to understanding the philosophical outlook within Eastern religions. That, and, you have a self-serving interest in not understanding. Because it validates your "truth".

I cannot walk through a closed door. And you have bolted yours shut.

 

[Nicodemus]

I cannot walk through a closed door. And you have bolted yours shut.

And 'Thou shalt not' writ over the door;
So I turn'd to the Garden of Love,
That so many sweet flowers bore.

And I saw it was filled with graves,
And tomb-stones where flowers should be:
And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
And binding with briars my joys & desires.

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

This shows a distinct lack of understanding. You can't disagree with a point if you don't understand its premise first. What would be more accurate is to say that you don't understand Buddhism, not that you can't agree with its philosophy.

We are not illusions. How we play our our life, as guided by our egos, and our belief in this ego-veil as reality, is an illusion because it is not enlightened to the truth.

But, nvm.

You're not the first person, who I've discussed this with, coming from a deeply-held Judeo-Christian faith that is willfully blinded to understanding the philosophical outlook within Eastern religions. That, and, you have a self-serving interest in not understanding. Because it validates your "truth".

I cannot walk through a closed door. And you have bolted yours shut.

I think I've made pretty good statements outlining why I can't get on board with Buddhism. I understand the concept, I think, or at least I've tried to. If I can't understand it by now, there is a good chance it's because it simply isn't true. Or doesn't make sense.

And, Victor, God is not a 'person.'

 

[prplchknz]

clearly he's a hedge hog made up of math problems

 

[gromit]

Words or songs during hard times?

A FB friend posted a status asking people's favorite bible verses during hard times.

I posted this one:

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.​

I like that one because it focuses on simple things, feelings, and drawing strength from the goodness inside of us and not dwelling on things we cannot control. Sort of reminding you of your higher nature when you are feeling a little bit weaker in life.

And I also posted this song by Sufjan Stevens, even though it's not technically from the bible.

But I always imagine this from God's perspective towards us. The lyrics are so lovely, and I think there are some subtle bible references in the words. About being known, about finding a safe place to rest your weary soul, etc.

So anyone else got any good ones?

 

[ndovjtjcaqidthi]

I always liked this:

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2