If God comanded you, would you obey?

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   kirstenblogposted 13 years ago

   If God came to you in a brilliant blaze of glory and spoke to you, directly to your face, and spoke with a divine voice and commanded you,
   
   'I command you my daughter/son, to go out and live your life in joy and happiness all of your days'
   
   would you obey?

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      Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I...don't think that would be God.
      Because we're human, and even God has never promised us happiness for all our days.  His followers have been commissioned with a mission which doesn't allow for happiness all the time.  A person cannot carry a burden for lost souls and remain constantly happy.

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         kirstenblogposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         This isn't a promise that will be given to you but a task that you are commanded to work for Brenda
         A very different kettle of fish

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            Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Got it.
            Still, it doesn't ring true that God would say that.
            So, I'd have to know that it was really Him who commanded it.

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               Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Here is a free hint: it wouldn't be, for exactly the same reasons that a vision of the Invisible Pink Unicorn warning you to bet all your money on a horse race would be smart to ignore.  Neither thing exists, so your mind is playing tricks on you.  Seek medical assistance.

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         kirstenblogposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         According to the teachings I had in, first the Lutheran church, then the United Methodist church, then  the Catholic school I was sent to, then the Baptist church, I was taught that God gave us free will. This means it is my God given right to choose to be a lost soul (not saying that I am but if I wanted what you want then I probably would be, lost is a funny thing, implying you are not where you choose to be and I very much choose to be exactly where I am) so why then would you conceive that God has commissioned you to deprive me of that God given right to be a lost soul?

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      Paragliderposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I don't need anyone or any thing to command me to enjoy life. That comes naturally

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         earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Hello Paraglider. Always nice to hear your smiling face.

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         kirstenblogposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         In turn you have put a smile on my face
         You, I think, understand much
         

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            Paragliderposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Congratulations on your 100th hub

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      AKA Winstonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Sounds about right for this manic-depressive God of Vengeance/God of Love from the bible - orders you to have a good time and kills you at the same time: "And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." Exodus 33:20

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      qwarkposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'd wanna see some ID!
      If "it" provided it, I'd invite "it" to join me in the "octagon" to determine who's really the boss!

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      Beelzedadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      If this were a message delivered to all mankind, I would obey. If it were just me, I'd go with Pcunix and seek medical assistance.

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         Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Well, if we BOTH saw it, maybe we should seek the military rather than a hospital. It would have to be an up to no good alien invader, then.
         
         Especially with that "joy and happiness" stuff.  That couldn't be a god - they are much more into to the threats and damnation scene.
         
         It does continue to surprise me that the religious don't notice how pathetically human their gods are. Honestly, many of them would do a far better job at it.

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   Pcunixposted 13 years ago

   I would immediately go to a hospital to seek assistance with my delusions.

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      kirstenblogposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      LOL, I hear they have meds for delusions but I do wonder if it would be a case where the cure is worse then the disease? Those meds can be wicked bad ugh!

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         Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Seriously, I would not be happy about it, but it would be necessary to seek help.  I'd suspect a tumor or a blood clot and would not want to ignore it.
         
         Unfortunately, many of the godsoaked  might.  Very unfortunate for them.

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            earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I went to a motivational course in the 70s that was live in and intense. (You may see more of these in the current financial climate)
            one of the religiously impaired lost the plot after the course and genuinely believed he was the king of England!
            
            29 of us could not persuade him otherwise so he went for a little holiday in the psych ward. Poor buggar I wonder what happened to him? I hope it wasn't a tumor.

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   kirstenblogposted 13 years ago

   When I was around 11 years old I read a book that posed this question. The question was put to a group of 'the faithful'. It was asked would you do whatever God commanded. The multitude answered, yes, glory to be hanged or nailed to a tree should God command it. Then they were asked this question, would they live their lives in joy should they be commanded to do so.
   
   I have had this question in my mind every since. In my 30's now and I still think that for most people this would be the hardest task to undertake, to be responsible for ones own joy in their lives. I have always thought it is a great question too, for why would a divine creator create the Sun and Stars and set the rules for natural science that allows matter to be stable, to have our planet in the 'Goldilocks zone' so that life could thrive if not to be enjoyed and loved. Lets just say for arguments sake that some day you really will stand before the divine creator, what do you want in your heart? Harsh feelings about why suffering exists or joy for the beauty of the natural world, the beauty of a loving family and good friends?
   
   I put to you that by living your life in joy and happiness you will do more good and create more love then you could do by living in fear and anger. These negative emotions contribute more to suffering then natural disasters and this is all down to us. Fear leads to anger and greed and spread the same, misery loves company and cannot help but spread like a virus. Hence if God were to speak directly to you and command something of you I truly believe it would be to live in joy. The beauty of this is that you need not believe in God, or church or other systems out there, you simply need to realize that this is your life and yours to experience with joy or fear, as you choose, freedom!

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      EmpressFelicityposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I think it is.  A lot of people don't seem to believe that there is often a link between your mental well-being and how you live your life.  Even things like eating decent food and taking the occasional bit of exercise can have a huge effect on how happy you feel (that's certainly been my experience anyway).  I'm not saying that all cases of depression can be cured with fresh veggies and country walks, but I think there are a lot of people with low level depression whose happiness would be vastly improved by a few practical adjustments to their lifestyle. 
      
      I also think that people don't realise how and why their life choices affect their happiness.  Take the example of a woman who has an affair with a married man, and he goes back to his wife and kids, leaving her alone and depressed.  She says that the depression is because her lover's left her, when really it's down to guilt and anger at herself (as in "how could I have been so stupid??")
      
      And the things which people think are going to make them happy aren't actually the things that would really make them happy - you only have to read about those people who win millions on the lottery and end up miserable and estranged from their families/friends to realise that.
      
      On the subject of God talking to you: God has told people all sorts of dodgy and suspect things throughout history (the most recent example I can think of being Tony Blair and George W. Bush, who IIRC both had personal requests from their creator to invade Iraq).  So I if I had a message purporting to be from God, I'd (a) be worried about my mental health, like several other people on this thread, and (b) wonder whether it was really my own subconscious telling me what I wanted to hear.

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   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   I'm with PCunix on this one!
   
   Call the guys with the white coats, put me in the suit and get me to a good psych hospital fast!

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   getitriteposted 13 years ago

   It's amazing that a believer would question the validity of God if He appeared right before their eyes, but will blindly follow the writings from dubious authors, that has been debunked over and over, as absolute proof.

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      kirstenblogposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Brilliant, simply brilliant observation! *claps like mad in a one person standing ovation*

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         getitriteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         
         
          

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      Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      See, Earnest?
      
      You and I would KNOW this was an indication of a possibly life threatening medical issue.  Even Brenda would be suspicious, but here we have people who would think they had been singularly honored!
      
      It boggles the mind, doesn't it?

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         earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I am well boggled by it.
         A myth, a bunch of recycled fear driven bronze aged stories that have been debunked.
         I sincerely hope that some of the religious can see the truth and grow out of it at some point and join the real world.
         
         They're all too sad to do that I guess.

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   fatfistposted 13 years ago

   God commanded me to kill a sinner once.
   After I was caught, the judge sentenced me to 20 years. I told the whole truth in court....God's truth!
   The judge & jury laughed at me. They said that my God was one big joke and excuse for my behavior. They didn't believe me.
   
   Can you believe that right-wing Republican government at the time? They're all rabid foaming-at-the-mouth atheists!
   These evil-doers just put their people in public office for the sole purpose of giving "lip-service" to God. None of them are believers. None of them believe that God actually talks to people who seek Him out and let Him in their hearts.
   
   But thank God one "good" came out of my horrible experience with the atheistic court system and its atheistic Republicans. I was very surprised to discover that almost ALL the inmates at the Supermax Prison were God-fearing Christians!! Yes indeed, it was like Heaven! I thanked God day & night for placing me with His people, who were VERY loving towards me.....you know....true Christian love!

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   kirstenblogposted 13 years ago

   What I find somewhat sad is that unlike Paraglider (who does not need to be commanded to begin with) there seems to be a lot of folks who wouldn't make joy a main goal even if commanded by 'God'. I think that speaks volumes, but why is it that misery is so much easier then joy?

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      Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I already have joy.  I don't need any gods for that.

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         kirstenblogposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         This is real freedom my friend!
         Maybe you need a yoda too!
         

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   Pcunixposted 13 years ago

   Happiness comes mostly from within.  The only external things that can bring true happiness are friends, family and your life partner.  Nothing else matters in that you can lose everything else and still be happy with those, but if you lose those things, nothing else will help.
   
   And yes, health is helpful. But even the lack of that can be overcome.

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   sandra rinckposted 13 years ago

   If god came down in a blaze of glory and spoke to me face to face and said, "go be happy", I would say... "word!"

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