Something I've noticed here in the forum is that there would appear to be as many flavours of God as there are believers. I won't mention any names, but I've noticed that inclusive, welcoming people have an inclusive God who loves everyone; people who like the idea of judgment and punishment have a judgmental God; people who tend towards mysticism have a cosmic God; people who like regimentation and ritual find their God in a church or mosque; while the individualists find that they have a private relationship with their exclusive personal God.
To me, this strongly suggests that man creates God in his own image, and not the other way around.
hahaha its more of a figure of speach than anything else. God is the Light with no beginning and no end and we all come from him , all are his form.
We all manifest from this light.
Jesus lied! He said he was "Alpha and Omega"!
But Mohit - you are enlightened and God is the Light - That further supports my case!
Good job! One believer down who's next?
In fact, Mohit's view isn't so far removed from my own. We are both in awe of the cosmos. It's just that he sees the cosmos as God and I see it as the cosmos.
That's intense! If you could just knock God out of the equation you two would be harmony and you could unite and take on Israel. That's not easy either!
We are in harmony , we have different opinions but don't fight over them.
I guess I'll never learn! Sorry for my ignorance it's all I have.
I do have some intelligence hope you figure that out
God is within you as well Paraglider and so your image is also god for me.
I see divinity in you so often.
Could it be that God is all of the above and so are we?
We are certainly all of the above, and more. I'm not sure that says anything about God though.
Probably not but I cannot explain faith either. To have faith in anything is making an area in your mind where hope and possibility can exist. That is not to say that whatever you have faith in will happen merely because you are open to it happening. But when it does it can make you think that something helped in its' fruition.
Some people place God in that mix to make it feel like there is somebody listening and may possibly grant your request. Some even think you can petition God this way. Regardless of what you think about faith it is given and when it goes horribly wrong is when it is given with an expectation of reward.
You are ABSOLUTELY right. All gods are made in man's image, EXCEPT, ...well..THE ONE God.
By now you know Who I mean.
Remember the 1st commandment. (preempting idols/idolatory!)
Jesus called them "impostors".
I suspect you are talking about the 'Immortal, invisible God only wise /in light inaccessible hid from our eyes', as the old hymn goes.
But why are there so many different versions even of that one?
Wow...that is "spot-on" accurate thinking, Paraglider...That's a pretty wise think to say. I'm going to ponder that thought for awhile myself...no kidding or sarcasm intended. That is a very perceptive thing that you said (wrote).
You know, I thought that might be the case! I've got to get off the religious koolaid!
And we must all have come across strong patriots whose God is nationalistic? - I think I have a cast-iron case building here
sometimes people really do say silly things, i am sure it is just to upset, but why do it.... why not stop provoking people who just happily want to have their own religion, and be happy with it...... some happy without it fair enough...
Nothing silly about it, Brenda. I think very few people acknowledge a God that strongly disagrees with their own views. At the very least, will you agree that believers tend to mold their perception of God to something they are comfortable with?
You are correct to a good extent.By worshiping a particular image you will see that image as divinity but then one needs to go beyond to the formless god.
"Worship me in spirit" Jesus
Listen to what he's saying! Para-dude you still have some work to do.
No problem. I'm not trying to shoot anyone down, least of all old friends and fellow poets. But as a Rationalist, my role is to propose theories to see if they stand up to critical analysis. So far, this one is doing quite well.
And taking on Israel is for another forum
I'll say! I thought a rationalist was someone who passed out food, oh well, I guess I'll stick to digging ditches.
No, no - that's a Saviour - remember the loaves and fishes?
You've put this and your hypothesis very eloquently! What you've said takes me back to my psychodyanmic training - It seems to be a simple case of the psyhological defence mechanism of projection. It's so easy to project onto God either parts of ourselves that we love or parts that we hate because our view of him/her is an image formed in the mind - our fallible mind.
That's not to say that that is all god is neccessarily, but it's very easy for many people to "put on" god what they want to put on him/her and not look beyond their own thoughts.
That's way too many psycho's for me! Let's can God and be done with it!
Susana - first, thanks for the 'professional appreciation' I think the question of projection is important because the downside of religion is that wars are fought over it, with God firmly seconded to both sides.
I wouldn't say it's a professional appreciation, lol. Just what sprang to mind as I read your post. It got me thinking and I appreciate that You've brought to light a very important point regarding how people see god and how their belief is formed and sustained. "Thinking beyond our thoughts" is a useful way to proceed through life in my view. Question Everything!
'Thinking beyond our thoughts' is good. Most children will question everything. The worst thing we can do to them is give them all the answers.
So the next time my son asks me if I'm gay I should just say, "Guess?"
hey they are trying to have serious debate
I know but I'm sick as a dog and when I lay down I just start coughing! Man, I feel lousey!
You know they say a picture is worth a thousand words, try saying that with a picture please.
Otherwise I won't know if it's what I really believe or just something someone told me to believe. I've been asking myself the question "Are we our beliefs?" for a long while. When we question our beliefs and find they do not hold up the process of them crashing down can be extremely painful, but once we've got past that point, there is the option to create something new and more congruent with who we really are.
You tell me - is that your belief? If so i have no difficulty accepting that. I don't go in for righteousness myself - it's too close to self righteous. I like to put my efforts into other things.
Ok, living a good life with a kind heart isn't enough?
I think it's good enough for lots of people because that's what they do. I was just born with a very intense desire to really understand myself and others and this universe we live in. To do that I need to question. But that's just my path not everyone's.
It looks like you're not done with mohit. He's back and I still detect some God there.
well not in my case no. I think sometimes people look for a religion that suits them and they don't want to change. I have stuck by my religion because i believe it to be the truth, but i do not find it easy...... i don't think i would have been a person looking for religion if i was not brought up in it. I see the values of having a religion, now and for the future, but it does not always suit me, i make sacrifices, a lot of them if the truth be known, because i believe my religion is right......
That's absolutely fine if it works for you. I am interested in getting to the bottom of things - lifetime learning, if you like - which is why I value theories and questions above faith and answers. I know my way is not for everyone either.
I agree with ya Bren ,and Ive come to the conclusion that if people suggest anything close to 'getting along' peacefully ,its like waving a red flag to a bull.
And yet, you'll see that we've been having a very pleasant discussion here, with a nice admixture of philosophy and humour, and not even one unpleasant posting. So it would appear that the topic was worth raising.
Yes! As far as it goes. Until someone pops in copying and pasting Bible quotes
Just copy n paste back from your own book, and we will change the Religious Forum to the copy n paste room
Is that the kind of paste you can eat?
The bottom line Para is that many believers ,true believers do not post here ,sure they read , but resist speaking where the waters are usually choppy and turbulent.
Some Christians for example would love to discuss ,not debate Christ or scripture without the constant ridicule and critism.
Its immature and repetitive in my opinion.
For goodness sake ,everyone just quit being so controlling and let people believe exactly what they want without smart arse blah blah....
I have never heard so many stereotypes so openly endorsed on here.
Yes I beleive In God , but in your mind ,dont put me in a box ,for you wont get to know me that way. Let me be free of labels.
And I will do my best to do the same for you
There is no ridicule or attempted control in my original post. And of course people can believe whatever they like.
I see plenty of evidence that people believe in a God that suits their personality, and little evidence of people believing in a God they find disagreeable.
This is a perfectly valid area for discussion and does not need your censorship {"quit being so controlling and let people believe exactly what they want without smart arse blah blah...."}
Definitely worth raising and discussing in a civilised way. So what do you think paraglider - are we our beliefs? Do humans need belief as a basis for life? I know some of the worst times in my life were when i felt like i couldn't believe in anything, which in itself was a belief!
Personally, I prefer to do without beliefs, as far as possible. In particular, I try to avoid accepting answers that prematurely stop a line of inquiry. An obvious example would be the Genesis creation story. To accept that as an answer to the question of origin simply does away with archaeology, geology, cosmology, etc. I'd say, where you can't know, you should not pretend you can, but you should keep trying.
I'm on the same page. My belief in the creation story fell down when I was about 7 years old, with the rest of the bible stories following suit very quickly.
I guess I've jumped on the link between how our beliefs (in any area) affect what we think the truth is, and in relation to your hypothesis how this affects how people see god.
It also helps to be aware of the distinction between belief and knowledge, and in the case of beliefs, to be able to mentally assign them probabilities, rather than insisting they are absolute truths. From this, comes a degree of humility and a great deal of tolerance.
Religionist:optimistic and opportunistic
Atheist: Pessimistic and sees the difficulty in their every opportunistic argument to persuade
And the twain shall never meet.
For the record, I've never equated atheism with rationalism (which is the analytical wing of agnosticism).
Paraglider,
YOu have put it very nicely.
I will only change your last line that only an earnest seeker who grows beyond all these "limited" limitations of God, knows what God truly is.
Was I on holiday when Gods photo hit the Daily Newspapers, can someone post me a link plz !
Hi Paraglider,
I am glad that I bumped on you. Had the pleasure of reading your profile and a couple of posts. So, a philosopher cum wanderer!
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says there are 2 types of seekers "the bahutak" and the "kutichak". Bahutak wanders here and there to find answers and when he exhausts his wander thirst, he becomes a kutichak - one who sits at one place to contemplate and seek the truth within himself.
By the way, have you heard of Ramana Maharishi? I think, he is the best person for your temparament. Find out!
I've not come across Ramana Maharishi, but I'm sure he's findable on Google. I'll take a look.
As to traveling, I expect to go home in a few more years. But whether I'll be ready to stay there is another open question!
Local Evidence here on HubPages that Man created God in his own Image
Oh! So that's why God made lots of errors ! He's human after all !
If that happens just tell them, "If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around."
I've got plenty of bible quotes, but they are not at all popular!
I believe you quoted me out of context Para
For goodness sake ,everyone just quit being so controlling and let people believe exactly what they want without smart arse blah blah....
'everyone'
OK. I'll just quote the smile this time.
Seriously though - this is a discussion forum. I posted a rationalist topic, and we're discussing it. All's well.
Over the years I've found that my version of god has changed radically, from christian, to not a chance, to a buddhist version, then a pagan version of ritual, and now a kind of amalgum of everything, I expect that this will change again, and again as I gain experience and insight.
If I know anthing at all its that the journey is fun, and painful, enlightening and stupid all at the same time.
I guess thats just the way life is:)
So true! You're more enlightened that many of the 'christian believers ' in this forum. Searching is knowledge. Being on a standstill, ignorance
He is an evolved soul , just read some of his posts and you will see this man does have knowledge and is humble enough to say he is seeking even more
That's not being humble. It's being real.For me 'humble 'is a bad word. I found out during my life ,that people so called'humble' are very proud indeed . Of their humility
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/humble
hum⋅ble
/ˈhʌmbəl, ˈʌm-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [huhm-buhl, uhm-] e
–adjective
1. not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful.
2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.: In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.
3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly: of humble origin; a humble home.
4. courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.
5. low in height, level, etc.; small in size: a humble member of the galaxy.
–verb (used with object)
6. to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.
7. to destroy the independence, power, or will of.
8. to make meek: to humble one's heart.
So? Everybody likes to be called 'humble'. you said so of denis as a praise. liking to be called 'humble' is pride. I hope nobody calls me that, even I'm a very proud person
He is courteously respectful and I do like reading what he writes.
At the same time you always say you respect my views which shows humbleness on your side as well, sorry for calling you humble
Truth is begun on the path of adversity, it begins with birth I reckon as that is some fight to behold.
He is courteously respectful and I do like reading what he writes.
That doesn't mean he's humble. It mean's he's O.K.
We should ask him if he thinks he's humble I think he's not, and that, for me, is a praise
@ mohit
respecting you is not humbleness.It's accepting you as you are. I can accept you as you are, because I'm very sure and proud of myself
For me, humble is the Uriah Heep end of the scale. The other end extreme arrogance. Neither pole is attractive!
A person with a live and let live attitude is humble according to me
Can't agree with the OP because it can easily be taken more than one way - wouldn't God manifest to everyone in the way they understand and can accept the best? When God reveals "him"self to someone, that person can't even think about it, there are no concepts or words to cover God so eventually one has to find a way to refer, even in one's own mind, to what happened and what is.
That IS making God in one's own image in a way but that doesn't change what God is in the first place.
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