Who is right about God and why do you say this: belief, reason, experience, othe

1. 68

   Storytellersrusposted 10 years ago

   Who is right about God and why do you say this: belief, reason, experience, other?
   
   How one lives one's life appears based on religious/spiritual dictates, yet even within the same system there are conflicting applications, even arguments that can lead to rationized killing, subversion, submission.  If there is One Beginning and many interpretations, how might each approach contribute toward creating One Unified Image?  Is there anything upon which all might agree? 
   
   For example, My (meaning your) grandchildren are the cutest?
   
   

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2. 39

   Josh Makaveliposted 10 years ago

   This is huge subject for humans on earth that who is God or if there is a God or where God is? There are several question running every persons mind but the thing is that God has been answering all this questions by Himself in His Holy Books and through His interpreters since the world is made.
   Secondly its not possible to let everyone agreed on a single point just like in your example that "Our grandchildren are the cutest". God has made evil and good and all of our lives vary between these two things, so some accept evil and some believe in good and it will keep on going this way.
   This is because God wants this to happen so He may reward at the judgement day.

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      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Holy books? I assume you mean the Koran, the Torah, the Book of Mormon, Gnostic gospels, Greek mythology..
      What about the Pastafarian gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster who offers salvation with an after-life of meat-sauce with garlic & parme

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3. 67

   Justin Earickposted 10 years ago

   If there is a creator-as-god whom is inherently good- why/how did he create evil? If god is the light then how can god not also be the darkness?  Did he not create both?
   How can a just god disregard his own creation?

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   1. 73

      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      God is above all dichotomy. He disregards nothing. Only those who use literal interpretation (misinterpretation) will see conflict and discord.

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      Snøwmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      God did not create evil. He created good. Evil is the manifestation of the absence of good. Just like how dark is the absence of light.

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   3. 67

      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Snowman - So you are saying the devil created evil? If that is so, then the devil is just as much our creator as god.

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   4. 57

      Snøwmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Why do you want to know the origin of evil?

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   5. 67

      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Because I am curious as to where believers think evil comes from. Either god created everything, including evil, and therefore god is both the darkness and light. Or god didn't create anything, which means intelligent design and salvation are absurd.

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   6. 57

      Snøwmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Here's the answer to why there is evil.
      We need to choose between good and evil. We need to know what good is. If everything was the same temperature, would we know what heat is?
      
      We can't choose to be good if that's the only choice we have.

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   7. 67

      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not arguing that point, in fact you are making mine for me.
      I didn't ask *why* there is evil - I am wondering how god can claim to be the embodiment of good if he is also the origination/creator of all the world's evil?
      either both or neither.

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4. 73

   lone77starposted 10 years ago

   Love is right. Always.
   
   If we are loving, then we are always right about everything. Forget logic. Logic is a limited tool of physical reality. Spirit transcends all logic, because it is the foundation upon which all logic is based.
   
   Everyone is partially right about God, even atheists. Atheists do not see God, so they don't believe He exists. For them, he does not, so they are right. Each viewpoint is a relative truth, but not absolute Truth. If we were perfectly, 100% right about God, we would be at-one-with God, as was Christ.
   
   Love is what binds everything together in the Bible. Even when King David had to wage war, he was guided by love. Sometimes, we have to do things in this world that are not in perfect alignment with our view of love, but they are the thing that love needs in that moment. Thus, David could not build the temple, because he was tainted by war and by blood. This is the same reason Moses could not enter the Promised Land. He is revered as an honored son of God, but was denied the earthly destination.
   
   When Christ asked his disciples to get money and buy swords, it was not because using a sword is a loving thing, but love required the hearts of the temple servants to be set against Christ so that he would be sacrificed. The disciple who cut the ear of the temple servant might well have died later by the sword as he had lived in this moment of love's need. But it served a greater purpose of love.
   
   If we remain humble, hungry for God's answers, loving to one another unconditionally, perfectly responsible for all that happens to us and fearlessly confident in God and His power, then we are always right, even if a scholar of logic finds something inconsistent. Righteousness is not measured by stones, but by spirit and by love.

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   1. 67

      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You sound like me ten years ago. Given quantum chromodynamics, the perceiver is able to effect that which is perceived. But how can people create heaven in their own minds once they are deceased?

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5. 71

   cebutouristspotposted 10 years ago

   I believe that their is a divine/supreme being that have help shape us into what we are now.
   
   There will always be conflict in religion as people who run/start religion want power and religion is a surest way to get it.
   
   For me I dont believe the things that religion feed/teach people.  As long as I live life as I want others to treat me and I can do the right things according to my values.  I am a happy person

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   1. 67

      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You're a good christian. Unfortunately, for good christians to exist, we also get the bad who would use their personal (or their pastor's) interpretation of scripture to justify homophobic bigotry, suppression of women & slut-shaming, Zionism...

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6. 57

   Snøwmanposted 10 years ago

   James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
   
   https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng
   Read this story about a boy who struggled to find the truth and eventually found it.

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7. 67

   Ceegenposted 10 years ago

   I believe that the bible is the Word of God in written form. I believe every word of it. (And by that, I mean the King James Version).
   
   Not because I want to, but because all my research, prayers and path have led me there. Because of that, I see no compromising with the truth, and no escape from death or sin except in Jesus Christ. So no, I can't agree simply to disagree. It's either God's way or the highway... (To hell).
   
   And no, you don't have to go to church. I find more hypocrites in a church than I do out on the street.

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   1. 67

      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You cannot possibly believe every word of the bible. Low hanging fruit - how can each of the four gospels have a different account of whom was present when it was discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty three days after his crucifixion?

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   2. 67

      Ceegenposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I do. Here you go:
      http://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2011/0 … mpty-tomb/
      Enjoy.

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   3. 67

      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      "Yes, I do" does not even attempt to answer the question, neither does the link.
      How can the bible be both the literal and infallible word of almighty god and also the fallible work of man (whom have all fallen short)?
      It cannot be both. Try again.

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   4. 57

      Snøwmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The bible originally was the word of God. Then parts of it God changed. Now it's mostly the word of God, with some parts missing and some parts that don't belong there.

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   5. 67

      Ceegenposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Meh, believe what you want. I don't see the contradictions you see. I see corroborating testimonies from different perspectives. That's the difference: Perspective.

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      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Believers are so precious. So now; 'perfect god made the perfect bible. then perfect god made imperfect changes, so now god's perfect bible is imperfect because of god.'
      Oh, and it's all still literally true...
      Really?

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      Snøwmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      God didn't make the changes, people did.

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      Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      So to recap, you admit that fallible men have changed the bible from what god intended, aaaand you believe every word of the bible to be literally true because it is "the word of god in written form"?
      These are opposing ideas, both cannot be true.

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   9. 57

      Snøwmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Much of the bible is symbolic and not literally true. Like the book of Revelation. There's no way all those weird beasts and stuff are literally true.
      
      Yes. people made a few changes to the bible, but most of it has remained unchanged.

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   10. 67

       Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       So before you said you believe every word is literal truth, now it's mostly symbolic.
       Problem being, too many folks think their (pastor's) personal interpretation is the literal word of god & use it as justification to suppress women and gay peop

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   11. 67

       Ceegenposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I'm not Snowman, I believe it's literal and perfect, not just some allegorical story. It's never been changed, and the findings of the Dead Sea Scrolls prove that. The Isaiah scroll by itself is sufficient evidence.

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   12. 67

       Justin Earickposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Not meant to be taken literally. Snakes & burning bushes don't talk. Virgins don't have kids. People can't be made from a rib, ascend to heaven, live inside of a big fish, or to 900 years old. And the earth is much much older than 6000 years old.

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   13. 67

       Ceegenposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       The snake was Satan. God is a consuming fire. There is only one virgin birth, and that was it. Never heard of cloning, and why not x3? It's probably closer to 5,984 years old, not quite 6k yet.

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