by nicolaou 109 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
The thing is every christian (and muslim and Jew) is convinced that god thinks the way they do.
Well, here is one who is not so convinced.
I do my best (or try to). But that doesn't mean that I've got it right, or that God thinks the way I do. I'm sure I make mistakes in what I think about God.
Peace,
Tammy
Please have a read at the paper, you might want to recommend it to other christians who are sure god whisers quietly in their ear?
That is a very interesting study I must say.
The results are NOT that surprising at all.
Even more so considering the demographics.
I read it. Not surprised by the results, either. Many people do tend to look for the proof that affirms what they want to believe, and so mold God into their own image. Not the true God, who we can see through Christ and Spirit. But their version of God, yes. Plus, a lot of people listen to what they're told about God too, according to the religion they join... and many people do also seek out others who believe as they do. Affirmation and all. (Atheists tend to do the same, from what I've seen)
Its the same old same old though. "God is on our side. We're the only ones who know God. We think like God thinks, and we know we're not wrong. God wants us to kill all of you heathens (because we want to kill and fight and be the best and most righteous, shhh!)"
I don't really know how to respond though, Cofty. I don't think I know much of anything. I just love and want to follow Christ, and do my best to do what I think He wants, even though I know I'll stumble and make mistakes all the way.
Peace,
Tammy
I found it to be very compelling.
Here is an exract from the conclusion based on a number of MRI experiments...
neuroimaging evidence demonstrated that reasoning about God’s beliefs tends to activate the same regions that are active when reasoning about one’s own beliefs (indeed, statistically indistinguishable in the whole-brain analysis), whereas reasoning about the average American’s beliefs activates relatively distinct regions associated with reasoning about other people.
We believe these findings provide important insights into the origins and variability of religious beliefs and have interesting implications for their impact on everyday judgment, decisionmaking, and behavior. First, these data join a growing body of literature demonstrating that religious beliefs are guided by the same basic or natural mechanisms that guide social cognition more generally.
Religious beliefs need not be explained by any unique psychological mechanisms, but instead are likely to be the natural outcome of existing mechanisms that enable people to reason about other social agents more generally.
It makes since that we believe that we are right about our belief in God and what God "thinks", because those believes HAD to coem from somewhere right?
And if we are brought up believing that GOD believes killing is wrong then when we "hear God" telling is the it is wrong, we believe it to be God.
Now, did those beliefs "create" our perception of God? well if they did, where did those beliefs come from?
Correlational, experimental, and neuroimaging methodologies
all suggest that religious believers are particularly likely to use
their own beliefs as a guide when reasoning about God’s beliefs
compared to when reasoning about other people’s beliefs.
People’s estimates of God’s beliefs were more strongly correlated
with their own beliefs than were their estimates of a broad
range of other people’s beliefs (Studies 1–4). Manipulating
people’s own beliefs similarly affected their estimates of
God’s beliefs more than it affected estimates of other people’s
beliefs (Studies 5 and 6), demonstrating that estimates of
God’s beliefs are causally influenced at least in part by one’s own
beliefs. Finally, neuroimaging evidence demonstrated that reasoning
about God’s beliefs tends to activate the same regions that
are active when reasoning about one’s own beliefs..
Well, yeah, since Our Beliefs in God come from US and what we are taught that God is like and what God believes, if we grow up with that belief and agree with it, then OUR perception of God and what God wants will mirror our own.
Of course there is just on hiccup with all that, when one Hears the Voice of Our Lord, more often than not, it is telling us soemthing we don't want to hear !
From the current News: Tornadoes hit Bible Belt Joplin, Mo..
Why would an all powerful Christian God allow a town full of Born Againers to be killed by his creation.
God does not micromanage creation though he can intervene in it when He wants to. It says He makes the rain fall on the righteous and the wicked. Unbelievers benefit from the goodness and providence of God and believers are not immune to things that are a consequence of the Fall or a non-deterministic, free will universe. Natural disasters, drunk drivers, etc. can affect believer or unbeliever. Both can be raped and murdered. For this to not be possible, God would have to negate free will or make it such that there are no consequences for our actions (anyone about to commit suicide would have an angel or invisible hand stop them, etc.). Theodicy (problem of evil) must factor in the sovereignty of God, free will, etc. Just because God is omnipotent does not mean that He must act all of the time. Justice will happen in the end. We are not immune to circumstances, but He promises to be with us. Even if death, believers have a great hope of future resurrection. Apart from God, there is no meaning to anything and we are all like dogs going to dust. It is a wrong view to think that the universe is deterministic with God being omnicausal instead of macro vs micromanaging. It is also a wrong view to think that God is deist and aloof. Many stories of the hand of God have come out of 911 New York, etc. We do not know why some are spared and others are not. We do know that God is impartial and does not always allow things to happen that we deserve (believers don't deserve disaster and unbelievers don't deserve to be spared if it is based on goodness or being God's child, etc.). A dead believer has hope in eternity, so I would want to see an unbeliever spared for another day to get right with God.
God is sovereign. We don't understand His wisdom and ways, but in the end, we can know He will be just, fair, reward/punish according to truth/righteousness.
All you are doing is showing you do not know Him, trust His character and attributes, etc. (pride, arrogance, rebellion). Someday you will see with a bigger perspective and your mouth will be shut as you see all the factors and why things are the way they are.
Apart from God, there is no meaning to anything and we are all like dogs going to dust.
Well it's only 4:45am here in the UK but I doubt I'll read anything dumber on the forum today . . .
The statement could be qualified. Obviously even atheists can enjoy the life and creation given by God. They just don't give Him glory for it. In light of eternity, what does it prosper a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul (Jesus). The wisest man, Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, had it all. His conclusion was that life under the sun is meaningless and vanity and that we should remember our Creator, the only true source of significance and meaning from an eternal vs temporal perspective. Better?
