The Idea of God.

by Blueblades 25 Replies latest jw friends

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  Blueblades

  The idea of God is either a fact,like sand,or a fantasy,like Santa.

  The idea of God has guided or deluded more lives,changed more history,inspired more music and poetry and philosophy than anything else,real or imagined.It has made more of a difference to human life on this planet,both individually and collectively,than anything else ever has.

  To see this clearly for yourself,just try this thought experiment:

  Suppose no one in history had ever conceived the idea of God.Now,rewrite history following that premise.The task daunts and staggers the imagination

  .From the earliest human remains----- religious funeral artifacts-----to the most recent wars in the mideast,religion----belief in a God or gods----has been the mainspring of the whole watch that is human history.

  If the idea of God is a fantasy,a human invention,it is the greatest invention of all human history.

  There are only two possibilities,"To be or not to be",that is the question.

  Blueblades
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  Freddy Krueger

  Or, if you take Santa and move the "N" to the end you get Satan.

  What does that have to do with anything? Nothing. Because according to your question. There is no concept of Satan or God and we are now going to try and rewrite a history or make one up based on the fact that God was never written about or created on paper or anywhere else in history.

  So where do I start? I don't. Except to say, I guess the first question that started this whole thing in the first place:

  "Where did I come from?"

  Now we go back in time and we kill this guy and tell him to keep it to himself because of the mass confusion and the books that will be written and the wars and killings because of this being that is going to come into our conciousness now, because of this age old question.

  Or..... God steps in at this point and speaks for himself. Now there's the answer. No more guessing. No more questions? No more wondering is this piece of parchment inspired or not. The big man(or woman, or sheep, or blob, etc...) speaks for himself (herself/sheepself/blobself.etc.).

  How's that for an answer.

  -Freddy
  
  
  
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  Blueblades

  If the idea of God is a human invention,then it is the greatest invention of all human history.

  Measure it against all other inventions,mental or physical.

  Put on one side of the scale the control of fire,the domestications of animals,and the cultivation of wheat;the wheel,the ship,and the rocket ship;baseball,the symphony or orchestra,and anesthectics-----and a million other great and wonderful things.

  Then put on the other side of the scale a single idea:The idea of a being that is actual,absolute,perfect,eternal,one,and personal;all knowing,all loving,all just,all merciful,and all powerful;undying,impervious,unbribeable,uncompromising,and unchangeable;a cosmic creator,designer,redeemer,and provider;cosmic artist,musician,scientist,and sage;the infinite abyss of pure Being who is yet a person,a self,an "I".

  It is disputable whether such a being is a fact or a fantasy,but it is indisputable that if it is a fantasy,it is by far the greatest fantasy in history.If it is humanity's invention,it is humanity's masterpiece.

  ( from the book,does god exist? )

  Blueblades

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  Blueblades

  Freddy,if God or creator would give some kind of evidence of his existence,like, "Look it's ME!" Go on with your life and I'll see and talk with you later".I'll answer all your question when you depart from your physical body and join me in the spirit body".That would put a stop to this guessing about the idea of God.

  Not,read a book and try to figure me out in less than 80 years!

  Blueblades
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  Freddy Krueger

  No dispute there. An invention (if God is invented) that we take on faith, and that is so real to so many. Our own currency, The american dollar says "In God we trust" even if you don't. You go to court and you have to swear on a bible. Even if you don't believe in it. So, this God belief is the greatest invention (again - if it is invented) the universe has ever known.

  In agreement with you Blue.

  -Freddy
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  El blanko

  "If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank." - Woody Allen

  ... and I think Woody is onto something there. Most people would want that sort of material acknowledgement that God actually exists.

  The only way I "recently" re-discovered faith in God, was to "question the existence of a spirit world" and head off in that direction intellectually. Once I had firmed up my faith in invisible entities, the closer I got to a belief in God again.

  Years ago I used to argue using "intelligent design", but upon close inspection, it was simply because that was what I had been lead to believe by my peers and held as much ground within me, as say cross-species evolution.

  To me from an early age, without introduction, I had looked beyond society for answers and felt in an "innate" sense, that there was a greater reality than that being presented by my secular family upbringing.

  I now listen to my "gut instincts" and use that as a partial guide towards my understanding of my relative position within the universe.
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  Siddhashunyata

  The idea of God is a result of the ability to "think" to "conceptualize". That process itself (thinking ) is the problem. If stopped , it cannot interfere with the perception of "what is". The perception of "what is" leads to an experience beyond expression because "what is" is infinite and absolute (and it is you). This experience has been "high jacked" by the "conceptualizers" and "bastardize-rs" into the plethora of ideas on which we are presently "choking".

  Two puzzlements that can help one "conceptualize" why evidence of God can never exist are St Francis " What you are looking for is what is looking" and Allen Watts " Can the eye see itself? "
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  SYN

  God is very much a product of our mammalian psychology.

  He's just the Ultimate Alpha Male.

  'tis no surprise "He" is depicted as male.

  You don't need to do any complicated analysis to see that.

  Remember, the God of the dolphins has flippers...
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  Sentinel

  To me, the creator of the universe cannot be labeled so simply. The more we seek, the more we realize and come to learn about this source; we then come to understand that we are away from our home right now. When this happens, it's like all the melodies we love are playing and the song is complete. We can live in the moment of now, without fear of tomorrow. We can be happy and joyful.

  It brings me comfort to realize that by living my life the best I can, showing love and compassion, I will eventually return back to that place I feel so connected to, but cannot quite grasp in this form. They call it the journey of the Soul.

  /<
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  fearnotruth22

  God is not an idea but a conclusion Ancient humans did not say "Hey I have an idea, lets invent a god."No, people concluded in God as an answer to questions or solution to problems, that is if you dont take the Bible into consideration wherein God communicated with individuals proving his exsitence.

  But in my opinion, the human mmind of a sane person will come up on ist own with the idea of God as you say, even without any influnece.