Who or what is God?

ScottTNT

What or who is God? cont'd

I may not be as versed as many of you in such topics as religion and Christianity and if i ever offend i promise i didn't mean to do so and i in turn promise never to be offended by you . However you may not find any of this offensive at all, and i just wasted a perfectly good sentence I'd love to share a bit more of my interpretation of God with you if you will have me.

Worshipping Jesus? or understanding and living by his teachings of God. True understanding of God leads to choiceless awareness of the righteous (right for you) path, without any inner doubt.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must beleive and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:5,6,7,8

-Thats my favorite one. If you can ask without inner doubt with faith, it will come about. Think about that one a second. It works all the time! In your mind you are constantly asking for something and you always have a beleif of some sort no matter what it is based on.. and tada (the current life you have). God delivers unconditionally. The creator of all things

Jesus Christ was a real person. yes? He lived a pure life by following the path of God (life, force, energy). Times were really rough back then in biblical times, war torn with extreme poverty, corruption... Quite brutal in comparison to modern times (yes.. it has gotten better since then).

People were so incredibly far from themselves and miserable.. Their attitudes very cut-throat. dog eat dog. The world desperately needed to change as it was terribly unbalanced. Wouldn't you agree?

So fortunately for us Jesus was born. (and amazingly three wise men used the stars to predict the coming of him and awaited his birth with gifts in hand!)
Sure enough those wise men were pretty spot on He arrived with this incredible awareness and connection with God, or i like to say life. And he knew the secrets through his connection; oneness with God.. Things just aren't supposed to be this way in the world. Where is the love? Why suffer needlessly when you can be happy, fulfilled.. have the life of your dreams. You can love yourself and those around you unconditionally. You can beleive in yourself, and beleive that life is so inately good... Everything can and will come about for you.

Here is where i think some interpretations may have gone astray.....

For instance where do the flames of hell come into it? Telling small children that if they don't go to church that they will burn in the flames of hell for all eternity? That would be some extremely painful negative imagery would it not? Remember back when you were small (if you can remember) being introduced to that idea for the first time. How would living in fear affect your self expression, your creativity your ability to express the will of God? What sort of place do you see the world as then? Where God is almighty and the creator of life, The ultimate in forgiving and infinite kindness, yet make one false move and your damned for all eternity. Or have sex before marriage and you are damned to hell? Is this the same Person/Force? It doesn't add up.

The creator of all things. The Force that goes into action to create.. whether it be the universe, the earth, an apple, the ability to self heal, for your heart to beat, for the formation of newborn babies, Love.. Isn't that God?
I just don't think that God is that judgmental figure sorting you out in heaven or hell, heaven or hell. We are born of free will the choice to be in heaven is made by us now. The choice to be in hell is made now as well.

If one thinks that they cannot possibly choose the right path without a strict code or rule book, dictated by people without connecting with God (life) for guidance.. that in itself would show a lack of trust in yourself, therefore a lack of faith, in life; in God. am i wrong?


Goodness is inate is it not? Break down the ideals given by parents, teachers, fears instilled by society, schoolyard insecurities, thoughts of lack, of inferiority, and what do you have left? You and your beautiful expression of God, as you were created.

I mean think of when you were a small child... when you first heard about war. Didn't you ask questions? whats that all about. why do people fight each other? I don't get it? I remember being very confused by it all. Truly this can't be the world and all there is to life. But thankfully it isn't. God, Life, The Energy, The Force (for you Jedi Knights) is on our side.. and the choice is ours every second of every day.


I'll write some more later, but for now thanks for listening

roosh

Puck wrote: »

It was a question posted on the Christianity board.

Indeed, but the fact remains unchanged.

roosh

Apologies, I wanted to reply [again] to a previous post.

chozometroid wrote: »

That sounds nice and all, but so do the words of Satan. Don't mean to offend, but spiritualism is exactly what Satan would like people to believe. We are marvelous creatures who should not be limited by rules

I would question the idea that spirituality suggests that we be not limited by rules.

But with regard to the questioning of the notion that we are not all marvelous creatures. Would it be possible that God could create something that was not marvelous? Surely everything that comes from God is marvellous, otherwise either his ability or his intention would be cast in doubt.

Perhaps, there is confusion as to who we really are, that who we think we are, is not who/what God created.

chozometroid wrote: »

god is everything/everything is god[/god]

If God is to be omniscient and omnipotent, then God must be everything, and everything must be God. Surely to doubt this would again to be to doubt the magnitude of the creator of everything.

Perhaps the confusion arises again at the idea of what everything is. What we see with our eyes is not reality, but an illusion that we take to be reality. So when God is taken to be everything, it is not the illusion that the eyes see, bacause that is the sin [missing the mark] of mankind.

We must all be one if we are to be truly equal, otherwise one must believe that God could, or would create beings that are unequal to each other, some better and some worse. Surely all that God would create would be the best it possibly could be, and therefore equal. To doubt this would again to question the ability or the intention of God.

chozometroid wrote: »

we can gain knowledge and ascend to higher levels of being (on our own), etc.
Any spirit "realm" that is without Jesus Christ the Son of God is one consisting solely of demons.

Spirituality does not teach that we can ascend to higher levels of being on our own, what it teaches is that if we follow a path, then we can realise our true nature, which is of course the creations of God.

Christianity also teaches that we must follow a path, to find our way to heaven. We are told that we must walk this path ourselves, because it doesn't make sense if someone else could do it for us.

Both teach the same thing, but with different words, to attemtp to describe that which is beyond words.


Does it not sound more like the words of satan to try and convince God's creation that he is anything less than perfect. Does it not sound more like the words of Satan, to suggest that God has abandoned his creations in this life, and that the only way to be redeemed is for the death of God's creation.

How can God's creation die if it is eternal? If our spirit is with us now, then is it not reasonable to think that the almighty has given us a means of connecting with our true, eternal selves, in this life?

Of course Christ will be there in any "spirit realm", but to suggest that God would forsake any of his creations, for any reason whatsoever, sounds more like the words of satan, than anyhting else.

Puck

mangaroosh wrote: »

Indeed, but the fact remains unchanged.

Yes, the fact that you posted "Who or what is God?" on the forum of boards.ie's Christian community. If you were not specifically interested in the Christian response then why post the question on the Christianity board?

chozometroid

mangaroosh wrote: »

I would question the idea that spirituality suggests that we be not limited by rules.

First of all, I was talking about "spiritualism" not spirituality. Completely different. Spiritualism is too broad to say it has any rules, so therefore there are none. Talking with "the dead" is their main source of knowledge, so any real "doctrine" they do have is from the mouths of demons.

But with regard to the questioning of the notion that we are not all marvelous creatures. Would it be possible that God could create something that was not marvelous? Surely everything that comes from God is marvellous, otherwise either his ability or his intention would be cast in doubt.

I never said we weren't marvelous, but meant that "self" is the driving force, as usual. They gain knowledge throught spirits, not the Word of God.

If God is to be omniscient and omnipotent, then God must be everything, and everything must be God. Surely to doubt this would again to be to doubt the magnitude of the creator of everything.

I don't see how you come to that conclusion. I would rather say that everything is from God, as He is the Creator.

Spirituality does not teach that we can ascend to higher levels of being on our own, what it teaches is that if we follow a path, then we can realise our true nature, which is of course the creations of God.

Ok, you can't ascend on your own, but you can if you follow the path the spirits tell you to follow.

Christianity also teaches that we must follow a path, to find our way to heaven. We are told that we must walk this path ourselves, because it doesn't make sense if someone else could do it for us.

I walk my path with the Holy Spirit, so it's not on my own at all.

Does it not sound more like the words of satan to try and convince God's creation that he is anything less than perfect.

No.

Does it not sound more like the words of Satan, to suggest that God has abandoned his creations in this life, and that the only way to be redeemed is for the death of God's creation.

It doesn't sound like the Word of God, but I'm not sure what your point is. I never said otherwise.

How can God's creation die if it is eternal? If our spirit is with us now, then is it not reasonable to think that the almighty has given us a means of connecting with our true, eternal selves, in this life?

We are not eternal. God gives us the breath of life, and He takes it away. If He chooses to raise us from the grave and give us new incorruptible bodies, then we will be eternal.

Of course Christ will be there in any "spirit realm", but to suggest that God would forsake any of his creations, for any reason whatsoever, sounds more like the words of satan, than anyhting else.

What are you referring to?

Slav

hivizman wrote: »

Most of the verses where Jesus himself uses the expression are in John's Gospel - in the other gospels, it is usually others who describe Jesus as "Son of God". Most notably, in the trial of Jesus (Matthew 26:63-64, Mark 14:61-62, Luke 22:70), the High Priest challenges Jesus as to whether he is "the Messiah, the Son of God", and Jesus replies (according to Matthew and Luke) "You say that I am". This enigmatic statement can be read as agreement or denial. Mark, however, uses a slightly different wording for the question: "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" [ο χριστος ο υιος του ευλογητου], to which Jesus replies "I am".

It is a standard argument of Muslim apologists that Jesus nowhere categorically says that he is the Son of God, but we have to remember that, to contemporary Jews, the expression would probably have been understood simply as a synonym for the Messiah (see Psalm 2), or as referring to a relationship akin to that between God and David (see II Samuel 7:14, where God, speaking through Nathan the Prophet, says of David: "I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me").

I think calling oneself a son of God was not a good enough reason for a death penalty. Therefore it is likely that Jesus used that night either tetragrammaton or the exact Exodus 3:14 wording instead of simple "I am".

Otherwise I don't know how to explain the reaction of the high priest (tearing his clothes is not something he did regularly I guess) and equally those who arrested Him. I cannot imagine policemen who come to arrest a certain John Doe, asked him "are you Mr Doe?" and hearing his reply "I am, how can I help you?" they went backward, and fell to the ground.

It must be something they considered to be extremely blasphemous. Answering "I AM WHO I AM" or especially "YHWH" to the question "Are you the Son of God" would fit perfectly well into that in the eyes of Jews.