GOD, Who Is He and Why?

by RevFrank 27 Replies latest watchtower bible

RevFrank

Not so sure on that one ZEN. Even the word eternity had it's beginning....
Lilycurly........I've heard about,it, also. As for joking, you do make a valid arguement, but it's interesting in today's society, especially the, "Political Correctness," and don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. What universe did those people came from who came up with that? Must of come from a fantasy universe. Many, including Scholars, are trying to explain that Truth is relative and right or wrong is someone's point of view. I saw, "Star Wars," too. Basically that's a New Age teachings.
Now back to the, "IT," issue. There are a few new age bibles out there and the new NIV, I hear, are genderless. And I, also hear, there's a gay female on the NIV translation commette.
According to Walter Martin, not too far off from his death, he supported the NASB, new american standard bible, even though he loved the KJV, king james version.
As I said before...IT..sounds right on who's who in the name of God..wish I can recall it too. I'm more interested in truth on proper translations, then in a paraphrase on what someone else said that what the bible said. Watchtower taught me that. And when the watchtower tolds me that the most accurate bible on earth was the, " new world translation of the holy scriptures." It took me awhile to stop laughing. At that point that started me on my journey on theological research.
PEACE
RevFrank

And to add another thought....I thought Jos Smith,Mormon, said that the book of mormon was the most accurate book in the world too...
Terry

Hint: when you cannot define something; it isn't really there.

When you swallow a premise whole and proceed to build on it as a presupposition you will not be too surprised to find it there waiting for you at the long chain of your reasoning.
In other words, you never question the need for there to BE something/someone as a person(ality) who pre-exists, who thinks, acts and is in charge. No, you simply start out BANG! (Not the Big Bang, either).
How did you get to the point where your Occam's Razor produced that God in the first place?
Isn't it always by the emotional need for someone to make greater than yourself who is OTHER?
And if this other isn't anything more than LIFE, as you say, how again did you define "life"?
Pantheism is not a new idea, you realise.
But then, neither is the need to explain something that is wholly unnecessary in terms of personification. Mother nature and Gaia are right up there on that list too.
This is just another variant of mysticism. Sigh.
T.
BrendaCloutier

In my conclusion in my search for "God" I finally found a definition that suits me: She He It They. S.H.I.T. That's a joke, but not really.
I believe there is a "God" but this god is not a diety and not desirus nor cognizant of adulation praise worship etc. And this god-entity is not capable of answering our prayers. I believe there are other beings assigned to the universes care and yet another layer of beings that work with humans and other intelligent lifeforms.
I like what Zen Nudist said about God and Universe. I have some similar feelings. I am the central being in my universe.Yet I am connected to every other "thing" in the universes and the universes themselves. Everything I do has an effect on the universes. Sometimes small, sometimes large. Oh yes, I believe in multiple universes.
I belive in Buddha, in Jesus, and a number of other previously human divinities, inlcuding Tane', Ku', Pele. (I owe Pele obesance next time in in Hawaii).
Oh yes, don't forget our Mum - Gaia! She is definitly a major force we are unable to recon with. She has little or no conscience, and yet is an incredibly powerful being! This living planet we inhabit.
Jehovah? A faeire tale created by men to control the masses.
zen nudist

I came this [holding index and thumb less than an inch apart] close to being an atheist, however one main issue kept haunting me... what is consciousness and how does it happen? it makes no sense in terms of brain elements or computer analogies. there seems no possible way that a unified experience of a world or even virtual world can come about in any module or complex of modules which are essentially passing around discrete bits of data either in series or parallel or both... and there seems no way to get any machine no matter how complex to experience pain or pleasure of its own which is the one main thing I find that seperates us as players of the game rather than any of the pieces on the game or the board.... we experience pain and pleasure and care about its effects on us now and in the future which is where all meaning arises... machines simply dont care because win or lose there is no essential difference to them that they can notice or care about.
mysticism, religion, god[s] and devils are all aspects of the magic of consciousness which find no explanation in anything one is conscious of and I find that is because we are the dreamers of this reality and nothing we dream can be pointed to as being more than representative of a dreamer... we dont share anything other than dream elements and/or symbols, data...not the readers of that data. you point to me you see a symbol in your own mind of me, not the me who is likewise seeing your image/symbol.
our words are triggers of hopefully shared experiences which only have meaning because someone existed to experience something.
RevFrank

Ok Terry.....you really can't define electricity so it doesn't exist. You can't see, hear,taste oxygen so that's out too. Yet we all see the results. Same as faith....either you have it or you don't. Thre's no middle road on that.
Never said Occams Razar created God. What I said is basically the simplest answer could be the right one. Never said pantheism was new. I think the ancient druids who practiced it also said that Gaia was in there too. As for mysticism the druids taught it well.
Now I can recall.........Stalin said that, "religion is the opium of the masses." You sure Brenda you want to stand behind that?
As for gaia, I'm familiar with her....(Greek mythology) goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology. As for the greeks...they finally came to realize she was only a myth as in evolution.
The one main reason why man refuses to acknowledge God is, man refuses to accept accuontablity. As lomg as man ignores God he can do as he pleases. Or better yet, his morals.
As an example is look towards the greeks,the roman empire....all the great civilations of the ancient world. Then compare it with today's society.
Does not scripture say anything on a vast ancient city called sodom and the valley of Gomorrah? I understand it's morals got the best of the city so warmed God, before it fell? Better yet it was destroyed.
In my theological research I studied Sodom. Years back a scientist research group went through the ruins. Found traces of radium every where. One scientist mentioned that the word brimestone ,may very well be the left over traces of radium.
But then I'm not a history scholar on radium nor am I a scholar in ancient history, just in theological realms.
Take your pick...I recall what on prophet said......"And Elijah came to the people and said, 'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him. but if baal, follow him. But the people answered him not a word." (1 Kings 18:21)
PEACE
Terry

what is consciousness and how does it happen?

On a slip of paper write this: The statement on the other side of the paper is false. Now turn it over and write on the opposite side: The statement on the other side of this paper is false.
Which statement is true? Is either false?
You see, any system which self-references has to step OUTSIDE itself. This recursive problem of self-reference leads to the problem you are facing. How so?
You are using CONSCIOUSNESS to reference itself!
You cannot, in this instance, STEP OUTSIDE of consciousness to examine consciousness.
So, what do you do? Instead of stepping outside you do the next best thing by postulating another entity OUTSIDE of all systems: God.
It is a bookkeeping problem you solve by inventiveness.
However, it doesn't mean your solution works.
T.
Terry

Ok Terry.....you really can't define electricity so it doesn't exist.

You mean YOU can't define electricity. As far as I remember electricity is the flow of electrons under pressure.
As long as man ignores God he can do as he pleases.
Funny, when I didn't ignore god I couldn't do as I pleased and, now that I do ignore god, I still can't. You see, my friend, we constrained by our society, our intelligence, our understanding and by those around us. We are limited by the nature of the matter we are made of.
As an example is look towards the greeks,the roman empire....all the great civilations of the ancient world. Then compare it with today's society.
Meaning what? Rome was the most successful civilization that ever existed; lasting over a thousand years. The Greeks gave us Logic, Philosophy and the foundations of science. The language and culture of Greece is still with us as is Democracy invented by the Greeks.
I'm not a history scholar
No kidding.
T.
gumby

Since the age of 15, I wanted to know who was God and why He was who He was.
As for His personal name....I've studied, done research, and tried to discover His personal name for over 40 years. I've read Hebrew, Greek, Latan, Arabic, and all of the ancient languages

I admire you for you efforts through life in trying to find god. Many don't seem to care to much to do so.
Gumby
RevFrank

Sorry Terry, I don't plan to take the bait. You are where I was many years ago. It's cool. It kind of takes a leap of faith in learning of who God is. And the more one knows God the more one learns of themselves.
Like Simon Greenleaf, he too studied theological issues to disprove God. The more he reasoned the more he realized there was something out there more powerful then he. Enstien did the same. And Enstien realised and it frightened him to know that the universe had a grand designer.
As for me I'm just a simple theologian who thought I knew God. How much I realized I knew nothing. I've studied confucuis, Islam, judaism, buddhism, animism, hinduism,christianity, and other religions of the world. And after all of the studying most of the major religions lead me down to Christianity.
Now this christianity most people think it's a religion. It's not. Christianity is a way of life. It stands for representing what Christ stood for. So we, as christians, have the hope to live free for Christ and have faith in Him.
It's true, faith is something so powerful death can not conquer it. Hilter tried it. Stalin tried and failed. Why? Someone promised us a love so great nothing to conquer it. It's called unconditional Love. No matter what you did....no matter who you did it too.
We can't judge other people's heart. Only God can do this. And the promise of this uncondidtonal love, our faith is towards Christ. Faith is more then just a belief in someone or something.
I don't expect you to understand the grasp of faith at this moment. The world and it's system of things today are going to pass away soon. God said it...I have faith in knowing what God said is to be true....
PEACE

GOD, Who Is He and Why?

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