by nicolaou 52 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
kid-A: Thus, trying harder to "understand" god, is really an exercise in trying to understand ones own underlying psychological and cognitive frameworks.
Unless you are wrong, of course. In which case, it would be an entirely different exercise. Or have you discovered a means by which the possibility might be effectively eliminated from consideration?
Respectfully,
AuldSoul
Unless you are wrong, of course. In which case, it would be an entirely different exercise. Or have you discovered a means by which the possibility might be effectively eliminated from consideration?
Auld, define "wrong".....
I wish I could meet up with you guys in Dallas. Maybe in a couple of years my wife will be ready for that.Six, is there something I should know for my afterparty meetup with LittleToe? Does he like his head rubbed? Is he a red-headed Scotsman?
That would be cool; hopefully she'll turn a corner of understanding soon. As for the other, let's just say yes, and I'll leave it up to you to put context on that yes. But please, have someone videotape your meetup!
If God either is part of reality or all reality exists as part of God, your conclusion would be entirely erroneous. Erroneous = wrong. Wrong = incorrect.
Why do I feel like I've just been asked to tell the Yale graduated President of the United States what the word "is" means?
Six: But please, have someone videotape your meetup!
Why do I suddenly feel queasy? And why is my brain suddenly coming up with other pressing matters that need attention on July 30?
Why do I feel like I've just been asked to tell the Yale graduated President of the United States what the word "is" means?
First of all, I did not have sexual relations with that woman! Whew....now that thats cleared up....
Ultimately, we can only understand our beliefs by examining the motivations behind them. If a god existed, inside or outside our personal realities, how would this make any difference to the examination of said cognitive constructs? We exist within the molecules and networks within our nervous system. Even if a god presented itself to our perceptions, we would still not know if this indeed was a reflection of some physical and/or metaphysical reality, or a momentary blip in a neuronal sensory network.
But I think it works the other way around. Pretending for a moment that a cell is capable of reason (and it may be for all we know), if a cell tries to understand us by understanding itself and its own processes, it won't get very far. It must imagine beyond itself to even begin to encompass us.
Suppose it is a kidney cell and it can't figure out WHY we send it liquids that are harmful and in some cases poisonous to it, liduids that kill other kidney cells nearby. But, we need the medicine, even though it carries some immediate risk of kidney damage, to cope with some other medical condition that has greater risk of worse long-term damage to the overall system (our body).
It can't fully discern the purpose behind our choices because it doesn't know what we know. And it can't begin to gain any understanding by thinking from its own standpoint, it can't even start to imagine what sort of motive there might be to such an action if it limits its perspective to itself. But, ultimately, we are looking out for the best interests of our kidney, too.
Looked at from that standpoint, attempting to understand God by looking inward seems...inside-out.
You assume we exist within the molecules and networks within our nervous system. You do not actually know that.
Respectfully,
AuldSoul
If God either is part of reality or all reality exists as part of God...
Why only those two options AuldSoul? Surely there are options that exclude any god and others that include many.
IMO, God cannot begin to be understood until we we realize humans made God in their image. Not the other way around.
nicolaou,
I didn't limit the discussion to only those two options. I said that if either of those options is reality then kid-A is wrong.
Respectfully,
AuldSoul
