I Pondered God's Existence Today, and (page 3)

journey-on

if you read the Bible

Then don't read it. It's mankind's attempt to try and understand what/who God is. That is NOT The Eternal One.

I re-read the Bible recently without the JW rose-colored glasses on. I was amazed that most of it is about natural

disasters being blamed on "God's" wrath or so-called prophets attempting to explain why enemy armies are attacking,

or crops are failing, or rivers are drying up, or rains aren't coming, or children are dying, etc. etc. It's about the Jewish

nation's history and religion. It's full of funny stories and fables. I didn't find The Eternal One there.

journey-on

God does not exist because one cannot simultaneously be both omnipotent and omniscient.

Of course, one can. Omnipotent simply means having unlimited or universal power and omniscient means

having total knowledge of everything. Not incompatible at all.

Gopher

Journey-On,

You used the word "God" in your original post, and as you pointed out, various cultures have hugely different and opposing views of "God", even leading to warfare.

So I would posit that reliance on one's understanding of God can lead to disharmony with others who don't share the similar understanding. One's view of God is very often influenced by the facts of one's geography during childhood.

For these reasons I set aside the notion of God, and instead focus on contributing to the good in humanity. If everyone showed respect for people's right to believe (or not) as they chose, and instead focused on what is common and good in mankind, we'd be a lot closer to the world you desire. People wouldn't need to worry about being "different" in their belief or culture.

When you talk "Love and Light", it reminds me of the counter-culture love/peace movement of the 1960's. I think the acceptance and equanimity engendered by that movement was positive. However, it seems to have been overwhelmed by the consumer culture and selfishness in the decades since. And this, in spite of a steady presence of religion and awareness of God in those intervening decades.

journey-on

For these reasons I set aside the notion of God, and instead focus on contributing to the good in humanity. If everyone showed respect for people's right to believe (or not) as they chose, and instead focused on what is common and good in mankind, we'd be a lot closer to the world you desire. People wouldn't need to worry about being "different" in their belief or culture.

This is exactly what I meant when I said, it's irrelevant whether you believe or not. As long as you live your life in Love and Light, the spiritual evolution will take place with or without putting words or descriptions to it.

DoomVoyager

Why would god create the universe? If he created it for his own pleasure, he is incomplete and therefore impotent. If he created it for our pleasure, why isn't it pleasureable? And why does he hide himself from us?

Outaservice

If this is something that is being voted on, put me down as believing in a living God who plans for man's everlasting good even though sometimes we can't understand why things are the way they are.

Outaservice

journey-on

DoomVoyager,

Why would god create the universe?

Why does someone get up in the morning and go outside to work in their beautiful flower garden?

Why does a composer get up in the morning and go to his piano and work on his music?

Why does an artist get up in the morning and take her paints and brushes and easel and go out into the Light to paint?

Why does a sculpter carve a masterpiece?

Why does anybody create anything?

The Eternal One awakened to consciousness and realized "I Am".....I Am What? I Am Creator....I Am whatever I choose to Create!

why isn't it pleasureable?

Oh, but it is!!! There is pleasure to be found every minute of every day, even in the smallest things.

And why does he hide himself from us?

The Eternal One is not hidden. You still have the Mean 'Ole Jehovah way of looking at the creator.

Seek and you will find. Search as if you were looking for hidden treasure. Live each day with appreciation

and good intention and just be.

Mr. Majestic

Hi journey-on,

Well I thought that you first comment was very philosophical.

Very thought provoking insight.

Don’t know about the ensuing debate, apart from the fact that every theory has a big hole in it somewhere…

Best to be open minded about everything is what I find best…..

jwfacts

I find your description of God to be far more logical than that of the all-powerful-old-man-in-the-sky view of the Bible. Life around us shows great intelligence, but as a non-interventionist force that causes the great complexity around us, rather than the sleeping puppet-master of the Bible.

DoomVoyager

@ journey-on Humans create things because doing so triggers a release of endorphins, which makes them feel satisfied and happy. It's a very basic positive feedback system. I hope you are not suggesting that when god created it gave him an endorphin rush. An all-powerful being should, as far as I understand, be complete within himself. He shouldn't need to create universes to feel satisfied. Hence my comment about god being incomplete and therefore impotent. And how much less so would he feel the need to create intelligent beings (humans), put them in a world full of misery and suffering, and then conceal himself from them so that they don't know which way to turn. Oh, but it is!!! There is pleasure to be found every minute of every day, even in the smallest things. A noble but sadly mistaken sentiment. The Eternal One awakened to consciousness. How is he "eternal" if he only "awakened" 15 billion years ago to create the universe we see now? Seek and you will find. The way I look at it, if knowing about god is so important then he can come down and tell me so himself. I only have a few years on here; he has an eternity. I apologize for my ugly formatting, this is the least user-friendly forum I've ever come across. I don't even know how to edit my posts :-/

I Pondered God's Existence Today, and

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