PP, I would offer that you are intently looking for something that does not exist (or at least has no acceptable evidence), but that other models of Divinity are around (and are older than the Judeo-Christian metaphor).
Be happy -VE
VoidEater
JoinedPosts by VoidEater
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86
A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.
by Psychotic Parrot inwhy are you a theist or a deist?
please give any or all reasons why without resorting to a god of the gaps argument.
that is the only condition i am making, since in my (& presumably every other atheist's) opinion, a god of the gaps argument simply isn't convincing enough to demonstrate that there is a god, only that there might be a god.. thank you.. p.s.
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Hard question
by dgp ina question for all those who managed to do it.
when you realize that it's unrealistic to expect someone in the wt to ever leave, and when you see the damage it does you to keep hoping, and to keep trying to get them out, how do you manage the pain?.
what do you do when you know that someone has spoiled the only life that person will ever have, yet you can't reach to them?.
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VoidEater
The "pain" is balanced by the respect for their choice, and being ever ready to offer something else when the opportunity arises.
Otherwise, you're just torturing yourself and them.
Just keep loving them - they get little unconditional love from the krazy kult.
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A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.
by Psychotic Parrot inwhy are you a theist or a deist?
please give any or all reasons why without resorting to a god of the gaps argument.
that is the only condition i am making, since in my (& presumably every other atheist's) opinion, a god of the gaps argument simply isn't convincing enough to demonstrate that there is a god, only that there might be a god.. thank you.. p.s.
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VoidEater
If I might ask, PP, what activities have you engaged in to move your inquiry forward?
Most of us exdubs didn't find a connection to a God in the preaching work, or whatever else the WTS had on offer. But there's a world of paths that people seem to have benefited from: fasting, ecstatic dancing, meditation, wandering nature, sweat lodge, ganja...just curious what mechanism you think a God might use to reach out to you, or if its more supposed to just happen...
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A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.
by Psychotic Parrot inwhy are you a theist or a deist?
please give any or all reasons why without resorting to a god of the gaps argument.
that is the only condition i am making, since in my (& presumably every other atheist's) opinion, a god of the gaps argument simply isn't convincing enough to demonstrate that there is a god, only that there might be a god.. thank you.. p.s.
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VoidEater
Interesting that so many viewpoints - from hard to weak atheism, to muslim, to Christian, to Buddhist... - become available after the WTS. Even New Age.
Though I'm not into New Age-ism, except for the music.
To answer your question directly, I believe in whatever I believe as a way to put "transcendental" experiences into a context. So, you can easily dispose of me with one of the arguments from your previous "God of the Gaps" thread. Nothing to see here, folks, move along...
;-)
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86
A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.
by Psychotic Parrot inwhy are you a theist or a deist?
please give any or all reasons why without resorting to a god of the gaps argument.
that is the only condition i am making, since in my (& presumably every other atheist's) opinion, a god of the gaps argument simply isn't convincing enough to demonstrate that there is a god, only that there might be a god.. thank you.. p.s.
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VoidEater
PP:
Interesting convo - though it really does highlight why I asked for your definition, since God (like so many little words) begs definition. This board being what it is, it's useful to get at what you really mean when you talk about "God" - just as if this board were on carriages, the term "car" would perhaps need some definition.
I am not particularly "proud" of an "arcane" definition. It's not even "arcane" in my circles.
But if it gets people to challenge their spoon-fed WTS viewpoints, I'm pleased. We should challenge our concepts about things we've only been told about.
I do think your overreacting a bit in your last post, sorry to have prodded you unartfully.
This thread is for you to describe the God you believe in & why you believe
...and all I have done is ask you to do half of that - describe the God you envision.
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86
A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.
by Psychotic Parrot inwhy are you a theist or a deist?
please give any or all reasons why without resorting to a god of the gaps argument.
that is the only condition i am making, since in my (& presumably every other atheist's) opinion, a god of the gaps argument simply isn't convincing enough to demonstrate that there is a god, only that there might be a god.. thank you.. p.s.
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VoidEater
agonus: Nice description...that matches what I mean...
Everyone is waiting for God to give them something
That may speak to part of what you mean when you say "God"...
If God really is looking for those who haven't thought hard about it, then i would say that He has poor taste in people.
This is also revelatory. You seem to be speaking about God as a kind of leader, or something looking for...worshippers?
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86
A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.
by Psychotic Parrot inwhy are you a theist or a deist?
please give any or all reasons why without resorting to a god of the gaps argument.
that is the only condition i am making, since in my (& presumably every other atheist's) opinion, a god of the gaps argument simply isn't convincing enough to demonstrate that there is a god, only that there might be a god.. thank you.. p.s.
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VoidEater
Agonus: Or maybe... it's the same thing? ;-)
PSacramento: I get you.
Journey-On: Surrender is not death. ;-)
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86
A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.
by Psychotic Parrot inwhy are you a theist or a deist?
please give any or all reasons why without resorting to a god of the gaps argument.
that is the only condition i am making, since in my (& presumably every other atheist's) opinion, a god of the gaps argument simply isn't convincing enough to demonstrate that there is a god, only that there might be a god.. thank you.. p.s.
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VoidEater
If the God you believe in is anything like the God which 99.99% of believers believe in
It isn't.
then it will most certainly be the God i am talking about.
It isn't.
If not then you are most probably a pantheist or something similar to that
I'm not, as far as I can tell, but since you reject pantheism as descriptive of God it's rather moot, eh?
In the broadest sense, God generally means the creator of the universe, but for most people it isn't quite as simple as that.
As with most of us coming out of the dub world, this description belies a particular mindset shared by most Western Judeo-Christian faiths. The concern, though, is that there are usually further trappings - that this creator is also a judge, that this creator has laws to be followed, that this creator administers an afterlife, that this creator has plans, that this creator has a personality, that this creator has an emotional makeup...so, I wonder how much of this baggage is presumed in your question.
And, as you say, "for most people it isn't quite as simple as that." I suspect that is true for you, as well. You seem to have some specific notions about what God isn't - that's helpful, I suppose.
Anyway, i've answered your questions
Well, actually you've more told me what you think others mean when they say "God".
will you now answer mine?
I am not theist, deist, nor pantheist, though pantheism is a reasonable approach to the question IMHO. Nor am I polytheist, which you haven't touched on - though millions do.
For me, "God" is a label for a yearning or impetus for manifestation. Perhaps when we know something about abiogenesis and the initiation of the Big Bang, I can retire this label. It's another way of saying "I don't intellectually understand it", though from an experiential sense I contact it.
This is not a reference to a personality nor plan. It is not necessarily pantheistic since it does not imbue the material universe with divinity per se.
I also use "God" as a label for what some call "the ground of consciousness", another experiential touchpoint that has foundation more in Buddhist tradition than Judeo-Christian. Another case of a lack of a satisfying intellectual paradigm (perhaps Jungian collective unconscious makes a stab at the function, though perhaps not the structure or process).
This is not a reference to a personality nor plan, either. It is a label for a subjective experiential construct.
Perhaps my answer is not relevent to your question.
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A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.
by Psychotic Parrot inwhy are you a theist or a deist?
please give any or all reasons why without resorting to a god of the gaps argument.
that is the only condition i am making, since in my (& presumably every other atheist's) opinion, a god of the gaps argument simply isn't convincing enough to demonstrate that there is a god, only that there might be a god.. thank you.. p.s.
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VoidEater
damned if I know what "it" wants from me though...
Is there a reason you think "it" wants anything from you? Curious...
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THE MOST THRILLING MOMENT of your life.....?
by Terry inhere is the most thrilling moment of my life.. i got to meet my film composer heroes john barry and miklos rosza at the beverly hills writer's guild theater for a seminar on filmmusic.. i was 30 years old at the time and going through my "you look like clint eastwood" stage.
(i'm trying to explain my crazy hair!).
i chatted with them and got them to sign my albums.. what was your most thrilling moment?.
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VoidEater
^ Hah! ;-)