Do you believe in God

[Emma313]

I have a problem with this as

A) no one has defined God
B) the concept has been used by many mainly for manipulation/control of populations
C) I apologise as I am sure the subject has come up before and been discussed
D) I do believe in a God because I dont think chemicals creating universes are the masters
E) I believe in a benign God because it might be a stupid God to want everything destroyed
F) Well, why worry, some say, I dont worry, I just wanna i know and not from "faith" as that is seriously unstable
G) if anyone feels to attack me for anything dont bother, I've done and paid my dues trice over so dont even try it

H) Just say it as if is!

 

[SunsetKay]

Yes. I believe in an all knowing, all powerful, all present creator God and I believe that He is love in all its forms - from the profound to the mundane. Having said that, I also believe that we all have "God" inside of us, meaning that we are also beings that were specifically created to give and receive love. I do not believe that "God" is the only god. I believe that there are others; as many as there are people. I also believe that "God" manifests in different ways and different forms - in as many ways as are needed by whoever needs Him.

It creates no problems for me as anything and everything can and has been used for manipulation. Should I blame or denounce everything that has been used in this way? I think not.

Also, I think that if "God" were to be defined, there would be no need for "Him". Humans have a need for an ill defined God as a means of rationalizing what can't be understood. I'm completely okay with that concept and with believing in spite of understanding that.


Also, I see no instability in faith. Only in people. Faith is again, something that can be used for good or bad, depending on personal inclination. A lot of people here have faith in their tarot cards... If they harm none with it, why is it unstable? Faith is the essence of human nature. Whether that faith is in a person, a relationship, an object, or God, it doesn't really matter.

Does that answer your question?

 

[danieljuk]

I find this difficult to define in my own spirituality. I came to AT as an atheist / humanist but gradually became more spiritual and believing!

I do believe in the universe and there is some force there. It has a destiny mapped out for us (although we have free will to deviate from that in my beliefs, there is still a purpose or reason for our being). I am not sure if I believe in a God or Goddess or multiple deities or just some universal creation energy type thing without a person associated with it. I think if I do believe in a God, I believe in multiple Deities for different areas. I don't believe in a single focused person which most organised religions believe in I guess.

 

[SunsetKay]

I find this difficult to define in my own spirituality. I came to AT as an atheist / humanist but gradually became more spiritual and believing!

I do believe in the universe and there is some force there. It has a destiny mapped out for us (although we have free will to deviate from that in my beliefs, there is still a purpose or reason for our being). I am not sure if I believe in a God or Goddess or multiple deities or just some universal creation energy type thing without a person associated with it. I think if I do believe in a God, I believe in multiple Deities for different areas. I don't believe in a single focused person which most organised religions believe in I guess.

Interesting. I'd like to point out that even the Christian Bible and the Christian god acknowledge that there are other gods. It is a conscious choice in multiple religions to revere only one.

 

[Padma]

Feeling similar to Danieljuk - I think there is a universal force, I think we are all interwoven and our paths all matter...as though everyone who ever lived is part of a big tapestry. I think there is a major or larger idea for our lives, but many free choices within that major path.

I also believe there are many gods - because we created many of them with our beliefs, and so they exist, fed by those beliefs. And then there are the elemental gods, of streams and trees and rivers and mountains, who were here even before us...

I also believe that we ourselves are God - "Thou art God" and that the successful resolution of our lives depends upon us believing in ourselves...

So I do believe in "God" more or less, but not as how religions see/perceive that force.

 

[Barleywine]

I don't believe in a personal, anthropomorphic god, no "Big Guy in the Sky." An immanent, indwelling cosmic consciousness is more my style; as I understand it, this is a core tenet of pantheism. I have a hard time believing that the manifest universe is entirely random, accidental and chaotic, as it would be with no organizing principle at work. But this intelligence does its work invisibly within all things and has no particular urge or need to communicate with each and every human being individually and intelligibly. When someone asks me if I'm a "man of faith," I say no, I'm a "man of certainty."

Reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion helped crystallize my thinking on this (as well as listening to George Carlin rant about orthodox religion). I have no use for orthodoxy, since its main purpose seems to be to control and manipulate the masses while enriching its ruling hierarchy and their political cronies. As George Carlin said, "Why does God need MONEY?" The whole idea of a paternalistic intermediary officiating between me and the realm of spirit just rubs me the wrong way. When I walk out my back door into the fields and forests, I'm in my private "cathedral." The Bible is a nice moral fable, but it's just the words of some men who thought they knew what their god might say if he chose to say anything at all; it's really the word of man sold as the "Word of God" to the credulous.

 

[Zephyros]

I have highly conflicting beliefs about the existence or lack thereof of higher powers in the universe, and rarely like to talk about them. If anyone asks me I answer that it doesn't matter since my beliefs don't affect what most people perceive as practical applications of belief/non-belief.

In other words, my beliefs are like picking your nose; it's okay to do it, it just seems uncouth to publicize it. Which isn't to say I do or don't.

How's that for avoiding a loaded question?

 

[Barleywine]

I once took a philosophy course taught by a professor who was also an ordained Protestant minister. He put the old conundrum to us: Isn't it better (meaning safer) to believe in a God when there is none, than to disbelieve in a God when there is one? (As Bob Dylan said in Highway 61, "God said you can do what you want to but/The next time you see me coming you better run!") If it came down that I was forced to choose between one expression of religious thought or another, I would most likely choose Buddhism as the least implausible of the lot.

 

[Emma313]

Yes. I believe in an all knowing, all powerful, all present creator God and I believe that He is love in all its forms - from the profound to the mundane. Having said that, I also believe that we all have "God" inside of us, meaning that we are also beings that were specifically created to give and receive love. I do not believe that "God" is the only god. I believe that there are others; as many as there are people. I also believe that "God" manifests in different ways and different forms - in as many ways as are needed by whoever needs Him.

It creates no problems for me as anything and everything can and has been used for manipulation. Should I blame or denounce everything that has been used in this way? I think not.

Also, I think that if "God" were to be defined, there would be no need for "Him". Humans have a need for an ill defined God as a means of rationalizing what can't be understood. I'm completely okay with that concept and with believing in spite of understanding that.


Also, I see no instability in faith. Only in people. Faith is again, something that can be used for good or bad, depending on personal inclination. A lot of people here have faith in their tarot cards... If they harm none with it, why is it unstable? Faith is the essence of human nature. Whether that faith is in a person, a relationship, an object, or God, it doesn't really matter.

Does that answer your question?

Thanks for your thoughts.I dont believe in the notion that faith is the essence of human nature. Where ddi that cime frm?


Also why do you call God Him? There is no gender in the hypothetical God surely.

 

[Emma313]

I don't believe in a personal, anthropomorphic god, no "Big Guy in the Sky." An immanent, indwelling cosmic consciousness is more my style; as I understand it, this is a core tenet of pantheism. I have a hard time believing that the manifest universe is entirely random, accidental and chaotic, as it would be with no organizing principle at work. But this intelligence does its work invisibly within all things and has no particular urge or need to communicate with each and every human being individually and intelligibly. When someone asks me if I'm a "man of faith," I say no, I'm a "man of certainty."

Reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion helped crystallize my thinking on this (as well as listening to George Carlin rant about orthodox religion). I have no use for orthodoxy, since its main purpose seems to be to control and manipulate the masses while enriching its ruling hierarchy and their political cronies. As George Carlin said, "Why does God need MONEY?" The whole idea of a paternalistic intermediary officiating between me and the realm of spirit just rubs me the wrong way. When I walk out my back door into the fields and forests, I'm in my private "cathedral." The Bible is a nice moral fable, but it's just the words of some men who thought they knew what their god might say if he chose to say anything at all; it's really the Word of Man sold as the "Word of God" to the credulous.

This has to be the post of the day! Awesome.! Thank you