Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 65 (9162 total)
4 online now:
Newest Member: popoi
Post Volume: Total: 915,815 Year: 3,072/9,624 Month: 917/1,588 Week: 100/223 Day: 11/17 Hour: 0/0


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   What does God mean to you? Do not respond to any message except message #1
robinrohan
Inactive Member


Message 16 of 42 (256312)
11-02-2005 5:15 PM


1. God is a concept meant to explain the descrepancy between the real and the ideal.
2. God is a being to revere. People appear to be naturally reverent, so in order to satisfy their need for reverence, they construct something to revere.
3. God is the collector of prepuces.
4. God is the destroyer of despair and ennui.
5. God is the alpha and omega of all rules and regulations.

  
Nighttrain
Member (Idle past 3993 days)
Posts: 1512
From: brisbane,australia
Joined: 06-08-2004


Message 17 of 42 (256325)
11-02-2005 6:05 PM


Another human construct. And like all human constructs, it has its good points and its excesses.

  
Ben!
Member (Idle past 1398 days)
Posts: 1161
From: Hayward, CA
Joined: 10-14-2004


Message 18 of 42 (256332)
11-02-2005 6:21 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo
10-30-2005 1:15 AM


Tolerance
God is Unknown to me.
God could be another inside construct which we project outside,
constructs like apples, noises, time, and brightness.
Or God could be another inaccessible reality,
hidden beneath ambiguity; the reverse problem.
Whether God is real or not, the value of human reason is unclear.
Trusting our reason via reason is circular.
And trusting reason through emotion is no different
than trusting non-reason and emotion through emotion.
That ties your hands. Can't do nothin' but ignore it.
The only principle that seems useful to me,
is that those who want to be reasonable should not lie to themselves.
God is fine.
God because of reason doesn't make sense.
Mixing God with reason is silly.
In the same vein,
Atheism is fine.
Atheism because of reason doesn't make sense.
Mixing atheism with reason is silly.
Both tolerance and intolerance have useful and useless points.
With or without God, people can choose to be tolerant or not.
I prefer tolerant people.
God?
God is Unknown to me.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo, posted 10-30-2005 1:15 AM Mr. Ex Nihilo has not replied

  
Brian
Member (Idle past 4959 days)
Posts: 4659
From: Scotland
Joined: 10-22-2002


Message 19 of 42 (256338)
11-02-2005 6:38 PM


God or Bilbo Baggins
God is the part of a question that the ignorant and the lazy either cannot be bothered to work out or do not have the intellectual capacity to work out.
Brian.

  
Christian7
Member (Idle past 248 days)
Posts: 628
From: n/a
Joined: 01-19-2004


Message 20 of 42 (256440)
11-03-2005 7:40 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo
10-30-2005 1:15 AM


GOD is the infinite minded creator of the universe and medium by which all things exists. There can be no existing thing that is not him outside of his presence.
God created the heavens and the earth in 6 days. God has all human emotions and possibly he has more experiences but I wouldn't know. He made man in his own image. God modelled some of his capabilities into a functional peice of matter called a brain so that it works in a logical manner following the laws which he defined. God breathed life into man, and man became a living conscious being with a soul that is not the brain itself.
People often come up with excuses not to believe in God. People often come up with reasons to make themself believe in God but they fail miserably. People often believe in God.
God created us and gave us a choice to follow him or do what is not right. We chose what is not right, and we passed our horrible nature unto our decendants.
He got pissed off and wanted to destroy something, and since he loved us, he decided to send himself to earth as a baby, grow up as Jesus Christ, die on the cross and take the punishment we deserved for our sins. Of course now we are in the days of grace.
You just have to accept Jesus into your heart as your savior. God will not strike down people who behave badly, or lift up people who are good that much now a days. God allows what happens on earth to happen to an exent. And he DOES protect us when we ask to an extent.
One day, Jesus Christ will come back and everything will be all better, you will see.
This message has been edited by Guidosoft, 11-03-2005 07:46 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo, posted 10-30-2005 1:15 AM Mr. Ex Nihilo has not replied

  
Christian7
Member (Idle past 248 days)
Posts: 628
From: n/a
Joined: 01-19-2004


Message 21 of 42 (256442)
11-03-2005 7:44 AM
Reply to: Message 4 by crashfrog
10-30-2005 8:43 AM


It's just a catch-all concept about the things we wish were true about the universe.
People who do bad things and escape punishment? There's a "god" that will make sure they get punished after they die. Bad things happen to good people? There's a "god" who will protect you, or, if he doesn't, don't worry about it, because it's all for the best, somehow.
As a humanist, I'm heartened that the vast majority of human beings are good people; the evidence of this is the qualities that they invest in their god. So long as humans hunger for justice and equality, hunger enough to deify those desires into a being to be worshipped, we'll never stop working to achieve those ideals in this world. Of course, maybe it's better not to waste the time with worship but simply to apply yourself to achieving those ideals in the only world that matters - this one.
Jesus loves you!!!!
lol.
Content deleted by AdminBen.
Guidosoft, you replied to the opening post, you surely saw Mr. Ex's clearly state NOT TO REPLY TO POSTS EXCEPT THE OPENING POST.
Consider this a warning; you need to read opening posts (and forum rules) thoroughly and follow them.
This message has been edited by AdminBen, Thursday, 2005/11/03 04:59 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by crashfrog, posted 10-30-2005 8:43 AM crashfrog has not replied

  
???
Inactive Junior Member


Message 22 of 42 (261700)
11-20-2005 11:02 PM


I think the anthropomorphic framework we see this one omnipitent 'God' in is just stupid and i strongly believe that anyone daft enough to believe that needs a slap, but the ideology of a God is far from stupid, it's just been blown out of proportion.
Somthing started life. Even if you follow science, like i do, theres no REAL explination for the begining of everything. The idea that some force beyond our comprehention created the universe is a simple and understandable idea, dispite it's unliklyness due to the sheer fact that whatever we 'think' with no grounds for scientific proof is unlikly.
I believe that there is somthing out there, but i wouldn't call it a God. It's simple a natural force that causes things to happen without decision or choice, but works more like a chemical reaction. The right conditions cause a certain outcome.
The idea that a God, reffered to as 'He' when males by fact evolved after the female is the first point that gets to me when disgussing the existance of a 'God.' The first organisms where all asexually reproducing females and there is no creature on the planet that is both male and able to create new life. Thus, an allmighty creator must be reffered to as 'She.'
The second annoyance is the common belief that God contoles everything and creates everyone. This would mean that everything on the planet was the result of a God's will. Getting past the inability for something to be that powerful, after all this is God we're talking about, how can anyone think that God controls the creation of new life when we know of sexual reproduction? And then condem asexual reproduction, because aprently it just doesn't exist or is morally wrong? :/ Yeah, that makes sense. And why would an all loving God cause earthquakes, floods.... Tusamies? Why would a God create disabled people?
People under God are just peoples in need of guidance, nothing we have ever done has been the work of our own love and our own minds, it's all God's work instead. When we do something bad, it's just considered evidence that we are evil. No matter what we do, we are never given credit for what we have achieved. Look how far the human race has come, what we are capable of, the lives we can save, the illnesses we can cure, the things we have discovered. You can lay waste to everything, thousands of years of human trial and error for the sake of a God that has given you nothing that you haven't given yourself? When you feel the love of God, that's your love, wanting an outlet, when you feel that God has forgiven you, thats you forgiving yourself. You can pray for your entire life and still not get anywhere, because nothing comes to those who do nothing, unless by chance. God is an excuse to refrain from taking control of your own life, to refrain from challenging the elements and trusting yourself. Everybody fears failure at some point in their lives, but should your methods of coping with fear infringe upon others?
Many spend their lives wondering and hoping for what comes afterwards, the reward for being a loyal servant to yourself; even though we all know the end of the story. We all die, so why do we try to look beyond death? Surely knowing how life concludes should give us all the more reason to focus how we reach that end? Why piss it all away arguing over how to get into a heaven that we just cannot know even exists? None of us deserve a heaven or a hell, because we're never good enough to deserve eternal satisfaction, nor evil enough to deserve infinite punishment. Good and evil are terms of our own creation, to polarise moral actions and to give meaning and context to choosing a particular path in life. There are no fundamental morals or goals, we each invent our own or look for collective goals to follow. Why pretend that your path is better than everyone elses?
Why does it hurt when someone close to you dies? Because they are going away for a while, until next time you meet? Do you feel that bad when they go on a vacation without you? No, it's because their life has come to an end, as will yours one day. That's why it's more important than anything to do something with our lives to try and be happy, to spread that happiness to others along the way, so that they will remember you. Sod the afterlife, for all intents and purposes there isn't one; what we have is here and now and the only place you can get love from is yourself and others; you'll never get it from God. He's never there when you need him, but you always are.
My opinion is, God is you. Beyond you, there is no God. We don't need one anyway, look how far we have come by our own skills, knowledge and determination. I feel it a disgrace to forget that. It's been too long, religion is so old it has to keep changing to keep up with us; we are moving so swiftly it cannot keep up, because the concept of God will never be more powerful than what we can create and destroy.
My philosophy is "Live and Learn" not "Hear and Repeat" I can't be bothered to go on, i'm sure you get my point, or you're thick. :/
This message has been edited by ???, 11-20-2005 11:45 PM

  
Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 23 of 42 (261908)
11-21-2005 11:12 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo
10-30-2005 1:15 AM


God has spoken
What God means to me or to anybody except Himself is irrelevant. He revealed Himself through His word to His prophets, and that became the Bible, and anyone who honestly reads that revelation instead of subjecting it to their personal biases can come to know Him as He is.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo, posted 10-30-2005 1:15 AM Mr. Ex Nihilo has not replied

  
Omnivorous
Member
Posts: 3978
From: Adirondackia
Joined: 07-21-2005
Member Rating: 7.3


Message 24 of 42 (262328)
11-22-2005 9:34 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo
10-30-2005 1:15 AM


God is a wistful daydream in a frightened animal who can foresee it's end.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo, posted 10-30-2005 1:15 AM Mr. Ex Nihilo has not replied

  
Yaro
Member (Idle past 6496 days)
Posts: 1797
Joined: 07-12-2003


Message 25 of 42 (262362)
11-22-2005 10:46 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo
10-30-2005 1:15 AM


god is manifestation of human fears. Namely, fear of the unknown.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo, posted 10-30-2005 1:15 AM Mr. Ex Nihilo has not replied

  
Larni
Member (Idle past 164 days)
Posts: 4000
From: Liverpool
Joined: 09-16-2005


Message 26 of 42 (263677)
11-28-2005 5:21 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo
10-30-2005 1:15 AM


What does god mean to me?
God is.....
not wanting to grow up,
wanting to be looked after,
an abdication of responsiblity,
freedom from doubt,
belonging to a club,
an invisible friend,
a way out,
an excuse,
a tool.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo, posted 10-30-2005 1:15 AM Mr. Ex Nihilo has not replied

  
ramoss
Member (Idle past 612 days)
Posts: 3228
Joined: 08-11-2004


Message 27 of 42 (263725)
11-28-2005 9:54 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo
10-30-2005 1:15 AM


God is the anthroporohism of the unknown. The charactersistics of any persons view of god tends to be an exageration of what that person wants to be. God is often an imaginary alpha member of the tribe.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo, posted 10-30-2005 1:15 AM Mr. Ex Nihilo has not replied

  
nator
Member (Idle past 2169 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 28 of 42 (263731)
11-28-2005 10:11 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo
10-30-2005 1:15 AM


What god means to me
The unknown.
The unknowable.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Mr. Ex Nihilo, posted 10-30-2005 1:15 AM Mr. Ex Nihilo has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 29 by leather1954, posted 01-30-2006 1:01 PM nator has not replied

  
leather1954
Inactive Member


Message 29 of 42 (282582)
01-30-2006 1:01 PM
Reply to: Message 28 by nator
11-28-2005 10:11 AM


Re: What god means to me
There are many sides to my God. When I was young elders told me that he loved me and wanted to take care of me. As I grew he became a powerful force that the elder said would strike me down if I did worng. I saw many wonderful miricles that were said to be from believing in God. Then in my married life I was told not to drink, smoke, cuzz, play cards, or go to movies. The list just kept growing, until all you had left was going to church, and working for them trying to pull in more people. I can tell you I ran from there and told myself I could not deal with a God like that, one who gave so many fun things to do and then slapped you when you did them. Then many years later, I was drawn to the real God. The creator of everything. I also found true reglion. Helping those in need of finding love, those who need a helping hand out of dispair, guilt, and condemnation. I went to the Word and found the Word saves those who seek, ask or knocks. In the begining was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. There is only one Word, but many words, that are a word but not the word Word. The fear, respect, of Words, is the begining of wisdom. No one can except or reject this without the use of God, and his host of words. Jesus said the words that I speak they are spirit and they are life. This is God to me.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 28 by nator, posted 11-28-2005 10:11 AM nator has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 30 by macaroniandcheese, posted 01-30-2006 1:39 PM leather1954 has not replied

  
macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3927 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 30 of 42 (282604)
01-30-2006 1:39 PM
Reply to: Message 29 by leather1954
01-30-2006 1:01 PM


Re: What god means to me
and people think that my lack of capitalization makes posts hard to read.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 29 by leather1954, posted 01-30-2006 1:01 PM leather1954 has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024