WHO IS GOD TO YOU?

I figured that it was time to start a new thread. The point and topic of this thread is open to Creationists, Evolutionists, skeptics, thumpers and thinkers of all belief paradigms. To properly reply to this thread, however, one must have a belief in a defineable God. This God can be spiritual, physical, imagined, or experienced, but this God must be recognized to not be created by your own imagination but, rather, experienced as a personality or force.

To me, God was a storybook character similar to the Santa Claus, the Hobbit, or one of many human concepts. The wise bearded Father figure cartoon did Him as good of explanation as anything else. I began to think that I had "met Him" rather than just knowing "about Him" in recent years. Yes..there was a day that I "got born again." To some, this is just another perception of ones internal imagination but to me, it was an awakening to something greater...more mysterious, and more vast than anything within me. Because He was a personality to me at this point, I began the process which continues to this day. Knowing how He thinks. Could I do it without a Bible? Yes..I think that He would find a way for us to commune.

How do any of you perceive Him (or Her) to be?

Well, I belive in a god, sort of anyway

I belive that there is some sort of consiosness resident in this universe, that we are all conected to somehow. Yet, I see everything as a part of this, and don't regard humans as being particularly special.

The ancient Japanese belived that everything in nature had a soul. The way they described it was similar to the idea that life was mearly a quality of matter, all things have diffrent amounts of life (soul) than others. Just as matter has atributes like weight or color, they also poses the atribute of this sort of 'life enrgy'.

This is similar to my belife, tho I don't appeal to any supernatural forces to percive it's reality. I think the universe, and all it's forces and contents are in themselves 'supernatural', the very existance of existance is a magical thing to me.

Thats essentially my view on things.

a "creative consciousness" that powers the universe...

...I am never more closer to God than when I am creating and never more distant than when I'm destroying unless it is with the intent of creating something better

I too don't go in for supernature or metaphysics...

...God is a nihilist !!!

That's a good question Phatboy, and a tough one to ask aswell.

It's also hard to explain

Well, - thoughtful. Now that will get the anti-gods in a huff because they probably think he's sadistic etc. But in all honesty, I have always recieved answers to my personal prayers. Certainly when I need something rather than want, then he usually gives me my request. But ofcourse, I admitt some imagination, but events I cannot imagine, so they give me the perception. God is definately a God of covenants/agreements - this is definately my strongest perception, I can't emphasize that enough!

I believe that at this point in my life, I need to be submissive to a higher power. When I "got saved", I know that I became aware of God. At the time, the perception was of a dynamic undefineable Spirit..Personality..Divine Love...that was greater than I. Later on, I made what I consider to be a common mistake among Christians: I became convinced that I and God were the same thing. I began to preach to my friends. I began to judge others. I began to back up my actions by declaring that I was a servent of God who was carrying out His will. What I really ended up doing was deifying my own will. That is why I needed to be accountable to a group of like minded believers. I don't think that all religions lead to God, but I do believe that He reaches out to all people.

TWELVE STEPS AND THEIR BIBLICAL COMPARISONS ======================================================================= 1) WE ADMITTED THAT WE WERE POWERLESS OVER OUR ADDICTIONS AND COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS, THAT OUR LIVES HAD BECOME UNMANAGEABLE. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (Romans 7:18) 2) WE CAME TO BELIEVE THAT A POWER GREATER THAN OURSELVES COULD RESTORE US TO SANITY. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.(Phillipians 2:13) 3) WE MADE A DECISION TO TURN OUR LIVES AND OUR WILLS OVER TO THE CARE OF GOD. "Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship."(Romans 12:1) 4) WE MADE A SEARCHING AND FEARLESS MORAL INVENTORY OF OURSELVES. "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."(Lamentations 3:40) 5) WE ADMITTED TO GOD, TO OURSELVES, AND TO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING THE EXACT NATURE OF OUR WRONGS. "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."(James 5:16) 6) WE WERE ENTIRELY READY TO HAVE GOD REMOVE ALL THESE DEFECTS OF CHARACTER. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."(James 4:10) 7) WE HUMBLY ASKED HIM TO REMOVE ALL OUR SHORTCOMINGS. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:9) 8) WE MADE A LIST OF ALL PERSONS WE HAD HARMED AND BECAME WILLING TO MAKE AMENDS TO THEM ALL. "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6:31) 9) WE MADE DIRECT AMENDS TO SUCH PEOPLE WHENEVER POSSIBLE, EXCEPT WHEN TO DO SO WOULD INJURE THEM OR OTHERS. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."(Matthew 5:23-24) 10) WE CONTINUED TO TAKE PERSONAL INVENTORY AND WHEN WE WERE WRONG, PROMPTLY ADMITTED IT. "So, if you think that you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"(1 Corinthians 10:12) 11) WE SOUGHT, THROUGH PRAYER AND MEDITATION, TO IMPROVE OUR CONSCIOUS CONTACT WITH GOD, PRAYING ONLY FOR KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL FOR US AND POWER TO CARRY THAT OUT. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."(Colossians 3:16) 12) HAVING HAD A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE AS THE RESULT OF THESE STEPS, WE TRY TO CARRY THIS MESSAGE TO OTHERS AND TO PRACTICE THESE PRINCIPLES IN ALL OUR AFFAIRS. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."(Galatians 6:1)

So to sum up my post, I follow the God who is described in the Bible. I said before that the Bible is not needed for this God to reach a person, but, in my belief, this God is described in the Bible and is not necessarily the same definition of "god" found elsewhere.

I believe it's the same God for everyone we just percieve "him" differently...

...God's house has many rooms and many paths lead to the same door

Christ is a "consciousness" which when attained leads to God we can share this consciousness to a certain degree yet we are not God...

...Jesus life was a metaphorical process a means to an end

He even said it himself yet his words were twisted...

"I am the way and the truth and the life and none shall pass unto the father exept thru me..."

That didn't mean worship him as God it meant...the truth of your life is reflected in the way you live it which leads to a higher consciousness and he lived by example

Ringokid..the elusive 4th beatle! I realize that the point of my post is not to debate with how anyone else sees God. He is to each of us a unique and personal concept. I will say that I take back what I said about relating to Him without a Bible. Somehow, the God that I relate to is described in the Bible, so I cannot disassociate the book from my God. Ringo, you had some good observations, and I want to contrast how I see God from how you see Him. You say:

I believe it's the same God for everyone we just percieve "him" differently...

I agree. God is apart from human imagination, thus, He is the same for everyone yet all see Him uniquely.
...

God's house has many rooms and many paths lead to the same door

I say it like this: There may be many paths up the mountain, yet there is a common point at the top for all. The same God occupies this point.

Christ is a "consciousness" which when attained leads to God we can share this consciousness to a certain degree yet we are not God..

Seems as if to me you are describing the Holy Spirit as an infusion of the divine into an individual. I believe that we are not all a part of God pantheistically, yet we all are united communally. One Spirit...one vibe...many flavors..

...Jesus life was a metaphorical process a means to an end

Wow! If by definition, a metaphor is:met•a•phor \"me-t€-'fÕr\ n : a figure of speech in which a word for one idea or thing is used in place of another to suggest a likeness between them (as in "the ship plows the sea") — met•a•phor•i•cal Then the phrase,

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

is a metaphor of the reality of the infusion of an unseen divinity into a physical world. You may be right that we are not to worship Him, but I don't see a blasphemy involved if He is, in fact, God incarnate. You say that

the truth of your life is reflected in the way you live it which leads to a higher consciousness and he lived by example

where I would believe that He is, in fact, the Most High consciousness.... eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation

But getting back on topic, this is how I see God. It is not the only way to see Him.

Good Question. Definetly makes anyone stop and think about things allittle bit better.

Has anybody here seen the firs matrix movie where neo is on the phone with morphous and he is guiding him through a building and neo doesnt know what is happeneing,

To me god is my guiDe in life. He tells me where to go and i follow because i know the road he takes me through is the right one. I said the right one not the easy one. Many people offer Christianity as an escape from everyday troubles but the truth is that being a Christian is harder than being a non believer. We have to conduct ourselves accordingly to gods laws while non believers do what they please butin the end when youre obidient to his word you will understand what his prpose is for your life. God is he center of my being

nah man...

...I'm not that beatle he was a starr but my skin is pretty tough though

This Ringo is a kid who sees things with childlike simplicity and like to play games...

essentially we agree on most things regarding God and consciousness it's just I see Jesus first and foremost as a man...

...peace out and keep the faith, you too Jazzlover

There are many gods in the perception of people, but one Jehovah (the existing one or the "I am.")

This god whose proper name is Jehovah (Hebrew YHWH) is spirit with an image who dwells in a certain location in the Universe known as Heaven, meaning the highest sense of that word, "Heaven," as distinguisted from the atmosphere or expanse of outer space. There is a multipresent aspect of his being known as the Holy Spirit whom he sends where ever he chooses to do things in the universe. God is the supreme being from whom all things came and by whom all things exist. His majestic being sits on a "throne" in Heaven where creatures of a higher dimension than earth men also exist and who worship and serve him day and night in what ever capacity he choses for them. On his right hand, what ever that entails exists his son, Jesus who once was on earth, known as the redeeming sacrifical lamb of God and who was a divine man born directly from the Holy Spirit of God and to whom he will give the kingdoms of this world to rule for a thousand years. This Son of God is our mediatior between man and God, who is also the lord or master of us through whom we speak to God the Father. He is the way to god, known as the "way, the truth, and the life." No man comes to god but through him exclusively as he claims in John 14:6

So In short, God is Jehovah (the existing one), the supreme creator entity of the universe from whom all things came and by whom all things exist. There is no other true god but him. He and his son Jesus are the only existing entities in the universe worthy of worship by his created beings. The Holy Spirit is worthy of worship, but directs all worship to the father, Jehovah, or the son, Jesus, he being the spirit of both the father and the son.

Many people offer Christianity as an escape from everyday troubles but the truth is that being a Christian is harder than being a non believer.

Its easy to do as thou wilt. Its a lot harder to consider others better than yourself.

Its easy to do as thou wilt. Its a lot harder to consider others better than yourself.

You resurrect a 9-year-dead thread just to say that nonbelievers just "do what thou wilt" and are not self-sacrificing or charitable?

Really? That's pretty absurd, even for you Phat.