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Perhaps before I get into any discussion of what God is, I should clearly define what I believe God is not.
One thing I am pretty sure of is that God is not Christian. Nor is God Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Confucian, Jewish, Taoist or a member of any other religion. It seems to me that you cannot limit God like that. Besides, most religions claim to have the only true path to God. They cannot all be right. If there really is only one true path, then at most only one can be right, but it is more likely that they are all wrong.
Another thing I’m pretty sure of is that God is not a megalomaniac. She is not interested in your worship. Someone great enough to create the universe would not need to be put on a pedestal and adored. Such a desire would imply that God is immature and shallow. Why would anyone respect such a god?
Did I refer to God as a she in the previous paragraph? Yes I did. If God created us as males and females, then he must possess the attributes of both. In my opinion, God is not just male or female.
There is one last thing I want to mention that I believe God is not. God is not a judge. God did not create us just to put us in imminent danger of eternal damnation. If there is a literal hell, it is a place that we put ourselves. God will not condemn you if you do not believe in her. She might be a little disappointed, perhaps hurt, maybe even confused, but angry? You were created with the capacity for non-belief, so why would God be angry if you failed to believe?
The more we discover about this universe, the more we find that it makes sense. Things work together in an intricate web that creates and supports life. Why would we think that the mind that created such an orderly world would be anything but orderly? If there is anything disorderly in the world it is us, not Nature. Nature makes sense, so I think God does too.
If God makes sense then we have a responsibility to think about God and use the minds he gave us as spiritual bullshit detectors. If someone tells you something about God and it sounds wrong, it probably is! If you read something about God in an old book and it doesn’t make sense, think about it before you swallow it whole.
I believe one reason God created us was for companionship. Assuming you think of God as a friend, why would you accept second-hand interpretations concerning her when you can go right to the source? A sermon is second-hand. The Bible is also second-hand.
On the other hand, the knowledge of God that one receives through prayer and personal experience is first-hand. First-hand knowledge can always be relied upon with greater confidence than second-hand knowledge, which is really nothing more than hearsay.
Think!
Tags: god's judgment, what is god, who is god
the babbling baboon 
May 29, 2008 at 8:53 pm |
What are your thoughts on evolution? Just out of curiosity.
June 2, 2008 at 11:19 am |
Evolution? I don’t know much about the religion of Evolutionism, but here goes. (Religion of Evolutionism? Yes. Those who blindly follow the teachings of Darwin and his disciples share certain characteristics with fundamentalist proponents of most organized religions. Blind faith is blind faith, and evolution is just a scientific theory after all.)
Anyway, in my opinion, evolution is a natural process that can be observed. Living organisms adapt to their environments or they die. Across time and through the magic of genetics, random individuals within a population are born with anomalies or “defects” which make that individual less or more likely to thrive in their current natural environment. Individuals with characteristics that allow them to survive go on to pass their superior genetic code to a new generation.
Because the human lifespan is relatively short we don’t see the process – we only see how everything looks in the present. (And the present is only one flickering scene in a very, very long movie.) So yes, I believe in evolution, at least in theory. My belief is not entirely blind. I have thought about it quite a bit and it makes sense to me.
What about Creationism? Well, this is a theory too, but since it is wrapped up in religion, we call it a tenet of faith.
If you have read some of my posts you will know that I believe in a creator god. This is also not an entirely blind belief either. I have looked at this from every angle I can and it makes sense to me. (And I will continue to examine my beliefs forever in an effort to weed out the bullshit.)
It seems likely that God created the universe for some purpose, established some ground rules, gave everything a good once over, and then headed out to go golfing or something. I think she is in contact with those who have learned to pray, but generally does not micromanage her creation. Remember free will?
So, to bring this rambling comment to an end, perhaps God created the universe, and knowing that time inevitably brings change, had to build into his system a mechanism that would let life adapt to changing conditions automatically. We call this mechanism “evolution”.
So for me, the theories of evolution and creation are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I find that they live together very well indeed. Will all of you please stop fighting about this? Lol
July 18, 2008 at 1:40 am |
Yikes. Would you mind checking out my blog and seeing what you think about God after you read a few of my posts or watch a few of my videos? God is not what you make him. But some of your ideas are nearly correct, such as God having both male and female qualities. The Bible speaks of him treating his children tenderly like a mother. He most certainly is and will be our Judge, though. You might want to investigate that further before you are faced with the reality of it.
Love Ya,
Andrea {www.phenomenaltruths.wordpress.com}
July 18, 2008 at 7:59 am |
Andrea, are you SURE you want me to check out your blog? I will reluctantly do so, and I say reluctantly because I am pretty sure of what I will find, and how my thoughts will be received. You see, I was a born-again Christian for over 20 years until I finally had the courage to examine my faith with an open mind.
I know your faith better than you suspect Andrea. As a Christian, I was not satisfied to just go to church and act the act. I walked the walk, hard core. As I said, I was a fundamentalist. I went to church, studied the Bible, led several adult Bible study groups and one youth group, read “proper” Christian texts, and even took several semesters of pre-seminary classes.
I will visit your blog, but unlike your comment, in which you did not address even one of my points, my comments will specifically address the things that you claim you believe. You may find that I point out some things that disturb your spiritual sensibilities. I wonder if you will even approve my comments…
One thing I will not do is try to make you believe my way. I am here to make you think for yourself. I do not want you to adopt my beliefs as you have seemingly adopted the beliefs your parents and church leaders have handed you. Does this surprise you? I do not want my ideas to replace those of the Christian church, I want my ideas to nullify the Christian church, or at least expose it for what it is – an instrument to control the masses and maintain the priesthood’s position of power. (This refers to the church as a whole. I am not condemning the well-intentioned but misguided efforts of individual church leaders, at least not at the lowest levels of the church’s hierarchy. There are many preachers who have been duped just like you.)
Where did I get this idea you ask? Over 30 years of praying, thinking, discussing, studying and begging. Yes, begging. I begged God to reveal himself to me in a way that I would understand – and she did, slowly, over the course of many years and many, many experiences. Unlike most of the poor souls trapped by religion, I do not believe I have found the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I am on a journey of discovery that is not over, and I have much more to learn.
God gave me a mind to think, and a deep curiosity to seek the truth. The result of this is that I have discovered three very important things:
1. God exists.
2. I am not sure of exactly what God is, or what he wants from me.
3. You don’t know either.
Unquestioned faith is weak and it will fail you in the end. Test what you think you believe against reason and common sense. Be honest. Haven’t you ever been taught something that seemed wrong? Hasn’t there been times when something inside of you became a little uncomfortable with a specific Christian teaching or something written in the Bible? That was God’s spirit moving inside of you trying to tell you to be careful and think!
Since God created us with both logic and emotion, any real truth must appeal to both aspects. You should be wary of any purely emotional appeal to believe, especially when your God-given logical mind objects. Don’t let slick marketing and peer pressure take you off your true path.
Think!