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For those interested in pondering God Hi folks! Just felt in the mood to share some thoughts I've had about God over the years. I believe God exists, and I believe God both created and continues to interact with the universe. But as to some of the more common concepts of God, no matter how orthodox or Biblically (or other holy book) based they may be, I don't think any of us can fully comprehend Him. (I use the traditional masculine pronoun simply for convenience and my aversion to useless political correctness.) And I suppose it applies even to atheists, who have a concept, even tho they reject it. In their case I can't argue against their logic. Their concept is limited to what they've heard from others, who only have a limited ability to conceive of Him themselves, and in that light they may be wise to reject it I think. But, I think how we define, describe, and conceive of God in our minds is limited to the limitations of our minds. I think on the question of God, mankind is analogous to a single-celled protozoa trying to grasp and explain the Space Shuttle. I believe God must be so far beyond us in His comprehension we can never (certainly not in this lifetime) fully grasp or understand him. Today, some theoretical physicists postulate the universe may be a living organism. would imply it possesses will. Other physicists have proven the existence of the Higgs-Boson particle, which seems to pop in and out of existence randomly. I've come to feel at this point, God is the universe, and God is existence. The force in or of the universe which is the only thing capable of existing by it's own volition, or for causing something to exist. For now, 's the best capable of conceiving Him to be. (Ironically, it was only later I recalled the stories in Exodus in which God is reported to have called Himself "I AM ".) Oh well. It's stuff like this makes a heretic among my fellow Christians. LOL Just some idle thoughts, so thanks for reading and I'd be interested in whatever comments folks may have. GBU all, Gavin |
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For my purposes here, there are no right or wrong comments ppl can make so long as they stay respective of others whose views they may or may not share. If u belittle someone or their beliefs, there' a fair possibility I may delete ur comments, or alternatively I may let ur comments stand but not defend u from the attacks u'll get from others. GBU all, Gavin
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Thank You for your aversion to useless political correctness. Either Atheist or Evangelical, I think there is a natural tendency in all of us to either 'be God' ourselves, or to 'act for God' ourselves
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Thank You for your aversion to useless political correctness. Either Atheist or Evangelical, I think there is a natural tendency in all of us to either 'be God' ourselves, or to 'act for God' ourselves GBU, Gavin
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4/2/2019 2:33 am |
Your blog reminds me of the song Imagine by John Lennon. On u tube with lyrics. Party On!
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Your blog reminds me of the song Imagine by John Lennon. On u tube with lyrics. Party On! GBU, Gavin
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4/2/2019 4:04 am |
Perhaps I can help you out. The connection as I see it IS people argue over religion. It is a very touchy subject. Your threat to delete when people get personal over religion denotes what the lyrics in the song address. Plus by posting this blog you know it will cause animosity which is why you threatened to delete the results. LOL But WHATEVER. LOL Party On!
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4/2/2019 9:09 am |
I had an experience in a Baptist church back in 1954. The preacher had been building up over several weeks that s_x was a sin & everyone should repent by confessing those sins to him after every Sunday service while the choir sang Oh Come All Ye Sinners. I would sit there & wonder why only the women would approach him and cry (some violently) on his shoulder while whispering their sins in his ear. The guys never did that. I would as my self----did they not sin also? On my final day in that church----The preacher said if a baby died without being baptized it would go to hell because the parents had sinned in order to cause birth of the child. Suddenly in mid sermon he stopped ----looked behind where we were seated and said-----CAN I HELP YOU?----we all turned around to see what was going on. There stood a young mother with a newborn in her arms! SHE SAID. Brother Bob do you actually believe this baby (not being baptized) would go to hell if it died today? Brother Bob stood there for quite some time-----got very red in the face looking DOWN.-------Then he looked up at her & said----I would have to say YES! She looked angrily back at him & said----I am sorry Brother Bob----But I can not believe that! There is NOTHING in this world more innocent than this baby in my arms! She looked down at her husband who was still sitting there looking surprised & said ---Come on we must get out of here! She turned around & WALKED OUT! Her husband sat for awhile-----said not a thing----then slowly got up & walked out. There was total silence for a long time----could have heard a pin drop. Brother Bob could not think of what to say. Then the choir leader asked everyone to stand & sing ----after the song the service was OVER! That young mother was & still is my hero. I often wonder how she & her child made out in life. On that day I learned to THINK out what is being said and consider if it is possible, fact, or superstition. And I do not take on guilt over what someone else says or writes. Party On!
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I had an experience in a Baptist church back in 1954. The preacher had been building up over several weeks that s_x was a sin & everyone should repent by confessing those sins to him after every Sunday service while the choir sang Oh Come All Ye Sinners. I would sit there & wonder why only the women would approach him and cry (some violently) on his shoulder while whispering their sins in his ear. The guys never did that. I would as my self----did they not sin also? On my final day in that church----The preacher said if a baby died without being baptized it would go to hell because the parents had sinned in order to cause birth of the child. Suddenly in mid sermon he stopped ----looked behind where we were seated and said-----CAN I HELP YOU?----we all turned around to see what was going on. There stood a young mother with a newborn in her arms! SHE SAID. Brother Bob do you actually believe this baby (not being baptized) would go to hell if it died today? Brother Bob stood there for quite some time-----got very red in the face looking DOWN.-------Then he looked up at her & said----I would have to say YES! She looked angrily back at him & said----I am sorry Brother Bob----But I can not believe that! There is NOTHING in this world more innocent than this baby in my arms! She looked down at her husband who was still sitting there looking surprised & said ---Come on we must get out of here! She turned around & WALKED OUT! Her husband sat for awhile-----said not a thing----then slowly got up & walked out. There was total silence for a long time----could have heard a pin drop. Brother Bob could not think of what to say. Then the choir leader asked everyone to stand & sing ----after the song the service was OVER! That young mother was & still is my hero. I often wonder how she & her child made out in life. On that day I learned to THINK out what is being said and consider if it is possible, fact, or superstition. And I do not take on guilt over what someone else says or writes. Party On! The original Baptist movement was established for that very reason, under the belief that for Baptism to truly benefit the person, they must be old enough to know what they are doing, and only then is Baptism necessary and effective. But I've read both your comments today, and haven't seen anything about your concept of God. I didn't write this blog entry to either debate, criticize, or support religion. That's something people are free to choose for themselves. So I'm curious: What's your concept of God? Have you given it much thought? Can u put it into words? GBU, Gavin
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Perhaps I can help you out. The connection as I see it IS people argue over religion. It is a very touchy subject. Your threat to delete when people get personal over religion denotes what the lyrics in the song address. Plus by posting this blog you know it will cause animosity which is why you threatened to delete the results. LOL But WHATEVER. LOL Party On! GBU, Gavin
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I had an experience in a Baptist church back in 1954. The preacher had been building up over several weeks that s_x was a sin & everyone should repent by confessing those sins to him after every Sunday service while the choir sang Oh Come All Ye Sinners. I would sit there & wonder why only the women would approach him and cry (some violently) on his shoulder while whispering their sins in his ear. The guys never did that. I would as my self----did they not sin also? On my final day in that church----The preacher said if a baby died without being baptized it would go to hell because the parents had sinned in order to cause birth of the child. Suddenly in mid sermon he stopped ----looked behind where we were seated and said-----CAN I HELP YOU?----we all turned around to see what was going on. There stood a young mother with a newborn in her arms! SHE SAID. Brother Bob do you actually believe this baby (not being baptized) would go to hell if it died today? Brother Bob stood there for quite some time-----got very red in the face looking DOWN.-------Then he looked up at her & said----I would have to say YES! She looked angrily back at him & said----I am sorry Brother Bob----But I can not believe that! There is NOTHING in this world more innocent than this baby in my arms! She looked down at her husband who was still sitting there looking surprised & said ---Come on we must get out of here! She turned around & WALKED OUT! Her husband sat for awhile-----said not a thing----then slowly got up & walked out. There was total silence for a long time----could have heard a pin drop. Brother Bob could not think of what to say. Then the choir leader asked everyone to stand & sing ----after the song the service was OVER! That young mother was & still is my hero. I often wonder how she & her child made out in life. On that day I learned to THINK out what is being said and consider if it is possible, fact, or superstition. And I do not take on guilt over what someone else says or writes. Party On! I'm that same way. GBU, Gavin
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4/2/2019 7:34 pm |
I do not know about Baptist Doctrine & I am not discussing it. I do know I was sitting in a Baptist church. Brother Bob was a Baptist preacher. He was building the congregation up to his final point over a period of weeks. (brain washing) I also remember thinking-----These people are acting strange and they will go along with anything he says they should do. Everyone there was trying to prove to the others how strong their faith in what he said was. Years later I read about the Jim Jones thing and thought------yes I know how people can be led to the extreme with group think & the need to fit in like they were told to do from early childhood. I still wonder what the parents who raised their children to be very religious think now after their children committed suicide rather than withdraw from what mom & dad, the preacher, and the Bible told them they should do. If they withdrew from their church they would have been shamed by the group & possibly their family. So now they are dead and for WHAT? It is one of the few things that make me angry. But Party On! LOL
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4/2/2019 8:30 pm |
Well please excuse me for missing your intent on writing this blog. I did not realize it was so limited. It will not happen again.
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4/2/2019 9:23 pm |
I don't belong to any organized church and wasn't forced to believe this or that when I was a child, although baptized as a protestant. Going to church or reading the bible was not included in the way my parents raised me. It was an ethical concept to resolve questions of morality - right and wrong, virtue and vice, self-responsibility. Later in life I felt that there must be a "divine energy" (whatever you call it). I had two experiences beyond understanding.
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"And I suppose it applies even to atheists, who have a concept, even tho they reject it. In their case I can't argue against their logic. Their concept is limited to what they've heard from others, who only have a limited ability to conceive of Him themselves, and in that light they may be wise to reject it I think." I find this paragraph extremely odd. Atheism isn't about rejecting their concept of God........It's a non-acceptance of any concept of God. It's the rejection of Magical Thinking. There is only the natural world.......A wonderful, amazing world that has no need for Supernatural phenomena to enhance it.......
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"And I suppose it applies even to atheists, who have a concept, even tho they reject it. In their case I can't argue against their logic. Their concept is limited to what they've heard from others, who only have a limited ability to conceive of Him themselves, and in that light they may be wise to reject it I think." I find this paragraph extremely odd. Atheism isn't about rejecting their concept of God........It's a non-acceptance of any concept of God. It's the rejection of Magical Thinking. There is only the natural world.......A wonderful, amazing world that has no need for Supernatural phenomena to enhance it....... GBU, Gavin
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But non-acceptance is a rejection. GBU, Gavin GBU, Gavin
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Maybe this will make it clearer. What you consider "magical thinking" is nonetheless a concept. U've heard others describe their beliefs and you have considered it enough to decide that it is "magical thinking". Very different from the original person's interpretation, but a concept nonetheless. Tho I don't share that interpretation, I can't fault you for coming to that conclusion. I think it's something every person should decide for themselves. GBU, Gavin There is a fundamental difference between rejecting the concept of "God" and not subscribing to the basic concept of a super-natural reality. Analogous, perhaps, to the difference between not subscribing to any newspapers and subscribing to them all and then discarding them.....
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In order to communicate abstract thought, we need to classify and name it......that's what a concept is......a cluster of abstractions.........Magical thinking is a concept that has no basis in practical reality. It's veracity cannot be demonstrated. Basically, it's a lie. The concept of God....any God, is a being that operates outside the laws of nature. Basically, a super-hero. Humans have concocted thousands of versions of this........ There is a fundamental difference between rejecting the concept of "God" and not subscribing to the basic concept of a super-natural reality. Analogous, perhaps, to the difference between not subscribing to any newspapers and subscribing to them all and then discarding them..... I'm not criticizing you for not believing God exists. In fact I'm not criticizing you at all. I feel the same way you do about Santa Clause. I just admit that even though I don't believe Santa Clause exists, I nonetheless have a concept of him. GBU, Gavin
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Thanks everyone for sharing. I'm done with this blog entry now. Had a few more comments but some folks had become hostile and disrespectful of others so I deleted them. I just wasn't in the mood to get into a stupid fight about the topic. But thanks again folks, and GBU all! Gavin
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In fairness to one person who commented here, I should mention that I agree one can compare a belief in God to a belief in Santa Clause. I simply choose to believe in one and not the other. And like all free people, I'm under no obligation to be consistent in anything. But I respect that others don't share my views, and I don't demean the views of others who disagree with my views. GBU all, Gavin
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I do not know about Baptist Doctrine & I am not discussing it. I do know I was sitting in a Baptist church. Brother Bob was a Baptist preacher. He was building the congregation up to his final point over a period of weeks. (brain washing) I also remember thinking-----These people are acting strange and they will go along with anything he says they should do. Everyone there was trying to prove to the others how strong their faith in what he said was. Years later I read about the Jim Jones thing and thought------yes I know how people can be led to the extreme with group think & the need to fit in like they were told to do from early childhood. I still wonder what the parents who raised their children to be very religious think now after their children committed suicide rather than withdraw from what mom & dad, the preacher, and the Bible told them they should do. If they withdrew from their church they would have been shamed by the group & possibly their family. So now they are dead and for WHAT? It is one of the few things that make me angry. But Party On! LOL Thanks and GBU, Gavin
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Nonetheless, you admit that the concept exists. You acknowledge the existence of the concept even though u reject its veracity. Therefore, I still say you hold a concept of God, even though your concept is vastly different from the one(s) many others ascribe to. I'm not criticizing you for not believing God exists. In fact I'm not criticizing you at all. I feel the same way you do about Santa Clause. I just admit that even though I don't believe Santa Clause exists, I nonetheless have a concept of him. GBU, Gavin
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Yes, of course God is a concept.......many concepts......a mercurial concept that is ever changing according to the desires of the Humans who are conceiving and harbouring the concept........Nothing but an abstract thought pattern in people's brains......not an actual being who has power in the physical world....... GBU, Gavin
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Yes, of course God is a concept.......many concepts......a mercurial concept that is ever changing according to the desires of the Humans who are conceiving and harbouring the concept........Nothing but an abstract thought pattern in people's brains......not an actual being who has power in the physical world....... Thanks, Gavin
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