To Believers: How Do You Feel About God, and Why?

Greetings readers,

I'm conducting some research for a future thread, with one simple question:

How do you feel about God, and why?

I pose this question only to Bible believers. It is a question with many answers, and I hope to get a variety of them. Quoting scripture is fine, but please don't only quote scripture. Give me more information. Perhaps explain why that scripture is important to you. Please be as detailed as you'd like with answers.

It would be fair of me to disclose that I myself am not a believer.

Thank you in advance!

a reply to: WakeUpBeer If we believe the "BIG BANG" theory, then god is far, far away. I am still awaiting his return however.

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

I worship him because everything I can think of, he has already came up with the best solution for. He is the epitome of understanding, love, and resolution, and he conceals it all in such a way as to make it all so very interesting.

That is to say, I suppose, that his fruit is the finest of all.

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

I love God like a Father. He has watched over me and taught me many things. When I turned away from Him, He let me learn lessons the hard way, when I was ready to return, He showered me with grace. All you have to do is believe that Jesus paid for your sins. He isnt interested in what you can do in His name, but what He can do for you, and through you with the Holy Spirit.

God lets man learn from their mistakes. When man doesnt like the situation they put themselves in, we often blame God.

Thats how I feel. A God powerfull enough to create life in the image of His own soul and spirit is without flaw.

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

I feel God has been misrepresented throughout history...

One man came to show the truth of God, and everything he taught was shot to hell by a group of elitist missionaries trying to maintain control over the populous

The people in the OT didn't know God... the sheep are lost without the shepherd

They relied on myth and legend... and worshipped a bloodthirsty tyrant who told them they could pass their sins over to another innocent life... then kill said innocent being and the sins will be forgotten, which was a lie...

Then along came the one man who actually knew God, remembered being with him and what HE taught... and the followers of this blood thirsty tyrant turned HIM (another innocent being) into yet another blood sacrifice to appease this so called god's blood lust... turning everything he taught into nonsense...

And a few decades later the followers of this so called god sent in their "Trojan Horse" who taught everyone he actually knew what this man of God actually meant... and all anyone needs is to believe in his name, and that he paid for their sins... Thus once again teaching the world that a mans sins can be placed on another

Which is still a lie... and always has been

hows that for summing it up?

I feel that God has gotten a bum rap - due to the way 'religion' portrays 'Him'...

God is not 'in' the bible (or any other doctrine), He does not belong to any religious affiliation - God is of the spirit, of the heart.

I believe that the bible can hold great 'truths' without being 100% 'literally' true.

The only things from the bible that I believe (for certain) are true about God are, "God is Love" and His primary commandment above all is, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."

I believe that it doesn't matter if Jesus was 'literally' the son of God. The bible has been translated back and forth between so many languages, and since languages never translate 'literally', we can't know the exact words Jesus might have spoken -
but if you read it in the context of 'Love' (asking yourself, "What is the most 'loving' interpretation here") with each and every 'statement' attributed to Jesus, you can see that he was certainly the most loving 'person' who ever existed, and that makes him worth 'hearing' as a 'spokesman' for God...

If people would stop listening to what anyone 'tells' them about Jesus/God and would read (with their hearts, not in literal words) for themselves, then maybe their spirits would recognize 'who' God really is, and then maybe they would discover that they actually kind of like Him...

God seems like a pretty decent entity, unless of course you believe god is like some people say. Give god respect and then you can go on with your life, trying not to abuse other humans and destroying this garden of Eden. The whole world is the garden, look at the other planets, is there a beautiful planet within a hundred light years of here?

Are we that lucky that by chance all of this happened and we are here typing on the internet about this subject. I feel there is a supreme being, one who's intellect makes us look like a blade of grass.

a reply to: Akragon

That was far too close to the truth. Some may find that offensive. How dare God hold them personally accountable.

It is so much easier, to use God as the scapegoat himself. And ignore that whole royal law thing.

a reply to: Akragon
Your entire post seems like speculation, and I hear you bring up the OT and NT God as different entities all the time. No Christian has ever not considered the OT books Holy Scripture. Yet, I never see any archaeological or historical references posted from you.

a reply to: ServantOfTheLamb

Correction. No mainstream Christianity that you are aware of does that.

Paul was a false apostle. John said clearly, true followers listened to the twelve. What did Paul says about them, and, how was Peter treated in Galatians alone?

More to read about that here, just using your accepted scripture.

I'm sure you will refuse to consider it right now, or even take it seriously. But, that is the right place to start when you are ready to seek truth.

Paul was a Pharisee. He was speaking of Talmudic Judaism when he referenced the "law."

My take on the whole thing is this...

I dislike the word religion because I find it very restrictive, for example I consider myself to be a follower of Christ Yeshua but I would stop short of calling myself a Christian only because I do not care to associate myself with any mainstream church or organization. I also consider the wisdom of other ancient philosophies and personally find that many ancient philosophies share common links..

So I will refer to it as spirituality...and for me spirituality is about experiencing the spiritual.

I believe that the core component of spirituality comes from the direct experience itself.
It is my opinion that the Torah was written by a shamanic, nomadic tribal people who were attempting to describe various altered states of consciousness as well as direct mystical experiences.

My problem with organized religion is that the emphasis on direct spiritual experiences has been completely deluded.
What you have usually with organized religion is a large group of people that have never experienced anything truly mystical simply sitting around and reading about other peoples mystical experiences...
Experiences that happened thousands of years ago.

So basically I'm saying the focus of mainstream religion is mainly on preservation of Dogma and storytelling.
The problem is the Torah was not written to be a just a storybook. The "story" part of the Torah is like the garment...the outer layer, a protective shell if you will...The story format of the Torah is there to preserve the inner layer of mystery that is encrypted within the Hebrew language.
....those who are truly in love with the Torah are allowed to glimpse beneath the outer layer into the inner mysteries of God's word and therein lies not only a blue print of creation itself but also a road map to altered states of consciousness and direct mystical experience.
For example in the Torah there are 72 names for god and they each denote a certain individual aspect of God's divine personality.
The word "God" is not one of those names.

If you look at Hebrew tradition...inner silence was the primary method of prayer...
Theoretically this practice has some of the same consciousness altering effects that Buddhist meditation would provide.

Mathew 6:6-8
""But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him"

Really depend on your definition of god. I believe that All that exists is ONE single being on the highest level and my view is that Rumi (Sufi Islam mystic poet), Buddha, Nanak (Sikh), Jesus and Krishna from Hinduism all taught this non duality in their own words and on the level that the people could handle and giving hints on how to reach a connection on a higher level with everything that is.

From my point of view I am a spirit having a temporary human experience. And I feel more like myself when light/chi flows thru my body.

originally posted by: ServantOfTheLamb
a reply to: Akragon
Your entire post seems like speculation, and I hear you bring up the OT and NT God as different entities all the time. No Christian has ever not considered the OT books Holy Scripture. Yet, I never see any archaeological or historical references posted from you.

Well it would seem like speculation to a Christian... Most of you believe in the entire book and think it has no errors or contradictions as well... so it really only shows how much most of you actually know your own book

In the past anyone who even considered questioning the church or the books of the bible was disposed of but in this age Christians and their preachers can't do anything about it... Why do you think there's so many people turning from the church these days? Well its not because its the "end times" though im sure you believe it is...

Maybe because more and more people are learning the reality of the bible... and churches are teaching less and less about what Jesus taught...

ANYONE can simply read the book for themselves to see that Jesus and the OT god are incompatible... Even some Christians realise this... but the blind are still abundant... and they still lead the blind

This will never change until people start reading and stop listening to preachers ramble on about what they think they know...

Regardless this is not the place for this conversation... and I stand by what I said

I feel that God created us to serve him. I do not know what this service will entail after this life, but I look forward to it. I am thankful that God gave me the choice to serve him, and did not force it on me.

God heals us from our sinful nature when you know there is more to solely our existence. He empowers our existence into a life. He can be the force that drives us. Once people reached contact with Him He deserves all of our gratitude.

Everything you ask Him which is according to His will we receive.

He deserves all of our honor and He is the only one worthy of our honor.

He is the one we need to humble ourselves for.

Thank you.

a reply to: Not Authorized

Correction. No mainstream Christianity that you are aware of does that.

No Christian from antiquity thought that either. All of them quote OT Scripture, and when Jesus speaks of OT Scripture he gives it authority that is the main reason your claim is confusing.

Examples:

-Jesus, like all the Jews of the first century, divided the Old Testament into three parts: the law, the prophets, the psalms. Jesus said: "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

-"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

-"For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John..." This verse here is Jesus letting us know the prophets and the Law(Books of the OT) are no longer how we are to be spoken to, but that in these last day we are taught by the Son.

-He also quotes Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. (Matthew 9:13 and Matthew 12:7)

-Leviticus 19:18Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (Matthew 5:43, Matthew 22:39 (with a repeat in Mark 12:31))

If these books weren't actually from God why didn't he say so?

Paul was a false apostle. John said clearly, true followers listened to the twelve. What did Paul says about them, and, how was Peter treated in Galatians alone?

Well that statement goes back to Biblical times. Here lets let Paul defend himself:

www.biblegateway.com...

Luke, Cephas, James(JESUS'S BROTHER), and John all recognized Paul as a teacher. Don't really understand where your source is coming from.

a reply to: ServantOfTheLamb

You really should have a fresh look at that claim.

I would not be so sure. You echo church propaganda, not history.

If Paul was not a false apostle, why did he need to defend his claim? Did the twelve ever have to defend said claim? More importantly, why did everyone in Asia, abandon Paul?

Could it have had something to do with Johns epistles? Could the text be edited, and falsified, to fit in Paul after the fact? Did Paul fit Johns warnings? What about Rev 2:2.

If a duck, quacks like a duck......

a reply to: Not Authorized

Paul only reteaches what Jesus taught and he made the OT connections.

The claim that the NT was edited is an ace-in-the-whole for people like you. You love to use it when your argument has gone flat. There are a few later additions to the texts, but they stand out like a sore thumb. Maybe you would care to point out exactly what you believe was edited. The last half of Mark 15, and the parenthetical statement in Rev 1:8 are a few that Im aware of. Nothing damning against Paul there.

The truth is that the syllables of the OT and NT are metered in a heptactic manor. This meter predicted the fulfillment of prophecy. Paul used the same meter when he wrote his epistles, and he happend to be teaching the truth. Ive referenced the hebrew meter before.

The fact is, you accuse Paul due to your lack of understanding. If you understood that Jesus taught from the context of the OT, then you would not be saying these things.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Red Herring. Nice attempt to deflect from the links above.

Fine, I'll "re-invent" the wheel for you and summarize the one link above:

John gives us several criteria to identify the false prophets even if they “claim to have the Spirit” of God:
They teach a heresy that Jesus did not come in truly human flesh (i.e., his flesh just appeared to be human flesh) John 4:1-4
They do not listen to the twelve apostles 1 John 4:6
They became a part of the apostles’ group but left the apostles’ group 1 John 2:19
They do not remain in the teachings by the twelve of what Jesus taught. 2 John 1:9

Did Paul refuse to listen to the Apostles? Yes.
Did Paul part ways with the Apostles? Yes.
Did Paul say Jesus only came in the "likeness" flesh, not actual flesh? Yes. and Yes.
Was their a false teacher in Ephesus? Yes.
Did Paul write a letter to the Church at Ephesus? Yes.
Did Asia Abandon Paul? Yes, he even sent a desperate letter to Ephesus, the same Church in Rev 2:2.
Are there other evidences of Paul having problems in Ephesus? Yes.
Question: Who of the Apostles was assigned to the Gentiles? Peter.

Now, I can continue. Probably for hours. But it would waste my time with you. Paul's boasting. His "Gospel", his "lie", etc.

But really, all one has to do is:

A Simple Google Search to read, study, and determine the truth for themselves.

PS, This is a Great Book so far. BTW, Pharisee's did not use the Old Testament for the "law." They used this one.

Good day.

Thanks for the answers everyone.

Seems the general consensus amongst believers is that he is like a loving father figure. Compassionate, but hard when he needs to be. Flawless, and perfect.