Conversations With God. Atheist Meets God and gets answers.

CWG, the book, is channeled writings. Automatic writings in this case.
Sort of in the same line as the Abraham-hicks, or even the Seth material.

At the time the author struggles with if this really god "talking" or the author coming up with all the answers. (the answer was "does it matter")
The basic message is creating or discovering "who you really are".

I thought it was interesting reading, although it does now seem branded, heavily marketed and some other things that seem anoying (I even think he made a movie)

The book is just Neal (author) asking (what seemed to me to be ) the same set of questions over and over (or at least asking questions that had already been answered).
The 1st three books were divided into personal matters, societal matters and larger universal matters.
Later books were of the ilk, friends with god, home with god ,and who know.. .maybe even cooking with god
Still facinating.
I think there are probably dozens of books with the CWG title now.

I can tell that the CWG author has read "Stranger in a Strange Land" and alot of the course in miracle stuff... nothing new under the sun (not meant as a blight towards the series, just an observation).

I think the closest those books come to this short story is when god says something like "you should see the technology of the universe!", well that and some thing telling the authors that they were talking with god.

I do not think the books ever covered issues like digital life or OMortality (found in other stories the author you posted has written about; which I can see some hints at here in this story).

Anyway, I thought this story "talking with god" is/was worthy of some thought.
The other one seems to be heading in the path of "belief" ... which if not careful can turn thought off.

Although I know this is NOT what the OP is looking for obivoulsy, all the questions related to God can be found in the Bible. He really does answer everything we need to know about him.

For example, the question about him evolving? He tells us in the Bible that he has always existed, and that by means of his energy and power everything in the invisible spirit realm and in our physical universe came to be. So one of the first questions in the story about whether he evolved and he answered yes, is totally wrong. Good for fiction, but if you want truth read the Bible.

Here we go, this time a man/woman is asking of God some serious questions, and gets them answered from God:

Actually I started the dialog in my mind and it became rather large, so much so that I decided to start its own thread as a response to this one:
A Conversation with God

Originally posted by Calender
but if you want truth read the Bible.

Can you offer any evidence that shows the bible to be any more or less truthful than this short story?

Originally posted by SaturnFX

Originally posted by Calender
but if you want truth read the Bible.

Can you offer any evidence that shows the bible to be any more or less truthful than this short story?

You ask for any evidence that what the Bible says is true? That is fair enough. There are three things that come straightaway to my mind that prove the veracity of the Bible.

1. Prophecy
2. Archeology
3. It's Teachings


The Bible is full of prophecy. And all of them in the past have come to pass. Thus we can be confident that what it says about the future will also come to pass. Let us examen briefly just one example.

In the ancient world Babylon used to be a world power. Isaiah 13:19 called it the "jewel of kingdoms." In the seventh century B. C. E. it appeared to be impregnable. At its peak Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 13:19; 14:22, 23 that Babylon would be swept with "the broom of annihilation." Isaiah then went on to describe in the very manner that Babylon would fall, and even prophesied the very name of the man who would conquer Babylon three hundred years before he was born:


(Isaiah 45:1) . . .This is what Jehovah has said to his anointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of, to subdue before him nations, so that I may ungird even the hips of kings; . . .

Cyrus the king of the Persians did indeed rise up to conquer Babylon. Let us compare what the prophecy says regarding its fall, and what history tells us:

(Isaiah 44:27-45:2) 27 the One saying to the watery deep, ‘Be evaporated; and all your rivers I shall dry up’; 28 the One saying of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and all that I delight in he will completely carry out’; even in [my] saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘You will have your foundation laid.’” 45 This is what Jehovah has said to his anointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of, to subdue before him nations, so that I may ungird even the hips of kings; to open before him the two-leaved doors, so that even the gates will not be shut: 2 “Before you I myself shall go, and the swells of land I shall straighten out. The copper doors I shall break in pieces, and the iron bars I shall cut down.


Here Isaiah shows us that the waters of the mighty Euphrates river that surrounded the lofty walls of Babylon would be dried up, and that even the gates would be left open for Cyrus the conquerer. Did it come to pass this way? Note what historian Herodotus says:

Herodotus explains that inside the city, the people “were dancing and making merry at a festival.” Outside, however, Cyrus had diverted the waters of the Euphrates. As the water level sank, his army sloshed along the riverbed, with water up to their thighs. They marched past the towering walls and entered through what Herodotus called “the gates that opened on the river,” gates carelessly left open. - Herodotus History Book I, 191.

Now critics of the Bible cannot explain this obviously accurate prophecy made in advance hundreds of years, so they try to claim that it was rewritten after the fact, although they have no proof to back up their claims, and flys in the face of all proof to the contrary. Nevertheless they cannot explain away another detail of the prophecy concerning Babylon. What is it? Isaiah tells us:

(Isaiah 13:20) . . .She will never be inhabited, nor will she reside for generation after generation. And there the Arab will not pitch his tent, and no shepherds will let [their flocks] lie down there.

This statement was made at the peak of Babylon's prestige 700 years before Christ came to earth. We know that a scroll of the complete book of Isaiah was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls and dates back to two hundreds years before Christ walked the earth, or 2 B. C. E.

Following the takeover of Cyrus Babylon continued to exist for centuries. Even when Peter was alive in the first century of our common era Peter visited a Jewish community in Babylon.

Yet by the fourth century the Hebrew Scholar Jerome wrote that in his day Babylon was a hunting ground in which beasts of every type roamed. - Commentary on Isaiah, by Jerome, Isaiah 13:21, 22.


Isaiah never lived to see his prophecy fulfilled. Yet it came to pass just as Jehovah said it would. To this day Babylon is a mere heap of ruins in Iraq that perhaps is a tourist attraction but is no longer inhabited, nor ever will be again. True to prophecy.

Tome fails me to write more here. But the sound prophecy that is unshakable, the archeological records that confirms the Bible over and over again, as well as its written word that affects lives all over the earth for the better are all proof of it being the real inspired word of God. No other book has been so hated and persecuted, yet survived as this one, and no other book is more read or widely distributed earth-wide than the Bible. If you are sincere and are willing to learn the truth of the Bible study this one detail of true Biblical prophecy and get back to me, when I have time, if you are hungry, honest, and humble, I would be glad to share with you so much more, to open your eyes to the real truth of the Bible's veracity.

Originally posted by Calender
the archeological records that confirms the Bible over and over again,

Spiderman refers to New York. New York exists, therefore Spiderman is true?

A bible makes predictions, then later in the book claims the predictions came true. This is seriously how you go about assessing the truth of a book's claims? How do you assess the obviously incorrect portions about how demons cause disease, the earth is flat, rainbows are covenants, the moon is just a light, snakes talk, etc. etc.? How do you assess the obvious wickedness, bloodlust and injustice of the "old testament" god? There must be a lot of cognitive dissonance involved in claiming the truth of a book with so many falsehoods present.

reply to post by SaturnFX
Thank you for posting this. The story definately gives a different view of things and touches on somethings I've oftern wondered about. Kind of brought things into sharper focus. Well written, entertaining and informative. S&F on this.

I like Psalm 82:6
"I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."

And John 10:34
"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?"

Of course who knows what this really means. Whare these gods of which is written? Is it us? Is something we work to become? Something we already are? Was the speaker not talking to humans when saying these things? Why is it even there at all?

The work has been translated and interpreted who knows how many times ? What has been included or not is more a political statement than a religious one, seems to me.

I guess it comes down to a matter of faith in your translator and hopefully the message gets transmitted.
I think the message ultimately becomes to quote Bill and Ted "be excellent to each other" and do good works.

The short story presented says "Evolve. Survive"... bible in the says "be fruitful and multiply" Sort of the same thing, I think.

Dunno why I threw this out there. I like the short story. The ideas and whatnot.

Great story and great concept, I share similar beliefs in God, For a fiction it makes alot korn sense than most religions.

S & F

Here is a similar story that a ATS user posted a while back, Forgot who it was so sorry i can give credi to author.

Enjoy

You were on your way home when you died.
It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me. And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”
“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.
“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”
“Yup,” I said.
“I… I died?”
“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.
You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”
“More or less,” I said.
“Are you god?” You asked.
“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”
“My kids… my wife,” you said.
“What about them?”
“Will they be all right?”
“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.”

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”
“Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”
“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”
“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”
“All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”
You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”
“So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”
“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.
“You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”
“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”
“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.”
“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”
“Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”

“Where you come from?” You said.
“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”
“Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”
“So what’s the point of it all?”
“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”
“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.
I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”
“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?”
“No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.”
“Just me? What about everyone else?”
“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”
You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”
“All you. Different incarnations of you.”
“Wait. I’m everyone!?”

“Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.
“I’m every human being who ever lived?”
“Or who will ever live, yes.”
“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”
“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.
“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.
“And you’re the millions he killed.”
“I’m Jesus?”
“And you’re everyone who followed him.”
You fell silent.
“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”
You thought for a long time.
“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?”
“Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”

“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”
“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”
“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”
“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.”
And I sent you on your way.

reply to post by SaturnFX


An interesting read, one thing we can all agree on humanity has much potential to grow in all area's.
Think of all the technological gains in just the last 100 years, think what could be achieved without corporate greed and the military industrial complex skimming and driving much of the technology.

Civilization based on greed as a motivator on technology will always be limited, a civilization where wealth is of no concern only the betterment of society with technology would progress much faster.

Originally posted by Blue_Jay33
reply to post by SaturnFX

 

An interesting read, one thing we can all agree on humanity has much potential to grow in all area's.
Think of all the technological gains in just the last 100 years, think what could be achieved without corporate greed and the military industrial complex skimming and driving much of the technology.

Civilization based on greed as a motivator on technology will always be limited, a civilization where wealth is of no concern only the betterment of society with technology would progress much faster.

edit on 4-1-2011 by Blue_Jay33 because: (no reason given)

Although I share the idealism, I think initially such things as greed and envy are required to light the spark of innovation. People trying to out compete one another for greater market shares can be a wonderful platform for scientific progression.

Once we reach a certain level where resources are no longer a concern and we got our little star trek style replicators and holodecks, then ya, a transformation can and should take hold to stop with greed and envy, but instead progress for simple knowledge and creativity..but we are still a bit away from that goal.

Still, I am an optimist...but for now, and for a little while longer, greed suits us in some areas (and slows us in other areas, such as energy..how long have we been on the $%^@!* combustion engine...grrr...)

Originally posted by MagickWithoutTears
“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”
You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”
“All you. Different incarnations of you.”
“Wait. I’m everyone!?”

VERY cool perspective. Thanks for sharing. It's not that the idea is all that innovative, but it was different enough from what I've considered that it was very fun to ponder.

Bravo good find and thanks for sharing.
This is a language I can understand.
This is God using reason and logic.

But like any writing of its time do not forget its place in time. This is a mind trap.

Understand that when you read religious text it can only be written in language of its time, taking for granted common knowledge of culture.

Most likely not even literally correct when it was written.(At least if was of high quality it would be even less literally true IMHO) Seek the message not the words.

By the way my take. Hopeful I can express this in the proper language.

How would an infinite like God appear to us?
Well some people see the same thing as they have been taught.
Some people see nothing at all.
Some people will see something they can not describe.
Some people only see themselves.
Some people will see God as a alien pretender.

This sounds about right to me.

Not any real proof but I have faith and I believe.

reply to post by SaturnFX

Although I share the idealism, I think initially such things as greed and envy are required to light the spark of innovation. People trying to out compete one another for greater market shares can be a wonderful platform for scientific progression.

I thought about this comment for awhile, now I will give just one example of where it doesn't work. If you are a well informed ATS member you will know exactly what I am talking about.
"Monsanto"

Hmmm....This is kinda like what I've been thinking of all along as far as evolution goes. IF this was true, the one more thing I would have asked is if there is such thing as reincarnation.