How Would You Describe God, What is Your Concept of Him

Originally posted by Toseekthetruth
The way I see and feel God is as the brightest light, the strongest force, the fastest wind, the purest sence of the word. The strongest love and emotions uncomprehensible to humans. Non-judgmental love. Pure love. He is always there if you seek him, and yet, even if you dont. You just have to open your heart and mind to see him. Accept what he has always wanted us to have. Peace and love. Understanding and acceptance of others.
Ok, so that's the start of how I view God.

Dear Toseekthetruth,

And a beautiful description that we can all learn from. I think each of us has something to give. How can we possibly create a problem when we share our understanding of the universe in a loving and simple manner. You don't have to be a theist to describe your concept of God, of completeness.

reply to post by AQuestion


Np, ammusing that the only place where people are willing to share differing views on such a subject is on the internet.

Originally posted by MamaJ
reply to post by AQuestion

 

Oh really? Does this subject you are speaking of in relation to this topic? This is my favorite subject of all and I am really glad you posted it!

Dear MamaJ,

It was the "The Quiet Before the Storm". That was where I read you.

That's awesome. I can't begin to relate the stories of how God has shown Himself to me. The more a person opens up to this opportunity, the more it becomes available. I am reminded of what it says in Genesis after Adam and Eve realized their sin. It states that God was walking in the garden. To me, this represents the fact that He is always walking along the path for our good, even when we are hiding our sin and nakedness. We can choose to walk away in the garden. No matter. God is still right there in the midst, walking with us anyway.

Originally posted by AdamsMurmur
reply to post by SuperiorEd

 

I can vouch for that. I took a step back from everything for a good while, kept seeking, kept asking, kept seeing. At one point it was so much that I felt almost overwhelmed. In fact, I felt DEAD! But after a day of sticking to it (biting the blade), things began to lighten up so wonderfully and I felt more alive than I ever have. I view everything with much clearer eyes than I used to.

It really was a journey, and It's still far from over.



reply to post by MamaJ

 

Thank you kindly.

Originally posted by Slawth
reply to post by AQuestion

 

Np, ammusing that the only place where people are willing to share differing views on such a subject is on the internet.

Dear Slawth,

It is because we do not keep our own houses clean. I am a Christian and can definately say that we have done a poor job of it. We allow others within our own belief sets to abuse those outside of it. This is then used to separate us. Others come and attempt to focus on our differences or tell us we are stupid and debate our beliefs. It is all just an attempt to further divide, when if we saw the loveliness of our hearts we would truly begin to appreciate how our differences got us to love. So nice that you are here.

reply to post by AQuestion


I must say how refreshing it is to read this thread for me. I had hoped that by just explaining ourselves and our beliefs that we would see that we all have love in common. Every time we move away from that, we lose a piece of ourselves. I would now like to give my description, my understanding, my experience and hopefully you will see what we do have in common.

We are all sentient beings, emotional experiences that are aware of our feelings. We are not our thoughts, we are that essence that experiences the thoughts. We are complete in ourselves and yet sharing with others that are their essence, their emotional rollercoaster. God is a sentience that is the totality that all of us can experience and feel. Sounds sort of metaphysical and I am a Christian. There is a division among gnostics and I; but, a lot of similarity. We disagree on the end result. They often believe we collapse back into the creator and I believe that we continue to have greater and greater variation. One could say a collapsing verse expanding view of the universe. In the end I consider this difference as irrelevant as we will all come to know the truth someday and neither belief being right causes the other to lose. Each and every person, soul, sentience matters. You matter and I matter and WE matter. I believe God created us to learn how to have loving relationships with one another; but, you got to discover how to have good relationships with others first. We go through a lot of bad ones before we begin to understand the right ones for us.

Oh, I forgot, we all have a soul mate, for me that is the person who allows you to share your greatest love with and experience the most love that they have for you. That allows our limited understanding of love, the emotion to have its highest experience in this world so that we will know the love of God better.

reply to post by SuperiorEd


Eloquently put.


reply to post by AQuestion


You too. I share your belief that we are always maturing and growing towards being uniquely special, that we are all essential, and that we are here to learn. I've often referred to this life as schooling of some sort myself.

I also believe in a soul mate.

So since you believe that we are always learning, you believe in reincarnation as well, right? Not the whole "sleeping" resurrection thing that some other Christians do.

reply to post by AQuestion
I do not believe God to be anything remotely close to what today's religions propose "Him" to be. Rather I believe "God" to be an unconscious force that created everything. I do not believe the human mind can even understand the concept of what "God" really is. I'm sure that it is not some being that resides in some mythological place with angels and trumpets that created us in his own image. I believe that "God" has bestowed us with the most precious of gifts, the gift of life. We were not put here to worship God and feed its ego, but rather we are here to experience existing as an individual entity in a unique World.

I believe we as humans are missing the really big picture. We were not put here to rule this planet and use it as we see fit. I believe we are as much a part of this planet as blood is a part of our bodies. We were to be protectors of this planets life force and ultimately its seed. For if the life force of this planet is to survive for infinity, humans are the only thing with the potential to take this planets life force to another world.

AS long as humans choose to believe in today's religions, I fear we will never realize our true purpose

Originally posted by AdamsMurmur
reply to post by SuperiorEd

 

Eloquently put.

reply to post by AQuestion

 

You too.

I share your belief that we are always maturing and growing towards being uniquely special, that we are all essential, and that we are here to learn. I've often referred to this life as schooling of some sort myself.

I also believe in a soul mate.

So since you believe that we are always learning, you believe in reincarnation as well, right? Not the whole "sleeping" resurrection thing that some other Christians do.

Dear Adams Murmer,

I must be truthful and say that I do not believe in reincarnation. I believe we continue growing and meeting others who can better help us understand the whole through coming to understand each others unique take on things; but, what does it matter. That should not separate us or bring division, merely an opportunity for knowing each other better. We will know the truth soon enough and I am fine with that. Perhaps we collapse back to a one which is constantly evolving and just experience the joy for awhile and then return as us to learn more. We both believe what we believe for a reason; but, we also learn over time, so perhaps I will come to believe as you or you as I do, I am willing to discuss the possibilities and see where they go so long as we are speaking from love. Love is more important than which of us is right. The truth sets us free but because we are limited in this world, we cannot know it perfectly, therefore we are all bound to make mistakes and I wouldn't know which mistakes I have made until I have more understanding of the truth; but, I bet I don't have it perfectly.

Originally posted by Darkmask
reply to post by AQuestion

 

I do not believe God to be anything remotely close to what today's religions propose "Him" to be. Rather I believe "God" to be an unconscious force that created everything. I do not believe the human mind can even understand the concept of what "God" really is. I'm sure that it is not some being that resides in some mythological place with angels and trumpets that created us in his own image. I believe that "God" has bestowed us with the most precious of gifts, the gift of life. We were not put here to worship God and feed its ego, but rather we are here to experience existing as an individual entity in a unique World.

I believe we as humans are missing the really big picture. We were not put here to rule this planet and use it as we see fit. I believe we are as much a part of this planet as blood is a part of our bodies. We were to be protectors of this planets life force and ultimately its seed. For if the life force of this planet is to survive for infinity, humans are the only thing with the potential to take this planets life force to another world.

AS long as humans choose to believe in today's religions, I fear we will never realize our true purpose

Dear Darkmask,

Your understanding is greatly appreciated and should be understood. I do ask that we not attack any religion, that was in my OP. How about we respect each other's right to believe what we will and just take this opportunity to let people explain what they do believe without fear of being attacked for it, we can discuss the merits at a later date if we so choose.

reply to post by Darkmask


Dear Darkmask,

The american Indians had a term called Manitou from Wikipedia.
Would that concept be part of yours, the idea that everything has a true spirit as they describe it?

reply to post by AQuestion
My apologies. My post wasn't meant as an attack on religion. I hope nobody was offended. There might have been a little frustration on my part because I don't encounter many people with similar views to my own.

Yes. I do believe in reincarnation. John 3 is where we find Nicodemus speaking to Jesus about being born again. Jesus says that we must be born again in the water. If we are born in the water and the spirit, then we escape the born again part in the water. Most people miss this because there was a decree from Justinian in 545 AD that declared this belief of Origen, the Christian philosopher, to be a heresy. The fact that the Church of Rome declared it a heresy is yet another reason to believe it.

There is also the problem of divine justice. One life seems a bit short. A just God must act justly. Being born again into the water (material world) represents baptism. Again, this is a subtle shift in reasoning that provides the most obvious answer. We must gain union with the spirit, just as Jesus states in John 3. Picture it this way: You are able to be born into the world because of the union of the sun and the moon. This solar cycle creates a connection between the sun and moon to the earth, creating life. An acorn is the oak tree enfolded by information. The information can be passed on again and again. The tree is merely the vehicle.

The next union happens when the male and female seed comes into union. A cord (root) is attached and the life develops in the womb.

The next union happens after the baby is born. In this physical world, our root is the silver cord connecting us to the spirit of God. We carry a child with us called the subconscious self. This is the ego that we must train to progress past the womb of the earth. The earth is a womb and the body is a placenta. Once union is gained between the self ego and the outer mind and intellect, the cord is cut at death, which is actually a birth. We are either reborn into the material world or we are born into the spirit world.

The tree of life is the symbol used for this development. You are the roots of the tree and the tree is what you create above. It bears fruit when you gain union with the spirit. The flaming sword that protects the tree of life is bias and hatred. Love is the sword of truth. Once we find the sword of truth and use it, we gain atonement. At-One-ment with God and His Holy Spirit. This is the marriage supper of the lamb. The lamb is the self (ego) that gains union through Christ's atonement. Humans were found to be incapable of this on their own. God steps in and offers salvation through atonement. This is the sacrifice of the ox on the alter in the temple. The temple is your body. The ox is the one carrying the burden in life as the wheel turns. Two sets of verses can show you what I am saying.

First, from the Dhammapada. Notice the ox, the wheel and the cart.

1. Choices

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.

Second, consider this verses from Ecclesiastes 12:6-7

6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Again, the idea of transmigration of the soul is not new. It is accepted by most religions. Christians are told it is not true. This does not mean it is so. The clues are there if you follow along. When Jesus was asked if John the Baptist was Elijah, Jesus said, "It is as you say." John, however, did not know. Why?

It's called the Veil of Forgetfulness. Each person born must have this veil. The reason for the veil is to allow the soul to experience this reality in faith, not fact. If the soul remembered it's first estate, it would not have faith. Once a person wakes up to their former estate with God, they are said to be awake. Regardless of the veil being lifted, the person is awake to reality.

Originally posted by AdamsMurmur
reply to post by SuperiorEd

 

Eloquently put.

reply to post by AQuestion

 

You too.

I share your belief that we are always maturing and growing towards being uniquely special, that we are all essential, and that we are here to learn. I've often referred to this life as schooling of some sort myself.

I also believe in a soul mate.

So since you believe that we are always learning, you believe in reincarnation as well, right? Not the whole "sleeping" resurrection thing that some other Christians do.

reply to post by AQuestion


Aye. I only ask because I like to bounce off ideas, and only brought it up because of how I interpreted what you said, but there is some evidence in the Bible that suggests it and even more in the gnostic text/apocrypha, so I thought I'd bring it up. It's not important though. As you said, everything becomes clear when we leave this place.

Naturally, I'm not here to divide, sorry if I came off as someone who thinks he's always right (I know I'm not always right, definitely). I love this thread, personally, and I'm glad you started it. There's a wonderful palette of colours here and it's not my intention to remove any of those colours or flex my beliefs. These colours are painting a wonderful picture, and it is touching to see many of us believe that Love is the foundation of it all, like the canvas.

It's good for us to come together and speak like this. This forum has become my church, in a way.

Originally posted by Darkmask
reply to post by AQuestion

 

My apologies. My post wasn't meant as an attack on religion. I hope nobody was offended. There might have been a little frustration on my part because I don't encounter many people with similar views to my own.

Dear Darkmask,

All is good, I just want to really make sure that all get to speak for themselves rather than us tell them what they believe or have them become defensive, then we will be able to the love in them. The other thing is, with this thread maybe we will find someone else that does believe as you do and you two can discuss it. That would be very nice and my hope for you. Did my link ring to your belief? The concept you explained reminded me of it, the idea that everything has a spirit.

Dear SuperiorEd,

I have read this before and am familiar with the concept. It does have a unique elegance; but, my description would be different. I believe our soul is born again in that it is refreshed; but, that we do not lose the memory completely. Maybe I put that poorly. The soul memory, the knowledge and wisdom that we gained from the experience here. Not so much in thoughts as in keeping the emotional structure that we learned, chose, whatever, in place. Perhaps we are not that far apart, perhaps we are not apart at all and are only describing it slightly differently. Why don't we see where this goes and agree that we will never have the exact same take on it as we are each ourselves. Peace

Originally posted by SuperiorEd
Yes. I do believe in reincarnation. John 3 is where we find Nicodemus speaking to Jesus about being born again. Jesus says that we must be born again in the water. If we are born in the water and the spirit, then we escape the born again part in the water. Most people miss this because there was a decree from Justinian in 545 AD that declared this belief of Origen, the Christian philosopher, to be a heresy. The fact that the Church of Rome declared it a heresy is yet another reason to believe it.

There is also the problem of divine justice. One life seems a bit short. A just God must act justly. Being born again into the water (material world) represents baptism. Again, this is a subtle shift in reasoning that provides the most obvious answer. We must gain union with the spirit, just as Jesus states in John 3. Picture it this way: You are able to be born into the world because of the union of the sun and the moon. This solar cycle creates a connection between the sun and moon to the earth, creating life. An acorn is the oak tree enfolded by information. The information can be passed on again and again. The tree is merely the vehicle.

The next union happens when the male and female seed comes into union. A cord (root) is attached and the life develops in the womb.

The next union happens after the baby is born. In this physical world, our root is the silver cord connecting us to the spirit of God. We carry a child with us called the subconscious self. This is the ego that we must train to progress past the womb of the earth. The earth is a womb and the body is a placenta. Once union is gained between the self ego and the outer mind and intellect, the cord is cut at death, which is actually a birth. We are either reborn into the material world or we are born into the spirit world.

The tree of life is the symbol used for this development. You are the roots of the tree and the tree is what you create above. It bears fruit when you gain union with the spirit. The flaming sword that protects the tree of life is bias and hatred. Love is the sword of truth. Once we find the sword of truth and use it, we gain atonement. At-One-ment with God and His Holy Spirit. This is the marriage supper of the lamb. The lamb is the self (ego) that gains union through Christ's atonement. Humans were found to be incapable of this on their own. God steps in and offers salvation through atonement. This is the sacrifice of the ox on the alter in the temple. The temple is your body. The ox is the one carrying the burden in life as the wheel turns. Two sets of verses can show you what I am saying.

First, from the Dhammapada. Notice the ox, the wheel and the cart.

1. Choices

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.

Second, consider this verses from Ecclesiastes 12:6-7

6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Again, the idea of transmigration of the soul is not new. It is accepted by most religions. Christians are told it is not true. This does not mean it is so. The clues are there if you follow along. When Jesus was asked if John the Baptist was Elijah, Jesus said, "It is as you say." John, however, did not know. Why?

It's called the Veil of Forgetfulness. Each person born must have this veil. The reason for the veil is to allow the soul to experience this reality in faith, not fact. If the soul remembered it's first estate, it would not have faith. Once a person wakes up to their former estate with God, they are said to be awake. Regardless of the veil being lifted, the person is awake to reality.

Originally posted by AdamsMurmur
reply to post by SuperiorEd

 

Eloquently put.

reply to post by AQuestion

 

You too.

I share your belief that we are always maturing and growing towards being uniquely special, that we are all essential, and that we are here to learn. I've often referred to this life as schooling of some sort myself.

I also believe in a soul mate.

So since you believe that we are always learning, you believe in reincarnation as well, right? Not the whole "sleeping" resurrection thing that some other Christians do.

edit on 5-6-2011 by SuperiorEd because: (no reason given)

edit on 5-6-2011 by SuperiorEd because: (no reason given)

edit on 5-6-2011 by SuperiorEd because: (no reason given)

edit on 5-6-2011 by SuperiorEd because: (no reason given)

Originally posted by AdamsMurmur
reply to post by AQuestion

 

Aye. I only ask because I like to bounce off ideas, and only brought it up because of how I interpreted what you said, but there is some evidence in the Bible that suggests it and even more in the gnostic text/apocrypha, so I thought I'd bring it up. It's not important though. As you said, everything becomes clear when we leave this place.

Naturally, I'm not here to divide, sorry if I came off as someone who thinks he's always right (I know I'm not always right, definitely).

I love this thread, personally, and I'm glad you started it. There's a wonderful palette of colours here and it's not my intention to remove any of those colours or flex my beliefs. These colours are painting a wonderful picture, and it is touching to see many of us believe that Love is the foundation of it all, like the canvas.

It's good for us to come together and speak like this. This forum has become my church, in a way.

Dear AdamsMurmer,

Please absolutely know that I did not think you came here to divide, merely to discuss. I just keep reinforcing that so that when others do come here to divide, and they have and will, we can quickly ignore them and get back to understanding each other in a respectful and loving way. Isn't it great that we can do this, have a loving conversation, not trying to prove who is right; but, seeing much deeper and into the heart that believes in love. In my opinion we are part of the being and the creation at the same time, all is. In that aspect I think Darklord and I would find common ground, loving all creation as it is of God.

reply to post by SuperiorEd


Well put, very concise.

The fact that the Church of Rome declared it a heresy is yet another reason to believe it.

And to this.

i consider God to be all things, and that which contains them.

Relatively simple

i believe he works through Love, which i define as the human experiential concept of the electromagnetic forces which drive core movement (not strictly the emotion, in other words).



i do enjoy the idea of this thread, anyway. Even those who do not believe in such things with "faith," have a definition for that which they do not believe in.

It is good to foster cooperation between us all, as we all view the world differently (even when we agree), and we learn and teach simultaneously in dance of sorts.. Quite the amazing thing, really.

Originally posted by AdamsMurmur
reply to post by SuperiorEd

 

Well put, very concise.

The fact that the Church of Rome declared it a heresy is yet another reason to believe it.

And

to this.

Dear AdamsMurmer,

I left the Catholic church 40 years ago at age 12 and was an agnostic for 12 after that. I came to my beliefs slowly and over time. I cannot say that I did not learn what I believe without the help of the fine priests and nuns that I knew and priests were Jesuit. Irish, smoking, drinking and boxing Jesuit priest. They never did any wrong to me or those around me and exposed me to the love of God, I just wasn't ready to accept anything I had not investigated on my own. They gave me that freedom and never told me any question I asked was stupid. I know that is not everyone's experience with the church; but, it was mine.

When I became a Protestant I had to endure hearing how all the people that I had grown up with and loved me, were evil because they were Catholic, it truly hurt me and perhaps even distanced me from the Protestants that believed like me. See how insidious division is? It gets us on both ends.