Where love rules, there is no will to power, and where power predominates, love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.
Is that true? If so, how does God manage to combine both? Is it a case of defining the word "power" differently? Or of divorcing "power" from the "will" perhaps?
Then we have from the NT:- "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
All things to muse upon and think about.
Jung again:-
All the greatest and most important problems are fundamentally unsolvable. They can never be solved, but only outgrown.
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SW-User
I tend to see virtually all concepts and descriptions of God as virtually a "Power" that looks down upon humanity as some sort of experiment, testing us, seeing which way we are going to go. I don't share them.
Free Will I see as a red herring. We are only free (if at all) within certain restraints not of our own choosing. True freedom, radical freedom, can possibly exist in union with a Source/Reality beyond our conceptual comprehension. It is something to be realised not something given at birth.
Basically I use a negative method of just seeing what "God" cannot be. When such is stripped away, maybe some sort of actual Reality will become clearer.
It has been said here:- "he lets every individual decide their own path, to make their own choices on a minute by minutes, second by second basis".
Well, maybe, yet statistics show that since the beginning of human time about 50% of those ever born died before they reached an age capable of any "choice" worth the name. And if there are consequences of our acts, "rewards" and "punishments" would seem to be postponed until some form of afterlife.
I actually believe I understand your way of thinking. And who knows you may be more right than any of us.
Sometimes it does seem like God is testing his creation - yet I see it more like a warning of pending Doom.
For me within the realms of Earth we are free to make our own choices - freedom to make righteous choices to do good or unrighteous choices to do evil is free will. And when one considers the human inhabitors of the Earth are under judgment.
I personally see God is being a form of living energy and as science indicates energy was not created and cannot be destroyed but can change forms. The same is God Our Father who is Spirit. And he is capable of giving of himself to create life. What his essence is man will never know. We don't even know where to begin to start to even begin to accurately/absolutely determine what he is not.
I have never read the statistics on the how many die before, after, during, or even a very young age. And I fail to see how they could even come close to giving it a percentage...... But going with that 50% percentage, Free will/choosing has nothing to do with them not being alive long enough to be capable of making a choice....... It would seem that a person would automatically know that if one were never alive, died as a babe are toddler who never became aware the differences between right and wrong then one has not committed any sin therefore one are not under the judgment of sin........ The Lord said that there are some he will bring back with him and he could just be speaking of those babies, and children, and ones with mental illnesses which impair them....... Judgment is on those who is capable of and have made their choices between good acts and evil acts.
Thanks for the conversation - I will read your reply if you choose to reply and leave it at that.
SW-User
@SDavis Hi, I'm a non-theist. If a label is required, a Pure Land Buddhist - the so called "Buddhism of Faith". Faith not as a means to salvation/enlightenment, but as salvation itself. Simple trust/faith (Japanese "shinjin")
I'm interested in what dividing line there is, if any, between the actual experience of Faith of theists and non-theists, but so far no one seems to see or recognise the implications of the question.
As I said, free will is for me a red herring. We are "chosen", we do not choose. It is recognition of being chosen (pure Grace) that can flower through us into acts of mercy, love and compassion. Such are by-products of a living faith. Seeing a God as some sort of Power that keeps tabs on our choices and has set up a system that rewards or punishes accordingly is to me repugnant.
And we are ALL chosen. It is only a matter of time.
I'm quite OK with some of the Christian mystics, such as Meister Eckhart. And certainly with Mother Julian of Norwich, with her Revelations of Divine Love.
I was answered in spiritual understanding, and it was said: What, do you wish to know your Lord’s meaning in this thing? Know it well, love was his meaning. Who reveals it to you? Love. What did he reveal you? Love. Why does he reveal it to you? For Love…. So I was taught that love is our Lord’s meaning.
Those last words have taken on deep significance for me just this morning.
@SW-User I am trying to give my understanding of Christian faith and of what faith is to you.
Is there an actual dividing line in anyone's experiences of Faith regardless to their beliefs - I personally don't think so.
Some may look at the Christian faith as "a way to salvation" but *from my viewpoint faith is salvation.* Just like Buddhism of Faith means to you.
The *main* difference is Buddhism is more of a philosophy without a supreme deity "like that of Christianity" (though Buddhism do have many deities) and Christianity is a form of philosophy *from* a supreme deity.
From my belief faith and love go hand - the two work together - one without the other is somewhat half stepping.
I agree we are all chosen. But where we differ in opinions is probably why we are all chosen. I believe and it is not a Christian teaching - as scripture indicates we will all in heaven before we were placed on Earth in these flesh bodies. Chosen because of something we did while in heaven that requires a trial - judgment -sentencing!
SW-User
@SDavis Hello again! Way back I read a Christian theologian, John Hick, who distinguished between "faith" and "belief". That was the start. Now, gradually over time, I know Faith as the complete opposite of "belief". Faith lets go, does not demand "answers", reaches no conclusions. Belief clings, holds onto "answers" and explanations, often has come to a conclusion - and looks out at the world from a position of such certainties, imprinting itself upon it. Faith allows the world, Reality, to unfold as it is, full of grace, full of surprises. Even mercy.
A Pure Land myokonin (loosely translated, a "saint") has written:-
"Not knowing why! Not knowing why! That is my support, not knowing why! That is the Namu-amida- butsu!" (Loosely translated = the source of my gratitude)
The Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart says:- "Love has no why".
It is sad to me when people demand "evidence" for anything to do with the mind/heart.
