Do you Believe in God ?
Don't cut/pasta from google just your personal thoughts Please
31-35, F
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4meAndyou · F
I had an interesting conversation with my occupational therapist two weeks ago while she was working on my hand and wrist.
I was telling her about this site, and telling her about a friend of mine who blocked me because I told her there are about a hundred versions of the Bible...and earlier she had actually hounded me or trolled me a bit because I would not come out and say definitively that ONLY those who believe in Jesus Christ can come before the Father, God.
My therapist said to me, "You sound like a Universalist." I explained to her that I WAS a Universalist, (Unitarian), at one time, both in my teens and briefly again, as an adult, and that I believe God really loves ALL his children SO much that he will not cast any of them aside because of their religion or their beliefs. I explained that I had to leave that church because I am not capable of the infinite forgiveness which God shows to us.
One day, I sat there during service and listened to the young teenagers come forward and speak about their coming of age in the Universalist church...and this young boy got up and spoke about the fact that he was an atheist...and that in no church of his imagining except this one could he find acceptance...and I felt as though I was in the wrong place, immediately. I never went back.
One thing I found I could NOT accept in my own church was a denial that God or some sort of higher being exists at all. In my heart of hearts, no matter how loving and accepting I wish to be, I can NOT accept a person who would deny that God exists...or that a higher being exists. And I could not accept a church which would allow its young to be so taught.
I also feel that the Democrats whom I saw briefly on television last night, who sickened me, were just the same. They were reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and quite deliberately removed the word, "UNDER GOD". I do not forgive that. And I hope God will forgive ME for that attitude. I know that He even loves THEM. 😜
I was telling her about this site, and telling her about a friend of mine who blocked me because I told her there are about a hundred versions of the Bible...and earlier she had actually hounded me or trolled me a bit because I would not come out and say definitively that ONLY those who believe in Jesus Christ can come before the Father, God.
My therapist said to me, "You sound like a Universalist." I explained to her that I WAS a Universalist, (Unitarian), at one time, both in my teens and briefly again, as an adult, and that I believe God really loves ALL his children SO much that he will not cast any of them aside because of their religion or their beliefs. I explained that I had to leave that church because I am not capable of the infinite forgiveness which God shows to us.
One day, I sat there during service and listened to the young teenagers come forward and speak about their coming of age in the Universalist church...and this young boy got up and spoke about the fact that he was an atheist...and that in no church of his imagining except this one could he find acceptance...and I felt as though I was in the wrong place, immediately. I never went back.
One thing I found I could NOT accept in my own church was a denial that God or some sort of higher being exists at all. In my heart of hearts, no matter how loving and accepting I wish to be, I can NOT accept a person who would deny that God exists...or that a higher being exists. And I could not accept a church which would allow its young to be so taught.
I also feel that the Democrats whom I saw briefly on television last night, who sickened me, were just the same. They were reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and quite deliberately removed the word, "UNDER GOD". I do not forgive that. And I hope God will forgive ME for that attitude. I know that He even loves THEM. 😜
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4meAndyou · F
@leowander The Jews ostracized the early Christians, as did the Emperors of Rome, claiming they were a cult.
NO where did I mention my personal beliefs, above, other than to state that at one time I felt that God's love and forgiveness was SO infinite...SO massive...that He could forgive anything. I still do.
The Catholic church believes that...now. Saint Faustina had a vision, and wrote about it in her journal. Basically she said that God can forgive anyone...for anything...if they have a contrite heart. The Catholics have a feast day now, where those who wish to come back may go to confession, and then attend Mass and receive communion the following day.
One of my cousins told me that my other cousin, whom I love very much, belonged to a cult. It was said with such contempt and hatred in her tone...and probably in her mind...that I knew whatever was coming forth from her...(possibly from you as well?)...had absolutely nothing to do with the loving nature of God.
The mind of God is huge...so is His love...and His capacity for understanding His children, their cultures, and their societies is tremendous. He can't be encompassed by one book. He can't be contained in a box, and He can't be explained.
NO where did I mention my personal beliefs, above, other than to state that at one time I felt that God's love and forgiveness was SO infinite...SO massive...that He could forgive anything. I still do.
The Catholic church believes that...now. Saint Faustina had a vision, and wrote about it in her journal. Basically she said that God can forgive anyone...for anything...if they have a contrite heart. The Catholics have a feast day now, where those who wish to come back may go to confession, and then attend Mass and receive communion the following day.
One of my cousins told me that my other cousin, whom I love very much, belonged to a cult. It was said with such contempt and hatred in her tone...and probably in her mind...that I knew whatever was coming forth from her...(possibly from you as well?)...had absolutely nothing to do with the loving nature of God.
The mind of God is huge...so is His love...and His capacity for understanding His children, their cultures, and their societies is tremendous. He can't be encompassed by one book. He can't be contained in a box, and He can't be explained.
leowander · M
@4meAndyou The contempt you heard in her voice was likely due to the false teachings which cults use to indoctrinate members. There is a whole chapter in the Kingdom of the Cults book by Walter Martin about the Unitarian Universalists. I just looked it up on Amazon. There are several editions and they don't all include a chapter on the Unitarian Universalists, but I had read an edition years ago which did have a chapter for them. Now I am looking at an Appendix on Unitarianism in a more recent edition. Another edition I found for sale does have a chapter on the Unitarian Universalists. The author has gone to extensive research to educate readers about the cults and that information is there for anyone who wants to take the time to learn it. I have spoken to cult members on several occasions and sometimes it's like talking to people from another world as the cults have controlled their minds. There is only one true path to salvation and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. There is good reason why sections of Christian bookstores are devoted to cults as it's important to be educated about the vast numbers of people who become involved in them and many are looking to recruit new members. I would never attend a Unitarian Universalist church as their beliefs don't come from the scriptures and all beliefs are considered acceptable. This is not the type of church that Jesus Christ and his disciples would have approved of. Jesus Christ clearly stated that he was the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. None of his teachings would indicate that there was any other way to be saved and a church which allows members to believe anything they want is one which I would avoid and warn others to stay away from. Anyone teaching that there is universal salvation for everyone does not have a good understanding of how the enemy works to deceive people and keep them from knowing the truth. All paths don't lead to God and there are eternal consequences for being deluded by false teachings. Search the scriptures and you won't find anything to indicate that anyone can be saved through any means and people are welcome to form cults and teach false things and let their members believe anything they want. The enemy is working to deceive the world and true Christians will speak out against false teachings.
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
SW-User
@mommyoftwo I couldn't put it into words. 😅
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@helenS could you elaborate ?
helenS · 36-40, F
@mommyoftwo Gnosticism is a belief system that predates Christianity.
Here's a good website:
http://gnosis.org/eghome.htm
Here's a good website:
http://gnosis.org/eghome.htm
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@Ferric67 ummmm yea
TinyViolins · 31-35, M
I do not. When people refer to the 'capital G' God, it's usually referring to the god of the Abrahamic religions, but he is far from the only one. Throughout history and culture, there have been a few thousand gods out there that have uniquely distinct attributed traits to indicate they're a differentiated enough deity. Some religious apologists try to make a case that they're all extensions or interpretations of the Abrahamic god, but there's really no substantial evidence of that.
And as our scientific knowledge of ourselves, our world, and our universe grows and becomes more nuanced, there's just not enough room for the gods of old to hold relevance in our understanding of life. Nowadays, the most scientifically literate religious worshippers have modified the concept of god to explain the gaps in our knowledge rather than admitting we don't know the answers yet. Given that the idea of god has been modified so much over the years with our growing body of research, it makes it very dubious that a god exists in the first place. There seems to be a strong case that god is simply a means of ideologically glossing over the research by retroactively hamfisting his role into the currently untested aspects of our scientific acumen.
God is more a means of mitigating uncertainty rather than an actual interactive force that influences the things we see and experience, but even if he was, it just leads to far more questions than answers as there's no explanation of how or why those mechanisms exist. It just gets glibly brushed aside under the 'mysterious ways' doctrine.
And as our scientific knowledge of ourselves, our world, and our universe grows and becomes more nuanced, there's just not enough room for the gods of old to hold relevance in our understanding of life. Nowadays, the most scientifically literate religious worshippers have modified the concept of god to explain the gaps in our knowledge rather than admitting we don't know the answers yet. Given that the idea of god has been modified so much over the years with our growing body of research, it makes it very dubious that a god exists in the first place. There seems to be a strong case that god is simply a means of ideologically glossing over the research by retroactively hamfisting his role into the currently untested aspects of our scientific acumen.
God is more a means of mitigating uncertainty rather than an actual interactive force that influences the things we see and experience, but even if he was, it just leads to far more questions than answers as there's no explanation of how or why those mechanisms exist. It just gets glibly brushed aside under the 'mysterious ways' doctrine.
No, according to mainstream religions at least. Reveled religions have this narrow limited anthropomorphic vision of God. Why would a God be human like in any way when literally nothing else in the universe is?
Also NDE's tell a completely different and very subjective story that is based on either the person's own beliefs or the surrounding culture. I think I would trust people who have had NDE's more than thousands year old unsourced books.
Also NDE's tell a completely different and very subjective story that is based on either the person's own beliefs or the surrounding culture. I think I would trust people who have had NDE's more than thousands year old unsourced books.
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@canusernamebemyusername yea but in any other form he is present
@mommyoftwo well a God should be omnipresent. So I can't disagree with that.
WolfGirlwh0r3 · 36-40, T
But my personal belief is that God is a woman, as I have had no personal experience with men being as quick to forgive or love with no recompence. I believe that human understanding of the devine and science are actually one and the same, a day in Devine terms can be billions of years. I also belive that magic is real and is just called magic till we understand and study it. Chemistry was just a form of magic a few centuries ago.... I also believe a lot more
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mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@WolfGirlwh0r3 very beautiful thought ❤️
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@AwesomeAutumn i respect that
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@Nomad7 do you believe in magic ?
Nomad7 · 26-30, M
@mommyoftwo No, but I believe there are things we haven't understood yet. And just like anything we've ever discovered, not knowing of something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist
thepreposterouspanda · 36-40, M
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@thepreposterouspanda great atleast you believe that there is a power who is controlling the Universe,,,, it's out of our means or our scientists control to run,,,,that's who God is who's running all the lives in the urban galaxies,,,,just like for a new born baby and a toddler God created mothers to look after the same way he's taking care of us!!
Sroonaka616 · 31-35, M
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@Sroonaka616 How do you think all the Galaxies and the Solar System works ? Eventually the scientists also donot know and there is some power,,,,,, Why are you waking up every day and living dreaming surviving being happy sad etc ?? and you are living upon a blue planet thats dancing around a ball of fire and there are a million urban galaxies which you can't even reach,,,,Don't you think it's all magic??? who is running all of this? who created air that we breathe? Who created and engineered our beautiful bodies to perform all functions and bear babies etc. , there is someone and that power is God and he's looking at us,,,,,,Don't you feel good after doing something good for someone ?? from where does all those feelings and emotions come from ??
God does exist but it's upto you to think of him as a power or a figure or a feeling or a flower or anything good,,,,,but God does exist who's taking care of all of us and maybe who's fighting his own battles when something bad happens to us because he's so kind to not let us be hurt
God does exist but it's upto you to think of him as a power or a figure or a feeling or a flower or anything good,,,,,but God does exist who's taking care of all of us and maybe who's fighting his own battles when something bad happens to us because he's so kind to not let us be hurt
Sroonaka616 · 31-35, M
@mommyoftwo it just boils down to a logical chemical reaction that has been going on 14 billion years. And still going
BlondilyOld · F
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@BlondilyOld agnostic is just a modern word which doesn't stop God from existing,,,,It's a word in the smallest cabinet of our brains but he does exist,,,there is a history of his existence and it's all magic which he creates each moment to make us survive
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@TheOneyouwerewarnedabout haha cute smile,,,,what about the real one ??
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@SW-User just start believing in the highest power who's running this world and not just a figure
Barebutt4u · 26-30, T
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@Barebutt4u ❤️
SomeMichGuy · M
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SomeMichGuy · M
@seeandhear First, thank you for your kind words, and for reading my reply. Not every believer has tried to understand the texts in a thoughtful way.
However, since you are a person coming at this from a background of mathematics and logic, I am surprised to read this:
I do not sure what you mean about the "completeness" of God, and would be interested in discovering your meaning. However, the existence of a Supreme Being surely cannot be affected by the fact that human languages have changed over time, and older languages have to be translated into modern ones, just as works of any ancient persons written in cunieform, hieroglyph, Phoenician...or Ancient Hebrew, Ancient Greek dialects, Ancient Latin texts, Koine Greek, etc.
I believe you probably meant "multiple sources," which is a completely different issue. Indeed, there are people who have "hung their (religious) hat"--to coin a phrase--on a specific translation of the various texts known at the time into; e.g., the "Authorized Version", an alias of the King James Version, which is very poetic but also not very correct and outright wrong in some important ways.
But not all believers are so inflexible, monotextual in a rich textual environment, or closed-minded and ahistorical.
While I am getting out of my depth in variant source studies, I would hope that intelligent, thoughtful people would hold out hope that other intelligent, thoughtful people might have reasonable notions born of that thoughtful application of intelligence to this question which has been obscured by knee-jerk responses based upon programmed, highly dogmatic reactions. I am not impugning you, but I have found such reactions to not only be found in the ranks of believers.
Having said that,
1) I encourage you to actually look at the notes associated with the NRSV as an example of the level of scholarship which honest, open scholars can bring to the texts.
a) The main impression which I get is that most variant readings have very little effect on the meaning of a passage. This is a huge result, and I ask you to look at some, yourself.
b) As the most reasonable response, I throw out the non-commonalities as unnecessary, or put the affected text into the "IDK Barrel".
2) Especially for the Old Testament, I believe it unlikely that we have the original physical texts of most of the books. For people with OTHER approaches to the texts, this should be a huge, probably insurmountable obstacle.
3) Even amongst ministers and at seminaries, there has been awareness of this for some time. One friend who became a minister told me of the notion that the Bible is "the Word of God", but not "the words of God"...an important notion which has huge implications for common notions of approaching the texts.
4) As I say, in the end, Jesus has very few doctrinal imperatives, which really OUGHT to be a prime consideration of those calling themselves His followers.
My ideas are not generally shared by lay [non-ministerial] believers, but we live in a time when the misuse & abuse of the Bible is at a very high mark, with people claiming things in the name of God/Jesus which simply do not square with the simple, obvious meaning of the Biblical texts.
However, since you are a person coming at this from a background of mathematics and logic, I am surprised to read this:
For me the mere fact there are multiple translations is problematic for if the god/God referred to in the Holy Bible is so complete as the proclamations lead one to think surely any and all messages would be clear and free of misunderstandings.
(Emphasis added)I do not sure what you mean about the "completeness" of God, and would be interested in discovering your meaning. However, the existence of a Supreme Being surely cannot be affected by the fact that human languages have changed over time, and older languages have to be translated into modern ones, just as works of any ancient persons written in cunieform, hieroglyph, Phoenician...or Ancient Hebrew, Ancient Greek dialects, Ancient Latin texts, Koine Greek, etc.
I believe you probably meant "multiple sources," which is a completely different issue. Indeed, there are people who have "hung their (religious) hat"--to coin a phrase--on a specific translation of the various texts known at the time into; e.g., the "Authorized Version", an alias of the King James Version, which is very poetic but also not very correct and outright wrong in some important ways.
But not all believers are so inflexible, monotextual in a rich textual environment, or closed-minded and ahistorical.
While I am getting out of my depth in variant source studies, I would hope that intelligent, thoughtful people would hold out hope that other intelligent, thoughtful people might have reasonable notions born of that thoughtful application of intelligence to this question which has been obscured by knee-jerk responses based upon programmed, highly dogmatic reactions. I am not impugning you, but I have found such reactions to not only be found in the ranks of believers.
Having said that,
1) I encourage you to actually look at the notes associated with the NRSV as an example of the level of scholarship which honest, open scholars can bring to the texts.
a) The main impression which I get is that most variant readings have very little effect on the meaning of a passage. This is a huge result, and I ask you to look at some, yourself.
b) As the most reasonable response, I throw out the non-commonalities as unnecessary, or put the affected text into the "IDK Barrel".
2) Especially for the Old Testament, I believe it unlikely that we have the original physical texts of most of the books. For people with OTHER approaches to the texts, this should be a huge, probably insurmountable obstacle.
3) Even amongst ministers and at seminaries, there has been awareness of this for some time. One friend who became a minister told me of the notion that the Bible is "the Word of God", but not "the words of God"...an important notion which has huge implications for common notions of approaching the texts.
4) As I say, in the end, Jesus has very few doctrinal imperatives, which really OUGHT to be a prime consideration of those calling themselves His followers.
My ideas are not generally shared by lay [non-ministerial] believers, but we live in a time when the misuse & abuse of the Bible is at a very high mark, with people claiming things in the name of God/Jesus which simply do not square with the simple, obvious meaning of the Biblical texts.
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ArtyFischel · 36-40, M
No. I've seen no evidence for it.
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@ArtyFischel seeing is not always believing,,,,Can you see the forces that makes the earth move,,,,or makes our earth madly in love with the ball of fire that it's taking rounds of it all the time ?? and we live upon a blue planet !! isn't it all magic,,,,who do you think is doing this ??
SomeMichGuy · M
@mommyoftwo "madly in love with the [Sun]"?
samueltyler2 · 80-89, M
As a power, not as a humanoid figure though.
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F
@samueltyler2 wow that's great me too sometimes but I even love all the figurines as well ❤️ whose stories are true and are there in the wikipedia
bearinthehalfwayhouse · 26-30, M
Nuh uh, pimp. ┬┴┬┴┤•ᴥ•ʔ
basilfawlty89 · 31-35, M
Yes I do. But not the Abrahamic personal anthropomorphic God. I'm Zoroastrian, our god is more an ever encompassing energy that's the source of consciousness.
In terms of position, I'd label myself religious and agnostic theist. I don't claim to know for a fact that I'm right, but I believe.
In terms of position, I'd label myself religious and agnostic theist. I don't claim to know for a fact that I'm right, but I believe.
mommyoftwo · 31-35, F