Truth about God

[AnIndependentTexan]

God is a feeling or faith you have in your heart. The question shouldn't be is God real but what God is real? Humanity confuses the idea of God with the socialist viewpoint that my belief in God is correct and your belief in God isn't. All thoughts of God come from the same original thought only the messenger confuses what the real God is. Therefore God becomes a representation of the society that coins the truth.

[Heyo]

1. God is individual..

.. to each person as they undershand It/Him.

My best way to describe it is the great "Truth".. the balance of right and wrong in the universe... good and bad... the grand design of science, physics, cosmology, as well as art, beauty, sunsets, beautiful music, smile on a loved ones face...

The ethereal spirit that encompases everything.

Heyo

[BlueEyedSon]

2. The viewpoint that my god is correct is not socialist, it's totalitarian..

dictatorial.... theocratic.

I do commend you, that understating that one's perception of the divine is personal.

[sam sarrha]

94. and should FUCKING stay that way !!!!!

[Straight Shooter]

3. My name for our cosmic magician is "Sky King"

I know it was a TV show, but it's more gentle than "GAWD" :)

[BlueEyedSon]

7. What's Malloy's nickname? Cloud Alien?

[Bigmack]

42. I like "Adult Invisible Friend" nt

nt

[BlueEyedSon]

48. LMFAO!

[salinen]

4. God is the opposite

of Falwell & Robertson.

[immoderate]

72. Well, so am I

--IMM

[sam sarrha]

5. In Buddhism the gods reside in their own realm in samsara in which they

are born, live and die to reborn again... just like us. since they cant get themselves out of the Cycle of birth suffering death and rebirth...with their Eminence powers, they are not really able to be able to get us out..either.

they didnt create the universe no do they govern it. they have their own failings that bind them to the realm of suffering.

The first realisation necessaty, is that not all peoples see the gods the same way..

and the Truth about the gods is not inherantly true.. nothing is.

it may be true to you conventionally.. but actually, it is limited by your View.. and physical human limitations of perception.

[Disturbed]

9. Monotheism

This concept was not a popular or widely accepted concept for thousands of years. A Pharo instituted this concept and after his death the priest went back to Polytheism. The concept of one god was spread by the Jews, in may cases by force. Rome went with the concept after a few hundred years after the death of Jesus. There are still millions of people that do not adhere to the one god concept. I feel that any of these concepts of a one god that answers prayers and intervenes in any events or anyone's life on this planet is sheer, irrational wishful dreaming.

[Wonk]

6. So you're saying "God" is simply a manifestation of the subconscious?

This isn't an original theory of yours, btw. I forget where I first heard it, though.



Dear god don't know if you noticed but...
Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book
And us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look
And all the people that you made in your image
still believing that junk is true
Well I know it ain't, and so do you
Dear god

[Tamyrlin79]

8. I think of God as an ideal.

God is basically the idealization of the perfect mind. Whether real or not, that's what he represents at a very basic level.

Edit: This is why it is so difficult to challenge "religious" people, because they believe that their understanding of that mind is correct, and challenging their understanding of what that mind "thinks" is fundamentally a challenge of their religion itself.

[readmylips]

10. Foreign neighbor asked: Is Santa Claus a God?

She's from China and is totally confused about the Christmas holiday in relationship to God, and why Santa Claus is the figure worshiped on a religious holiday. She doesn't know what religion is and the purpose of religion. To her anything can be a God, but she thinks that Americans choose a big fat old man dressed in red to be a God.

She asked me about TV evangelicals. If they were Shamans or circus acts. That's what the Pink Lady looks like to her.

I told her, stay as you are pure. Don't seek western religion, living and breathing is bad enough. I told her that maybe she'd be better off studying capitalism, that's the link to western religion. She also finds white people too emotional, scared and they cry in public. I found the whole conversation quite interesting.

[splat]

14. t

I told her, stay as you are pure. Don't seek western religion,

Good idea. She'd discover really emotional gospel churches, orthodox Jews who won't turn on a light on weekends and Catholics eating the body and blood of the god.

And you'd have to explain it all.

[BlueEyedSon]

35. "God is Santa Claus for adults."

[datasuspect]

40. HEY - that's my line!

still i'm glad to see someone else using it!

[BlueEyedSon]

47. Maybe you'll like this one too.....

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."

--Stephen Roberts

[DrWeird]

36. Technically, she's right.

Santa is something of a God in our culture. Just as much as many Gods in polytheistic society.

Take catholicism. It's got all these Patron Saint. They can perform miracles, they're immortal, they're in charge of sailors, or doctors, or travellers. They perform the same function as patron deities in polytheistic religion, there's just a hang-up with the word God.

[JanMichael]

11. Sure glad that you set that straight. Knowing the Absolute Truth and such.

Thanks!

PS~ What the fuck do you mean by the "socialist viewpoint" anyway?

[AnIndependentTexan]

13. Think of socialist viewpoint like this

As much as we hate admitting that the red states are part of the blue states as a nation we are still a nation and a country. Someone once embedded the idea of God into our society when the country was being formed. That idea grew as the society grew. Socialist viewpoint just means the growth of the society and the growth of the ideas.

It is one of the reasons people in different areas believe different truths about life. The experiences they faced forged a different idea of life. It also created the basic structure of their society.

[JanMichael]

16. Where did you hear that?

"Socialist viewpoint just means the growth of the society and the growth of the ideas."

Socialism is an economic/political system, not the definition of societal growth and the ideas associated with it.

I suppose one could pretend that it is, but it isn't. Do you mean sociological point of view?

[AnIndependentTexan]

18. I might be wrong about it

Actually it isn't anything I have heard before. Sociological point of view might be a better wording on it. What I will say is this it is to confuse the messenger with the message. I'm not the best at Grammar and I might think something in my head about a word, but that doesn't make it truth to someone else who knows more about that word.

[VioletLake]

17. It's freepspeak for:

"From the point of view of the atheist heathen."
:crazy:

[Warpy]

12. Millions of gods have come and gone, and each

was all powerful in his time and people were willing to lay down their lives for the belief in him. Men create gods with human or animal faces. I can't think of a single god worth the effort.

You're confusing socialism with intolerance. That says nothing about socialism except express an intolerance of it, too.

[journalist3072]

15. God

There is ONLY ONE God. And he is real. And he is a jealous God. In other words, he doesn't want us to have any other Gods before Him.

[datasuspect]

19. why is he jealous?

is he that insecure?

[journalist3072]

24. My Response....

Why is he jealous?

Because....

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col 3:2)---This means we are to always keep looking to Him. He doesn't want us worshipping things (money, clothes, etc).

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3 (Deuteronomy 5:7, Judges 6:10, Hosea 13:4)


And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. Exodus 23:13 (Joshua 23:7)

[datasuspect]

28. i know scripture

anyway, what DO YOU personally think?

god gave you free will and a mind, you are entitled to use them.

[journalist3072]

33. My Opinion

I wanted to give you scripture.

My opinion doesn't really count. When the rubber meets the road, it's God's Word that counts, and how well we abide by it.

But, since you asked. I think he is jealous because he wants us to set our affections on things high--Him. He doesn't want our affections to be in material things.

When he calls us home, we are not taking a single thing from this Earth with us.

[datasuspect]

38. don't take this the wrong way

but i cannot shake the feeling that what you are communicating to me is pure delusion. that's just my opinion.

i cannot understand why my fellow human beings feel compelled to abdicate their fundamental autonomy and authority to an mythological character.

[DrWeird]

41. So how much of your income do you donate every year to charity?

If you can't take it with you...

[Warpy]

29. So he admitted there were other gods out there

who were probably his equal, but he wanted all the Jews' attention.

Like I said, not worth the effort.

[journalist3072]

39. John 1:1

"In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God" (John 1:1).

That scripture says it all right there.

Anyway, yes it is 'worth it.' The fact is that God will bring his judgements down on this earth (Read the Book of Revelation), and so it is 'worth it' that we acknowledge and worship Him.

[DrWeird]

56. Numbers 2:25

"On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan, under their standard. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai."

Dude, that totally contradicts everything you just wrote.

[Disturbed]

27. YWH

The Jews worshipped a god of war and vengence. Do they still slit a goat's throat as a sacrificial offering?

The Western concept of god, especially the god in the old testament is a monsterous king. I feel that the present day fundies, both so-called Christians and the fundie Muslims do not believe in democracy but in a Theorcratic Dictatorship. This is what they are fighting for. The clash of Fundamentalists has not died and is revived full throttle.

[mom-mad-about-bush]

43. I got this in my e-mail today...

Hypocrisy of this moral, moral country
Dear President Bush:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I
have learned a great deal from you and understand why you would propose
and support a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. As you
said "in the eyes of God marriage is based between a man a woman." I try
to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries
to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them
that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... End of
debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements
of God's Laws and how to follow them.
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend
of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you
clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in
Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair
price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her
period of menstrual uncleanness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do
I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They
claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus
35:2.clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to
kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.
I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?
7. Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have
a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does
my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by
Lev.19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes
me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different
crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of
two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to
curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the
trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them?
Lev.24:10-16.Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family
affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

[DrWeird]

32. He's probably got a small penis.

He's always insecure and angry. Bet he drives a Hummer too.

[journalist3072]

50. May God have mercy on you.

I hope that when the time of judgement comes, and God is pouring out his vials of wrath on this earth, you will be saved.

[datasuspect]

53. i hope that when the rapture comes

i can find out where you live and i hope you have a really nice car, because i'm calling dibs on it.

[journalist3072]

61. Rapture

Trust me, after the Rapture has occured, you won't be worrying about any car.

[datasuspect]

64. i dunno

those of us left behind will have to carry on in some way during the time of tribulation.

i'd just like to cruise around the apocalypse in your car.

[journalist3072]

70. Tribulation

If you are here physically on eart during the Great Tribulation, I just pray that you will not accept the Mark of the Beast. During that time, in which people won't be able to buy or sell anything without accepting the Mark, it will be better for a person to starve themselves and go without food.

Just remember that.

[datasuspect]

71. shit

i always thought that 666 on my head was a weird birthmark!

[journalist3072]

78. Mark of the Beast

That is NOTHING to joke about. The Bible teaches us that:

"A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: 'If ANYONE worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name. This calls for patient endurance on the part of THE SAINTS who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus' " (Rev. 14:9-12).

[DrWeird]

81. Nope, sorry, Bible's full of shit on that one.

Mark of the Beast has a great sense of humor. You should of seen some of the pranks we used to play back in high school. Good old Mark. I should give him a call.

[datasuspect]

84. is that mark beast

of the shelbyville beast family?

i think i dated his sister.

[DrWeird]

No, no...

The Beast:

[datasuspect]

87. WHOAAAAAAAAA

fuckin a dude. righteous. what's under the hood?

i could worship that graven image a hell of a lot easier than god any day.

[DrWeird]

91. Honest? I think it was a 454.

Not that actual car in that photo. Mark's was ganga green with a green plush interior. Had those little Cheech deely-bopper things hanging down from the perimeter of the ceiling. It was a beautiful peice of machinery.

[datasuspect]

82. that sounds like fun!

hail satan!

[DrWeird]

73. Mark of the Beast once got me a bucket of chicken from KFC.

'72 Olds Cutlass, had a nice ganga green paint job with little gold specks in it. The girl in the Drive-thru window thought it was pretty cool too. I wonder how Mark's doing these days.

[DrWeird]

66. I thought rapture wasn't really in the Bible.

All that stuff about the "Left Behind" was mostly made up over the years. Well, most of the Bibles made up, so that really doesn't mean anything.

[journalist3072]

74. Rapture

The acutal word 'rapture' is not in the Bible. However, it says that believers will “caught up…in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

The words 'caught up' is what is meant by a rapture.

[DrWeird]

79. Doesn't God's arms get tired?

Flying around in clouds all day?

[VioletLake]

67. We can just take the cars

"left behind."

B-)

[datasuspect]

69. what about the bank accounts?

i'm really broke right now. i could use some fundy money - they won't need it in heaven anyway.

is there anything more we can do as sinners to help the rapture come quicker?

[VioletLake]

75. How about a prayer vigil?

We'll do it by candlelight.

[datasuspect]

83. only if we can pray to the dark lord

and try to summon 8th century b.c. babylonian war gods to do our bidding.

[VioletLake]

89. We can each pray to the dark lord of our choosing.

That's the great thing about being liberal. ;)

[datasuspect]

90. ok i summon papullegarra n/t

[VioletLake]

93. I summon Lord Croissanta.

and I leave him behind to wreak havoc on this thread while I sleep.

thanks for the laugh guys.

nite

[DrWeird]

76. Dude, they'll leave all those fancy mansions too.

Like the good book says, rich people don't have to stand in line to get into Heaven.

[Lady Effingbroke]

80. Just think of the possibilities!

Luxury cars and McMansions all suddenly uninhabited and free for the taking!

I must admit, however, I do fear the carnage that will inevitably occur when the Raptor strikes thousands of fundies who are driving 80 mph on the freeways, leaving their cars suddenly "unmanned" (as so many stickers on those cars proclaim).

[VioletLake]

85. Perhaps we should convince them to stay home from now on.

You know - rapture from the comfort of their ez-boys. wink wink

[datasuspect]

86. what about airline pilots who are saved?

but god forgets about the passengers like he forgets about iraqi children

[DrWeird]

58. That's alright.

I'd rather be in Hell than spend eternity with a bunch of sanctimonious nutjobs.

I hope that when time comes that you'll just cease to be conscious and that your corpse will just rot and be eaten by various bacteria and worms and such. Either that or they'll just save money and have you cremated. Doesn't matter, you won't be around to care.

Just like everybody else.

[Liberaltarian]

21. what's a supposed supreme being doing with human faults?

you'd almost think that men created him in their image, rather than the other way around.

[jayctravis]

20. God only comes from within.

The diversity of methods to acknowledge the presence should be celebrated, and not argued with war.

[BlueEyedSon]

37. Not if you believe the bible!

[mom-mad-about-bush]

45. What do you think of this????

Hypocrisy of this moral, moral country
Dear President Bush:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I
have learned a great deal from you and understand why you would propose
and support a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. As you
said "in the eyes of God marriage is based between a man a woman." I try
to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries
to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them
that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... End of
debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements
of God's Laws and how to follow them.
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend
of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you
clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in
Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair
price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her
period of menstrual uncleanness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do
I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They
claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus
35:2.clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to
kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.
I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?
7. Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have
a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does
my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by
Lev.19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes
me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different
crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of
two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to
curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the
trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them?
Lev.24:10-16.Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family
affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

[Astarho]

22. Interesting quote I once heard

I think it was about the philosopher's stone, but it works for god too.

"If it exists, I want to know what it is like. If it does not exist, I would like to understand the meaning of such an illusion."

[Liberaltarian]

23. "God is a feeling or faith you have in your heart"....????

how did a feeling or faith in someon's heart create the universe?

i'll hang up and wait for my answer.

[Taxloss]

25. Complete rubbish.

"The socialist viewpoint that my belief in God is correct and your belief in God isn't" - do you have any clue what the word socialist means? Really? The slightest clue?

You don't even know God. "The society that coins the truth." Only God has the truth - societies can't come up with their own versions of it and say it's the bomb. That's how wars start. You only have an interpretation of God. God is not consensus.

Incidentally, I am an ex-Christian atheist and expect to get flamed. Sorry about that.

[AnIndependentTexan]

30. I won't flame you but I will ask a few questions

Does Democratic Underground consist of a society? or are we a collective of thoughts? What was the original idea that created this forum and how did this forum expand?

[DrWeird]

31. No, we're not a society. We're a commune.

We're all communists here.

[datasuspect]

34. da, da

comrade . . . all these decadent, yankee imperialists are doing with their god-talk is corrupting the party.

[AnIndependentTexan]

44. Does that make the creator of this forum a God of this commune?

The idea's and logic started from a single person and built over time. In some sense we are all thoughts. Our thoughts differ from what the original message was. Yet one person created this forum and now we are all here based on the idea behind that creation.

The creator of this forum also has the ability to destroy that thought that does not belong. In two different forms they are the creator and the destroyer of all knowledge. When knowledge from here must be deleted is that the same as a person being deleted from the real world?

[DrWeird]

46. No, Skinner's just our Glorious Leader.

Anyway, how many bowls have you been smoking tonight?

[Wonk]

51. Today a young man

on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, life is only a dream and we are the imaginations of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather.
~ Bill Hicks

[AnIndependentTexan]

57. I don't believe in smoking

Actually I just love thinking about these subjects because the thought behind it makes the mind think. It is a interesting subject to study.

[datasuspect]

52. let's bring this back to earth

the creator(s) of this site pay $ to cover bandwidth, expenses what have you so like-minded people can have a unique forum to express their thoughts and ideas.

god is a mythological character a couple of levels higher than santa claus.

your attempt to draw a parallel between the two presupposes that nonexistent entities have power and that existent entities have more power than they do.

yes, the mods can delete posts, but this does not make them "creator and destroyer of all knowledge" as you put it.

by the way, three cheers for the mods!



edited for inadvertent html code that caused text to be struck through

[AnIndependentTexan]

77. actually that is why I enjoy studying this

My ideology was just a thought or one of many that could have been said. The attempt to draw a parallel was to speak on a different level of thought. The physical and the nonexistent. Right now we are just type being typed out over a keyboard. Our physical self doesn't exist on this forum.

What we type is being read and interrupted differently by everyone. That is because we are basing it on different experiences and knowledge. Ironically this also means that the truth is ever changing. Does that mean our idea of God is also changing?

[VioletLake]

54. Skinner - God of the Commune

I like it... sounds authoritative.

[DrWeird]

26. So you're saying, basically, that God doesn't exist.

I mean saying something is a feeling you have in your heart is basically saying it's an imagination you have in your brain.

Alright, I can agree to that.

[Bigmack]

49. Anybody read "When Will Jesus..."

... Bring the Porkchops" by George Carlin?

I think Carlin's comments on religion have a prominent place in the theological discussions going on in this forum lately.

[datasuspect]

55. does god have a penis or a vagina? n/t

[VioletLake]

59. God has a pegina. n/t

[datasuspect]

60. so it's a hermaphrodite? n/t

[VioletLake]

62. Didn't you know?

:wow:

[DrWeird]

63. He's got a penis. Duh. He's a boy.

Genitalia 4:37

And lo! God had a penis! But it was a small penis! And God was jealous and angry.

Genitalia 4:38

And God did say,"Speak not of other Gods' penises, for they make me jealous. Let notother Gods' penises touch your lips. Stop laughing."

Genitalia 4:39

And God did smite the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

[datasuspect]

65. yeah, but how big is it?

i bet my god has a bigger one than your god!

[DrWeird]

68. Nope. Sorry.

My God's black. Rough break, man.

[tjfreeman]

88. Lennon had it right....

"God is a concept by which we measure our pain..."

[datasuspect]

92. i think Marx had it right

"religion is the opium of the masses."

or bakunin:

"To revolt is a natural tendency of life. Even a worm turns against the foot that crushes it. In general, the vitality and relative dignity of an animal can be measured by the intensity of its instinct to revolt."

"People go to church for the same reasons they go to a tavern: to stupefy themselves, to forget their misery, to imagine themselves, for a few minutes anyway, free and happy"

"The first revolt is against the supreme tyranny of theology, of the phantom of God. As long as we have a master in heaven, we will be slaves on earth."

"A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished"

"He who desires to worship God must harbor no childish illusions about the matter but bravely renounce his liberty and humanity"