Homer Simpson's big question... (Creator, church, experience, worship, God)

[Carlos Andres Restrepo]

"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder"
- Homer Simpson

ok i guess, his question is for the ones who believe that there is only one true religion: theirs

so, how do you know that you are actually worshiping the "right" God?
even thought, the question might sound silly, it does makes me wonder why do you feel your religion is somehow superior or better in anyway to another's??....wouldn't be better to us to stop dividing God in so many religions?

do you even think God belongs to anyreligion at all?...i mean, i think God doesn't even understand about religion; thats a human thing...

[kai]

someone told me once that religions were like rivers that flowed into the sea and the sea was god, they all got there in the end.

[Carlos Andres Restrepo]

oh, i believe the same as you do...but my question is more intended to be for the kind of persons who believe thatthere is only one truly religion....but thanx for your thoughts....

[kai]

Originally Posted by Carlos Andres Restrepo

oh, i believe the same as you do...but my question is more intended to be for the kind of persons who believe thatthere is only one truly religion....but thanx for your thoughts....

oh dont get me wrong i dont believe it at all ,i brought up the same question as yours to a friend who replied with that as an answer.

[Mister Emu]

so, how do you know that you are actually worshiping the "right" God?

Because of direct experience with God

[bigvindaloo]

Originally Posted by Carlos Andres Restrepo

"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder"
- Homer Simpson

ok i guess, his question is for the ones who believe that there is only one true religion: theirs

so, how do you know that you are actually worshiping the "right" God?
even thought, the question might sound silly, it does makes me wonder why do you feel your religion is somehow superior or better in anyway to another's??....wouldn't be better to us to stop dividing God in so many religions?

do you even think God belongs to anyreligion at all?...i mean, i think God doesn't even understand about religion; thats a human thing...

Interesting comment you make about God not understanding religion, maybe its a human thing. In this regard, adhering to one true religion almost seems like a form of nationalism which is itself an artifact of political, not natural boundaries existing in the heads of cartographers. Maybe we are all being terrible anthropocentric about religion. If God was unaware of our artificial boundaries, he seems like a great big stupid good guy creator of the universe. Understanding God like this is like trying to understand what a hippy finds of intrinsic value in a rainforest. If the hippy wasn't there to appreciate it would the rainforest have intrinsic value in and of itself? Would a great big stupid good guy creator of the universe have intrinsic value if believers weren't being political about him and casting him in an image they think appropriate?

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by Mister Emu

Because of direct experience with God

Hey Mr E, could you expand on that further?

[fantôme profane]

“Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder” - Homer Simpson

I love that quote. It has been referred to as Homer Simpson’s version of Pascal’s Wager. The Simpsons does an excellent job of pointing out absurdities.

It is a fair question. There is no way we can ever know for certain. There are any number of equally plausible (or equally implausible) belief systems, many of them mutually exclusive. If “God” will punish or reward based on what religion you join, then “Homer’s Wager” presents a considerable problem. There is no logical way of distinguishing between them. Even direct experience is something a rational person should question. Experience is subjective, and can be affected by any number of chemical imbalances in the brain. One person’s divine revelation is contradicted by another’s. Just as one person’s scripture, or interpretation of scripture is contradicted by someone else

Which reminds me of another quote.

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” – Voltaire.

[Draka]

Originally Posted by Carlos Andres Restrepo

"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder"
- Homer Simpson

ok i guess, his question is for the ones who believe that there is only one true religion: theirs

so, how do you know that you are actually worshiping the "right" God?
even thought, the question might sound silly, it does makes me wonder why do you feel your religion is somehow superior or better in anyway to another's??....wouldn't be better to us to stop dividing God in so many religions?

do you even think God belongs to anyreligion at all?...i mean, i think God doesn't even understand about religion; thats a human thing...

They're all the same god. Just seen through different eyes. So how is it possible to choose the "wrong one"?

Pathways

[Bouncing Ball]

Originally Posted by Mister Emu

Because of direct experience with God

Strange because every religion seems to have people who think that..