what do you mean when you say "God"?

[Zophius]

Originally Posted by mball1297

Personally, I don't have much use for it. I agree with a lot of ideas that some people might consider "God", including ideas you have presented here. However, I don't feel "God" is an accurate word for any of it. Some people do, and I respect that.

Point taken. I can understand why you are uncomfortable with the word "God"; it does carry a ton of undesirable baggage. But all of the other likely terms I can think of - Brahman, Tao, Nirvana, even the Deus - carry plenty of their own baggage, cultural, metaphysical, and otherwise. I also think that certain words and myths are so deeply embedded in Western culture that they are never likely to go away. A successful attempt to transform spiritual consciousness in Western society - which I think needs to take place - will not be one that simply tosses away the old words and myths, but transforms their meaning and makes them new.

The meaning of words depends on their use, not a fixed relationship between word and object (I'm taking this from Wittgenstein, or at least my understanding of Wittgenstein). The meaning of a word, even a word like God, can be utterly transformed by being put to new uses. So I'm not too anxious about whether my use of the word God is "accurate" or not. In fact, I think that kind of concern may be part of the prison I want to escape.

Originally Posted by mball1297

I think I'm really going to enjoy your participation here.

Thanks for the encouragement, Mball! I already feel at home.

[mball1297]

Originally Posted by Zophius

Point taken. I can understand why you are uncomfortable with the word "God"; it does carry a ton of undesirable baggage. But all of the other likely terms I can think of - Brahman, Tao, Nirvana, even the Deus - carry plenty of their own baggage, cultural, metaphysical, and otherwise. I also think that certain words and myths are so deeply embedded in Western culture that they are never likely to go away. A successful attempt to transform spiritual consciousness in Western society - which I think needs to take place - will not be one that simply tosses away the old words and myths, but transforms their meaning and makes them new.

The meaning of words depends on their use, not a fixed relationship between word and object (I'm taking this from Wittgenstein, or at least my understanding of Wittgenstein). The meaning of a word, even a word like God, can be utterly transformed by being put to new uses. So I'm not too anxious about whether my use of the word God is "accurate" or not. In fact, I think that kind of concern may be part of the prison I want to escape.

Agreed. It would be nice to think we could just start over, but that's obviously not going to happen. The problem I see right now is that most people aren't up for the depth of conversation it takes to discuss these matters. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It just doesn't help with matters like transforming terms like "God" into more workable, generally intelligible symbols.

[Draka]

When I use the word "god" I don't capitalize it. I mainly use it in quotes as well as I am usually referring to someone else's concept or idea of what their deity is. If I use it without quotes I am usually referring to any god. As in gods and goddesses. Be they minor Pagan deities or in reference to deities of even orthodox religions.

In referring my own beliefs I tend to use other words such as Source and Divine. I will also use Lady and Lord. I guess I tend to do this as so many do seem to have a pre-conceived notion of what the word god entails. Some seem to think they have a monopoly on the word and automatically assume that when you use it it means a certain thing. I want to be very clear what I'm talking about so I tend to avoid it when referencing my beliefs as so not to confuse anyone.

[Storm]

I should mention that "God" is just a shorthand for me; it's not actually my preferred term. But (almost) nobody knows what "roth" means, and this spares the uninterested lengthy lectures on my theology.

[cardero]

what do you mean when you say "God"?
Simply, the first entity to exist.

[stephenw]

Originally Posted by cardero

what do you mean when you say "God"?
Simply, the first entity to exist.

How evolved are you feeling today -Maybe I'm a swing closer than you

[Zophius]

Originally Posted by mball1297

The problem I see right now is that most people aren't up for the depth of conversation it takes to discuss these matters. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It just doesn't help with matters like transforming terms like "God" into more workable, generally intelligible symbols.

Yes, it's frustrating. But it can't hurt to keep trying, right?

Sometimes I do say "the divine" - but in my experience people just translate that as God, and then we are right back where we started...

[stephenw]

I read this last night
"'The world' is man's experience as it appears to, and is moulded by his ego. It is that less abundant life, which is lived according to the dictates of the insulated self. It is nature denatured by the distorting spectacles of our appetites and our revulsions. It is the finite divorced from the Eternal. It is multiplicity in isolation from it's non-dual Ground. It is time apprehended as one damned thing after another. It is a system of verbal categories taking the place of the fathomlessly beautiful and mysterious particulars which constitute reality. It is a notion labelled 'God.' It is the universe equated with the words of our utilitarian vocabulary."- Huxley

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by mball1297

Agreed. It would be nice to think we could just start over, but that's obviously not going to happen.

It already is. It never stopped happening.