Is God capible of sin? (Earth, soul, creation, hell)

[ayani]

no, i don't believe that God is capable of sin...

i do not adhere to the Old or New Testaments as ultimate spiritual authorities. and yes, there's alot of things God seems to be doing there that made me scratch my head as well... if not protest in disgust (silently or outloud).

i'm going to echo Hema's awesome response to this question : God, for me, is in part that within us that colpells us to love, reflect, connect, and feel compassion. God has created our hearts for one another and for knowing and drawing near to Him- He has written this upon our hearts (or souls, spirits, minds...) and this is itself a spiritual law. to cause selfish suffering to others is, i feel, itself a sin, as it denies others this freedom and cynically presumes that one has a greater right to one's purpose in life than another.

[doppelgänger]

"God" is in the process of moral and ego development. "God" is as capable of "sin" as the person experiencing "God" is capable of "sin."

[ayani]

Originally Posted by doppelgänger

"God" is in the process of moral and ego development. "God" is as capable of "sin" as the person experiencing "God" is capable of "sin."

hmm.... i kind of agree with you, and yet i don't.

there is the time-worn phrase "God is within", and i do believe this. but i do not believe that God changes, grown, and makes mistakes as we do, through us. God, as i understand Him, is in part that within us that encourages moral and spiritual development, yet it is not as though, when we fail, God fails alongside us, because of us. rather, we are limited creatures, and we stumble. that does not mean that God, being a part of us, stumbles as though He were tied to us at the leg as we fall. He is with us when we fall, but He does not himself fall, imo.

[doppelgänger]

Originally Posted by ayani

but i do not believe that God changes, grown, and makes mistakes as we do, through us.

Have your beliefs about "God" changed during your life? If so, how?

Originally Posted by ayani

God, as i understand Him, is in part that within us that encourages moral and spiritual development, yet it is not as though, when we fail, God fails alongside us

What if I believe "God" wants me to hate Roman Catholics, but later I decide "God" wants me to love Roman Catholics?

Originally Posted by ayani

that does not mean that God, being a part of us, stumbles as though He were tied to us at the leg as we fall. He is with us when we fall, but He does not himself fall, imo.

What is "God" other than the way I think about "God"? Before you answer, think carefully about what it means to take the "existence" of a "thing" solely on faith. Think very carefully about it.

[ayani]

Dopp- you are good, man.

ya, my beliefs about God have changed. i was raised as a trinitarian Christian, later veered towards agnosticism, Quakerism, and then where i am now. at the same time... i never stopped thirsting after *something* throughout. despite the various doctrinal and cosmological changes, what remained was a desire to connect with something ultimately meaningful and holy, through and beyond the guises of doctrine concerning the nature of that Being.

your question about "God told me to hate Catholics, oh wait..." is a juicy one. my answer at the moment (ha) is that while man can be driven to seek out meaning and spiritual development, we can also build up barriers in defense of our current belief system, and exclude and hate. what is ultimately hateful is not a set of people or even their doctrine that one disagrees with, but the inner barriers that foster arrogance and exclusivity. God is not in the dogma, He is in the dialogue, if that makes sense. so basically... the "God told me to hate you" stance is just...wrong.

What is "God" other than the way I think about "God"? Before you answer, think carefully about what it means to take the "existence" of a "thing" solely on faith. Think very carefully about it.

yes... ok. if one were to take the assumption "God is within", this does have some weight. God is in our understanding of Him, and as Hazrat Inyat Khan said "there are as many faces of God as there are people to think about Him". but God is not ultimately summed up by what we think of Him. He remains beyond our ideas, cosmologies, and limits.

[SoyLeche]

That's an iteresting question.

Is it within the realm of possibility that God could sin if He so chose? I'd have to say "yes". Do I believe that God will ever so choose? No.

So, I guess my answer to your question is "a little from column A and a little from column B".

[doppelgänger]

Originally Posted by ayani

despite the various doctrinal and cosmological changes, what remained was a desire to connect with something ultimately meaningful and holy, through and beyond the guises of doctrine concerning the nature of that Being.

Great stuff, ayani. This resonates with me.

Originally Posted by ayani

God is not in the dogma, He is in the dialogue

That gets my vote for "post of the day" . . . and it's only 9 am. Beautifully and concisely phrased.

[ayani]

Dopp- that just made my freaking day... you resonate with me as well, man. you ask the good questions, and i'm honored to be able to respond to them, and to you. thank you.