If God is telling you to kill people, you're probably not really hearing God at all.

[Lyndon]

Unlike so many other religious leaders, to some extent Jesus, the Buddha, and Lao Tzu, among others seem to have contact with a God that did not tell them to go out killing people or starting wars. So many people have this crazy idea of God as a violent, vengeful, vindictive force, rather than one of peace, love, goodness and forgiveness, Its a real problem throughout the world.

 

[Skwim]

Unlike so many other religious leaders, Jesus, the Buddha, and Lao Tzu, among others seem to have contact with a God that did not tell them to go out killing people or starting wars. So many people have this crazy idea of God as a violent, vengeful, vindictive force, rather than one of peace, love, goodness and forgiveness, Its a real problem throughout the world.

Not a crazy idea at all. Simply look at all the destruction god has wreaked upon his creation.

 

[Lyndon]

Let me get this straight, you don't believe in God, yet you feel God is a destructive force in the world, yeah right......

 

[Jumi]

Laozi never mentions God though.

 

[Lyndon]

I was speaking of the Tao, which seems to be in line with my understanding of what God really is, or the emptiness or Dhammakaya for the Buddha, and certainly God the father in Heaven to Jesus had little in common with some of the perversions of God offered in the Old Testament.

 

[Sees]

It tends to accompany struggle for power. Motives aren't really camouflaged.

"God wants so and so fought/killed, me in power, these laws in place (which serve towards control and preservation of power)..."

The fact that it's done historically and to the present isn't puzzling at all in my view, but the continued belief in and following of can be quite a puzzle.

If somebody tells you they have a secret message or special access to something from the Divine or other realms/worlds...their benefit in your believing or paying mind to it should be all the more questioned. The more they make out, the more intensely it is questioned.

 

[Lyndon]

I would say you can judge how close someone's relationship with God is by what they espouse, and claim God told them, Even if you don't believe they have any contact with God, they can still have very good ideas, or very bad ones.

 

[nazz]

Unlike so many other religious leaders, to some extent Jesus, the Buddha, and Lao Tzu, among others seem to have contact with a God that did not tell them to go out killing people or starting wars. So many people have this crazy idea of God as a violent, vengeful, vindictive force, rather than one of peace, love, goodness and forgiveness, Its a real problem throughout the world.

I would agree with the title of your thread but it comes down to how one defines God.

 

[wizanda]

Sorry to do this, as i like your view point....

Yeshua might have taught blessed are the peacemakers; yet he came to bring a sword to separate people against each other, over following what is right. So more wars and fighting, have been caused by him; than any other thing in history.

Agree in your sentiments of God being beyond unconditional love and wisdom; thus our logic isn't like God's... So defining God, by books here in Ghenna/Maya/Matrix, is part of the fault you're questioning.

 

[dgirl1986]

On the topic of mental illnesses where voices and instructions are heard - they hear what is culturally relevant to them. A hindu man will not suddenly hear the voice of the christian god.

The same is applicable to the attitude of the voice associated with some sort of spiritual or religious figure. A buddhist would not likely hear the voice of buddha telling them to kill someone.

 

[Revoltingest]

It's probably a very good thing that I'm an atheist because I know that the voices telling me to kill & burn things have no authority.
Hey, quiet down, you guys!
I'm trying to post stuff.

 

[dgirl1986]

It's probably a very good thing that I'm an atheist because I know that the voices telling me to kill & burn things have no authority.
Hey, quiet down, you guys!
I'm trying to post stuff.

Reading your post just reminded me. It is not always voiced either. People can suffer from delusions or a psychosis that leads them to believe they are on a special mission.

 

[Lyndon]

Sorry to do this, as i like your view point....

Yeshua might have taught blessed are the peacemakers; yet he came to bring a sword to separate people against each other, over following what is right. So more wars and fighting, have been caused by him; than any other thing in history.

Agree in your sentiments of God being beyond unconditional love and wisdom; thus our logic isn't like God's... So defining God, by books here in Ghenna/Maya/Matrix, is part of the fault you're questioning.

That's why I said "to some extent Jesus".

 

[Deidre]

I dunno. Maybe it's just very difficult ...even incomprehensible...for mankind to imagine what a higher power might be like. So, we attach human characteristics to him/it, to make sense of him/it. No one has 'met' God, so...we can rely on prophets from centuries past, but they too have never 'met' him. There is so much I'm enchanted with in Islam, but the Abrahamic faiths are sometimes hard to swallow in this regard. (in general)

 

[Deidre]

In thinking about this today...I recall some news stories in the past whereby parents murdered their kids, and of these parents...a few said ''God told me to do it.''

America's response when this comes out is usually 'they're nuts.' Not...we need to take a deep look in their beliefs and see if their holy book is suggesting this. lol It wouldn't and doesn't happen that way.

Like Abraham in the OT who was following a 'command from God,' supposedly to kill his son as a test of his faith to God...but he didn't follow it through...the dude would be arrested and locked up in today's world. It wouldn't have been turned into a love story between mankind and God.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Abrahamic religions. ^_^

 

[McBell]

Let me get this straight, you don't believe in God, yet you feel God is a destructive force in the world, yeah right......

Merely dismissing what you dislike does not help anything but the ratification of preconceived notions.

 

[nazz]

On the topic of mental illnesses where voices and instructions are heard - they hear what is culturally relevant to them. A hindu man will not suddenly hear the voice of the christian god.

Er, I did.

 

[Skwim]

Let me get this straight, you don't believe in God, yet you feel God is a destructive force in the world, yeah right......

I feel God is a destructive force in the world only in the context of Christianity. Want to believe in the Christian god, then you're almost obligated to acknowledge all the destruction he's wreaked upon his creation.

 

[gsa]

Jesus meek and mild promised that you would burn in hell for eternity if you didn't bow to him as Lord and Savior, per the Gospels. And his followers certainly missed any pacifist message that he may or may not have been trying to send. The other two didn't talk about God. Where does that leave you?

 

[Politesse]

It is not surprising to me that those who murder wish to believe that God approves of their act. Few believe that they are evil. But this does not prevent them from doing evil.