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Who Is Your God?

Ellen Brown

Ellen Brown

Well-Known Member
I value being able to openly talk with others about belief. Having a very varied background, I sometimes suffer confusion.

My own view of God is that I want to be like Abraham, "a friend of God". In my own experience, he has been exceedingly kind and merciful to me even in the midst of painful suffering. Most/all suffering I have experienced came from men, not God. And he has blessed me at times, even when I was completely in despair.

Other belief systems have very different views than I. As a Muslim, I have often heard of being a slave of Allah SWT (God). There is a way of thinking about things as a Muslim that I have not given up.

I've known Jews who will stand and argue with God like a teen ager. For others, God is all about the punishment and the fire and brimstone.

Who is God? Do we actually fashion the nature of God from our own inner being?
 
Dawnofhope

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
Ellen Brown said:
I value being able to openly talk with others about belief. Having a very varied background, I sometimes suffer confusion.

My own view of God is that I want to be like Abraham, "a friend of God". In my own experience, he has been exceedingly kind and merciful to me even in the midst of painful suffering. Most/all suffering I have experienced came from men, not God. And he has blessed me at times, even when I was completely in despair.

Other belief systems have very different views than I. As a Muslim, I have often heard of being a slave of Allah SWT (God). There is a way of thinking about things as a Muslim that I have not given up.

I've known Jews who will stand and argue with God like a teen ager. For others, God is all about the punishment and the fire and brimstone.

Who is God? Do we actually fashion the nature of God from our own inner being?
Click to expand...

We can best know God and His Will through His Prophets and Manifestations. The Ones we would agree on are Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. The Twin Prophets of the Baha'i Faith, the Bab and Baha'u'llah brought clarity about God's purpose for us in this age.

One aspect of God from the Baha'i Writings is that He is an Unknowable Essence.

An Unknowable God | What Bahá’ís Believe
 
Skwim

Skwim

Veteran Member
Ellen Brown said:
Who Is Your God?
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9kuBpf2F_400x400.jpg
 
Kenny

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
Ellen Brown said:
I value being able to openly talk with others about belief. Having a very varied background, I sometimes suffer confusion.

My own view of God is that I want to be like Abraham, "a friend of God". In my own experience, he has been exceedingly kind and merciful to me even in the midst of painful suffering. Most/all suffering I have experienced came from men, not God. And he has blessed me at times, even when I was completely in despair.

Other belief systems have very different views than I. As a Muslim, I have often heard of being a slave of Allah SWT (God). There is a way of thinking about things as a Muslim that I have not given up.

I've known Jews who will stand and argue with God like a teen ager. For others, God is all about the punishment and the fire and brimstone.

Who is God? Do we actually fashion the nature of God from our own inner being?
Click to expand...
IMV, God is love and light.

I believe His Holy Spirit fashions the nature of my God from my inner being (spirit) which was created in His likenes. This is done by re-newing my mind, will and emotions (soul).
 
stvdv

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
Ellen Brown said:
Who is God? Do we actually fashion the nature of God from our own inner being?
Click to expand...

The Universe is far beyond my imagination
If God is defined as the Creator of the Universe
Then our view of God can be at best "Imagination"
 
Jainarayan

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Ellen Brown said:
Who is God?
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Vishnu, in his Krishna avatar.

Not to say that Shiva, Shakti, Ganesha, et. al. are not God. We all have our personal image of God.

jāki rahi bhāvanā jaisi
prabhu mūrat dekhi tin taisi
"The way one perceives God, He will appear in that very same way to the devotee. - Awadhi saying.

ekam sat viprāha bahudhā vadanti
"One Truth the wise know by many names" (lit. one truth the wise variously call it). - Rig Veda
 
islam abduallah

islam abduallah

Active Member
would i ask how do you know that Abraham was a god's friend? actually i agree with you that he was, i just wonder from where you got it ?
 
Ellen Brown

Ellen Brown

Well-Known Member
islam abduallah said:
would i ask how do you know that Abraham was a god's friend? actually i agree with you that he was, i just wonder from where you got it ?
Click to expand...

Salaam Alaikum, Ramadan Mubarak:

It appears in The Book (Christian Old Testament, 2 Chron. 20:7) and several other places there. I do not know if it appears in The Quran.
 
stvdv

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
Ellen Brown said:
Salaam Alaikum, Ramadan Mubarak:

It appears in The Book (Christian Old Testament, 2 Chron. 20:7) and several other places there. I do not know if it appears in The Quran.
Click to expand...

upload_2019-5-25_19-0-10.png
 
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H

Hawkins

Well-Known Member
If God is true, then how He would like to have this truth to convey among humans?
First He should show up to lead humans if He cares about humans. The gods cannot be true if they failed to provide a solid reason why they have to hide from humans.
We humans don't hide ourselves from low end animals incapable of doing harm to us, such as small birds.

That said. The Christianity God has to hide Himself from humans in majority because by a final covenant in place humans need faith in order to be saved. However if He hides Himself completely no human knows the existence of such a covenant. Thus He showed Himself to those chosen witnesses (prophets) and for them to spread their testimonies for the rest of human kind to reach God's truth. This is the only way which works. The many prophets maintained a direct contact with Him. They together portrayed in their testimonies about who God is. God showed who He is through the multiple accounts of direct encounters for His truth to be able to convey among humans through the testimonies of His prophets. (don't get me wrong, God doesn't need to show His image in order to communicate directly to His prophets, He has many ways in communicating with human witnesses directly but without showing a visual appearance)

Mohammad is not one of these witnesses because God never showed Himself in front of him.
 
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Ellen Brown

Ellen Brown

Well-Known Member
Hawkins said:
If God is true, then how He would like to have this truth to convey among humans?
First He should show up to lead humans if He cares about humans. The gods cannot be true if they failed to provide a solid reason why they have to hide from humans.
We humans don't hide ourselves from low end animals incapable of doing harm to us, such as small birds.

That said. The Christianity God has to hide Himself from humans in majority because by a final covenant in place humans need faith in order to be saved. However if He hides Himself completely no human knows the existence of such a covenant. Thus He showed Himself to those chosen witnesses (prophets) and for them to spread their testimonies for the rest of human kind to reach God's truth. This is the only way which works. The many prophets maintained a direct contact with Him. They together portrayed in their testimonies about who God is. God showed who He is through the multiple accounts of direct encounters for His truth to be able to convey among humans through the testimonies of His prophets. (don't get me wrong, God doesn't need to show His image in order to communicate directly to His prophets, He has many ways in communicating with human witnesses directly but without showing a visual appearance)

Mohammad is not one of these witnesses because God never showed Himself in front of him.
Click to expand...

I went to Islam from Christianity out of desperation because of the way that the Christians demonstrated to me that theirs was a plastic Jesus, not worth obeying. Going to Islam was part of a search really, and I learned much as a Muslim woman. I still carry as much of the modesty, meekness, and devotion to my Creator as I was able to absorb. It is doubtful that I will ever be a Christian again, though I continue to study and pray. These days, it is better to refer to myself as an Abrahamic Religionist.
 
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