God... He or She?

[shunyadragon]

Interesting.. according to your studies, which religion do you consider most reliable?

Ancient religions are the least reliable based on scriptures without provence and in ancient world view and culture. More contemporary religions Baha'i Faith offers amore universal perspective and guidance for today's world, but is also faced with the challenge of a changing world. Unitarian Universalists are more diverse in their beliefs and willing to accept change.

I prefer what I call a Universalist perspective not UU that considers the different religions in their context of their time and culture. The only knowledge that is consistently reliable and subject to change with new information

I agree that God created our physical reality in harmony with nature.

Harmony with Nature needs clarification, because Biblically this is not the accepted as the case concerning the scientific knowledge describes the nature of our existence.

 

[shunyadragon]

That is an amazing point..
But I could also contradict this by also mentioning that Jesus said that he spoke in parables and other figures of speech..
Hence this could be a reason that God the Father is specifically mentioned as a 'he' for only theological reasons?

Ir is too consistent in the Bible that God the Father and those that believe in the Trinity for this to be subject to interpretation. Parables are rather specific.

 

[Kathryn]

and actually -- we don't know even that much but ! -- what are the implications should you actually be made in the image the creator -- ====== the creator is not a God but an Alien who looks alot like you )

Well, I do believe there is a God and that He/She created me.

 

[Sargonski]

Well, I do believe there is a God and that He/She created me.

OK -- but, what kind of God is this .. define this God that created you .. is this the all powerful, all knowing uncreated God ~ Ahura Mazda ? or is this an anthropomorphic God of lesser power that created you .. such as YHWH .. or Enki / Ea

 

[RhySantos]

I do not understand what you mean by "in spiritual form.

When Jesus ascended into heaven he was no longer in human form.. When he was in human form Jesus wasn't omni present, therefore he was inferior to 'God the Father'.. By spirit form I am talking about the time Jesus was in heaven and not in human body

Also, what do you mean by equal? Equal in what way?

Remember I said "By spirit form I am talking about the time Jesus was in heaven and not in human body" By equal I was referring to the fact that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one
Therefore Jesus when he ascended to heaven he was "equal to God" Because he was God (because of the Trinity thing)


Excited to hear your opinion

 

[RhySantos]

(Btw I don't want you to get offended I am just sharing my perspective to have a rational discussion and not enforcing my ideas on you)

The evidence is the complete absence of evidence, which of course in turn can be readily dismissed until any said evidence is adequately presented.

I can give you scientific evidence of God..
According to the big bang theory.. The universe has a beginning, and what could cause such a thing? Obviously something above space time and matter, because to create space time and matter the force that created the universe must be above space time and matter.
And based of my understanding fabricating a universe requires some form of conscience, therefore I proceed to conclude that the "force" or "entity" That created the universe is conscious and
that is what we call "God"

To the latter murder is wrong on true innocents as a human being, it's really a morality issue clearly, but killing itself is still a natural aspect of nature all around us, and has to be done sometimes based on any situation or circumstance that warrants or necessitates a lethal action.

But killing of one another is still a core paradigm in human belief, what gives us the ability to distinguish Good from Bad,
And how did the synthesis of consciousness take place?
As Nietzsche (the famous philosopher) said If we are just accidental cosmic entities what gives me morals, purpose, conscience, emotions for other human beings.

 

[Trailblazer]

When Jesus ascended into heaven he was no longer in human form.. When he was in human form Jesus wasn't omni present, therefore he was inferior to 'God the Father'.. By spirit form I am talking about the time Jesus was in heaven and not in human body

I believe that when Jesus ascended to heaven He took on a spiritual body, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15:40-44, so Jesus was no longer in a physical body, He was in a spiritual body.

I do not believe Jesus is God. I believe that Jesus was a Manifestation of God on earth and remains a Manifestation of God in heaven.

As a Manifestation of God Jesus perfectly manifested certain of God attributes, such as Infallible, Benevolent, Loving, Gracious, Merciful, Just, Righteous, Forgiving, and Patient, but other attributes are unique to God.

Jesus cannot be God because only God is Sovereign, Eternal, Holy, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Wise, Unchanging, Impassable, Infinite, Omnipresent, Self-Existent, and Self-Sufficient, and nobody except God can have those attributes.

To summarize, Jesus has many attributes of God, but Jesus is not God because Jesus does not have all the attributes of God.

Remember I said "By spirit form I am talking about the time Jesus was in heaven and not in human body" By equal I was referring to the fact that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one
Therefore Jesus when he ascended to heaven he was "equal to God" Because he was God (because of the Trinity thing)

Excited to hear your opinion

I do not believe that Jesus was or is equal to God because nobody is equal to God. God is one and alone with no equal.

I believe in a Trinity but I do not believe that the three persons were 'part of God' as the Trinitarians believe.

In brief, below is what I believe.

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in the sense that they are ‘one in Purpose.’

They work together, but they are separate, not ‘part of God.’ God cannot be divided into parts.

God is exalted above anything that can ever be perceived so God remains in His own high place, on His Throne.

God never descends to earth.

God sent Jesus from heaven and Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit from the womb of Mary into a human body. Later, after Jesus reached a certain age, God sent the Holy Spirit to Him and it descended upon Him like a dove when Jesus was baptized. After Jesus received the Holy Spirit from God the Father, Jesus brought the Holy Spirit to believers and it dwelt in believers.

 

[RhySantos]

I believe that when Jesus ascended to heaven He took on a spiritual body, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15:40-44, so Jesus was no longer in a physical body, He was in a spiritual body.

I do not believe Jesus is God. I believe that Jesus was a Manifestation of God on earth and remains a Manifestation of God in heaven.

As a Manifestation of God Jesus perfectly manifested certain of God attributes, such as Infallible, Benevolent, Loving, Gracious, Merciful, Just, Righteous, Forgiving, and Patient, but other attributes are unique to God.

Jesus cannot be God because only God is Sovereign, Eternal, Holy, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Wise, Unchanging, Impassable, Infinite, Omnipresent, Self-Existent, and Self-Sufficient, and nobody except God can have those attributes.

To summarize, Jesus has many attributes of God, but Jesus is not God because Jesus does not have all the attributes of God.

I do not believe that Jesus was or is equal to God because nobody is equal to God. God is one and alone with no equal.

I believe in a Trinity but I do not believe that the three persons were 'part of God' as the Trinitarians believe.

In brief, below is what I believe.

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in the sense that they are ‘one in Purpose.’

They work together, but they are separate, not ‘part of God.’ God cannot be divided into parts.

God is exalted above anything that can ever be perceived so God remains in His own high place, on His Throne.

God never descends to earth.

I respect your interpretation..
but if you say so.. You are denying scriptures "I am the alpha and omega.. The beginning and the end" And John 10:30
"I and the Father are one"

God sent Jesus from heaven and Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit from the womb of Mary into a human body. Later, after Jesus reached a certain age, God sent the Holy Spirit to Him and it descended upon Him like a dove when Jesus was baptized. After Jesus received the Holy Spirit from God the Father, Jesus brought the Holy Spirit to believers and it dwelt in believers.

Again with all respect to your interpretation.. I interpret it this way..
In isaiah there is a verse which says that there will be a voice in the wilderness calling people to repent before the arrival of the Messiah.. This voice is referring to John the Baptist and the Messiah was Jesus.. Therefore John was fulfilling scripture and telling everyone that Jesus was the Messiah and not just for Jesus to receive the Holy Spirit.. Because scripture also mentions that the body is the temple of the holy Spirit

 

[PearlSeeker]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) #239 states, in reference to the Father: "God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God."

Gender of God in Christianity - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

An example of using she (instead of he):

 

[Kathryn]

OK -- but, what kind of God is this .. define this God that created you .. is this the all powerful, all knowing uncreated God ~ Ahura Mazda ? or is this an anthropomorphic God of lesser power that created you .. such as YHWH .. or Enki / Ea

My God is an all powerful, all knowing, uncreated God (sorry, don't recognize most of those names). He or She can also take on basically any shape or form He or She wants to, so that's why I can confidently say that I am made in God's image.

 

[Sargonski]

My God is an all powerful, all knowing, uncreated God (sorry, don't recognize most of those names). He or She can also take on basically any shape or form He or She wants to, so that's why I can confidently say that I am made in God's image.

Well .. while you can imagine what ever you like .. that doesn't make it true .. so this confidence is unfounded. If however this God is a shape shifter .. as you suggest .. then you are not in "Its" image --- .. you are only one of the infinite number of images this God can present.. and certainly you are not "Like US" .. US being not only this all powerfull God but all the other Gods taking part in the creation of humans.

So -- faulty logic -- that God can present a million images of itself .. and you happening to look like one of those images .. does not make you in the image of God .. in any non ridiculous sense of the word ..

God is everything as per your definition, you being part of everything does not make you in the image of God .. nor resemblent to God in any way shape or form other than the most minute of emanation .. further resemblent to God you are not.. nor are you "Like US" you are not like the all powerful God ... having nowhere near such capabilities in any way shape or form. nor are you like any other God .. because you are not a God.

You then go on to say that you are not familiar with the names of God's in the Bible .. including the Great God of the Israelites .. YHWH.. From where does your idea of God then come from .. what Holy Scripture.. or is it just imagination ?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Bible God identifies as a man/Father, therefore I think he is the correct pronoun.

I'm glad to hear that you acknowledge that a person's gender is a function of their gender identity. Your earlier post made me worried that you held a different view.

 

[Kathryn]

Well .. while you can imagine what ever you like .. that doesn't make it true .. so this confidence is unfounded. If however this God is a shape shifter .. as you suggest .. then you are not in "Its" image --- .. you are only one of the infinite number of images this God can present.. and certainly you are not "Like US" .. US being not only this all powerfull God but all the other Gods taking part in the creation of humans.

So -- faulty logic -- that God can present a million images of itself .. and you happening to look like one of those images .. does not make you in the image of God .. in any non ridiculous sense of the word ..

God is everything as per your definition, you being part of everything does not make you in the image of God .. nor resemblent to God in any way shape or form other than the most minute of emanation .. further resemblent to God you are not.. nor are you "Like US" you are not like the all powerful God ... having nowhere near such capabilities in any way shape or form. nor are you like any other God .. because you are not a God.

You then go on to say that you are not familiar with the names of God's in the Bible .. including the Great God of the Israelites .. YHWH.. From where does your idea of God then come from .. what Holy Scripture.. or is it just imagination ?

That is the only name I am familiar with. The others, nope. That's why in my post, I said MOST, not ALL.

I didn't say I was a god of any sort by the way. Just to clarify.

 

[Trailblazer]

I respect your interpretation..
but if you say so.. You are denying scriptures "I am the alpha and omega.. The beginning and the end"

In the book of Revelation, God says that He is the beginning and the end, Jesus does not say that.

I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

What do you think the following verses mean? I don't think they mean that Jesus is God.

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment” (Revelation 21:6).

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13).

And John 10:30
"I and the Father are one"

I and my Father are one does not mean that Jesus is God.

“I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) means that whatever pertains to Jesus, all His acts and doings, are identical with the Will of the Father. Jesus and God also share the same Holy Spirit, so in that sense they are one. Jesus also shares some (but not all) the Attributes of God so in that sense they are one.

Jesus was a Servant of God and that is why Jesus said to the Jews:

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

John 10:37-38 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Jesus clearly differentiated Himself from the Father in the verses above and that alone means that Jesus was not God.

Again with all respect to your interpretation.. I interpret it this way..
In isaiah there is a verse which says that there will be a voice in the wilderness calling people to repent before the arrival of the Messiah.. This voice is referring to John the Baptist and the Messiah was Jesus.. Therefore John was fulfilling scripture and telling everyone that Jesus was the Messiah and not just for Jesus to receive the Holy Spirit.. Because scripture also mentions that the body is the temple of the holy Spirit

What verse in Isaiah says that?

I don't believe that Jesus 'only' received the Holy Spirit.
I believe that Jesus was a Messiah, but not the Messiah who would come in the latter days.

 

[Sargonski]

That is the only name I am familiar with. The others, nope. That's why in my post, I said MOST, not ALL.

I didn't say I was a god of any sort by the way. Just to clarify.

No idea which name you are referring to nor what you mean by "most not all" ?? -- so you understand that you are not in the image of some All Powerful God .. whose name you do not know .. nor from what scripture this God hails ?

and good that you clarify you are not a God .. so great . .. you understand that you are NOT "Like US" .. as you are not a God .. and NOT "In Our Image" .. simply on the basis of having no knowledge of who the "Our" refers to and so can not possibly know what these Gods you have never heard of look like.

And thus .. back to that Ancient Alien Theory right ! Those Aliens who happened to look a whole lot like "US" ... and who could interbreed with the hybrid ofspring they created.

 

[Kathryn]

No idea which name you are referring to nor what you mean by "most not all" ?? -- so you understand that you are not in the image of some All Powerful God .. whose name you do not know .. nor from what scripture this God hails ?

and good that you clarify you are not a God .. so great . .. you understand that you are NOT "Like US" .. as you are not a God .. and NOT "In Our Image" .. simply on the basis of having no knowledge of who the "Our" refers to and so can not possibly know what these Gods you have never heard of look like.

And thus .. back to that Ancient Alien Theory right ! Those Aliens who happened to look a whole lot like "US" ... and who could interbreed with the hybrid ofspring they created.

There you have it, folks.

 

[RhySantos]

Jesus clearly differentiated Himself from the Father in the verses above and that alone means that Jesus was not God.

To me.. Jesus said that they are one, BUT since you mentioned that he differentiated himself from God..
The reason was that God The Father was in spirit form and that Jesus (during his time of preaching) was in human form.
Therefore they were at the time.. Seperate entities therefore Jesus mentions God The Father as a separate entity.

Plus he also said:
Before Abraham was.. I am

 

[1213]

I'm glad to hear that you acknowledge that a person's gender is a function of their gender identity.

I would like to know, can you define what he or man means? What is the difference between he and she?

In the case of God, He is the Father, because He fathered. That is why I think it is not really just an arbitrary identity thing.

 

[Sargonski]

There you have it, folks.

Its your theory sport .. not mine Heh heh heh. how else you going to explain you being in the image of your creator .. given your non Biblical made up God definition didn't work .. what is the name of this God in the Bible that looks like you sport ... and please note that none of the Gods of the Bible fit your meaningless definition of God "all powerfull - all knowing" the classic default when someone has not a actually thought about the question "God is Everything" ..

.. "and there we have it folks".. a crucified position ! -- You said you were a Confident Kat .. and I realize that everybody wants to be a Kat .. because being a Kat .. is where it is at .. and everyone is holding out the welcome mat .. but, where is this feline God in the Bible that looks like you Sister K ? what is the name of this "All Powerfull God" that I have yet been able to find despite a lengthy decades long search ..

 

[metis]

I tend to think God is Everything.