God-shaped hole?

[Eddi]

This is what I think, this is my opinion:

I think that spiritually, we humans each have a God-shaped hole in our being

And that as long as this hole is empty we are not complete

This hole can of course be filled by letting God into your life

By becoming a man or woman of God

But it can also be filled by other things...

I'm not preaching that you should fill your God-shaped hole with God...

Fill it with whatever you want, I don't care, that's not my business

But I believe God is the simplest and most direct way of filling it

Because I believe humans were made to have a relationship with God and to have God in our lives

I believe that God completes me and I am glad I have let him into my life

For me, God has filled my God-shaped hole

What type of thing can fill a God-shaped hole?

Basically, I'd say anything that makes you feel as though you're a part of something greater than yourself, and anything that gives purpose and meaning to your existence - and a sense of acceptance and integration

But of course, it is possible to have God in your life and engage in other things that make you feel a part of something greater than yourself and which gives meaning and purpose to your life and a sense of acceptance and integration

You can have God and those other things

I am very thankful that I have come to believe in God as had this had not happened to me my God-shaped hole would be unfilled, I think that faith is a great thing to have

 

[SalixIncendium]

What shape is God?

 

[Eddi]

What shape is God?

I'd say that he can morph into whatever shape he needs to in order to be able to fulfil one's need for longing, belonging, meaning, purpose, and acceptance

 

[ChristineM]

think that spiritually, we humans each have a God-shaped hole in our being

I would be honoured if you could edit the quoted sentence to exclude me and all those humans who have no need to have a god sitting on their shoulder

 

[Samael_Khan]

This is what I think, this is my opinion:

I think that spiritually, we humans each have a God-shaped hole in our being

And that as long as this hole is empty we are not complete

This hole can of course be filled by letting God into your life

By becoming a man or woman of God

But it can also be filled by other things...

I'm not preaching that you should fill your God-shaped hole with God...

Fill it with whatever you want, I don't care, that's not my business

But I believe God is the simplest and most direct way of filling it

Because I believe humans were made to have a relationship with God and to have God in our lives

I believe that God completes me and I am glad I have let him into my life

For me, God has filled my God-shaped hole

What type of thing can fill a God-shaped hole?

Basically, I'd say anything that makes you feel as though you're a part of something greater than yourself, and anything that gives purpose and meaning to your existence - and a sense of acceptance and integration

But of course, it is possible to have God in your life and engage in other things that make you feel a part of something greater than yourself and which gives meaning and purpose to your life and a sense of acceptance and integration

You can have God and those other things

I am very thankful that I have come to believe in God as had this had not happened to me my God-shaped hole would be unfilled, I think that faith is a great thing to have

I think that I understand what you mean. For me God never filled that void (maybe I followed the wrong version of God, I don't know). But what did fill that void satisfactorily was creativity and self expression.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This is what I think, this is my opinion:

I think that spiritually, we humans each have a God-shaped hole in our being

And that as long as this hole is empty we are not complete

This hole can of course be filled by letting God into your life

By becoming a man or woman of God

But it can also be filled by other things...

I'm not preaching that you should fill your God-shaped hole with God...

Fill it with whatever you want, I don't care, that's not my business

But I believe God is the simplest and most direct way of filling it

Because I believe humans were made to have a relationship with God and to have God in our lives

I believe that God completes me and I am glad I have let him into my life

For me, God has filled my God-shaped hole

What type of thing can fill a God-shaped hole?

Basically, I'd say anything that makes you feel as though you're a part of something greater than yourself, and anything that gives purpose and meaning to your existence - and a sense of acceptance and integration

But of course, it is possible to have God in your life and engage in other things that make you feel a part of something greater than yourself and which gives meaning and purpose to your life and a sense of acceptance and integration

You can have God and those other things

I am very thankful that I have come to believe in God as had this had not happened to me my God-shaped hole would be unfilled, I think that faith is a great thing to have

You certainly aren't the first theist I've seen describe things in these terms, but when I hear someone say things like "we all have a 'God-shaped hole,'" what I hear is "I just can't relate to non-theistic viewpoints."

If believing in God helps to give your life meaning and value, fine... but saying that everyone has a "God-shaped hole" in their life makes no more sense than saying that when someone takes the subway, this "fills the car-shaped hole in their life," or that everyone has a "golf-sized hole in their life" that some people try to fill with other sports.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'd say that he can morph into whatever shape he needs to in order to be able to fulfil one's need for longing, belonging, meaning, purpose, and acceptance

Heh - if God can squish into any shape, then there can be no such thing as a "God-shaped hole."

 

[Eddi]

I would be honoured if you could edit the quoted sentence to exclude me and all those humans who have no need to have a god sitting on their shoulder

I thought I'd made it clear in the OP that I believe that the hole that exists in every person's being can be successfully filled with things other than God. I am not claiming that everyone needs God, I'm saying that God can satisfy universal human needs.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I thought I'd made it clear in the OP that I believe that the hole that exists in every person's being can be successfully filled with things other than God. I am not claiming that everyone needs God, I'm saying that God can satisfy universal human needs.

Religion often does that, yes. A sense of community and a sense of belonging to a group are important; religion definitely provides these things.

Many religions also address other needs, like fear of death and a yearning for purpose. IMO, they generally do it with falsehoods and lack of substance, but religions definitely do latch onto real human needs.

 

[Eddi]

Heh - if God can squish into any shape, then there can be no such thing as a "God-shaped hole."

I'd imagine that he has a definite shape, but can fit himself into a wide variety of holes

 

[ChristineM]

I thought I'd made it clear in the OP that I believe that the hole that exists in every person's being can be successfully filled with things other than God. I am not claiming that everyone needs God, I'm saying that God can satisfy universal human needs.

Not ever person has the god shaped hole you insisted we all have. Just because you cannot imagine that everyone does not believe as you believe does mot mean you can impose your beliefs on them

 

[Eddi]

Not ever person has the god shaped hole you insisted we all have. Just because you cannot imagine that everyone does not believe as you believe does mot mean you can impose your beliefs on them

If one's God-shaped hole is filled with things other than God then it is no longer a God-shaped hole - as it has been successfully filled

 

[Eddi]

what I hear is "I just can't relate to non-theistic viewpoints."

I object to that

I can totally relate to non theistic viewpoints

I was an atheist for many years

I know what it's like to not believe in God etc.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'd imagine that he has a definite shape, but can fit himself into a wide variety of holes

... or gaps.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I object to that

I can totally relate to non theistic viewpoints

I was an atheist for many years

I know what it's like to not believe in God etc.

Then why did you say what you did in the OP?

 

[Eddi]

But those holes would be shaped like whatever they're shaped like; they wouldn't be "God-shaped." Right?

They would if God could morph into a finite variety of shapes

If God could assume a finite variety of shapes then there would be many possible God-shapes

 

[ChristineM]

If one's God-shaped hole is filled with things other than God then it is no longer a God-shaped hole - as it has been successfully filled

It wasn't a god shaped hole in the first place, you cannot impose your imagination on other people

 

[Eddi]

Then why did you say what you did in the OP?

Because that is what I have come to believe

I didn't know that I had a God-shaped hole in me until I sensed that it had been sucesfully filled - by God

 

[Eddi]

It wasn't a god shaped hole in the first place, you cannot impose your imagination on other people

Can I ask, do you feel as though you have the psychological need to feel as though you are a part of something that's greater than yourself? And does your life need purpose and meaning and a sense of acceptance and integration?

Because all those needs are God-shaped

And that isn't to say that they cannot be met by other means

 

[ChristineM]

Can I ask, do you feel as though you have the psychological need to feel as though you are a part of something that's greater than yourself? And does your life need purpose and meaning and a sense of acceptance and integration?

Because all those needs are God-shaped

And that isn't to say that they cannot be met by other means

You can ask, my family are greater than myself.
Purpose is a personal goal, in my case survive at least until my kids have fledged but in the grand scheme of things see no purpose to life, its just an event, a blip on the arrow of time