God vs. customized God

[TashaN]

I used to hear people complaining about God, and each one try to define God on his/her own without any basic understanding for the real meaning of God, and they want to believe in a customized God instead, designed to please them, but not in God whom they should obey and worship, thinking this is how God should behave.

When you tell them that they are refusing to believe in God and they are denying his existance, they say God should do and should not certian things in order to believe in him, and they think they know better than God, have knowledge *maybe* which God doesn't.

If they didn't even create themselves then how come they are trying to teach God how he should act, and they start questioning and judging him?

So the question is, do you want to believe in the real God, or the one whom YOU think to be the real one according to your own standard and values?

 

[PureX]

I used to hear people complaining about God, and each one try to define God on his/her own without any basic understanding for the real meaning of God, and they want to believe in a customized God instead, designed to please them, but not in God whom they should obey and worship, thinking this is how God should behave.

When you tell them that they are refusing to believe in God and they are denying his existence, they say God should do and should not certain things in order to believe in him, and they think they know better than God, have knowledge *maybe* which God doesn't.

If they didn't even create themselves then how come they are trying to teach God how he should act, and they start questioning and judging him?

So the question is, do you want to believe in the real God, or the one whom YOU think to be the real one according to your own standard and values?

There is no standardized definition of "God". And that includes your own.

Who is to say that the Muslim idea of God is more accurate than the Christian or Hindu concepts of God? Who is to say that your concept of God is more accurate than mine?

We each have to decide for ourselves what and if we believe in a God, or gods, because there is no objective phenomena called "God" that we can all use to test the accuracy of our ideas against. And keep in mind that the koran is not any more an objective expression of God than the bible. Nor is your choosing the a religious depiction of God any less a personal choice than my choosing to invent my own God.

Are you trying to claim that because your chosen concept of God is yours, that it must then be the one and only accurate concept of God? If so, I can guarantee that you can't prove that beyond the bravado of your own ego.

 

[Papersock]

I would hold god (if I believed in god) to his own standards, like I would hold anyone of authority to their own standards. If God wants to be seen as a loving father, rather than a heartless dictator, he should practice what he teaches, assuming the Bible is the source of what God teaches, or assuming that the morals I hold were given to me by God.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

So the question is, do you want to believe in the real God, ...

... which you no doubt mean your 'God'. That aside, the underlying question seems to be: "Do you accept [my] dogma or do you think?"

 

[neves]

I think a good way of defining God is to see what the common beliefs, of people who believe in God, all have…

 

[Sunstone]

I would hold god (if I believed in god) to his own standards, like I would hold anyone of authority to their own standards. If God wants to be seen as a loving father, rather than a heartless dictator, he should practice what he teaches, assuming the Bible is the source of what God teaches, or assuming that the morals I hold were given to me by God.

I agee.

 

[doppelganger]

Handy User's Guide to this thread:

"God." - the god I imagine as my "God."

"Customized God" - the god you imagine as your "God."

 

[Sunstone]

I used to hear people complaining about God, and each one try to define God on his/her own without any basic understanding for the real meaning of God, and they want to believe in a customized God instead, designed to please them, but not in God whom they should obey and worship, thinking this is how God should behave.

When you tell them that they are refusing to believe in God and they are denying his existance, they say God should do and should not certian things in order to believe in him, and they think they know better than God, have knowledge *maybe* which God doesn't.

If they didn't even create themselves then how come they are trying to teach God how he should act, and they start questioning and judging him?

So the question is, do you want to believe in the real God, or the one whom YOU think to be the real one according to your own standard and values?

Good thread, Truth!

What tends to happen in practice is most people project onto God the characteristics and attributes that make sense to them as characteristics and attributes of deity. This just seems to be human nature. God, if He exists, must be amused.

 

[FatMan]

I'd much rather endeavor to learn what it means to "serve God". People claim to spend their whole lives "serving God", but a vast majority of those don't even know how one is supposed to do it. Seems like a lot of wasted effort

 

[Wandered Off]

If they didn't even create themselves then how come they are trying to teach God how he should act, and they start questioning and judging him?

I'm not so sure it's a matter of trying to change what is there but more not believing somebody else's descriptions. No other schmuck has more insight to what a spirit being would be like than I would, so all I have is my own reason and biases. I find all second-hand accounts suspect.

 

[Draka]

All gods are "customized" gods, even yours. No two Muslims, Christians, Wiccans, HIndus, Jews, and so on, have the exact same detailed idea of "god". We as humans can never truly understand the phenomenal complexity of that which is the Divine Source. We can only do our best to understand the premise of it as best as our mere little brains can do.

When reading a book which describes a room and a person standing in it, even detailed description, it draws differing pictures in the minds of those reading it. My lace frill on the doily sitting on the oak end table beside the tattered couch looks different in my mind's eye than in yours. As does the end table and the couch. So even with books and scripture to "define" god, it stands to reason that different people's mind's eyes see different things.

 

[neves]

All gods are "customized" gods, even yours. No two Muslims, Christians, Wiccans, HIndus, Jews, and so on, have the exact same detailed idea of "god". We as humans can never truly understand the phenomenal complexity of that which is the Divine Source. We can only do our best to understand the premise of it as best as our mere little brains can do.

When reading a book which describes a room and a person standing in it, even detailed description, it draws differing pictures in the minds of those reading it. My lace frill on the doily sitting on the oak end table beside the tattered couch looks different in my mind's eye than in yours. As does the end table and the couch. So even with books and scripture to "define" god, it stands to reason that different people's mind's eyes see different things.

[FONT=&quot]
If the Jewish people describe God... I am sure we Muslims will agree 100% with how they describe him... Same with the Christian… when they describe God the Father... and same with the other way around… [/FONT]

 

[Pariah]

[FONT=&quot]
If the Jewish people describe God... I am sure we Muslims will agree 100% with how they describe him... Same with the Christian… when they describe God the Father... and same with the other way around… [/FONT]

That's definitely wrong.
No two people view God the same way. Assuming an entire religion accepts one view can only be compared to stupidity.

 

[Draka]

[FONT=&quot]If the Jewish people describe God... I am sure we Muslims will agree 100% with how they describe him... Same with the Christian… when they describe God the Father... and same with the other way around… [/FONT]

I've never known two Christians who view God the same way. I have a hard time believing that all Muslims, Jews, and Christians all see God the same way. If they did, then they would all agree on what things He would and wouldn't do. Like if He had a son on Earth, or how many prophets He would send, or how strict He is on Old Testament rules versus New Testament rules and so on and so forth. The view of God in these religions is contrived from the writings of scripture that these faiths are based upon. If the scripture is so clear cut and a perfect description then why are there so many different religions and denominations that all are somehow based upon the very same writings? As I explained before...reading something gives your mind's eye a picture, the picture your mind creates is not the exact same as anyone else's. Therefore, all "gods" are "customized" gods in our own minds' eyes.

 

[sojourner]

There is no standard interpretation of who God is, because God is interpreted through the lens of our relationship with God. That's going to be slightly different for every person.

 

[Yerda]

God, if He exists, must be amused.

That's you projecting. God would clearly be savagely angered at such conjecture.

 

[neves]

I've never known two Christians who view God the same way. I have a hard time believing that all Muslims, Jews, and Christians all see God the same way. If they did, then they would all agree on what things He would and wouldn't do. Like if He had a son on Earth, or how many prophets He would send, or how strict He is on Old Testament rules versus New Testament rules and so on and so forth. The view of God in these religions is contrived from the writings of scripture that these faiths are based upon. If the scripture is so clear cut and a perfect description then why are there so many different religions and denominations that all are somehow based upon the very same writings? As I explained before...reading something gives your mind's eye a picture, the picture your mind creates is not the exact same as anyone else's. Therefore, all "gods" are "customized" gods in our own minds' eyes.

Cool, since you know the differences so well, mind listing it for us... it would be interesting...

 

[Draka]

Cool, since you know the differences so well, mind listing it for us... it would be interesting...

What are you babbling about? You disagree that there are differences between Christianity, Islam and Judiaism? You disagree that there are differences between Catholics and Protestants? What? You don't see how there being so many different religions and denominations might have something to do with people taking what is written about God and his Word differently? That there are different interpretations? That, because of that, there are different interpretations of "God"? Just what the heck am I suppose to be listing for you?

 

[Random]

GOD does not like being told what to do, say or think, by YOU or anyone else. GOD does not like being viewed as authoritarian or even a Father, it's just that what He says goes. GOD does not wish to be re-made is your image, because He made you in His. Believing in GOD is not like buying a convertible with add-ons and extras to your fancy. GOD is DOG backwards.

There, I've customized my GOD. May I burn in Hell...

 

[fullyveiled muslimah]

The thing I am uncomfortable about in this thread is assuming that because Truth is muslim, he was automatically talking about our concept of God. I took it to mean in a general sense people wish to define God using a personlized criteria of what they think a God should or should not be doing/capable of, versus some common standards of what religious people see as the attributes of God.


Also the no-two-muslims think alike about Allah is false. Ask me in a pm who is Allah, then ask seperately the Truth, Maro, Peace, and Mujahid Muhammad that same question and see if you get five different answers.....you won't. A muslims concept of the attributes of Allah are well known to us and we agree upon them.


Maybe other religious adherents are confused on the nature of the God they worship, but muslims aren't. You'll never hear us squabling about whether or not Allah is One or three, whether He knows all or not, etc. We may disagree about other details of Islam, but not about the nature of Allah, His attributes or capabilities.