Jim
Nets of Wonder
@LightSeeker9 Everything I think about God is in the OP. That’s it. That’s all. I don’t have any other concept of God, outside of that.
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My turn - my God
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
Jim, I do feel your views are quite interesting. In some ways, not all, they almost sound a bit like Pantheism. I'm not putting you in a box, just acknowledging that we might agree on some bullet-points more or less.
Jim
Nets of Wonder
I really would like to see all the objections that anyone can think of, to my ways of using scriptures and thinking about God. Please, don’t be shy. In this post I’ll review and update my ways of using scriptures and thinking about God.
I mostly use Baha’i scriptures to get ideas, inspiration and encouragement to live the best life I can, and for the good influence that I think they have on me. Sometimes I also use the Bible, for example to see what I think about what other people say that it says, to better communicate with some people, and to help me better understand Baha’i scriptures.
For my purposes in studying scriptures, it doesn’t matter to me if any of the stories in them ever actually happened or not.
I use the word “God” in some of the ways that I see them being used in Baha’i and Christian scriptures. For example:
- Sometimes when they say that God said or did something, they’re actually referring to something that one or more of the prophets said or did.
- Sometimes when they say that God does something, they’re actually referring to powers and influences in us and around us that help bring out the best in all of us and in society.
- Sometimes God is the creator in an analogy of the world around us as being created by someone. I picture that creation as ongoing and dynamic, and actually a form of communication, and part of a personal relationship.
For my purposes, it doesn’t matter to me if there really is any actual being creating the universe. I have a feeling that there is some kind of reality corresponding to that part of the analogy, but I can’t find any way for that to make any sense, enough to even think about whether it’s true or not. Maybe that feeling about a corresponding reality comes from how well the analogy works for me.
I mostly use Baha’i scriptures to get ideas, inspiration and encouragement to live the best life I can, and for the good influence that I think they have on me. Sometimes I also use the Bible, for example to see what I think about what other people say that it says, to better communicate with some people, and to help me better understand Baha’i scriptures.
For my purposes in studying scriptures, it doesn’t matter to me if any of the stories in them ever actually happened or not.
I use the word “God” in some of the ways that I see them being used in Baha’i and Christian scriptures. For example:
- Sometimes when they say that God said or did something, they’re actually referring to something that one or more of the prophets said or did.
- Sometimes when they say that God does something, they’re actually referring to powers and influences in us and around us that help bring out the best in all of us and in society.
- Sometimes God is the creator in an analogy of the world around us as being created by someone. I picture that creation as ongoing and dynamic, and actually a form of communication, and part of a personal relationship.
For my purposes, it doesn’t matter to me if there really is any actual being creating the universe. I have a feeling that there is some kind of reality corresponding to that part of the analogy, but I can’t find any way for that to make any sense, enough to even think about whether it’s true or not. Maybe that feeling about a corresponding reality comes from how well the analogy works for me.
Jim
Nets of Wonder
If I don’t respond to any posts from some person, it doesn’t always mean that I’m not reading their posts, and it doesn’t mean that I have anything against them saying whatever they want to say about what I’m saying.
As I said in my post above, I would like to see all the objections that anyone can think of, to my ways of using some religious scriptures and thinking about God. I would also like to see all the objections that anyone can think of, to my current understanding of the kind of community development that the Baha’i Universal House of Justice is promoting.
This is strictly my personal understanding. I’m not speaking for any other Baha’is, for the Baha’i Faith, or for the Universal House of Justice. I could be misunderstanding what the House of Justice is saying, and in any case my understanding might be very different from what most Baha’is are actually thinking and doing.
My understanding of it revolves around some kinds of community service, and some organized activities associated with them. One of those activities is gatherings where prayers are read from Baha’i scriptures. The first community service activities are training for adults, junior youth and children. The training for children revolves around practicing virtues and valuing human diversity. The training for junior youth revolves explicitly around community service and helping to improve the world for all people everywhere. The training for adults revolves around learning to be better friends to the people in our lives and to relate to them more on a level of community service and helping to improve the world.
All that leads eventually to collaboration with more people on all kinds of service and ways of helping to improve the world, and to a healthier, happier and more loving community life for every person, in neighborhoods and villages all around the world.
Another activity sponsored by the Baha’i community is statements presented at international conferences on current issues, promoting principles that some of us think need to be considered in addressing those issues.
As I said in my post above, I would like to see all the objections that anyone can think of, to my ways of using some religious scriptures and thinking about God. I would also like to see all the objections that anyone can think of, to my current understanding of the kind of community development that the Baha’i Universal House of Justice is promoting.
This is strictly my personal understanding. I’m not speaking for any other Baha’is, for the Baha’i Faith, or for the Universal House of Justice. I could be misunderstanding what the House of Justice is saying, and in any case my understanding might be very different from what most Baha’is are actually thinking and doing.
My understanding of it revolves around some kinds of community service, and some organized activities associated with them. One of those activities is gatherings where prayers are read from Baha’i scriptures. The first community service activities are training for adults, junior youth and children. The training for children revolves around practicing virtues and valuing human diversity. The training for junior youth revolves explicitly around community service and helping to improve the world for all people everywhere. The training for adults revolves around learning to be better friends to the people in our lives and to relate to them more on a level of community service and helping to improve the world.
All that leads eventually to collaboration with more people on all kinds of service and ways of helping to improve the world, and to a healthier, happier and more loving community life for every person, in neighborhoods and villages all around the world.
Another activity sponsored by the Baha’i community is statements presented at international conferences on current issues, promoting principles that some of us think need to be considered in addressing those issues.
Jim
Nets of Wonder
Okay, I’ll go first, with some possible objections that I can think of that people might have. Some people might see the training I described as harmful religious indoctrination. Another objection might be that even if my ways of using scriptures and thinking about God are harmless in themselves, they could be helping to perpetuate the harmful ways that other people use scriptures snd think about God.
Can anyone think of any other possible objections to my ways of using scriptures and thinking about God, or any other possible objections to my understanding of the kind of community development that the House of Justice is promoting?
Can anyone think of any other possible objections to my ways of using scriptures and thinking about God, or any other possible objections to my understanding of the kind of community development that the House of Justice is promoting?
Jim
Nets of Wonder
Sorry, I only just now saw this. To answer your question, I would need you to describe to me the Christian concept of God.
You create your own idea of God. In the end I think that is what most do. Take traditional theology and base on their understanding/experience fit to a concept of God they are comfortable with.
I've decided to stop creating Gods, well really concepts of Gods. Went through a lot of templates from various beliefs. They all kind of fit where I needed them to. Got me to thinking though that I could create any concept of God and experience a relationship with what I've created.
So how am I supposed to know whether there is any reality to "My God"? Or if belief is enough for my unconscious mind to create the experience of a relationship with any concept I came up with/borrowed from other traditions.
I came to suspect the later so I figure if I don't create the concepts, I don't give my unconscious mind anything to work with.
If there is a real external God entity, they can make themselves know to me, otherwise, I'll accept there is nothing to know.