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One God or many gods
- Thread starter Starlight
- Start date
muhammad_isa
Well-Known Member
For me, it is all about the concept. 'gods' imply a race of beings, which sounds like ourselves
i.e. created beings
What exactly The one God of Abraham actually is, cannot be fully ascertained, as many things external to experiences in this universe are hidden from us.
We can only envisage through things that we CAN understand .. such as love, wisdom, mercy etc.
..but to fully comprehend an omniscient being is not possible. Even the word "being" is in question.
..so, it's the concept .. plural implies something lesser, to me.
My experiences have been with multiple Gods.
My belief is intuitive, and developed over time, from experience. I'm henotheistic, not strictly polytheistic. I was raised agnostic or soft atheist, a 'none' completely. Being very much an independent thinker, I got to decide for myself, and not borrow other people's thoughts. Siva (my version of the Supreme god) found me first, but later, again from experience, His 'sons' Ganesha, and Murugan introduced themselves to me. They are mystically both emanations of Siva, and both are Gods in their own right, and on the surface, can operate independently of their emanator Siva. They were emanated for specific reasons. If Siva is the sun, both Light and Heat are emanations, both originated by the sun, but out here can be felt and perceived differently.
There is nothing intellectual about it, as it's all in mystical perception and experience. Of course this is just my personal take, and since this is such a diverse planet, I fully expect to read other takes here.
There is nothing intellectual about it, as it's all in mystical perception and experience. Of course this is just my personal take, and since this is such a diverse planet, I fully expect to read other takes here.
I find Jesus had only one God and Jesus taught to worship his one God at John 4:23-24.
Even the resurrected ascended-to-heaven Jesus still thinks he has a God over him at Revelation 3:12
God had No beginning according to Psalm 90:2
Thus, God was ' before ' the beginning, before anything else.- Revelation 4:11
Pre-human heavenly Jesus was " in " in beginning but never ' before ' the beginning as his God was.
Spice
StewardshipPeaceIntergityCommunityEquality
I believe in One Infinite Creator God - my God - but I believe it is quite probable He created lower gods.
Satan is described as an angel, yet there is mention of Satan's children. The Scriptures are clear that angels are non-sexual beings. So is Satan a lower god?
I don't necessarily think Satan as evil. I think he has been assigned a task, by God, to work directly with humankind on earth.
Consider his part in Job, and his part in tempting Jesus. He keeps free-will whole and secure.
Jesus has completed his task and sits by the right hand of God as the firstborn of the dead. I believe when all is complete, Satan will be given the opportunity to be the lastborn of the dead and sit on God's left.
Last edited:
Callisto
Hellenismos, BTW
Don't know if this is intentional or if ESL, but just a note...
Satan = Adversary,
Satin = a fabric.
Spice
StewardshipPeaceIntergityCommunityEquality
LOL ... It's called an old, tired brain late in the day/ week. Thanks!
I'll edit.
Interesting post ^ above ^
I looked up the word 'being' from the Greek in Scripture and found the word Being only referring to God (Acts 17:29)
Since only God was ' before ' anything according to Psalm 90:2 then, God as being a Being is appropriate.
Things were hidden (not revealed) to father Abraham, but that does Not mean we don't have the information we need.
Abraham was told his 'seed' would multiply as the *stars* and as the 'sand' of the sea - Genesis 22:17; Genesis 15:5
That may have seemed like a riddle to Abraham but he and us could see a googleplex of the grains of sand.
Abraham could see the *stars* with the naked eye but we can see the *stars* by the billions+ in telescopes.
Thinking about ' What exactly the one God.... is.....' ( besides that God "IS" love ) Love because God did Not have to give us the Resurrection Hope but in the Bible's first prophecy of Genesis 3:15 we have hope.
Yes, Satan is our Adversary but I find the word Satan as meaning: Resister.
Devil as Slanderer
Serpent as Deceiver
Dragon as Destroyer
muhammad_isa
Well-Known Member
All of those .. and he is a worthy opponent .. we should not be complacent.
Bear Wild
Well-Known Member
Definitely many. I have experienced multiple gods and goddesses and given the variation in the world how could there be only one.
There is only One Universal God, but he is impersonal and encompasses everything that exists. However, there are many (millions) of Gods that manage each celestial body like planets, stars, galaxies and constellations.
Truthseeker
Non-debating member when I can help myself
I always believed in one God. It always seemed to me that since we have one universe, there would be only one God that created it.
That has been strengthened by Revelation from God, specifically from first Jesus early in my life, and further strengthened by Revelation from Baha'u'llah. Of course none of this would be possible if I didn't believe in these Revelations.
I grew up Christian and then became Baha'i. I checked out some alternatives en route - agnosticism, atheism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Monotheism works for me but if others believe in polytheism and that works for them, no worries.
Truthseeker
Non-debating member when I can help myself
This is the part I like. It was also interesting. It is good to an independent thinker.
Truthseeker
Non-debating member when I can help myself
I believe we are the lower gods.
Human's can be angels, too. Where did you find that indication of Satan having children? I'm curious. Never heard of that before.
The story in Job is a morality tale. How could any writer be privy to a conversation between Satan and God? For me probably the story of Satan tempting Jesus was something Jesus told his disciples to guard themselves against temptation. In a way it was a parable.
Spice
StewardshipPeaceIntergityCommunityEquality
In a way I see your view. I think our spirits are growing into gods through the trials of worldly life.
How do you expess humans as both lower gods and angels?
It's throughout literature as a premise of humankind. The most well-known modern version being Rosemary's Baby.
But there's also: 1 John 3:10
My view holds the entirety of scripture as a "tale", mostly allegory, or sort of a parable. It's how the great thinkers of spirituality expressed their conclusions of contemplation.
I see the temptation of Christ as one true indicator that he was a man, and that Satan's job is the temptation of mankind, to strengthen our resolve, to teach us what is truly important. If Jesus had accepted Satan's offers, both would have failed. Yes, a parable of sorts that all mankind is tempted by things of the world that we do not need, things unimportant to our true selves.
CorrectiveLens
Member
A God that has always existed would be the only one who exists before anything else exists. God has special qualities, such as He is everywhere, knows you inside and out, knows the past, present, and future, is beyond time, can create out of nothing, has intelligence and emotions, and can do anything. There is only one explanation for all this, and that is that our reality is in the mind of the One God who is the Father of all things that exists in our reality. I'm sure that there are many different realities in the mind of One who has always been, and He is the Father of all of them. The Father is able to interact with each reality that He creates in His mind, through His Holy Spirit (which in Isaiah 63: 9-10 is referred to as the angel of His presence). The Holy Spirit is referred to as an angel because it can be sent by the Messenger (the Father) to indwell living beings and where His Holy Spirit is, the Father is. The Holy Spirit of the Father is a portal through which the Father can communicate His will and empower to perform it.
In our reality, He first formed a living being in it with his own intellect, heart, will, and spiritual body. The Father calls this being His Son and fills him with His Holy Spirit to such a degree that the Son becomes the visible image (in our reality) of the invisible God (the Father). Together, they create our reality (the Father through His right hand, the Son). The Father puts all creation under the Son's feet which makes the Son, Lord, Father, and God of all creation, but the Father is the Lord, Father, and God of all (including His Son).
Isaiah 43: 10 ... before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Since there is a "before me", that would mean that time existed before the speaker. The speaker cannot be the Father, because the Father has always existed. It is the Son speaking.
Col 1: 15-16 Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation; For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers - all things were created by him and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Here is the order of authority and Power in our reality: The Father, The Son, all others.
1 Cor 8: 5-6 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there are gods many, and lords many), But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
CG Didymus
Veteran Member
Christianity has angels and archangels and Jesus, God's son. But Baha'is have manifestations that are close to being God's and then there is the "concourse on high". Who are they?