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Progressing spiritually
- Thread starter Silver
- Start date
The Sum of Awe
Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
God might not even know they exist.
Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake. When two blocks of rock or two plates are rubbing against each other, they stick a little. They don't just slide smoothly; the rocks catch on each other. The rocks are still pushing against each other, but not moving. After a while, the rocks break because of all the pressure that's built up. When the rocks break, the earthquake occurs.
Gjallarhorn
N'yog-Sothep
That they suck and are a natural phenomenon completely uncreated by deities.
Gaura Priya
IRL
God has nothing to do with earthquakes... they are a natural part of this material world.
Then again, I opt more than not towards a soft form of deism. And I still consider myself a believer in God.
Then again, I opt more than not towards a soft form of deism. And I still consider myself a believer in God.
Matthew 24:7.... Jesus, on how to recognize the end times...
7 “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. 8 All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress.
Interesting to me that Jesus spoke of earthquakes happening all over the world (verbage varies within the gospels). There was no internet, newspapers or radio back then. In fact, the world of Jesus was a pretty small place. People who lived back then would have no idea that an earthquake had occured even 100 miles away, let alone throughout the world.
Jesus, it seems...was speaking to us.......
7 “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. 8 All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress.
Interesting to me that Jesus spoke of earthquakes happening all over the world (verbage varies within the gospels). There was no internet, newspapers or radio back then. In fact, the world of Jesus was a pretty small place. People who lived back then would have no idea that an earthquake had occured even 100 miles away, let alone throughout the world.
Jesus, it seems...was speaking to us.......
sandandfoam
Veteran Member
I don't know why bad things happen.
I don't see that it matters that I don't understand.
I don't see that it matters that I don't understand.
Breathe
Hostis humani generis
I second Gaura Priya's post.
To add to it in my own beliefs and opinion:
I don't think God "designed" anything.
Earthquakes occur for purely naturalistic reasons and not as a form of punishment or of flawed "design".
Sickness, earthquakes, famine, plagues, death, tsunamis and more occur because they do and not because of rewards or punishment. It sucks, but it's as simple as that.. They are part of the natural, material world that we dwell in.
Just my opinion.
To add to it in my own beliefs and opinion:
I'm not comfortable with the term "design".
I don't think God "designed" anything.
Earthquakes occur for purely naturalistic reasons and not as a form of punishment or of flawed "design".
My religious beliefs are that suffering is part of life.
Sickness, earthquakes, famine, plagues, death, tsunamis and more occur because they do and not because of rewards or punishment. It sucks, but it's as simple as that.. They are part of the natural, material world that we dwell in.
Just my opinion.
arthra
Baha'i
I've lived in an earthquake prone area most of my life... on the San Andreas Fault and experienced some quakes. I don't understand how earthquakes might impede someones spiritual progress.. I've always had opportunity to grow spiritually.
But there are a few things about earthquakes and other natural disasters that I think can be instructive..
One is you shouldn't build a major freeway exchange over a fault zone.. Don't blame God if a bridge collapses when people knew about the fault before hand.
Same is true with locating a state university on the fault line.. Yes the land was cheap and available but if there's quake and the buildings crumble...Don't blame God.
We have a street in a city near where I live called "Boulder" .. that's because there were giant size boulders around that rolled down from the surrounding mountains during an earthquake.. Guess What? Developers started a super subdivision in the area and planted homes in and around those boulders.. and major storm came along and the boulders and soil washed away some people and their homes.. Who ya gonna blame? God? Oh the developers got their money a long time ago.
Jesus said something about this situation.. uhh.. Don't build your house on sand..
Well, first of all your question is a very legitimate one.
The answer is this life wasn't meant to be perfect (far from it), and if God wanted to make things perfect, they would be, instantly.
However, what many don't comprehend with our limited human minds, is that this life, is literally nothing to the eternal afterlife in heaven or hell. Heaven has what "no eye has seen, no ear has heard of, and didn't occur in the mind of any human".
To explain it in a different manner, what is infinity - 9999 zillion? Its infinity and 9999 zillion is practically zero, and nothing. This is what this life is compared to the afterlife, and even less, because "what never occurred in the mind of any human" is a powerful statement. People and scientists think of everything, and even proved that theres between 6-13 dimensions even (depending on who you ask) that they don't really understand. So this life is literally nothing next to the afterlife, even if a person doesn't really comprehend it.
Also, we believe that the worst of human beings who had the best of life on earth, will be dipped into hell and asked "Have you ever seen good?" He will say no. And the most miserable of believers, will be dipped into heaven and asked "Have you ever seen bad?" He will say no, by God, I have never seen bad.
On top of this, a believers sins are erased with every hardship he goes through in this life, thus pave the way leading to heaven, even if its as simple as a thorn in a believers foot.
Certainly, these thoughts help make sense of life and sadness and pain that occurs in it, and see things in their correct context, as opposed to seeing them in isolation or in abstract terms.
The answer is this life wasn't meant to be perfect (far from it), and if God wanted to make things perfect, they would be, instantly.
However, what many don't comprehend with our limited human minds, is that this life, is literally nothing to the eternal afterlife in heaven or hell. Heaven has what "no eye has seen, no ear has heard of, and didn't occur in the mind of any human".
To explain it in a different manner, what is infinity - 9999 zillion? Its infinity and 9999 zillion is practically zero, and nothing. This is what this life is compared to the afterlife, and even less, because "what never occurred in the mind of any human" is a powerful statement. People and scientists think of everything, and even proved that theres between 6-13 dimensions even (depending on who you ask) that they don't really understand. So this life is literally nothing next to the afterlife, even if a person doesn't really comprehend it.
Also, we believe that the worst of human beings who had the best of life on earth, will be dipped into hell and asked "Have you ever seen good?" He will say no. And the most miserable of believers, will be dipped into heaven and asked "Have you ever seen bad?" He will say no, by God, I have never seen bad.
On top of this, a believers sins are erased with every hardship he goes through in this life, thus pave the way leading to heaven, even if its as simple as a thorn in a believers foot.
Certainly, these thoughts help make sense of life and sadness and pain that occurs in it, and see things in their correct context, as opposed to seeing them in isolation or in abstract terms.
God is both the earth and the person who suffers.
Material existence cycles through birth and destruction. If there is no destruction, there is no continuance of life.
Both joy/birth and suffering/destruction are said to lead to growth, both on a physical level and on a personal level. Everything that does and has ever happened is purposeful in leading to an evolutionary outcome: Realisation and Liberation.
Material existence cycles through birth and destruction. If there is no destruction, there is no continuance of life.
Both joy/birth and suffering/destruction are said to lead to growth, both on a physical level and on a personal level. Everything that does and has ever happened is purposeful in leading to an evolutionary outcome: Realisation and Liberation.
A Thousand Suns
Rationalist
"If there was nothing wrong in the world there wouldn't be anything for us to do." ~ George Bernard Shaw
nnmartin
Well-Known Member
Any natural event like that is meant to be respected.
God is not there just for man, but for all the Earth and Universe.
Unfortunate for those caught up in an earthquake but also unfortunate for the plant that gets eaten by the bird.
Caladan
Agnostic Pantheist
I think too many religious perspectives paint a lofty deity. if God existed, earthquakes and the intensity of the natural world are all I would expect. life is intense. had a god existed he would be too.
TsalagiElder
Member
The earth as a living entity and earthquakes are a natural occurrence, the land is constantly moving and not always in the same direction and where these two directions meet a violent reaction is going to happen, thus you have an earthquake. There is nothing spiritual about it, is just a common occurrence of a natural event that has been occurring for millions of years. Mother Earth is constantly changing and these are the natural things that we have to learn to live with, nothing more.
In the old days we would say that the Creator grabbed Mother Earth and shook Her.
In the old days we would say that the Creator grabbed Mother Earth and shook Her.
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Me Myself
Back to my username
dyanaprajna2011
Dharmapala
Nature takes its course, and has nothing to do with a divine being. Don't let natural occurrences, or even a deities role or non-role in them, hinder you from developing spiritually. Don't look outward, but inward. All you need you already have inside you. In Buddhism, we have no need of a personal creator deity. We just look inside ourselves for spiritual development.
Somerled32
Traveler~ 2B1ASK1
To a me, the earthquake that disrupts your spiritual growth is only a step in your spiritual path that helps you grow spiritually 
. We can't know the design of God (if there is one) all we can do is to live our lives, learn and grow, come what may.
. We can't know the design of God (if there is one) all we can do is to live our lives, learn and grow, come what may.