Spiritual questionnaire-humor me here.

[Sand Dancer]

What are the attributes of God(s)?

I'm a Panentheist, so the deity for me is beyond everything and within everything. I don't know much else except that I feel love from it. I also feel a strong connection to nature and whether or not they're spirits, gods or sparks of the divine... I don't know.

Do you believe in angels/demons?

Literally, no. If you're talking about figurative representation of the human conscience, then yes.

Are humans good or bad?

I believe most of us have a good nature and sometimes do bad due to poor decisions, not nurturing the good in us, society, environmental factors, mental illnesses and so on. But yeah that's a whole other topic!

Is there a Heaven and/or Hell?

I don't know. This isn't very important to me but I still gave it some thought.

I love to think that we have an afterlife in which we spend as we like... Everyone's got their own idea of what paradise is. Or perhaps it's as simple as going back to the source of everything.

I don't believe in an eternal literal hell as it's not reconcilable with my idea of a loving deity. Something figurative, not eternal then maybe.

What is your worship/service like?

I sometimes light up candles and/or incense then talk to the deity and nature around me. Is that worship?

Are good works important?

I think this is the most important! I try to take care of nature around me, help out when I can, etc. It doesn't matter which religion one follows, if they are striving to being their best.

Does your faith have any teachers/incarnations?

No one particularly, I read a lot of different books from different faiths plus a little bit of philosophy and psychology. I view nature as very important too, in my learning.

Do you pray?

As in speaking to the deity? Yes, not everyday but often.

Thanks!

No problem!

I like this a lot. I like the idea of panentheism but don't quite understand it. I have only found one book out there. Do you have any suggestions on books or websites to familiarize myself with the concept? Thanks!

 

[Sand Dancer]

-- The Book of Certitude, pp. 78-80

Peace,

Bruce

Thanks! This book is on my wish list!

 

[illykitty]

I like this a lot. I like the idea of panentheism but don't quite understand it. I have only found one book out there. Do you have any suggestions on books or websites to familiarize myself with the concept? Thanks!

Hmm, no book springs into my mind honestly but you can find panentheistic ideas in Hinduism and Sikhism. It's something I always believed, don't know why nor where I got the idea from. I read about it on some websites and wikipedia and thought, hey that's what I think.

A good way to look at it, is like this:

Of course though I don't think the deity is limited like a bubble but it does the trick. The universe is part of the deity, not separate from it and everything within the universe has some of the deity in it.

But unlike pantheism in which the universe and the deity are one, the deity in panentheism is greater than the universe... Kind of like the drop of water is part of the ocean but the ocean is so much bigger than the drop!

Is there anything particularly that you don't understand? Maybe I can help!

 

[Sir Doom]

What are the attributes of God(s)?

I've never met one, so I can't really say. One of them would have had to have some hand in creating life on Earth, though. That's the attribute I'm primarily concerned with.

Do you believe in angels/demons?

Sort of. I believe in beings. I believe that beings will assign all sorts of arbitrary titles to themselves. I also believe there isn't much point in disputing such self-assigned designations. As such, it is possible that there are beings in existence that consider themselves angels or demons and even act accordingly. As neither of these terms holds any emotional content for me, I can't see any reason to consider such beings anything but what they consider themselves to be.

Are humans good or bad?

No, humans are good AND bad. None of us qualify as either/or. Only both.

Is there a Heaven and/or Hell?

I believe that some people will expect to reach Heaven in the afterlife. I believe that a handful of people will expect to reach Hell in the afterlife. I don't expect I'll reach either one. But I believe they will have their expectations fulfilled.

What is your worship/service like?

I don't do any of that, really.

Are good works important?

Speaking from a religious standpoint, the only real important thing is the growth and development of the human species. If you contribute to that, then you are doing 'good works'. Funny thing is that its pretty close to impossible to stop yourself from contributing to the overall 'good' of the species. We learn from strife, after all.

Does your faith have any teachers/incarnations?

Just me, baby. Just me.

Do you pray?

No. Waste of time, in my opinion. God does not care about me like that.

Thanks!

Quite welcome.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Is there anything particularly that you don't understand? Maybe I can help!

I guess it's just so abstract that when I go outside and see nature, it's just hard for me to formulate the idea of God there. I don't know why, because it does seem obvious. I just have to remind myself of that fact all the time. It'll come. Thanks!

 

[adi2d]

I would just like to thank you. First time I've seen y'all in a sentence

I close my eyes and can feel the sun on my face and almost smell the mint julips

Thanks for the image

 

[Sand Dancer]

I would just like to thank you. First time I've seen y'all in a sentence

I close my eyes and can feel the sun on my face and almost smell the mint julips

Thanks for the image

lol. I live in Florida. It's a requirement.

 

[Shiranui117]

What are the attributes of God(s)?

Omnipresent, omnibenevolent, omnipotent, all-loving, Three Persons in one Essence, and one Essence in Three Persons. He is closer to us than our own hearts, but also completely transcendent beyond all things. He is ultimately ineffable, and we cannot hope to describe Him completely as He is. I cannot hope to list all the attributes of God. I believe in panentheism, but of a different variety than illykitty describes--that is, "God in all," which is what panentheism means. God is everywhere present and fills all things, but He is not Himself the universe.

Do you believe in angels/demons?

Yes.

Are humans good or bad?

We were created in the image of God, and our mission is to grow further into His likeness, so in that sense, we are all inherently good. Sin did not destroy our inherent goodness, but made it harder for us to realize that inherent goodness.

Is there a Heaven and/or Hell?

Yes, and both are the fire of God's love--this fire of love is joy and bliss to those who choose the path of holiness, love and communion, but this same fire of love is torture to those who have darkened their hearts through sin, division and hatred.

What is your worship/service like?

Ancient yet alive, traditional yet relevant, enthralling yet not done for entertainment, liturgical and standardized, yet organic and breathing, solemn yet joyous. When the Russians went to Constantinople and witnessed the Orthodox Divine Liturgy in 967, they said, "We knew not whether we were in heaven or earth … We only know that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations."

For a more direct answer, there are no instruments in our worship--only a chorus of human voices lifting up praise and worship to God in purity of heart. Our worship is taken almost directly from the Book of Revelation; the priest and deacon use incense to bless the people and send up prayers to God, and everyone sings psalms, chants hymns, says prayers, reads from the Gospel and Epistles (and from the Old Testament on certain feast days), venerates icons, makes the sign of the cross, bows, prostrates, lifts up their hands and hearts to the Lord, ask for His blessing and mercy, and receives the Body and Blood of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Are good works important?

"Faith without works is dead," as our Scriptures teach us over and over again.

Does your faith have any teachers/incarnations?

Jesus Christ is the Only-Begotten Son of God, Who became fully man while remaining fully God. He revealed Himself to be the salvation of all the world, and instructed His disciples in the Faith which they passed down to their students, and so on and so forth to the present day. All those who continue in the Tradition of the Apostles are rightly called "teachers" in the Church--especially the bishops who succeeded the Apostles. We also call "teachers" those who have lived their entire lives in service to God and others, learning from the wisdom which they have acquired and experienced.

Do you pray?

Formal prayers? Yes, in the morning, and I try to do so in the evening. Prayer in general? I would like to say (though I'm afraid I cannot ) that I pray without ceasing, as is commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:17

 

[BruceDLimber]

The Book of Certitude

Thanks! This book is on my wish list!

You can find it online at these sites (note the original title is Kitab-i-Iqan):

• http://www.bahai-library.org (look under the heading "Writings")
• http://www.reference.bahai.org (this site is also multilingual).

I wish you good hunting!

Bruce

 

[Sand Dancer]

You can find it online at these sites (note the original title is Kitab-i-Iqan):

• http://www.bahai-library.org (look under the heading "Writings")
• http://www.reference.bahai.org (this site is also multilingual).

I wish you good hunting!

Bruce

Thanks!