God

Sean, you may be right, religion and war exist since ... well, ever - and we are in deep trouble (like we didn't already know it): recent studies point to our mind being wired to make us believe instinctively in the supernatural, it seems right from the cradle actually.


Edited by Quinino - June 26 2019 at 11:02

patrickq wrote: Not to be glib, but if there is a Creator God à la the God of Abraham, why doesn’t he reveal himself more clearly to us, especially if he wants us to worship him?

Jaketejas wrote: Quinino wrote: We are imperfect mortal beings and hopelessly alone in the world (and we all live with the conscience of that inescapable human condition, more or less deeply ingrained, of course, it varies greatly)  - humbly believing there's an entity that personifies an ideal we should compare us to and try emulate, well, many of us can and do use that faith - of any flavor, choose one - to drive across this valley of tears the best we can (results may vary hahahha !!!) But do you understand the reasons why you decided to choose the path that you did? "Because of my parents ..." was not a satisfactory answer for me. I needed to be able to rationalize, as far as I could go, which path I decided to choose. Some people just choose with their hearts. For me, it had to be a bit of both ... rational thinking and heart.

Not to be glib, but if there is a Creator God à la the God of Abraham, why doesn’t he reveal himself more clearly to us, especially if he wants us to worship him?

Quinino wrote: We are imperfect mortal beings and hopelessly alone in the world (and we all live with the conscience of that inescapable human condition, more or less deeply ingrained, of course, it varies greatly)  - humbly believing there's an entity that personifies an ideal we should compare us to and try emulate, well, many of us can and do use that faith - of any flavor, choose one - to drive across this valley of tears the best we can (results may vary hahahha !!!)

But do you understand the reasons why you decided to choose the path that you did? "Because of my parents ..." was not a satisfactory answer for me. I needed to be able to rationalize, as far as I could go, which path I decided to choose. Some people just choose with their hearts. For me, it had to be a bit of both ... rational thinking and heart.

Without duality, this includes good and evil, there would be no creation. 

If I want to start a war, rape and pillage God will not stop me.   He will not punish me.  He will only shy away, far away.

However, all actions, including words and thoughts will ripple throughout the universe and come back to us like a boomerang.  We are causing our own natural disasters or paradises.

It’s No-no-no-no-no-no-nobody's fault but mine. – the mighty Led Zep

I added natural disasters because they are often outside of our control. Mental illness is also, to an extent, beyond our control.

Jaketejas wrote: When someone else wrongs you, I don't think it is logical to say that you are doing it to yourself. Also, there are factors outside of human control (for example, natural disasters). I think I follow pq's sentiment.

He stated rape, war, mental illness, not natural disasters. I meant mankind doing it to itself in a collective manner, which I would have thought, was somewhat self-evident. Obviously not.

Natural disasters is an entirely different matter, and it is very easy, and, indeed, understandable that we look for something to blame, usually the higher authority of God. There really is not an easy answer to this. Theologians, philosophers, priests, and mankind full stop have been trying to answer this for millennia. Certainly far greater minds than I. My viewpoint? It is just the way the universe is. Why is it like that? I have absolutely no idea, but I keep searching for the answer. Sometimes, lack of knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, no?

When someone else wrongs you, I don't think it is logical to say that you are doing it to yourself. Also, there are factors outside of human control (for example, natural disasters). I think I follow pq's sentiment.