God And My Beliefs

I write this at the risk of getting myself shewed up by you folks..

In my early years I was very religious and involved in the church. Over these years I became disgusted with the supposed Christians in my church due to their destructiveness towards one another. And I became very turned off by the headquarters who constantly wanted money with little to know support in return.

So I quit. Then started my own journey in trying to figure out what is God, religion, and so forth. To date is what I have come to believe. And it's radical. Below are my current beliefs:

God exists.
God is all knowing.
God is some sort of spirit.
God is not religious.
God created or set in motion all that is.
Creationism and evolution coexist.
God is not benevolent.
God views humans no different than any animal.
God wants our souls to learn.
God would like humans to treat each other well.
God does not live with time.
God's view point of humans is not what humans think God's view of humans is.
Religion is Mankind's invention not God's.
God is positive.
God is opposite of evil.
God is interested and cares about our souls.
God is not interested in our bodies. Our bodies are throw always.
I think God marvels at humans creativity, compation, love, stupidity, evilness, hatred etc.
I question whether God truly understands what mankind feels and the difficulties we endure.
If I make it to where God resides I plan on asking God how he/she can live with allowing children to suffer.

You're already where God resides, in the here and now. This "thing" you are experiencing right now, life, is God's creation and you are witnessing his glory right now. You are an expression of God's being.

Good luck on your journey my friend.

I thought I was confused.

I feel much better now.

Welcome to the "We've been lied to" Club.

a reply to: bucsarg

If mankind created religion, and God created mankind, then who created God?

It's the same problem I have with the Big Bang, and that is nothing comes from nothing!

a reply to: bucsarg

I don't think you are far off in those beliefs. God does guide this world, but god does not actually get involved in everything. Otherwise god would get depressed a lot, feeling for everyone of his creatures that dies.

I personally think the earth itself possesses a consciousness and since it is a creation of god, it is part of god. This little blue speck out in space bubbling with diverse life forms is not as common as people think. But the earth's consciousness is not the god that created the universe, it is the other way around. Think of a collective consciousness of the whole universe, a spirit that can start and steer life in all places that it has the right conditions. It is our link to this consciousness that we are seeking.

Think of all the people on earth compared to all other life on earth. Mankind is such a small percentage. We were put on earth and given intelligence so that we could tend the garden. but we are trying to destroy it.

originally posted by: Illumin
a reply to: bucsarg

If mankind created religion, and God created mankind, then who created God?

It's the same problem I have with the Big Bang, and that is nothing comes from nothing!

Do you assume that God must be created because you are?

How about this, God exists whether you do or not.

originally posted by: bucsarg
I write this at the risk of getting myself shewed up by you folks..

In my early years I was very religious and involved in the church. Over these years I became disgusted with the supposed Christians in my church due to their destructiveness towards one another. And I became very turned off by the headquarters who constantly wanted money with little to know support in return.

So I quit. Then started my own journey in trying to figure out what is God, religion, and so forth. To date is what I have come to believe. And it's radical. Below are my current beliefs:

God exists.
God is all knowing.
God is some sort of spirit.
God is not religious.
God created or set in motion all that is.
Creationism and evolution coexist.
God is not benevolent.
God views humans no different than any animal.
God wants our souls to learn.
God would like humans to treat each other well.
God does not live with time.
God's view point of humans is not what humans think God's view of humans is.
Religion is Mankind's invention not God's.
God is positive.
God is opposite of evil.
God is interested and cares about our souls.
God is not interested in our bodies. Our bodies are throw always.
I think God marvels at humans creativity, compation, love, stupidity, evilness, hatred etc.
I question whether God truly understands what mankind feels and the difficulties we endure.
If I make it to where God resides I plan on asking God how he/she can live with allowing children to suffer.

What is radical in all of that?
Nothing new, nothing different. People have been struggling with that same thing since people began.

Judging by your early experience in life it will be difficult to get rid of the god paradigm. Adleast you were able to notice the flaws in the profitable religion so for that I say welldone. And I congratulate you on believing that God thinks of us no more than animals. A breath of fresh air for someone of faith. We call it our planet but we are the minority species when compared to others

a reply to: WarminIndy

No, but I can only assume based on common sense that God didn't just appear out of thin air. And then with all the power ever conceived start creating flawed, at times hateful and disgusting beings to occupy an extremely volatile rock in a universe that's just as volatile! And then sit back and give this being the false hope that their "God" actually cares and everything you'll ever do isn't in vain.

Let me guess, you're going to throw out how complex the human eye is next?

How about this, God exists inside your head just like Santa and the tooth fairy did when you were 5!

Now, the idea of beings that are thousands of years more advanced than we are having manipulated our psyche and/or DNA at one point in our evolution, is more plausible. Ever see Battlestar Galactica? Oh wait, that storyline is fairly new and wasn't written about in a book a couple thousand years ago so that would just be a ludicrous idea...

originally posted by: Illumin
a reply to: WarminIndy

No, but I can only assume based on common sense that God didn't just appear out of thin air. And then with all the power ever conceived start creating flawed, at times hateful and disgusting beings to occupy an extremely volatile rock in a universe that's just as volatile! And then sit back and give this being the false hope that their "God" actually cares and everything you'll ever do isn't in vain.

Let me guess, you're going to throw out how complex the human eye is next?

How about this, God exists inside your head just like Santa and the tooth fairy did when you were 5!

Now, the idea of beings that are thousands of years more advanced than we are having manipulated our psyche and/or DNA at one point in our evolution, is more plausible. Ever see Battlestar Galactica? Oh wait, that storyline is fairly new and wasn't written about in a book a couple thousand years ago so that would just be a ludicrous idea...

Ummm, no, no and no.

Wasn't going to talk about the eye. Never believed in Santa or the Tooth Fairy.

But good for you for assuming.

I didn't even bring up evolution, so why jump on that when I didn't even mention it? Ready for a rebut to a non-argument?

That's called Straw-manning.

a reply to: bucsarg

A lot of the beliefs on that list contradict each other. "Have your cake and eat it too" syndrome I guess.

originally posted by: WarminIndy

originally posted by: Illumin
a reply to: bucsarg

If mankind created religion, and God created mankind, then who created God?

It's the same problem I have with the Big Bang, and that is nothing comes from nothing!

Do you assume that God must be created because you are?

How about this, God exists whether you do or not.

"The universe couldn't come from nothing therefore god"

"Then where did god come from?"

"God doesn't have to be created silly"

"But...but you just said..."

That's how the conversation goes. When logic defies your hypothesis, introduce supernatural forces and suddenly you don't even need to test the hypothesis anymore. It becomes theology.

I'm having my on problem wrapping my head around that God has always existed and there is infinity. I think we humans have been brought up and now have a paradigm of there is a beginning and an end. Yes and no, black and white, good and evil. Not sure I'm making sense or getting point across. Any I don't think I'll ever get my head around it.

a reply to: Illumin

Thanks.
a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Please help me by letting me know what beliefs are contradicting
a reply to: TzarChasm

a reply to: bucsarg

It's all a part of the human experience. We all think we are King Turd high on top of Crap Mountain when in reality we're just ants. Of course I, just like everyone else want to believe that there is more to life than these passing moments, and more importantly still more to experience after death. But I think the more we advance as individuals and as a society we will realize that we have just been tricking ourselves (and by our governments) in believing there is more to the story than what we've been told.

My two cents. Good thread though! Always like these theology/philosophical threads!

originally posted by: TzarChasm

originally posted by: WarminIndy

originally posted by: Illumin
a reply to: bucsarg

If mankind created religion, and God created mankind, then who created God?

It's the same problem I have with the Big Bang, and that is nothing comes from nothing!

Do you assume that God must be created because you are?

How about this, God exists whether you do or not.

"The universe couldn't come from nothing therefore god"

"Then where did god come from?"

"God doesn't have to be created silly"

"But...but you just said..."

That's how the conversation goes. When logic defies your hypothesis, introduce supernatural forces and suddenly you don't even need to test the hypothesis anymore. It becomes theology.

Yes, that's how the conversation goes, but I was replying to this comment...

If mankind created religion, and God created mankind, then who created God? It's the same problem I have with the Big Bang, and that is nothing comes from nothing!

I was introducing an alternate argument....

Hence, religion was created by mankind, and if God created mankind, then who created God.........

Natural assumption, that A=C but A does not = B and B does not = C.

OK, let's assume mankind created religion (meaning to make it out of nothing, not that mankind could have invented it).

There is a difference in creation and invention.

So what does mankind creating religion have to do with the creation of God?

And since the context used here is the Christian God, then mankind creating religion long before Christianity makes it a non-valid argument.

I was merely pointing out that the context doesn't make the argument logical.

I thought for sure there would be some replies regarding my belief that creationism and evolution coexist.

Let me try to explain why I think they coexist. As stated in my OP that God set things in motion to get things started. This of course is the creationism portion. This is the poof or magic. The prime of getting cells working. I know I know it's more complicated then that. Life got going then began to evolve into many types of species. This is the evolution portion. (I simply do not believe in the Adam and Eve story)

I have more thoughts on this as it relates to we humans. But lets see how my thoughts above go over.
a reply to: bucsarg

a reply to: WarminIndy

I see the point you're trying to make. And although my wording indicates otherwise I don't believe since I was created that God must have been created. But it doesn't explain how anything created, invented or accidents can come from nothing. How did God (any God Christian, muslim etc.) come into existence? If indeed this Spiritual Creator exist on some plane of reality, how then did this being come to exist? That was the point of my original question and you're reply indicated that "welp, he just does"???

originally posted by: Illumin
a reply to: WarminIndy

I see the point you're trying to make. And although my wording indicates otherwise I don't believe since I was created that God must have been created. But it doesn't explain how anything created, invented or accidents can come from nothing. How did God (any God Christian, muslim etc.) come into existence? If indeed this Spiritual Creator exist on some plane of reality, how then did this being come to exist? That was the point of my original question and you're reply indicated that "welp, he just does"???

Maybe it's because that is the truth. God has existed infinitely. Sure, it defies logic, but what is logic? It's a man made thing, and is thus flawed. We're not meant to understand where God came from and it would be foolish to even try. How can you understand something you can't comprehend? I believe this is why people wrestle so readily with believing; they feel they are owed some kind of explanation or special knowledge of how everything came to be. These bodies have inquisitive minds and a hunger to understand. There is nothing wrong with that, but when you make it your obsession, that is where it becomes unhealthy. It all becomes about you (the human race) and anything you don't get is tossed aside as folly or make believe. We make ourselves the center of the universe and dictate what is true and deny vehemently that which we deem false. This is pride in practice.

How many things that we as humans have come to understand have we actually shown respect for? It can be nothing other than a form of extreme intelligence that limits our understanding of it and yet makes us question whether it's actually there or not. In this way, we are always wondering and are always curious without losing our reverence.