Jesus the Genie

This is not meant to criticize anyone's spiritual belief. Then intended purpose of this thread is to discuss the attitude many have towards their chosen divine authority.

Throughout the world, there are many ways to celebrate one's relationship with the Divine. Some make offerings, or perform rituals. Many others pray and sing hymns of praise.

But, when looking at average Joe Schmoe, when does he pray? In times of need. Sure he may go to church just in case, or because of habit and ritual. But when does the almighty enter his thoughts? Only when things look bleak.

Johnny prays to Jesus to help him make this month's rent.

Sally prays to God when her son is in the hospital.

Tom says a prayer cause he's really drunk and doesn't want to get caught on his way home.

Jennifer prays to win the lottery to get out of this #hole apartment.

They treat their God as a get out of jail free card. A hurricane hits, they demand that the almighty spare this home!

After all, God can do anything, and he loves us, so it'd be no effort to do these little things.

These types of people diminish the worth of their God, making his sole duty to make life carefree.

But on top of this, God is all forgiving. So no matter how little they may pay attention to God's rules, he'll forgive us and then send us to an ideallic wonderland when we day, eliminating the one great fear everyone has. This mystical place is a continuance of our lives, where all of our friends and ancestors await us, and nothing goes wrong, and everyone's happy all of the time.

I feel that so many people consider their religion and corresponding religious authority being nothing more than a huge all powerful parent. They imagine human like characteristics, only with unlimited power, who's sole duty is to make everyone happy.

I think this is an odd notion.

Now, I am not assuming that all religious people share this type of belief structure, but I feel many do.

Many people only adopt spiritual beliefs simply to shirk responsibility. They create a wish-fulfilling jewel of a God.

"Dear God, please, if you help me pass this exam, I'll be nicer to my lil brother.."

To these kind of people, there is no spiritual connection. Church, or religious ceremony exists only for the sake of habit, and being able to claim a spiritual heritage.

I think it's really sad.

These are the same sorts of people who say "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

The answer being, that no spiritual authority is going to protect mankind from suffering. If this were the case, the crusades, the witch hunts, the holocaust, and countless other atrocities would never have occurred.

God's purpose is not to serve as a get out of jail free card. In the bible, many prophets, and holy people were mocked, beaten, tortured, and executed. Yet, God did not intervene. Why then, would a weekend-worshiper get a pass when a Saint did not?

How many people go to their religious services, and wish they could skip it, or often do skip it, or are bored by the service?

Does this sound like a divine and perfect spiritual relationship to you? Hell, Drunken Uncle Ted is more entertaining than this Jesus crap most of the time.

We look forward to seeing our friends, and family. Yet, how many look forward to worship? My guess is, not many.

Another thing to consider is this, if we are all God's children, why would there be chosen people? Why would he play favorites, and have others be born in pagan lands? Shouldn't everyone have had their ancestors taught the same truth?

There are also those who sing many songs to God. On the outside, one would think these people to be really the ones who get it. But no one considers that songs do not possibly help an infinitely powerful being. They certainly don't help other people, they are simply recruitment tools meant to glorify a certain type of practice, not to glorify God.

Let's take a few more common beliefs and examine them.

The notion of "God's house." Churches and Temples are often thought to be the house of God. But if God is everywhere at all times, what makes this one special?

None of the prophets or sages even had temples, they did their preaching outside. Besides, what would be more sacred, a place built by man(church) or a place built by God(The world)?

Holidays(Holy Days) are often revered and thought to be sacred. But if God is equally everywhere at all times, then why are certain days more special? Because he was active on those days? Could not God be active on other days, then? Are these days somehow conduits into the world of God, reserving intervention for these special times?

Again, I am not mocking, or criticizing any religious belief. I used Christian terminology because that is what many in the US are most familiar with. Insert your terminology here.

The purpose of his thread is to take a squint at the nature of religious belief among a certain segment of people. When one examines their notions, there are many questions.

Many will act as their own lay-priest and say "well I think God would do this."

yet they still think a man with a special type of outfit has the hotline to Jesus.

Again, I am holding to question religious belief, not spiritual doctrine. Using these examples, I have illustrated a concern of mine that the religious practice of many is empty and devoid of spiritual connection to God. It then becomes not about divine relationship, but with fanciful whims to usurp responsibility from the lives of men.

While this is not my most professionally written thread as people kept bothering me as I wrote it, I think I did manage to flag a certain void of spirituality found among a large population of the religious.

I posted something similar to this as a reply to a blog I read a few days ago. This woman was talking about how she prayed to find her car keys or something like that. I cant believe how selfish these people are. Its crooks like Benny Hinn and the like who started this whole "Santa Claus God" thing.

I believe in God The Creator, and that He sent His only begotten Son to save the world. And that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. I believe that Jesus Christ is everything and more that He said He was. It erks me just a little tiny bit that athiests/nonbelievers think we are nuts; I assume that they think we are just mindless robotic idiots who believe in something just because someone else told us we should. I didn't grow up in church. As an adult I made an earnest search for the truth and though I am not prepared to go into detail, the gospel as told in the New Testament was revealed as truth to me, just as much as I came to understand that the sun would rise and set each day. Another way to put it for those who need physical proof: you can't see air, but you know that it is there for you to breathe. Even though I personally did experience worldly manifestation of God's existence, I knew the truth innately beforehand; perhaps that is what permitted me to experience those manifestations, I cannot say for sure. Well there you go, add me to the idiot list, albeit an idiot at total peace with her God.

As far as praying to God, I don't expect all my prayers to be answered, not for a minute. Remember, Thy Will Be Done. Ever heard the old saying "be careful what you wish for" ? When I pray I say God if it be Your will. He knows every hair on my head. He knows when to intervene. Some things are meant for us to go through.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I kow in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 1 Cor 13:12

reply to post by Bombeni

This isn't just to Bombeni, but to everyone. If God's will is the only thing that can possibly happen, why bother praying for ourselves or others at all? What will be will be so why bother asking? Seems kind of pointless.

In response to the OP, I'm in agreement with your assessment. I grew up in the bible belt and I've never seen so many weekend worshippers in my life.

My absolute favorite is when Rappers win awards and thank God. ROFL as if God gives two craps that you are the favorite peddler of misogyny, wrath, sloth, greed, and lust among a throng of sinners. Yep that's my absolute favorite. What a freakin joke.

Jesus, if he existed at all, was apparently much more of a sorcerer and necromancer than he was a genie. He used demons to do his miracles, Be'elzebub in particular, and claimed he was a greater sorcerer than Solomon.

So if anybody needs prayers answered, they'd be much better off calling demons than some vague god.

Originally posted by Nohup
Jesus, if he existed at all, was apparently much more of a sorcerer and necromancer than he was a genie. He used demons to do his miracles, Be'elzebub in particular, and claimed he was a greater sorcerer than Solomon.

So if anybody needs prayers answered, they'd be much better off calling demons than some vague god.

Not to challenge you or anything, but how do you come to this conclusion?

Some vague God?

You should look around you more often.

God will not give you a free ride. God would be giving himself a free ride, and that defeats the WHOLE purpose of the "game".

God damned Orthodoxy....

The moment you mention God, it's either one nut ball extreme or the other nut ball extreme. Either God is to be fully worshipped and the bible incorporated into every sentence, or God doesn't exist and everything just happened to come about out of..... out of...... welll "rablerablerable God doesn't exist, period."

Period? Really? You know for sure? Either extreme can be free to answer.

My personal opinions. As regards this material domain.

God resides in all. The human body is the temple where God resides. If you make a heartfelt and earnest request through prayer etc, and your higher self* agrees with your request, then God residing in other people will move them around to fulfill your needs.

Now you know how, for the most part, the law of attraction works. Once you know this real secret, everyone who is less aware becomes ripe for exploitation. An example...

Visualise a car parking space at the supermarket before leaving the house. By visualising and a high state of awareness you broadcast your need to the collective. Someone in a media induced hypnotic trance in the store stops dead, forgets why they are there, and decides to go home. By the time you get to the store they are pulling out of a space, you pull in.

It is not God per se fulfilling prayers, it is your higher self and the divine spark of God in other people.

Now having said all that, higher authorities exist, and so does God. I also believe Jesus exists, on a higher plane, and he is available to make a personal relationship with, and offer guidance. Just like any other deity you care to mention, good or bad. You sometimes pay with spiritual energy, which is the currency in other realms.

All life is connected, if I create a ripple in our pond we all feel it. There is no point where I end and you begin, what people see as empty space is not empty, it is just not perceived.

Just my opinions of course, based on first hand experience, practical personal demonstrations, practical personal observations and books and religious texts on the subject.

So hopefully, even if you have no desire to go to church/temple/w.ever you can see practically that service to humanity is service to and worship of God.

Try not to take this the wrong way, but I've spoken to Christians who think it's ok to kill others because they are of a different faith. These same ones think it is ok to go out hunting for sport. For all their church attendance they have yet to learn that God is present in all lifeforms. Worst still, some admit they know it and still carry on with the slaughter because "Jesus said it's ok". Did he now, did he really...

Everything is made of God's energy, try not to abuse Him if you can help it. I can hear it now "Jesus didn't create muslims or buddhists or chinese or africans" wakey wakey. x.

Much Love

* Higher self is the part of you that has already completed all its lessons and resides in a realm where time doesn't exist.

Originally posted by MockedUnicorn

Originally posted by Nohup
Jesus, if he existed at all, was apparently much more of a sorcerer and necromancer than he was a genie. He used demons to do his miracles, Be'elzebub in particular, and claimed he was a greater sorcerer than Solomon.

So if anybody needs prayers answered, they'd be much better off calling demons than some vague god.

Not to challenge you or anything, but how do you come to this conclusion?

His is a very jaded and sad misunderstanding of the facts. Although it is true that "Jesus" was HELPED (not useing) the most ancient of transitional spiritual/physical beings that have been associated with "demons", his infomation or perspective on the info is a mess.

Be'elzebub, at one time was seen as a leader of the midway creatures. This fact has misguded some into believing all the midway creatures were evil. In fact many of the midway creatures worked, and WORK, for the light. Be'elzebub lead legions of the midway creatures astry.

This info can be refrenced in the Urantia Book.

Originally posted by Incarnated
Be'elzebub, at one time was seen as a leader of the midway creatures. This fact has misguded some into believing all the midway creatures were evil. In fact many of the midway creatures worked, and WORK, for the light. Be'elzebub lead legions of the midway creatures astry.

This info can be refrenced in the Urantia Book.

Not wishing to derail the topic but I can believe that. It's my belief that Ganesh is a midwayer. Given that I've met etheric elephant-type entities guarding ornate gates. Therefore I would believe, not all are bad. Best Wishes.

Originally posted by dunwichwitch
Some vague God?

You should look around you more often.

God will not give you a free ride. God would be giving himself a free ride, and that defeats the WHOLE purpose of the "game".

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm not looking for a free ride and never have. I consider the trials I go through as part of my "tried by fire" indoctrination into the Kingdom of God. Jesus used parables, I believe because we could all use them to as our own personal fit. Either way, they all make perfect sense to me, and to millions of others though I know millions of others interpret them differently. I believe we are here for a choice. Jesus said "choose this day whom you will serve" -- we are not being forced to follow the "vague" God you refer to, God does not want anyone there to say to Him well I would have liked to had some say in my own eternity" -- this is MY take on things, they can be different for everyone. All I know is God gives me an understanding that has taken me thru many ups and downs.

2 Cor 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

cnview.com...

You probably won't, but if you like, read the link here, about Apostle Paul and his view on our trials and tribulations. To me the New Testament is too relevant 2000 years later to be anything but the true word of God. I don't attend a church regularly but I study and watch a few programs that I like (NOT Benny Hinn, Ron Parsley, Creflo Dollar, etc. These men have private jets and multiple mansions while people die of hunger and preventable disease each day). There are some good preachers on tv, you have to search them out. I know, you're thinking who the h-e-double hockeysticks is she talking to ?

Originally posted by TheGreySwordsman


There are also those who sing many songs to God. On the outside, one would think these people to be really the ones who get it. But no one considers that songs do not possibly help an infinitely powerful being.

God doesn't need anyone's help. You could give him a steaming pile of poo if you believed it showed love. I'm not saying everyone who sings songs have that connection with God you speak of, but those who really pour their heart into it in rejoicing and laughter and revelry of god's gifts of life are "pleasing" god.