Big Think

Bryan Cridlebaugh on September 20, 2009, 12:44 AM

A good example seems hard to find..?

Bryan Cridlebaugh on September 20, 2009, 12:53 AM

I might have been a little quick to jump in there.  I’m not saying that what I said is bad.  But, “I don’t know” fits me well.

Verisoph sapiens on September 20, 2009, 1:22 AM

 it’s a bit like the story of the blind men and the elephant….

tim hall on September 20, 2009, 8:08 AM

God

Musycks on September 20, 2009, 11:28 PM

                                                Why did we make God in our image Hue? one of the worst works of art we’ve attempted I think.

famina Robert on September 21, 2009, 1:38 AM

GOD is only One but He has a different form.He is not a terrorist.He is a very kind person. Stretch Marks Stretch Marks

Verisoph sapiens on September 21, 2009, 6:33 AM

So, god is a kind person, … a Person? and kind too?

Well, I never!

If god would be a person he would be in trouble with the authorities, and actually, he is not even a nice person.

And, an all-good god would want to avoid any evil and if he is an all-powerful god he would be able to avoid any evil.

So the existence of such a god is somewhat inconsistent with the fact that there is evil (I mean by evil, everything from torture, tornadoes and toothache..)

sciencesaves on September 21, 2009, 12:02 PM

Wishing there was a god?  Really!?  Perhaps you don’t fully understand how horrible a loss of freewill can be, even if the illusion seems attractive.  Ask a prisoner, or one of the countless victims of religious belief gone awry.

God is a metaphor, and if there actually was such an entity, the world would be the perfect definition of insanity.  Theistic concepts were never very well thought out to begin with, but the power of suggestion fills a void, I suppose.

In our image, of course, because we’ve not observed an alien yet?   

tim hall on September 21, 2009, 7:47 PM

You guys still don’t get it do you?

When good shit happens, God probably had a hand in it.When bad shit happens, he was either away on business http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9mhsW5aWJMor he chose to teach that hamlet a lesson.

When a child gets hit with flying bullets in the Ghetto, God is teaching the neighborhood to all go to church and kneel to his Majesty. If they don’t he will destroy  the hood with meth labs. I think that is clear. How can you not get that?

Musycks on September 21, 2009, 10:09 PM

                                             Correct Tim… the perfect ‘out clause’ for every occassion… not only that it’s 101% logic proof! what a product.

Fatima… don’t be afraid to provide reasons for your assumptions, that works better in this format than unsubstantiated comments. What do you mean by person? how do you know there is only one? why should we believe you?

Jason Glerum on September 24, 2009, 8:36 PM

the image of God is the very opposite of the sin of this fallen world and the people in it. why is it God’s fault that we sin. Adam and Eve chose to sin. He could have made us puppets on a string if He wanted to, but if gave us the choice. We chose to eat the fruit after clear warning. God has been trying to restore the relationships with us and Him ever since (Jesus dying on the cross). But we still have the choice to make. But when WE choose to do bad, why does God get the bad reputation? Why does God get the blame for the mistakes we make?

When I think about the image of God, I think of: love, grace, patience, wrath, faithfulness, jealous, angry, happy, sad, funny, and more. I use to think of him as a guy with two arms, two legs, and a face, but not so much any more. Why does the image of God have to be the physical image of God? And God has nothing to with evil, but he will everyone accountable of what they have done.

HerbieP on September 25, 2009, 4:01 AM

According to your religion Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree that gave knowledge of good and evil. Presumably before they did so they didn’t have knowledge of good and evil hence they did not know that their choice was either good or evil. They could only hav eknown after they made the mistake. It’s always struck me as a bit of a set up.

Matt Pidlysny on September 26, 2009, 1:09 AM

Well, technically they knew following God’s word was good.  Human understanding is the problem because once Satan convinced them to eat, they regretted it.  Had God not said anything, they would have been fine and not known any difference because Gods will would have been “Oh, that was ok to go against my word”.  They would have at least guessed that.  The tree is just called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to provide a metaphor for what actually happened. 

It was a setup, Herbie.  Doing things you regret is now “bad”, and I personally believe in Genetic Memory, interacting with it every day.  I think that not only have we bred the basic concept of “God” within us and translated it into “Good”, we have also imprinted it in our brain somewhere, because the chemical reaction would have had to have been so strong it would have left some kind of marker, I would imagine.

This kinda points out that the line between Good and Evil is an illusion, because you will either “die” (See the Gnostic definition of Death) or “live” (See the Gnostic definition of Life) because of any experience you can place judgment upon. 

Will I regret this decision?  Will I feel better for this decision?

tim hall on September 27, 2009, 10:13 PM

But what we are talking about, this Adam and Eve story is just a metaphor. Hardly any educated preacher of today handles it any different. It is just a little story made up to teach the lush not to reach for every human desire. It was a great little story for ignorant people back then and it could be a great little story for the ignorant lush of today, if she/he has trouble controling itches below the belt.

Genetic memory, Yes you can prove genetic memory by father and son having the exact physical stride even if they were quiet different in their life long physical activity. But having a genetic myth gene is wishful thinking. Myths were planted in the brain by outside sources through repetition and fear or from seeking answers through reading a book laced with mythology.

Even if a god or myth gene could be possible, social engagement far out ways that thought, memory or meme. Say if you possessed such a god gene but were raise by atheist in a totally atheist society and read only atheist books. This god gene would not stand a chance. Reverse that scenario and we get the term religious brain washing.

That is like nature having a law of nature that says black people and white people are naturally separate. Well hell no. That would mean that English and Dutch are naturally separate too. Assyrian and Jews, Greek and Roman. Their would not be a Jesus or a Gnostic Bible.

The line between good and evil is a social one. An infant will take every desirable object until it learns social consequence. Same for a dog, cat or bird. A cat tries to rob the baby chickens and gets the hell pecked out of it, it learns never to screw with a mess of adult chickens. Even if it’s gene pool says to eat fowl as it’s main diet.

What the Gnostic bible is trying to metaphorically teach to it’s ignorant lush audience, is to not screw with a mess of chickens and you will have a good life. If you choose to screw with them you will have a bad life of infected gouges in your head. Today one should be intelligent enough to no longer need little stories of fear to be socially successful. One should not need a belief of a mythical god to possess goodness in his/her soul. Soul is a human learned psychological emotion. Their isn’t any connection with soul and a myth figure in a mythological dimension. It was all made up out of ignorance and wish to possess power over others by claiming great false knowledge.

Sorry about the long sermon Matt.

Lawrence Martin on November 21, 2009, 11:46 AM

I use to think of him as a guy with two arms, two legs, and a face, but not so much any more. Why does the image of God have to be the physical image of God? And God has nothing to with evil, but he will everyone accountable of what they have done.
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Lawrence Martin on November 21, 2009, 11:48 AM

Presumably before they did so they didn’t have knowledge of good and evil hence they did not know that their choice was either good or evil. They could only hav eknown after they made the mistake.
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