Why is God so complex. I'm catholic, and to what i'm told He is spiritual and both a human at the same time. He spoke in parables that many didn't understand, too.
Why is it that He is so difficult to grasp? Basically, what i'm asking is, wouldn't more people believe in Him, if they didn't have so many unanswered questions about his existence? I know this is where faith comes in, but still.
Discuss
dennis ilic on April 17, 2008, 9:56 PM
The reason God is “impossible” to grasp is: we are humans, not God.
It’s like trying to achieve perfection in something, it is always just beyond our grasp, but that does not mean we should stop trying.
Musycks on April 17, 2008, 11:30 PM
One of the great thinkers was asked how he’d react if greeted with the Xtian God after death.. he said ‘why did you leave so little evidence’?
Faith is not enough Isobel.. people have had faith in all kinds of things for all kind of reasons… I’m assuming for instance you don’t worship the sun? or sacrifice animals to appease your God.. well why not? the ‘faithful’ of the past ceratinly did.
As a catholic do you know that heaven and hell are not Xtian ideas? they pre-date Xtianity by hundreds of years. That the Egyptian God Horus, was the ‘son’ of God, born of a virgin and was resurrected after death? sound familiar?
You are probably a catholic for reasons of cuture and history. If you were born in a slum in Delhi, do you think you’d be interested in gentle Jesus?
ahh… so many questions.. good luck with the thread.
Bryan Cridlebaugh on April 17, 2008, 11:58 PM
God is hard to understand because God is everything. We learn one thing at a time.
sciencesaves on April 18, 2008, 8:53 AM
Because god is a concept. I hope that you find some viewpoint that brings you peace of mind. I suspect that catholicism has not, and will not allow you to achieve this. Read what the people who have experience with catholicism have to say on this issue, they can help you much more than I can…Good luck.
Brittany D on April 18, 2008, 3:12 PM
yeahh if we could see him itd be easier,
ask for a sign
Isabel M on April 18, 2008, 8:21 PM
i agree with you healingzero. do you believe in God?
dennis ilic on April 20, 2008, 12:59 PM
Yes.
Musycks on April 20, 2008, 9:53 PM
Isabel.. not to steal my friend hz’s thunder, but he is a pantheist. His God is in everything, the void or energy or electricity etc.. not the god you grew up with.
Check the definition in a dictionary, or go to his thread, ‘your defintion of God in 100 words or less’.. it’ll fill you in a bit better.
Isabel M on April 20, 2008, 10:15 PM
musycks, ohh i see, thank you for letting me know.
i swear there’s no more catholics around these days.
dennis ilic on April 20, 2008, 11:12 PM
Leave it to an Aussie to steal the thunder from down under.
No, I’m not a Catholic, raised Serbian Orthodox Christian. But I guess I am more of a Pantheist now.
Patheism, according to the dictionary is: 1) beilief that God is in all nature. 2) worship that admits or tolerates all gods. I would say I fall into that description. Although, I still consider myself more of a spiritualist.
Now I don’t mind my friend musycks speaking for me, mainly becuase there’s no way of stopping him, but I do know the God you grew up with. However, unlike atheists, I haven’t completely abondoned it. Granted, a lot of it, but not all of it.
When it comes to religion, I always take everyting with a grain of salt, and I never throw the baby out with the bath water.
Love and Peace
Isabel M on April 21, 2008, 4:01 PM
healingzero, i am glad that you have not completly abandoned religion.
thank you for the definition of a pantheist, also.
dennis ilic on April 21, 2008, 10:04 PM
yiixx, I sense that you are a good person. Searching for the good in life. You obviously consider matters concerning the spirit, the soul, and a higher power. These are noble qualities. My advice to you would be: find quiet in your world and within your mind and soul, and ask yourself, what do I truly believe?
The answers are within us all, if we take the time to ask and listen.
God does exist, it is manifest in all things beautiful.
Isabel M on April 21, 2008, 10:32 PM
healingzero, thank you. you sound like you’re a good person also. i do try to set a good example and focus on what is good in life.
thank you for your advice. it will definatly help.
what made you become a pantheist?
dennis ilic on April 21, 2008, 11:59 PM
The short of it was I had an argument with my priest at Sunday school. It was over eternal damnation. I couldn’t believe that you could go to hell forever just because you thought about beating up another kid who said bad things about your family. I remember being at home and telling my parents it just didn’t make any sense. How could a God that made this universe in such perfect balance and harmony be so unbalanced in its doling out of punishment? I still can see my mother’s face when I explained it. Wonderment, amusement, and a little pride.
What got me was the eternal punishment, if the priest would have said, well you’ll probably spend a couple of days in hell for that, I might of believed him.
Then there was original sin. I couldn’t believe that one either.
So I started to leave some of the orthodox ideas. I started searching in other areas. I asked friends of mine about their religions, then I read books and took classes in school on world religions. I was particularly drawn to eastern philosophies, like Taoism and Buddhism.
Now that I am half way through my thirties, I’ve collected a great deal of spiritual knowledge from various areas. I find the commonality amongst them and don’t concern myself too much over the details. Details tend to be the makings of Man’s ego.
Recently I have started to look at science as another religion to study. There is a great deal of awe and depth they are uncovering, although they tend to lack the imagination, or the humility, to see the grander picture.
One thing I found common amongst all religions was the golden rule. Stated in various ways of course, but all of them basically said: treat others as you would wish them to treat you.
It could be a one law world.
Martin Luther King Jr. said, and I am paraphrasing, the only crime is to live outside of God’s love.
It is things like this that led me to pantheism, I suppose.
There is beauty in all religions. There is beauty in all life. These are the places God exists.
I ask myself what do I belief?
I believe all things are equal.
I believe it is good to help people.
I believe no one is perfect.
I believe there is a God.
and so it goes.
That is the start of my belief system.
I hope this was enough and not too much.
Love and Peace to you
Musycks on April 22, 2008, 3:55 AM
Dear Believers,
I believe in the beauty of my daughters heart.
I believe in the love I recieve and give out.
I believe in the sublime reasonance of a baby laughing.
I believe in the eternal majesty and awe of an indifferent universe.
I believe in the trancendant moment that embraces me when I hear music.
I believe in the humanity in a Jean Renoir film.
I believe in the elegance of an Umberto Eco sentence.
I believe in the grace of a good deed done unheralded.
I don’t believe in God.
and so it goes.
hz.. you rock my friend. love and peace to you.
dennis ilic on April 22, 2008, 9:13 AM
That is beautiful, musycks. It made my heart smile.
“And in the end
The love
you take
Is equal to
the love
you make”.
Love and Peace to you and you and John.
Isabel M on April 22, 2008, 4:59 PM
hz, i see..
you have a very nice believe system.
you’re right, there is beauty in all religions.
Isabel M on April 22, 2008, 5:01 PM
hz, that is a very nice quote.
musycks, that is a very nice list of you’re beliefs.
sciencesaves on April 22, 2008, 11:20 PM
isabel, Glad you stuck around to get to the good stuff. I really enjoy reading the wonderful thoughts like these. Keep an open mind, and you’ll go far. Glad to have you here! ss
dennis ilic on April 23, 2008, 12:44 AM
The lyric is from the Beatles song The End. I thought it fit, and musycks is a Beatles fan. I believe a music fan in general. I believe its his real religion.
Musycks on April 23, 2008, 10:08 PM
hz….music as religion.. as good as any… that and Australian Rules football… one day I hope to take you and sciencesaves to a game!
Macca said recently that he was most proud of the fact that almost all of the Beatle canon speaks of love and positivity… how many others can say that?
ps. Isabel.. that’s Paul McCartney.. he was in a band once.. before he married the one-legged porn star! … I’m getting old!
Isabel M on April 23, 2008, 10:31 PM
sciencesaves, thank you.
are you religious? and what are you?
Isabel M on April 23, 2008, 10:32 PM
hz, i love the beatles. that song does fit and it makes a lot of sense.
Isabel M on April 23, 2008, 10:33 PM
musycks, yeah i know who paul mccartney is.
the beatles is a good band
Musycks on April 28, 2008, 2:26 AM
Ahhh…. Isabel… there’s hope for you yet!! haha..
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