Absolute Certainty

[Trailblazer]

What does it mean to be certain?

It means that you have absolutely no doubt that what you believe is the truth.

 

[osgart]

I am absolutely certain that virtues and vices exist in the characters of human beings.

Why do beings exhibit qualities of character? I am certain that there is a greater reality and this is no accident.

I am absolutely certain that there is an independent reality out there as well.

I am certain that humanity exudes purposefulness and intention.

I am certain that the construct of intelligence is purposeful. Memory serves knowing, knowing serves reason, reason serves justification, invention and relation, and relation serves as a purpose to life. What is justifiable is meant to be pleasing and bring peace and joy. All inventions of use are meant to serve life.

I am certain that each person has a free space to imagine. In the imagination we are free to dream of better realities.

I am certain that the right way to life is very, very simple though very, very hard to achieve in mankind.

I am certain that the right way to life would make all of our lives much easier.

I am certain that the right way to life opens the door to endless freedom and creativity.

The right way to life is every virtue without vice. Of this I am certain.

Vice plagues mankind every step of the way. I am certain of that.

The purpose of life is benevolence from love of others. Yet in reality we are all hard to read, and understand. Nothing is easily achieved because of vices.

Vices break trust. Virtues build trust.

All this I am absolutely certain of!

The precarious nature of reality prevents much good. We must try to survive in the face of death. Everything takes work to survive and to make worth of life. We are creatures with many things of importance that are outside of our control.

Nothing is guaranteed. So I try to create my heaven within. Nothing here lasts forever. I do believe the soul lives on.

 

[Trailblazer]

a journey I am absolute certain, does not end with this life.

I am absolutely certain of that.
Makes some people so mad.

 

[Trailblazer]

@ Tony Bristow-Stagg

I am absolutely certain that God exists but I am not absolutely certain about some of His alleged attributes.

 

[Aupmanyav]

That is indeed the source of Absolute Certainty in my relative certainty.

See Mestemia's post at # 66: Absolute Certainty

 

[blü 2]

I personally see that the certainty in your example is that perpetual motion is achievable, the goal is to fulfil that certainty, has it been achieved?

As far as I'm aware there aren't even hypothetical ways in which perpetual motion ─ the unbounded output of energy without the input of energy ─ can be achieved.

But if you haven't already read it, you might enjoy >this ancient classic< on the topic, from Isaac Asimov.

Back in the 90's I had a friend who said his brother had just achieved the goal. Before we lost contact with each other, there was funny things happening with that disclosure. I still have not been able to track down that good friend to see what happened.

I suspect that your friend from decades back would have been heard from by now if he'd found the solution.

─ You remind me: way back when the kids were small we lived in the Pacific Islands for a few years, and there was a nice man from New Zealand who ran the closest thing to a supermarket where we lived. Many years after we'd left, I had a drink with an old friend from there who was in town. I asked what had become of the supermarket man. Oh, some years ago the son of this man had fallen in with people who'd invented a device that could double electricity ─ you put one amp in, you got two amps out &c ─ and the father overflowed with pride and enthusiasm for the project. He talked a lot of the local people into investing in it. (My friend said he'd addressed a public meeting pointing out that the claims were impossible, but it hadn't made much difference.) Of course they, along with our hero and presumably his son, lost painfully large sums. And our man one day quietly got on the plane and somehow no one seemed to have a forwarding address while the supermarket was sold.

 

[Jedster]

Not for our friend Tony here. He is 100% certain, because ..
Bahá'u'lláh said so in his book "Kitáb-i-Aqdas".

View attachment 36189

@Aupmanyav
This also applies to other book worshippers and those who rely on hearsay of the dead or living(regarding truth).
I am absolutely certain of this.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Makes some people so mad.

You are not the first "hallelujah" person that I have come across.

@Aupmanyav
This also applies to other book worshippers and those who rely on hearsay of the dead or living (regarding truth).

It does, that is why I follow no book, no person.

.. but I am not absolutely certain about some of His alleged attributes.

What? What? Bahaullah did not tell you that? And neither Abdul Baha and Shoghi Effendi explained it? What does your House of Justice say about it?

 

[Trailblazer]

You are not the first "hallelujah" person that I have come across.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

@ Tony Bristow-Stagg

I am absolutely certain that God exists but I am not absolutely certain about some of His alleged attributes.

I see that we are very good at not reflecting the attributes that we were given the opportunity to reflect and that we may at times see it may be Gods fault

In my certainty, I see God is naught but Love and it is our reality that is veiled in many ways, as to why we can not see that.

Much happiness Trailblazer to you and yours.

Regards Tony

 

[Trailblazer]

Why do you think that is that certain people get really angry at people who are certain of their beliefs?

I have been experiencing this for many years. They say it is just that they know Baha'u'llah is a false prophet, or they know there is no afterlife, so if they are certain of these things then why are they angry at me because I am certain Baha'u'llah is a true Prophet and there is an afterlife? I am not mad at them....

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Why do you think that is that certain people get really angry at people who are certain of their beliefs?

I have been experiencing this for many years. They say it is just that they know Baha'u'llah is a false prophet, or they know there is no afterlife, so if they are certain of these things then why are they angry at me because I am certain Baha'u'llah is a true Prophet and there is an afterlife? I am not mad at them....

It is interesting why they would take the time to do such a thing! How can one be mad at such futile attempts at distraction?

I am certain there is meaning in it all. I am happy. I hope you can be happy with it all as well.

Regards Tony

 

[Trailblazer]

I am absolutely certain that God exists but I am not absolutely certain about some of His alleged attributes.

I see that we are very good at not reflecting the attributes that we were given the opportunity to reflect and that we may at times see it may be Gods fault

No, that is not it at all, not for me. If I do not reflect God's alleged good attributes then I blame myself, not God.

In my certainty, I see God is naught but Love and it is our reality that is veiled in many ways, as to why we can not see that.

In my certainty, I see God exists is a reality that is veiled in many ways, as to why some people cannot see that.

I have no certainty that God is naught but love. Poor Dale on Planet Baha'i is always trying to get me to see that, and he does a good job of arguing for the Loving God, but no cigar... a God that allows so much suffering cannot be All-Loving. That is logically impossible... A God that has wrath and shows it is not Always Loving, that is just logic 101.

I think some believers have to believe that God is All-Loving and I think one reason is that they need God's Love. Of course, I know this is true of many Christians because they say so. I do not need God's Love or want it, so the next thing you are supposed to say (as a good Baha'i) that this is why I am not getting God's Love; I have to Love God before I can feel God's Love.

5: O SON OF BEING! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant. The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 4

Imo, that is not a fair deal -- Love me first before I will love you back. Something just does not seem right about that.

Of course, God knows I feel this way and I think He forgives me... God loving me is just not important to me, but me loving God and other people is very important.... I consider a need for God to love me as selfish and that is why I really do not care about it. But if God wants to change my mind He is welcome to try.

 

[Trailblazer]

I am certain there is meaning in it all. I am happy. I hope you can be happy with it all as well.

I am spiritually happy but this material world is a storehouse of suffering. What Abdu'l-Baha said speaks directly to my heart:
"Such is this mortal abode: a storehouse of afflictions and suffering. It is ignorance that binds man to it, for no comfort can be secured by any soul in this world, from monarch down to the most humble commoner. If once this life should offer a man a sweet cup, a hundred bitter ones will follow; such is the condition of this world. "
Selections, p. 200

However, I disagree with what he said "no comfort can be secured by any soul in this world" because comfort is secured by many people in this world... That is obvious to anyone who observes people. I am not referring to physical comfort, I am referring to emotional comfort.

Honestly speaking, I think it is the unequal distribution of suffering that bothers me most.
And sure, we won't know why until we die and enter the spiritual world, a lot of good that does us now.

 

[Subduction Zone]

How can you be so certain?
A person can be absolutely certain of beliefs but that does not guarantee they are right about them.

Hah! I double checked

 

[Aupmanyav]

They say it is just that they know Baha'u'llah is a false prophet, or they know there is no afterlife, so if they are certain of these things then why are they angry at me because I am certain Baha'u'llah is a true Prophet and there is an afterlife? I am not mad at them....

If I have weird beliefs, people will certainly laugh at me and some would be angry too because they would think that I am spreading untruth. Not just Bahaullah, all those who claimed to be prophets were psychologically imbalanced in thinking that they have a mission from their imaginary God or Allah. Schizophrenics, narcissists,megalomaniacs, or they were/are charlatans.

 

[Heyo]

Why do you think that is that certain people get really angry at people who are certain of their beliefs?

Most people love harmony and unity. But people who don't agree and indicate that agreement is impossible disturb harmony and unity. In olden times those people were killed or exiled.

 

[pearl]

I think the only thing known with absolutely certainly is that we will all die at some point. The rest is believed in hope.

 

[Skwim]

We do not declare it, we just believe it. It is difficult to explain why.

Semantics, semantics, semantics. It's all pretty much all the same.

.

 

[Aupmanyav]

It is difficult to explain why.

Why? Is there something that you would not like to admit in public? Open up, we are all friends here.

.. a God that allows so much suffering cannot be All-Loving. That is logically impossible... A God that has wrath and shows it is not Always Loving, that is just logic 101.

Imo, that is not a fair deal -- Love me first before I will love you back. Something just does not seem right about that.

You are but a bundle of contradiction. Allah allows suffering, has wrath, wants you to love him before he can give his love to you. You accept that it is absolutely selfish. Things do not seem right. But you still worship this Allah who does all these things. For this reason alone I do not believe that there can be this kind of Allah.