godnotgod
Thou art That
Well just going by the implications of the thread title, I figure we can for the sake of this discussion assume that God and Satan both are real.
You figure incorrectly. All we can "figure" is that there are those who think that a bloodthirsty fiend who has never been seen is stalking mankind day and night with the express and singular purpose in mind to snare his soul. It is more probable that such a malicious evil entity actually does NOT exist, and that he is nothing more than the collective fear and paranoia of the masses who base such superstitious nonsense on their ignorance. When I refer to this 'Satan', I am only referring to the idea of him; not to an actual entity.
Likewise, the belief that a creator-God is responsible for the existence of the world is unfounded. Such an idea is based wholly upon man's own conceptions, projected outward on an imagined entity.
Why you believe what you do is far more important than what you believe. It bears totally on the discussion because it is the steering mechanism behind all of your views.Frankly that is what I believe and the perspective my responses are based on. As far why I chose to believe that or how I came to that decision I don't think bears on the discussion. If you need that info however I am not opposed to giving it, but it's the same as most people who believe sincerely in God.
You still have not provided this information. Perhaps you yourself do not understand what motivates you.
You are attempting to explain the existence of Satan in terms of your belief in some imaginary supernatural phenomena; I am explaining him in terms of man's own mind, simply because that is where the idea of Satan dwells.
Which is more realistic?
It's not just physics; it's sheer stupidity!Applying force to anything creates conflict in some form or fashion. Thats just physics.
Excuse me? Are you saying that Christians follow the teachings of something other than Christianity? You are giving yourself away here. Christianity is just so much window dressing which allows Christians to do as they please. After all, "We're not perfect; we're just forgiven" kind of crap. "Forgiven", but just as ignorant as they were to begin with.I follow your reasoning here. But it is important to remember that you are talking about 'Christians" and not Christianity. You do yourself a major disservice to judge Christianity by the actions of the "christians".
I am afraid your comments reveal a personal problem with your own thinking. You simply do not understand what you are actually saying, most of which is unfounded. You want to pass judgment on other views based upon your beliefs, rather than on what is true. I cannot even call your beliefs spiritually based. They are based more on religious dogmas, which, for the most part, are fear-driven superstitions, cloaked in magic and awe. Your mind has been captured.No, in regards to my somewhat inappropriate "gobbldy-gook" comment. That was more a reflex response that I admittedly use prematurely at times. Usually when i find myself out matched intellectually or when a responder resorts to quoting other people opinions and research instead of responding from their heart. I don't have a blanket prejudice against humanism and intellect. But from my perspective, life experience, and my spiritual beliefs, I know that those are the 2 most powerful tools of Satan. They instill and propagate pride in mankind. Humanism at it's core is anti God and intellectualism is the food of humanists.
What you fail to understand is that it is not a question of the intellect VS. the heart, but of a singular view which encompasses both in harmony with each other. "Be thou wise as serpents and harmless as doves", or, as the Buddhists put it: "Though my heart is on fire, my eyes are as cold as ashes". When you resolve the inner conflict that is reflected in your comments, you will see that the intellect is not in conflict with the divine essence. They are not separate, but compliment each other. The divine essence is the Supreme Intelligence itself.
If you truly were in harmony with the spiritual life, you would know that there is no real conflict between an enlightened human view and the divine view. You seem to want to pit one against the other, and the only reason I can see for that is to put oneself on the "side" of God so that you can feel superior, as a means of making up for some deep, inner insecurity. For the most part, that insecurity takes its form as metaphysical anxiety. Religion has a way of soothing the mind as a means of assuaging such anxiety.
When you get around to liberating your mind, please do return so we can have a discussion, rather than a review of what your beliefs are.
Belief clings.
Faith lets go.
PS: If anything instills and propagates pride it is thinking that your religion is the one and only true view, all others please go to hell. However, such pride is cloaked in a false humility and phony sanctity. Quite frankly, it stinks.
"The fundamental difference between Buddhism and other religions is that Buddhism has no God or gods before whom people bow down in return for peace of mind. The spirit enmeshed in the Buddha's teachings refuses to offer a god in exchange for freedom from anxiety. Instead, freedom from anxiety can only be found at that point where the Self settles naturally upon itself."
Zen source
(Note: the above is not a belief. It can be verified as accurate by anyone who takes the time to experience it for themselves.)
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