Communication with god

[sniper762]

I would like to see how Christians perceive how the communication between God and man transpires.

How does one speak with and hear God? To believe in the reward of heaven or the punishment of hell one must believe in a non-tangible, immortal, spiritual existence. If this process was of the physical form, it would cease to exist upon ones natural death.

Hundreds of years ago, man could not comprehend radio waves and the concept of one man speaking to another who was on the other side of the world and was considered to be ludicrous. Now, with today’s technology, it’s understood.

My perception of our communication with God is somewhat similar to radio wave propagation but on a spiritual basis. It’s a non-physical, way of communicating requiring one to be in tune with God’s frequency, metaphorically speaking. This process cannot be comprehended or explained using mortal logic.

The best analogy that I’ve seen presented by mortal man is likened to George Lucas’ concept of “the force” introduced in his “Star Wars” films. I relate the force that exists between the Jedi families and with their mentors to be similar to our spiritual connection with god. The influence of Satan, I relate with “the dark side” of that force.

 

[Reptillian]

There doesn't seem to be any concensus amongst the Christians I've talked with about what it means for God to "speak". Some think it means hearing a voice, seeing a burning bush, or having a vision. Some think God speaks through dreams. Some think God speaks through events in ones life. Some interpret natural disasters and other natural phenomena as divine communication. Some think God speaks through people.

All I know is that as a scientist I have an overwhelming sense of awe when I observe the world we live in. I can't help but yearn to know more about the universe and my place in it...perhaps this is what religious people feel when they communicate with the divine.

 

[sniper762]

well you describe all physical ways that cease with ones death.

whats after death?

 

[Reptillian]

well you describe all physical ways that cease with ones death.

whats after death?

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

 

[sniper762]

ok..................

 

[horiturk]

all the communication i've had has been one sided,prayer is very one sided. although if and when God speaks i'm certain it is through whispers so as to not intervene in the universe he set into motion.

 

[bhaktajan]

The God is present in three ways:
---Brahman (The Void);
---Param-atma (The localised nucleus/Soul of all animate & Inanimate things);
---Bhagavan (The original First person who is unlimitedlt full in ALL-Opulences) {this would be a Persona Suprema ~Not an Inanimate object};


There is a direct presence of God is our heart (where the soul is located) ---it is known as Param-atma (supersoul) ---it is God present as the Conscious-Life-Force that has expanded itself into indivisiable individual personas with free will ---aka, living souls. God is in our hearts next to our individual soul.
He allows for each soul to persue its own whims in either of two locations:

The indivisiable individual souls may endlessly journey around the material world.

or

The indivisiable individual souls may endlessly journey around the Spiritual world.

The material world is temporal and changing and based on sensual enjoyment.
The Spiritual world is eternal and based on pastimes with Godhead's Personage.

The material world [of Laws of Duality] is
a] Created;
b] Maintained;
c] desolved;
It is composed of inert matter/energy spurred-on by the presense of a conscious (spirit) soul(s) seeking pleasure, life after life ad-infinitum.

The Spiritual world [of Laws of Sat-Chitta-Ananda] is
a] eternal (sat);
b] all-cognisant (citta);
c] all-blissfull (ananda).
It is composed of Sat-Cit-Ananda Energy spurred-on by the presense of a conscious (spirit) soul(s) seeking the reciprocal pastimes of the Supreme-personality of Godhead ad-infinitum.

The spirit-soul is made of Sat-Cit-Ananda ---The spirit-soul is an indivisiable individual persona with free will

 

[ellenjanuary]

well you describe all physical ways that cease with ones death.

whats after death?

Kinda Christian are you?!?! After... death... bah. Eternal life is Now!!

I didn't think there was nuffink to religion, till I met god on the jobsite. It went like that - Tuesday, agnostic; inconceivable to be ever considered "a man of faith." Wednesday, prophet; quit my day-job...

I'm an extreme case - but I think it's safe to say - that from the Divinely Entitled Prophet of the End of Time (c'est moi!) all the way down to that guy who never even got one number right on the Powerball - is that

One
Cannot
Say.

Besides, at the very least, all communication with the divine is routed through the Holy Spirit (I also got "god" as an avatar of an aspect - talk about all-not-almighty - yet, god is. ) Besides-... defective equipment... what would this paragraph look like without spell check? And is anyone gonna read it
anyway?

But I definitely don't have "standard Christian issue" perception of god - I have the LC (little creep) - and a mathematical prejudice, having an idea of things like "infinite, eternal, and almighty." And a fistful of hypotheses that just may evolve into the "definitive proof" of the non-existence of god...

My "official story" is that "god" is the collective subconsciousness of humanity - and I would imagine any other "self-aware information processing unit - and that "communication" occurs through the medium of a constructed interface derived from the communicant's personality and ego. So, for general consumption; I'd like to remind the studio audience that the interface to the divine is nothing more and nothing less than an artificial construct of your own personality; if god says "jump," remember, you are the frog...

But really, how can it be otherwise?

Here I am, saying a hella lot for one who cannot say... but, oh my Gwynnies; all the unnecessary tears and aggravation and heartache - never mind things like death, torture, and creationism...

How about some math? I say, what is faith without works; you counter with god's sufficient grace. I say, trine; you say, one. I say son of god is god is god, you say son of god is man. I say Friday, you say Sunday; you say John 3:16, I say Ecclesiastes 3:19...

Imagine... every second of every minute of every day of every waking moment of our lives; we could diverge in dogmatic understanding...

Now imagine... every single particle; every proton, every pion, every p-bar - a sect. And each one different, incompatible; and the unique word of god. Over the lifetime of humans, three score and twenty; over the lifetime of stars, galaxies... the forty trillion years this universe might last... filled with a generational understanding of religious doctrine, infallible, within each boson, each fermion; absolute true word of god, absolutely incompatible with absolutely every other sect across the universe...

Now imagine... forty trillion years, just a simulation. Let us further imagine a different possible effect for each and every cause, from the first particle/wave interaction - and assign to each and every boson and virtual fermion - the "true, seventy-year gospel" - and every single one - the truth, the incompatible, irreconcilable, sacred scripture...

Then god. Small g. And remove from his grace. all of these imperfections, all of these false prophets and unholy script... the lives led astray, the misguided crusades, the suffering and indignation, the sorrow of meaninglessness... let us count the tears of the saints; forty trillion divided by seventy, segregation, inquisition...

Multiplied by every particle. Every wave. Every potential, every probability, for all time; and come to an accounting. With all of this, would men question god; and let us say they could. Let us bury god under eight quintillion sins, and see what remains...

What, remains?

God. Perfect.

To summarize: I am not the one to adjudicate communion. But I will contend that it is the next best thing to impossible to say for certain that one is not in communion. And after all these words, all this time; should not something be most plainly be writ?

Love, for instance? Compassion and understanding? That whatever god may be contained within a book; there is infinitely more god in you... whoever you are, whatever your mortal truth may be.

 

[sniper762]

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[ellenjanuary]

Yeah, huh?

I believe established religions all contain patterns, a pre-defined conceptual framework through which "something" can manifest. I also believe that most times, what manifests is a shifted aspect of the believer's own psyche - which is not to say that such is not god; as god is all, we, image.

Carved in the stone of my being - the purpose of god is for the individual to find comfort in god - as for without god, there is only self...

But "something" like the LC? For the sake of argument; the LC could be delusion, alien projection, viral software... just spent three months thinking it was one of those "elder spirit beings" that slipped into my neural wetware for a bit (six years) while it assembled into "interdimensional transconscious router" and manifested through the faith of the "second experimental Christian;" leaving me to consider all the religious spout out of me, feedback; from my neurons flashing - alien...

Finding comfort in my Gwynnies, when she's like - check the mailbox - to find my one late check, two. On Sunday. The "second experimental Christian" (who should hate me) at my door saying, what happened. I missed you, man. Fashioning my first real girlfrend into the second fetish in case of actual witchcraft; and about the coming winter solstice, the unholy trinity might align against the holy, make the whole world brand new...

That kind of communicating? Nah, dude... you don't want none of that...

As far as I know, god is supposed to be like a comforting presence; and I have had a moment or two when the LC was all generic with the footprints... wait a minute; ok, I'm dumb... Do you align with the Holy Spirit? Cause, I'm thinking, all the Christians I know; as long as we don't go into details, we can share god all day long.

Weird, huh? I'm about certain Jesus never existed, worship a movie star more than most worship; yet can kick it with Christians in Spirit... as long as the "h" word don't show up, anyway...

Oh, what else? Faith. Like being in constant, wordless communication with god... yes/no?

 

[not yet now]

Mat 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

 

[MountainGuardian]

I do not speak with God, but I am ever aware of the presence of God, I always have been. I was never aquainted as a young child with the concept of God or religion, my mother died when I was three and my father was a drunken buckaroo terribly saddened by her death.

In spite of this lack of teaching, I knew God well, what really confused me, was when I was taught christianity by my adopted family years later and learning that they had to take God's existence on faith. I know for fact that God exists I do not have to take that on faith, I realised that others do not seem to have this understanding. What is yet more interesting to me is that my little brother knows as well as I, that God exists, even though he blames God for a difficult life and has sworn to work against God.

My experience in communicating with God has always been the formation of ideas that lead to understanding. I have learned more as I have slept than I ever have in waking moments. There are few mornings that have passed, that I have not learned something more about God, this form of existence or what I am to do in this existence.

There are many examples of the biblical communications with God, the only one I could point to as being a similar description to mine is when God taught the neccesary skills and understanding to the men who were to build Solomons temple, over night.

All knowleadge, ability and wisdom is a gift from God..

 

[Adonis65]

I would like to see how Christians perceive how the communication between God and man transpires.

How does one speak with and hear God? To believe in the reward of heaven or the punishment of hell one must believe in a non-tangible, immortal, spiritual existence. If this process was of the physical form, it would cease to exist upon ones natural death.

Hundreds of years ago, man could not comprehend radio waves and the concept of one man speaking to another who was on the other side of the world and was considered to be ludicrous. Now, with today’s technology, it’s understood.

My perception of our communication with God is somewhat similar to radio wave propagation but on a spiritual basis. It’s a non-physical, way of communicating requiring one to be in tune with God’s frequency, metaphorically speaking. This process cannot be comprehended or explained using mortal logic.

The best analogy that I’ve seen presented by mortal man is likened to George Lucas’ concept of “the force” introduced in his “Star Wars” films. I relate the force that exists between the Jedi families and with their mentors to be similar to our spiritual connection with god. The influence of Satan, I relate with “the dark side” of that force.

I either find a quiet place, or just kneel with my wife and pour out my soul to the great Creator. He answers our prayers in multiples ways. Whether it's a flash of clarity in our minds, thoughtful intervention from a friend, or a particular passage of scripture, it's all arranged by God.

 

[Azihayya]

For me, I find God through the experience of life; God is formless -- a whim, inherent in any quest seeking justice or inspiration, that I've related to through speech & text. Thusly, it's in part due my life's purpose to find the meaning of God from the experiences of others, in all of the names that it may take. I would not stray, however, from the intent that God ultimately stands for an inevitable prevailing force of goodness, that God, in the purest most unadulterated sense, is the definition of the greatest determination between all choices. I'm willing to interpret God in many ways, as many people have different views on what God is, and many more that no longer have a voice to answer questions. Regardless of how words are strung together to paint a picture, I generally can find some personal way that I can believe in what has to be said, or instead reserve judgement altogether.

 

[Acintya_Ash]

I would like to see how Christians perceive how the communication between God and man transpires.

How does one speak with and hear God? To believe in the reward of heaven or the punishment of hell one must believe in a non-tangible, immortal, spiritual existence. If this process was of the physical form, it would cease to exist upon ones natural death.

God is within us as Supersoul...and when our mind is pure we can feel his guidance from within. God is always ready to guide us but due to our contaminated mind we're not able to receive his grace.
I think Christianity calls this Supersoul aspect of God has the Holy Spirit.

The Upanishads give an allegory explaining our relationship to the Supersoul. Two birds are sitting in a tree. One bird is anxiously eating the tree's fruits, while other bird is calmly watching him. We're the anxious bird, and the witness bird is the Supersoul, or Superself.

We can perceive the presence of the Supersoul as the action of intelligence. When we can identify objects when they come into view, make plans and follow through with them, and understand the difference between matter and spirit – we're receiving guidance from the Supersoul. As Srila Prabhupada says in his purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.2.35:

"Every living being has his intelligence, and this intelligence, being the direction of some higher authority, is just like a father giving direction to his son. The higher authority, who is present and residing within every individual living being, is the Superself."

Supersoul & Paramatma | Krishna.com