Do you see Nature as being part of God ?

[Sunstone]

Flies feasting on feces, insect infested rot under the fallen tree, noxious swamp gas, unfeeling predation, the metastasis of cancer cells - most people wax poetic about feeling more spiritual when "close to nature" but are fairly selective about the slice of nature to which they're referring. Such is always the case with human associations and projections.

Such is not always the case with human associations and projections. In my experience, it's more a problem for highly urbanized people who haven't spent enough time in nature observing the sheer diversity and amorality of it to realize they romanticize it. The other side of the same coin for such highly urbanized people is to be appalled at feces, ticks, hypothermia, illness, etc. etc, and reject nature because it's not romantic enough, not sweet enough, not convenient enough, for them. Neither view, so typical of many highly urbanized people (but not all urbanized people), has much to do with nature.

In a larger sense, how one thinks about nature is not nearly so important as how one experiences nature. If you want to conceptualize nature, that's fine. But you are, IMHO, being selective no matter how you conceptualize it. Any attempt to consciously grasp nature fragments the experience of nature.

 

[kreeden]

Flies feasting on feces, insect infested rot under the fallen tree, noxious swamp gas, unfeeling predation, the metastasis of cancer cells - most people wax poetic about feeling more spiritual when "close to nature" but are fairly selective about the slice of nature to which they're referring. Such is always the case with human associations and projections.

Actually swamps and marshes are my favorite places . Flies and feces don't bother me at all , unless I have them on me . And then I can put up with a few flies ... And what is so " unfeeling " about predation ? I would assume , from that satement , that you have never hunted , nor been hunted ?

Cancer I could do without . But life isn't all roses and sunshine . There are all kinds of " unpleasantries " laying under the sterile world that we hide within . On that , I agree with you . But they too have their place in Nature . One could say that they are a part of a greater truth ....

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

There are two ways to view Nature: the Romantic way or the Classical way. In this I'm channeling Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

I'm not a big believer in "channeling" nor a fan of that book. That being said, there are many ways to view nature.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Such is not always the case with human associations and projections. In my experience, it's more a problem for highly urbanized people who haven't spent enough time in nature observing the sheer diversity and amorality of it to realize they romanticize it.

I suspect that you're wrong, but thanks for the observation.

 

[Random]

I'm not a big believer in "channeling" nor a fan of that book. That being said, there are many ways to view nature.

You're giving away your age there, Jay. I of course didn't mean "channeling" in the sense of spiritist channeling, I merely meant that I was borrowing the whole Romantic vs. Classical viewpoints from the book.

 

[Sunstone]

I suspect that you're wrong, but thanks for the observation.

I suspect I've accurately represented my own experience, as I stated.

 

[signalreceivers]

God is Nature.

Permit me to throw in my two cents if you will.

Like Pharoah's Generals told Him,
"No army in the world would dare strike a sword against us, but how can we fight nature (speaking about the 10 plagues)?"

So then let us consider the other side of the coin. The anti-christ would be anti-nature and would also then make laws against nature, since he is trying to take the place of God (as if...) by making people to obey him and to disobey God.

2 Entirely opposite examples of laws against nature being then anti-God, and or anti-Christ.

Abortion.
As the "highest form" of nature, being humans, it must be agreed that the shedding of innocent blood is against our nature if we are "civilized" and "highly evolved", and planning and or paying someone to end an innocent life is even worse.
ENTER AMERICA

Marijuana
The first five books of "The Law" state that all green herbs are given by God to man for his use, and that they would be very good for him."
ENTER AMERICA

The two above are an example of two totally different subjects illuminating
THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH
THE LAW OF GOD AKA THE LAW OF NATURE

"He who controls the world's natural resources, will control the world."

Hmmmm?? Who could that possibly be?
So many Kings have tried and have come so close, until now.

Babylon the Great has fallen, has fallen!!
Ever notice how it falls and then all the sudden it falls again?
I always thought that maybe people were correct for saying I was crazy years back when I would say that America is Babylon The Great, but when America went into Iraq to "liberate" it, then I understood

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I suspect I've accurately represented my own experience, as I stated.

As do I. I further suspect that it reinforces mine.

As for all those who, as michel suggested, "feel 'closer to God' when immersed in nature", one can only wonder just what they think they're "immersed in" the rest of the time. Res ipsa loquitur.

 

[Tigress]

Do you see Nature as being part of God ?

Yes, I'm a Pantheist. I believe that 'God is all, and all is God.'

 

[darkpenguin]

Yes, I'm a Pantheist. I believe that 'God is all, and all is God.'

makes sense really! having said that i believe there are higher powers but not gods i believe a god is only a perception of the mind, heck i could imagine up a purple bunny to be my god if i so wish, from a scientific view i believe that when we die the energy has to go somewhere so im figuring that its put back into nature and spread out among various things! without wanting to sound cheesy, were all involed in a continuous circle of life, i feel an elton john moment coming on lol
anyways god is perceptions and seeing we all have different perceptions then god is mearly a reflection of ones self and what we strive to be!

 

[lilithu]

Flies feasting on feces, insect infested rot under the fallen tree, noxious swamp gas, unfeeling predation, the metastasis of cancer cells - most people wax poetic about feeling more spiritual when "close to nature" but are fairly selective about the slice of nature to which they're referring. Such is always the case with human associations and projections.

That was the point I was trying to make in the other thread. We romanticize nature.

I do feel closer to God in nature. I also feel closer to God in the city. And as for "flies feasting on feces, insect infested rot under the fallen tree, noxious swamp gas, unfeeling predation, the metastasis of cancer cells," that is God too. As I said in the other thread, it's easy to love only the things that are "beautiful." It's much harder to love the things that we percieve as "ugly" or unpleasant. That is the true spiritual challenge.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

That was the point I was trying to make in the other thread. We romanticize nature.

In my opinion, it's all nature. "Romanticizing nature" is but vernacular for anthropomorphic and anthropopathic projection. The naturalist (though not her alone) seeks to appreciate the process and the mystery of Nature without the human trappings of God-language.

 

[gnostic]

I see natural wonders are natural phenomena. I don't see any divine (or supernatural) phenomena involved in nature. I don't see God playing any part in the natural world, except through what are written in various scriptures, that may or may not hold any substance.

Similarly, I see life as natural wonders, but I don't any god sparking that life.

:sorry1: for spoiling the party, but that's my 5 cents. (Australia no longer have 2 cent in their currency.)

 

[Quiddity]

That was the point I was trying to make in the other thread. We romanticize nature.

I do feel closer to God in nature. I also feel closer to God in the city. And as for "flies feasting on feces, insect infested rot under the fallen tree, noxious swamp gas, unfeeling predation, the metastasis of cancer cells," that is God too. As I said in the other thread, it's easy to love only the things that are "beautiful." It's much harder to love the things that we percieve as "ugly" or unpleasant. That is the true spiritual challenge.

It certainly is. Early on in my ventures, I tried tackling those unpleasant and ugly ones. It has a huge impact on how I see things now.

 

[Katzpur]

Sunstone's thread "God, Man And Nature" seems to show that many members feel 'closer to God' when immersed in nature............away from concrete etc.

I guess an immediate question arises "Do you see Nature as being part of God ?" I must admit that I do; I believe Nature is the only 'visible' manifestation of God. I believe that nature is "part ofGod."

No, I don't see nature as being part of God. I see it as being the creation of God. Two different things entirely.

 

[Willamena]

:sorry1: for spoiling the party, but that's my 5 cents. (Australia no longer have 2 cent in their currency.)

Your 5 cents is worth as much as anyone's 2 cents.

 

[autonomous1one1]

The believer says "I believe IN God", the unbeliever says "There is NO God", but the mystic says "There is ONLY God". So yes, of course Nature is part of God and God is in Nature, both Human and Wild, but He is within and without it: He contains and transcends Nature @ once, so He is Nature but not identical to Nature.

Love and agree with your post, Godlike. Would like to add a point and see if you agree. But first, let me note that my belief is in agreement with you that God transcends nature in the sense that God is being-itself, the ground or source of being and not only 'being' ('being' here is all there is in the finite world). This transcendence or ground is 'before' or 'above' 'things' and space-time but with the power to create them. It is self sufficient.

My belief is that 'Enlightenment' is human realization of oneness with God, identity with the source of all being. One finds what shaktinah wrote in another thread, that one is God, as is everyone else. We all are one with each other and one with nature. In Enlightenment, this union can be brought directly into what might be called a higher awareness, God-consciousness, and the self-identity of the individual transforms to one with God. Thus, all nature is within the true Self but without the finite old self. My point - this is not a being along side of other beings in nature. A new dimension is added that takes us out of the scope of panentheism to a new realm. Do you agree?

My apologies for the inadequacies of my language to describe this. If one separates to reflect on the awareness as an object it is lost for that moment.

 

[Sunstone]

That was the point I was trying to make in the other thread. We romanticize nature.

I do feel closer to God in nature. I also feel closer to God in the city. And as for "flies feasting on feces, insect infested rot under the fallen tree, noxious swamp gas, unfeeling predation, the metastasis of cancer cells," that is God too. As I said in the other thread, it's easy to love only the things that are "beautiful." It's much harder to love the things that we percieve as "ugly" or unpleasant. That is the true spiritual challenge.

When we romanticize nature, we reduce it to human values, and thus ultimately to our own egos. Yet, the whole point of experiencing nature in its totality (if there is indeed any point in experiencing nature at all) is to experience something greater than our own egos.