God is a person

[idea]

Can you, though? How? How do you physically interact with your god?
I'm genuinely interested in this view that you and others have.

Through the Spirit... there are different forms of communication, one that we are all familiar with is our conscience - we are born with a natural capacity to distinguish between right and wrong, due to the light of Christ that is given to every person, the guilt we feel when we do something wrong, the good we feel when we do something right - these feelings and promptings come from God. If you are able to tune into your conscience - really tune in, and follow it, you will begin to recognize just how close and how real God is.

I communicate with God through my soul and conscious. Do you believe that man has found all the ways to communicate? What about when man only talked face to face with other people, do you think they thought that was the only way to communicate? What about when the telegraph came along, then telephones, then internet, then cell phones, are we finally at the end of our ways to communicate? Or are there ways to communicate that man doesn’t know about today? I suggest there is.

Just read your answer! I agree, listen to your conscience - and that is only the first form of commuinication. More powerful manifestations of the Spirit include feeling a warmth - a fire

Matthew 3:11 ... he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Helaman 5:45 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire,

He can talk to you, you hear His voice as you hear a person talking... it sounds like someone in the room with you, only you cannot see anyone.

1 Samuel 3:7 - 10
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

There are visions, dreams...

He also talks to us through the scriptures, and through his servants, the prophets.

 

[Man of Faith]

It has everything to do with humanity. In your own OP you gave God human traits.



Of course, these traits could also be applied to Bonobo apes, and as you pointed out, dolphins. Which is why I find this attempt at anthropomorphism to be unsettling.

Those are traits that are of a person, not necessarily humans only.

 

[Man of Faith]

How in the world do you know what I know? Besides that, how in the world do you even start to think you know what God knows? You don't know what either one of us know.

And you're wrong. I certainly can say what I'd do if I were God in a particular situation. If I were God I'd never order any human to murder another. If I were God, I wouldn't send people to a Hell of eternal torture simply for being confused. If I were God, I wouldn't condone War of any kind, and I would use my Godly powers to restrict anyone from attaching my name to a War or to any politically-motivated agenda.

There's a lot of others things I would do if I were God, and I don't have to be in a particular situation to consider what my actions might be. We, as humans, have the ability to think hypothetically. And I know exactly what to expect of God in certain situations based on the attributes and characteristics ascribed to him.

Many Christians say that God is lawful and just, but then they claim the Bible is the infallible word of God, an instrument that tells His story, and it contains sections where God orders innocent people, such as women, children and servants at Jericho, to be murdered. It also claims that God ordered surrendering soldiers and those attempting to flee the battle be massacred.

I may not know what God will do in every situation, but I damn sure know what He'll do in very specific situations, that is, if He wants to keep his holy arse consistent.

Did you just ask me how did I know that you don't know what God knows? Well tell me are you God, if not then be definition you don't know what God knows.

God did tell us not to murder, so obviously the cases in the Bible aren't murder, but possibly self-defense.

 

[Man of Faith]

God desires? Doesn't desire imply lack? What does God lack?

God lacks a personal relationship with everyone in the world which makes him suffer.

 

[PolyHedral]

I think I'll pass on this conversation because it doesn't seem to be useful.

IMO, it's very useful. Unless there is a reason for God to prefer one metaphorical ant over another, then your OP is essentially destroyed.

Did you just ask me how did I know that you don't know what God knows? Well tell me are you God, if not then be definition you don't know what God knows.

No, he asked you how you know that he doesn't know what he'd do as God.

God did tell us not to murder, so obviously the cases in the Bible aren't murder, but possibly self-defense.

2.4 million dead is self-defense?

 

[idea]

Therefore he wills, feels, thinks, enjoys, loves, desires, and suffers like any person does. And I can cultivate a relationship with him just like I can with any person. I wouldn’t tell any person that they don’t exist, use their name while cursing, or do what they don’t want me to if I want to cultivate a relationship with them. I would talk to them and try to find out how to please them.

I agree, God is a person... Those who have seen Him know that He is a person - perfect person, but He is a person, not some abstract strange entity...

(Topical Guide | GGod, Body of—Corporeal Nature:Entry)
God, Body of—Corporeal Nature (see also Man, A Spirit Child of Heavenly Father; Man, Physical Creation of)
Gen. 1:27 (Moses 2:27) God created man in his own image
Gen. 5:1 God created man, in the likeness of God made he him
Gen. 9:6 in the image of God made he man
Gen. 18:33 Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing
Gen. 32:30 I have seen God face to face
Ex. 24:10 they saw the God of Israel, there was under his feet
Ex. 31:18 (Deut. 9:10) written with the finger of God
Ex. 33:11 Lord spake unto Moses face to face
Ex. 33:23 thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen
Num. 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth
Matt. 3:17 a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son
Matt. 4:4 every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God
Matt. 17:5 a voice out of the cloud
Luke 24:39 for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have
John 14:9 he that hath seen me hath seen the Father
Acts 7:56 the Son of man standing on the right hand of God
Rom. 8:29 predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son
2 Cor. 4:4 Christ, who is the image of God
Philip. 2:6 who, being in the form of God
Philip. 3:21 our vile body ... fashioned like unto his glorious body
Col. 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God
Heb. 1:3 the express image of his person
James 3:9 men which are made after the similitude of God
1 Jn. 3:2 when he shall appear, we shall be like him
Rev. 22:4 they shall see his face
Mosiah 7:27 (Ether 3:15) image after which man was created
D&C 20:18 he created man, male and female, after his own image
D&C 110:3 his eyes were as a flame of fire
D&C 130:1 Savior shall appear ... see that he is a man like ourselves
D&C 130:22 Father has a body of flesh and bones; Moses 1:16 thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten
D&C 6:9 In the image of his own body ... created he them
Abr. 3:11 Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face
Abr. 4:27 Gods went down to organize man in their own image
See also Gen. 33:10; Deut. 4:28; Acts 17:29; Col. 3:10.

He is a person, with a face, hands, feet, fingers, mouth, eyes, etc. etc. We are created in His image - we are his children.


To know someone, walk a mile in their shoes... the closer we come to living as Jesus did, the closer we come to knowing both Jesus and God...

 

[idea]

God did tell us not to murder, so obviously the cases in the Bible aren't murder, but possibly self-defense.

I think most people here would be willing to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing innocents, if we knew that it was the only way to end the war - and thus save the lives of countless more. God sees the big picture... kill 1,000 to save 1,000,000...

 

[Man of Faith]

Through the Spirit... there are different forms of communication, one that we are all familiar with is our conscience - we are born with a natural capacity to distinguish between right and wrong, due to the light of Christ that is given to every person, the guilt we feel when we do something wrong, the good we feel when we do something right - these feelings and promptings come from God. If you are able to tune into your conscience - really tune in, and follow it, you will begin to recognize just how close and how real God is.



Just read your answer! I agree, listen to your conscience - and that is only the first form of commuinication. More powerful manifestations of the Spirit include feeling a warmth - a fire

Matthew3:11 ... he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Helaman5:45 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire,

He can talk to you, you hear His voice as you hear a person talking... it sounds like someone in the room with you, only you cannot see anyone.

1 Samuel3:7 - 10
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

There are visions, dreams...

He also talks to us through the scriptures, and through his servants, the prophets.

These are both good posts, thanks.

 

[Man of Faith]

I think most people here would be willing to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing innocents, if we knew that it was the only way to end the war - and thus save the lives of countless more. God sees the big picture... kill 1,000 to save 1,000,000...

That is a great analogy. Thanks.

 

[Eliot Wild]

Did you just ask me how did I know that you don't know what God knows? Well tell me are you God, if not then be definition you don't know what God knows.

God did tell us not to murder, so obviously the cases in the Bible aren't murder, but possibly self-defense.

Yes, I asked you how in the world could you possibly presume to know what either of us know. So, God can create worlds, part seas, flood planets, raise the dead, and do all kinds of other wonderous miracles but He can't impart all his knowledge and wisdom to another?

See, I think you are missing my point. And your question about what I asked proves this explicitly. You presume far too much, at least it seems to me. No, it doesn't 'seem' that way to me; You most certainly DO presume far too much.

Your propositions and arguments in support thereof are based on assumptions and woefully flawed claims. This is why people are attacking them. You probably also assume that everyone is attacking God, but they're not. They're providing counter-statements that demonstrate how absolutely impossible it is for such a God to exist.

You have made claims that are mere assumptions, that can only be valildated through blind faith. And as another poster aptly put it, anybody can do that. I can claim that God is a blue-skinned troll who, though omnipotent and omnipresent, prefers to live under a bridge just outside Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Oh, by the way, he likes to remain invisible, so don't go looking for him there, 'cause you'll never find him.

Just because I'm not God, doesn't mean that God hasn't told me everything He knows, or at least maybe He's told me that you personally are way off in your theories about Him. My larger point is this, and please understand I really do mean this constructively and with all due respect: You are not engaging in 'religious debate'. You are making unverifiable claims that any child could make. You are not proposing positions and arguments that carry any weight. And furthermore, you are basing them on assumptions and blind belief--belief without validating support of either reason or material evidence.

The very fact that you claim I must be God to know what he knows or to evaluate the consistency and overall truth of other's theories about him, that indicates to me and probably plenty others reading this thread, that you have failed to consider numerous other possibilities. The same is true, or so it seems to me, of your 'faith' as well.

 

[tumbleweed41]

Those are traits that are of a person, not necessarily humans only.

Exactly. In giving these traits to God, it could be basically said that you have brought God down to a Biological level.

In Genesis, where it states that "we shall make Man in Our own image...", the writers brought God down to a level they could understand. Later, God is given the human attributes of Jealousy, Love, Commitment, Disciplinarian, etc...
The Christian writers even had God become human so that God could physically suffer like us.
This was a common theme among many religions at that time.

The human desire to understand God has caused many to define God with human emotional and even physical traits.

 

[Man of Faith]

IMO, it's very useful. Unless there is a reason for God to prefer one metaphorical ant over another, then your OP is essentially destroyed.

Obviously your philosophical knowledge is greater than mine because I still find it not useful, but oh well, I'm no genious and I'm sure nobody thinks I am.

 

[idea]

I find this to be a very limiting concept of God.
Anthropomorphism has always seemed to me to be an attempt to bring God down to a human level.

It does not limit God, it exalts mankind - it exalts God's creation, and therefore exalts God.

Psalms 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High...

Yes, it is good to be humble, but it is also good to recognize who we are, and what our relashonship with God is. We are children of God, created in His image, and given the opportunity to advance and become as He is if we so choose.

1 Corinthians 2:9 Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

 

[tumbleweed41]

It does not limit God, it exalts mankind - it exalts God's creation, and therefore exalts God.

In either sense, God is human, or human is God.

 

[PolyHedral]

Obviously your philosophical knowledge is greater than mine because I still find it not useful, but oh well, I'm no genious and I'm sure nobody thinks I am.

OK, I'll get rid of the metaphors:

Why would God emphasize with any one human out of 7 billion?

It does not limit God, it exalts mankind - it exalts God's creation, and therefore exalts God.

So God is a psychologically human, only wielding unmeasurable power?

 

[Man of Faith]

I think most people here would be willing to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing innocents, if we knew that it was the only way to end the war - and thus save the lives of countless more. God sees the big picture... kill 1,000 to save 1,000,000...

And another point that might be worth saying, during times of war, killing is not considered murder.

 

[idea]

Yes, I asked you how in the world could you possibly presume to know what either of us know. So, God can create worlds, part seas, flood planets, raise the dead, and do all kinds of other wonderous miracles but He can't impart all his knowledge and wisdom to another?

God can and does impart all of his knowledge and wisdom to those who listen.

You have made claims that are mere assumptions, that can only be valildated through blind faith.

faith is the first step in any endeavor - the first time you eat chocolate cake you put it into your mouth having faith that the others who have talked you into eating it are telling you the truth... once you eat the cake, you no longer have to rely on faith though...

the first time you open yourself to God, you do so in faith... once He replies, you no longer have to rely on faith ... the first step is taken in faith though - as with everything.

I must be God to know what he knows ...

Actually, you do have to "walk a mile in their shoes..." to really know someone.

The entire point of it all - don't kill, don't steal, don't covet, love - it's all about how we should treat one another, it's all about relashonships, it's all about how to be close to one another so that we can actually know one another - that is the ultimate point of it all, to see one another face to face...

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1 Corinthians13:12 - 13

one day, we will know as we are known...

 

[Man of Faith]

Yes, I asked you how in the world could you possibly presume to know what either of us know. So, God can create worlds, part seas, flood planets, raise the dead, and do all kinds of other wonderous miracles but He can't impart all his knowledge and wisdom to another?

See, I think you are missing my point. And your question about what I asked proves this explicitly. You presume far too much, at least it seems to me. No, it doesn't 'seem' that way to me; You most certainly DO presume far too much.

Your propositions and arguments in support thereof are based on assumptions and woefully flawed claims. This is why people are attacking them. You probably also assume that everyone is attacking God, but they're not. They're providing counter-statements that demonstrate how absolutely impossible it is for such a God to exist.

You have made claims that are mere assumptions, that can only be valildated through blind faith. And as another poster aptly put it, anybody can do that. I can claim that God is a blue-skinned troll who, though omnipotent and omnipresent, prefers to live under a bridge just outside Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Oh, by the way, he likes to remain invisible, so don't go looking for him there, 'cause you'll never find him.

Just because I'm not God, doesn't mean that God hasn't told me everything He knows, or at least maybe He's told me that you personally are way off in your theories about Him. My larger point is this, and please understand I really do mean this constructively and with all due respect: You are not engaging in 'religious debate'. You are making unverifiable claims that any child could make. You are not proposing positions and arguments that carry any weight. And furthermore, you are basing them on assumptions and blind belief--belief without validating support of either reason or material evidence.

The very fact that you claim I must be God to know what he knows or to evaluate the consistency and overall truth of other's theories about him, that indicates to me and probably plenty others reading this thread, that you have failed to consider numerous other possibilities. The same is true, or so it seems to me, of your 'faith' as well.

This is a pretty good post, I'm not going to counter every sentence, but just mention that, my claims are based on my knowledge of the Bible and having cultivated a personal relationship with God over many years. Yes, some are presupposed but all humans presuppose things in order to make claims about God and the spirit world. Everybody does it, that's part of being human and why faith plays a role to some degree in everyones life.

However I know there is a God like I know there are people on this forum because I interact with them.

 

[idea]

OK, I'll get rid of the metaphors:

Why would God emphasize with any one human out of 7 billion?

we are all one in a billion... We have all been given a conscience, God speaks to all of us.

So God is a psychologically human, only wielding unmeasurable power?

We are the ones who are infants, not yet aware of the unmeasurable power that lies within...

 

[tumbleweed41]

I think most people here would be willing to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing innocents, if we knew that it was the only way to end the war - and thus save the lives of countless more. God sees the big picture... kill 1,000 to save 1,000,000...

Poor example. The War was nearing an end and Military targets, rather than civilian, would have been more acceptable.
I find the bombings to be one of the most shameful acts the American government has ever sanctioned.

And even suggesting that God "must" kill 1,000 in order to save 1,000,000 is a limitation of God.