If God is love

[kashmir]

If there is a Supreme Being, it seems pretty obvious that it isn't pure love or whatever emotions our species wants to project outward. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about such questions because it's really a problem that only exists in your mind. "Evil" is a man-made concept in the first place.

so true

 

[DawudTalut]

Hello and welcome to my discussion and please do not disrespect others, thank you.

When we think about those leading down the wrong path, we tend to not blame God for their failures, correct?
What about those born with devastating terminal illnesses like cancer?
Millions die every year due to so many diseases, correct?

How is God love, may I ask?

Peace be on you.
Quran
[3:7] He it is Who fashions you in the wombs as He wills; there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Wise.

1=God Wills good for His creation.
2=Food, medicine or other factors are due to people. Troubles are either results of individual and societal reasons or they come as trial for getting blessings.
3=There is always a small percentage of individuals who will seem to suffer as though without justification. However, a closer more careful examination of such cases would reveal that there is no question of wilful injustice involved. They are merely an unavoidable by-product of the wide plan of creation, but they also play a meaningful role in the general advancement of human society.
4=IMHO, in depth it is - Question of suffering discussion - Please read its various aspects @
https://www.alislam.org/library/books/revelation/part_2_section_6.html

 

[Spockrates]

Hello and welcome to my discussion and please do not disrespect others, thank you.

When we think about those leading down the wrong path, we tend to not blame God for their failures, correct?
What about those born with devastating terminal illnesses like cancer?
Millions die every year due to so many diseases, correct?

How is God love, may I ask?

Hey Kashmir. Thanks for asking the question.

My thought: If this life is only the end and not the beginning, then God appears to have little compassion for us. But if this life is only a moment in a long and satisfying and happy life, which only gets better and has no end, then that would be a logical reason to conclude that God (no matter what religion one has) is compassionate.

One example: When my sons were young, I took them to a physician to be vaccinated. I'm sure to them the needles were frightening, the shots were painful and they had good reason to doubt my love. It mattered not to them that I was honest and told them it would hurt for a moment, but it would protect them in the future. They were too young to understand and were living only in the now. My hug didn't lessen their pain. Only time did.

Perhaps a short life living in the now with cancer or some other disease is like that. Maybe there is even a benefit to living with such suffering for a relatively short time. For how can one truly empathize with the suffering of another having never suffered the same? But since this side of life is short, I guess one who suffers should make the most of each opportunity to empathize with other sufferers. What do you think?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Hello and welcome to my discussion and please do not disrespect others, thank you.

When we think about those leading down the wrong path, we tend to not blame God for their failures, correct?
What about those born with devastating terminal illnesses like cancer?
Millions die every year due to so many diseases, correct?

How is God love, may I ask?

In my opinion, I feel you have it backwards. Pretending god is love, instead of god helping people people call for him to help. If you dont ask how can you receive. Having cancer etc is the result of the fall (in christian view) just as pain in childbirth as so it says.

So to experience god's love that person has to reach out to him. Many people from cancer have led long lives because of "their" faith in god and that They reached out to them.

I dont agree god can reach out to people and display human characteristics. If we want to live life and quote on quote experience the love within it, the action comes from us not god.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Hello and welcome to my discussion and please do not disrespect others, thank you.

When we think about those leading down the wrong path, we tend to not blame God for their failures, correct?

What about those born with devastating terminal illnesses like cancer?
Millions die every year due to so many diseases, correct?

How is God love, may I ask?

The question is vague. You assume God has a known and understood nature, but you must know this is not how most people see it. "God is invisible" in more ways than one. How is God detected, anyway?

 

[Spockrates]

I think Kashmir has left the gathering. [emoji6]

 

[kashmir]

I think Kashmir has left the gathering. [emoji6]

Im still here, just have nothing to say right now, depression does that to me, sorry

 

[viole]

Hey Kashmir. Thanks for asking the question.

My thought: If this life is only the end and not the beginning, then God appears to have little compassion for us. But if this life is only a moment in a long and satisfying and happy life, which only gets better and has no end, then that would be a logical reason to conclude that God (no matter what religion one has) is compassionate.

One example: When my sons were young, I took them to a physician to be vaccinated. I'm sure to them the needles were frightening, the shots were painful and they had good reason to doubt my love. It mattered not to them that I was honest and told them it would hurt for a moment, but it would protect them in the future. They were too young to understand and were living only in the now. My hug didn't lessen their pain. Only time did.

Perhaps a short life living in the now with cancer or some other disease is like that. Maybe there is even a benefit to living with such suffering for a relatively short time. For how can one truly empathize with the suffering of another having never suffered the same? But since this side of life is short, I guess one who suffers should make the most of each opportunity to empathize with other sufferers. What do you think?

We can reverse the theory. God is evil, and therefore the moments of joy He lets us experience have the goal of making our future misery even worse. I could invert good with evil on all the words on your post and still make it coherent,

So, what makes people believe that God is good?

Ciao

- viole

 

[rusra02]

Hello and welcome to my discussion and please do not disrespect others, thank you.

When we think about those leading down the wrong path, we tend to not blame God for their failures, correct?
What about those born with devastating terminal illnesses like cancer?
Millions die every year due to so many diseases, correct?

How is God love, may I ask?

I do not believe God is responsible for the suffering we experience. Rather, sin, sickness, and death resulted from man's rebellion against God. Because God is love, he has made the way for mankind to be released from the curse Adam brought on us. Romans 8:21 promises that "the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God." Meanwhile, IMO, God is patiently giving people time to know the facts, if they choose to, before he ends forever suffering and those who cause it.

 

[Spockrates]

Im still here, just have nothing to say right now, depression does that to me, sorry

Yeah, I've been a little down myself, lately. Keeping myself busy seems to help more than dwelling on the past or the future.

 

[Spockrates]

We can reverse the theory. God is evil, and therefore the moments of joy He lets us experience have the goal of making our future misery even worse. I could invert good with evil on all the words on your post and still make it coherent,

So, what makes people believe that God is good?

Ciao

- viole

Yes! So if God exists, we would be wise to do our best to discern whether he, she, it or the lot of them is a monster or merciful.

If you want, let's consider the query from the ground at our feet, up, instead of from the heavens above down to the ground.

Let's say a child under your care has some creatures under her care--maybe creatures as insignificant as an ants in an "ant farm." Would you encourage her to learn to feed them and give them water? Or would you instead try to convince her to let put them in a window and watch them bake in the heat of the sunlight?

Also, why would you choose to guide the child one way, rather than the other?

 

[Acim]

Hello and welcome to my discussion and please do not disrespect others, thank you.

When we think about those leading down the wrong path, we tend to not blame God for their failures, correct?
What about those born with devastating terminal illnesses like cancer?
Millions die every year due to so many diseases, correct?

In God's Reality, or actual reality, people aren't dying or suffering. This is the illusion or projection of a split mind that is attempting, via faith, to separate Self from Knowledge, Love and Peace. Within the relative framework of illusion, it appears to be entirely done, and repercussions are playing out (seemingly without end, though that is obviously debatable).

How is God love, may I ask?

Within the illusion, the answer (God's Love) would not be easily discernible for as long as evidence is sought outside of the Self, where the inherent problem is thought to reside. The notion of these problems occurring to me are not of my making and are being done to me (or really my body self).

God's Love can be glimpsed at within the illusion, but mostly to only because of what the Self actually is, and is willing to envision. Because the illusion has become like a veil pulled over the sight of Reality, God provides way to undo the cause of the illusion and eliminate all possible effects. Without exception. Within illusion, this 'way' can appear like multiple paths, and/or distinct instances in overcoming the fundamental problem (existence/world without God/Love). In Reality, it is one problem (without a cause, and only illusory effects) with one solution, also illusory but is the way around reinforcing the fundamental error.

The solution is forgiveness.

Again, this can (rather easily) appear like there are multiple things / instances in which forgiveness is called forth, and again seemingly without end. In Reality, the only thing to forgive is the mind set that subscribes to existence as if occurs without God/Love. Forgiveness undoes the faith in illusion and restores awareness to the mind, undoing the split. With Love as its Source/inspiration, it can, if allowed heal any possible discomfort, instill sense of full abundance, and restore Peace in understanding that nothing real can be threatened; what is unreal cannot exist.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Yeah, I've been a little down myself, lately. Keeping myself busy seems to help more than dwelling on the past or the future.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[arthra]

Hello and welcome to my discussion and please do not disrespect others, thank you.
When we think about those leading down the wrong path, we tend to not blame God for their failures, correct?
What about those born with devastating terminal illnesses like cancer?
Millions die every year due to so many diseases, correct?
How is God love, may I ask?

I think the love of God for His creation is evident... and while there are "devastating" illnesses and our physical life on this plane has a beginning and end, it is the circumstances and context of life that affords us opportunities to help and love others... The love of God is only one aspect ...there's the love of man for man.. that love from God is the initial part of the picture. In the Baha'i view there are four kinds of love and I'll quote it here:

There are four kinds of love. The first is the love that flows from God to man; it consists of the inexhaustible graces, the Divine effulgence and heavenly illumination. Through this love the world of being receives life. Through this love man is endowed with physical existence, until, through the breath of the Holy Spirit -- this same love -- he receives eternal life and becomes the image of the Living God. This love is the origin of all the love in the world of creation.

58.5
The second is the love that flows from man to God. This is faith, attraction to the Divine, enkindlement, progress, entrance into the Kingdom of God, receiving the Bounties of God, illumination with the lights of the Kingdom. This love is the origin of all philanthropy; this love causes the hearts of men to reflect the rays of the Sun of Reality.

58.6
The third is the love of God towards the Self or Identity of God. This is the transfiguration of His Beauty, the reflection of Himself in the mirror of His Creation. This is the reality of love, the Ancient Love, the Eternal Love. Through one ray of this Love all other love exists.

58.7
The fourth is the love of man for man. The love which exists between the hearts of believers is prompted by the ideal of the unity of spirits. This love is attained through the knowledge of God, so that men see the Divine Love reflected in the heart. Each sees in the other the Beauty of God reflected in the soul, and finding this point of similarity, they are attracted to one another in love. This love will make all men the waves of one sea, this love will make them all the stars of one heaven and the fruits of one tree. This love will bring the realization of true accord, the foundation of real unity.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 179)

so the above to me conveys an ongoing flowing of love.

 

[ronandcarol]

If God is love....
You can leave off the IF, God is love. Read the first chapter of Genesis, you can see what God created, a very perfect world, man was the one that introduced the broken world when we disobeyed our creator. Satan is now the prince of this world.....he breeds disease and destruction. But than we can read the last chapter of the Bible and we can see that good does defeat evil and all will again be perfect in the Kingdom of God. Actually, Jesus won the battle at the cross and resurrection, and I believe that the end will come when God has drawn all to Him that will respond.

ronandcarol

 

[Spockrates]

Sorry to hear that.

[emoji846]

 

[Muffled]

Hello and welcome to my discussion and please do not disrespect others, thank you.

When we think about those leading down the wrong path, we tend to not blame God for their failures, correct?
What about those born with devastating terminal illnesses like cancer?
Millions die every year due to so many diseases, correct?

How is God love, may I ask?

I believe it is Karma. One must learn by going through what one puts others through. Love leads a person to learn to do what is right.

 

[Muffled]

God is pure hatred and pure Love at the same time.
Giving love to those who do not deserve it is an act of someone of severely less intelligence, not God.
When he sits as Brahma, he creates.
When he sits as NARAYANA, he maintains all the universe.
When he sits as Shiva he destroys.
When he sits as Saraswati, he enlightens.
When he sits as goddess Lakshmi, he gives prosperity.
When he sits as Kali, he shows pure wrath.

Some idiots see what they wish to see. If everything is created by God, yet God should be given the credits of love only?
That's stupid.

I believe this is blasphemy.

I believe that is absurd. I consider it highly intelligent.

I believe this is more likely the perspective of the viewer than reality.

I believe I consider myself moderately intelligent and not stupid and view it as God not taking credit for evil. I do not believe evil is a creation.

 

[Muffled]

I think to understand the answer to the 'Problem of Evil' we need to start thinking in more eastern ways.


1) That we live for eons in a soul developing process; not one body's duration. In that perspective any suffering in one life is short and temporary in this grander view. And even an unfortunate life and death has lessons for that soul and for those seeing and interacting with the unfortunate life.

2) That such things are not as random as they appear. There is chain of cause and effect through time we can not see.

3) That those currently living an unfortunate life will have victory 'enlightenment' at the end of the challenges.

One can hope but people tend to repeat their mistakes. It takes an intervention like Jesus on the cross to elicit a change in people's behavior.

 

[viole]

Yes! So if God exists, we would be wise to do our best to discern whether he, she, it or the lot of them is a monster or merciful.

It could be that He does not care at all.

If you want, let's consider the query from the ground at our feet, up, instead of from the heavens above down to the ground.

Let's say a child under your care has some creatures under her care--maybe creatures as insignificant as an ants in an "ant farm." Would you encourage her to learn to feed them and give them water? Or would you instead try to convince her to let put them in a window and watch them bake in the heat of the sunlight?

Also, why would you choose to guide the child one way, rather than the other?

Because that is what we think to be good. And because of obvious evolutionary advantages. After all, half of my genes are been carried around by that kid.

But I expect that God does not need to fulfill some evolutionary pressure.

Ciao

- viole