I think that if one understood and knew everything, that its possible that the being would want to go back to a state in which mystery was a part of reality. Perhaps too much fun, too much adventure, too much excitement, is taken out of life if a being were to come to a complete understanding and knowledge of reality. There would be nothing left to explore... Nothing to wonder about... Perhaps it is more unsatisfying to know and understand everything, than to have incomplete knowledge and understanding...
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Is it better to know and understand everything, or to have incomplete understanding and knowledge?
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dust1n
Zindīq
Possibly.. though, if I had complete understanding, I would take control of the world as a benevolent dictator (I would know how to pull this off, I imagine) and then I would lead the world to peace (Something else I would already know how to pull off), and write a political doctrine that could not be broken. I would take a certain amount of students in to teach them every that was needed to know to officially control the world and not be corrupt (I would know how to do that as well), and then everyone will think of me a god figure.
Crazy Professor
New Member
Fantastic evidence that the Bible is of divine origin is that we are not able to understand it completely. It just proves that God is so much bigger than us!
Couldn't you say the same for every religion...?
Everything is possible, I guess. But I doubt I would like to have less knowledge without a very good reason.
Crazy Professor
New Member
If a sacred text could be fully understood this could indicate that it is of human origin. However, if a sacred text is not able to be understood it could also mean that the author was crazy. But then it would just be the mad ravings of someone and not classed as a sacred text. I think that my earlier statement is valid and a type of acid test if you like. I guess it also gives one hope in that not having a full understanding does not mean that God has in some way divorced himself from the individual.
Is there any reason why a sacred text shouldn't be of human origin?
Sure, and you could be right. But I've never heard of a religious scripture that can be fully comprehended. So we can't really say that a religion is correct on the basis that its scriptures are mysterious and nor can a mysterious text mean that it is of Divine origin. A human can write something based on their perspective of reality and another human can read it but having a different perspective or reality, would not be able to fully comprehend or correctly interpret the meaning.
Crazy Professor
New Member
I thought the whole point of having a sacred text was that it was someting to give guidence outside of/beyond yourself
To a point, that is true. But being understandable is certainly desirable to any kind of guidance.
Crazy Professor
New Member
I guess that we need to understand what "false" refers to. I take "false" to refer to a false or deceptive way of gaining eternal life that does not end up in eternal life. There could be other understandings out there
What do you mean? What does the emaning of 'false' have to do with drawing a link between mystery and truth?
Peacewise
Active Member
The more one knows the more sadness one knows, yet it is also true that one knows more happiness as well.
An entity that knows everything would be perfectly balanced.
Take for example the concept of being cruel to be kind. Like when a parent knows that their child must make their own mistakes to learn best. That knowledge that the parent knows how to not make their child's mistakes could be a burden on the parent for they possibly cannot tell their child how to avoid that mistake, whilst the knowledge that not telling the child is the best thing for the child balances that with a joy that a child does learn from their mistakes.
Likewise being kind can be cruel, for if one is too much of a shield to their child (or whomever) then the child cannot be so independent and it is cruel to limit someone because the parent is too weak in their kindness to be more cruel.
Things are not so simple, and when absolutes are talked about and talked about as generalities it is only our weakness that makes things seem so simple.
An entity that knows everything would be perfectly balanced.
Take for example the concept of being cruel to be kind. Like when a parent knows that their child must make their own mistakes to learn best. That knowledge that the parent knows how to not make their child's mistakes could be a burden on the parent for they possibly cannot tell their child how to avoid that mistake, whilst the knowledge that not telling the child is the best thing for the child balances that with a joy that a child does learn from their mistakes.
Likewise being kind can be cruel, for if one is too much of a shield to their child (or whomever) then the child cannot be so independent and it is cruel to limit someone because the parent is too weak in their kindness to be more cruel.
Things are not so simple, and when absolutes are talked about and talked about as generalities it is only our weakness that makes things seem so simple.
But... if the "complete understanding" of reality indicated that reality was a complete and utter mystery, then it would put back total fun, total adventure, total excitement in life. There would be everything to explore, nothing would be certain, and everything would be a wonder.
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
I would say: both.
tumbleweed41
Resident Liberal Hippie
The thing is, the more I understand of how the universe works, the more fulfilled I am. I can not imagine wanting to remain in ignorance out of fear of loosing any 'mystery'.
http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/scriptural-debates/89342-revealed-revelations-god.html
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
"One who knows all things, but doesn't know himself, is utterly lacking"- Jesus (Gospel of Thomas)
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
To give my own answer. It's better not to have all the answers for now, in this existence. If we did, who knows what some would do with such knowledge?