Is the True Relationship to God that of a Parent and Child?

[Astravalon]

For the sake of discussion, please assume that god (or the gods) exists when responding to this thread.

If indeed god or the gods existed, would it be true that our relationship to them was that of a parent and child? Or would the metaphor of parent/child be seriously misleading or inadequate? What do you think?

I think it depends on the spiritual path.

I mean, in the sense that I, as a creation, came from God,
and He knows more than I do, that could make Him a parent
and me a child.

In recent years, however, my view has been influenced more
by bridal mysticism, where God is the Lover and the soul is
the Beloved (what Hinduism refers to as madhurya bhava).

-

 

[arthra]

For the sake of discussion, please assume that god (or the gods) exists when responding to this thread.

If indeed god or the gods existed, would it be true that our relationship to them was that of a parent and child? Or would the metaphor of parent/child be seriously misleading or inadequate? What do you think?

Consider the context where Jesus refers to God as "Our Father".... The relationship between a child and parent... a father and son..in the context of the culture of the time of Jesus was most intimate.

The caste of priests and Pharisees had the people of the time in a spiritual strangle hold full of rules and prohibitions and penalties...rules of what was clean and what was unclean...rules about the Sabbath ..rules about the Temple...rules about what should be offered as a sacrifice and so on.

Jesus taught a spiritual message that we could be "intimate" as a child with a parent... a son with a father... to break through the hierarchy and long list of ordinances. His station of "Son" was a spiritual one...to convey the meaning that we could be spiritually intimate with God.

 

[Thana]

Not at all. I was simply responding to the title question.

Is the True Relationship to God that of a Parent and Child?
​

God's relationship with man includes incidents of true viciousness. Incidents no parent in their right mind would inflict on their children. But perhaps god wasn't in his right mind.


So what? Is this suppose to absolve god of his vile behavior toward humans?
.

No, I was just pointing out your generalisation. Making the world a better place and all that.

And you're happy enough to go with hypotheticals about God's existence, But you're not willing to acknowledge that if God existed death wouldn't mean much. So all the verses you provided as evidence of God's 'vile behaviour' don't actually hold any weight. So He kills them, or expects them to be killed, so what?

 

[Skwim]

And you're happy enough to go with hypotheticals about God's existence, But you're not willing to acknowledge that if God existed death wouldn't mean much. So all the verses you provided as evidence of God's 'vile behaviour' don't actually hold any weight. So He kills them, or expects them to be killed, so what?

Sorry, but I'm not following you at all.

 

[Thana]

Sorry, but I'm not following you at all.

The value of death. You value it based on it being the end of what you are, but if God existed life and death are basically a blip on the radar. So even if God kills us or sanctions our deaths if we break His laws, what does it matter? How is that evidence that He's not a good parent? If you get down to it, It's basically a time out for naughty kids.

 

[Skwim]

No, I was just pointing out your generalisation. Making the world a better place and all that.

And you're happy enough to go with hypotheticals about God's existence,

If you consider the Biblical accounts of god's actions to be hypotheticals, fine. I'm taking them at face value to be true for the believer.

But you're not willing to acknowledge that if God existed death wouldn't mean much. So all the verses you provided as evidence of God's 'vile behaviour' don't actually hold any weight.

The following is based on a guess as to what you mean: I don't have to believe them in order to draw conclusions about them.

So He kills them, or expects them to be killed, so what?

So for those who do believe them they stand in poor comparison to the parent child relationship.


.

 

[allfoak]

Well if I had created billions of children and allowed them to suffer for so long I don`t imagine I`d care a ton about each individual one to call them a child of mine. Views of a child/parent relationship between humanity and god is way to anthropocentric for me to wrap my head around.

I am not picking on you @Rowan, i am just using what you said to make a point.
Nothing to do with you.

I just want to say that we do not suffer anything without God suffering it also.
The reason this is true is because we are in God's head, so to speak.
None of the creation is separate from God, it is all in his mind, he is aware of every detail.
In fact, God is mind.


A little side note for those who disagree with what i just said.

The things i say are generally for the purpose of encouragement unless i am discussing something specific with someone.
I do not want to get into a big discussion about whether i can prove what i just said, it is part of the Hermetic tradition, take it up with Hermes.

I would be happy to discuss the Hermetic tradition with anyone who wishes to do so but i am no longer going to argue with someone about whether i have scientific evidence of the existence of God.
Those of you who demand proof of the things i state have already been told how to prove the things i say for yourself.
The proof for the existence of God comes from purifying one's self, not from some book or priest.
It is an internal experience, not an intellectual exercise.
The argument is over for me.

 

[bobhikes]

For the sake of discussion, please assume that god (or the gods) exists when responding to this thread.

If indeed god or the gods existed, would it be true that our relationship to them was that of a parent and child? Or would the metaphor of parent/child be seriously misleading or inadequate? What do you think?

I think parent to child is the closest relationship we can understand. What I believe the true relationship is an intellectual creator and its creation that is a physical and mental part of it.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

Perhaps this is the relationship:
http://www.manygods.org.uk/articles/essays/catanalogy.shtml