Poll: Theists Only

[JustGeorge]

Often, I see people reference 'God' here but don't give a good definition of what that is to them. Also, I see a lot of folks conflate all theism with Abrahamic faith. I thought it would be interesting to see what 'God' actually is to us here at RF!

I politely request that theists only use this poll, as it isn't relevant to atheists. Agnostics may use the poll if they feel any of it applies to them.

 

[Lain]

Often, I see people reference 'God' here but don't give a good definition of what that is to them. Also, I see a lot of folks conflate all theism with Abrahamic faith. I thought it would be interesting to see what 'God' actually is to us here at RF!

I politely request that theists only use this poll, as it isn't relevant to atheists. Agnostics may use the poll if they feel any of it applies to them.

- Infinite.
- One (one nature, united action towards creation, one Principle without Principle).
- Many (Three Persons).
- Related to us on a personal level (persons do this).
- Lays out the basis for morality.
- Affords only one path to meet Him (through the Lord Jesus).
- Affords many paths to meet Him (makes use of the good dispositions in men even who are ignorant or reject the Lord to bring them to the Lord anyway).

Such is what I have learned.

 

[JustGeorge]

I picked:

-Infinite.

If God is infinite, how can the mind, which is finite, fully know her/him/it?

-A concrete being

While I believe this is rare, I do believe that God has occasionally taken partial incarnations(partial, because one cannot fit the infinite in a finite package) in various places in the world and at various times.

-One

I believe all comes from a singular source.

-Many

I believe God exists in countless forms, as can be seen by the myriad of deities throughout different cultures and at different times.

-God can relate to us

Like the 'concrete being' aspect, I believe this can happen, but that its rare, and only in accordance with our karmic cycles.

-Is part of nature and science

I see no difference between God and Science. Who said the processes of science are not sentient? How would our finite mind know? We only have 5 senses. How many others exist for ideas not even known?

-Has many paths

To reflect her/his infinite nature, I believe the paths are infinite.

 

[Rival]

God is One, Infinite, Immaterial, Transcendent, Immanent, Personal, Interfering, Moral Arbiter, Judicial and lays out a path for folks to follow. I would say other paths to God are through many curtains.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I chose:
Infinite
Many
Is part of nature
Affords many paths

I view "God" as the sum total of existence, where the interconnected web of reality bleeds together. I can agree with the Hindu concept of Brahman. It's not really a "being", but the truth of reality and it's something moreso to be experienced. It has no wants, concerns or desires. It just is. It is formless and timeless. To experience it is pure bliss. However, there are Gods, Ancestors and other beings who may or may not (depending on the individual) have their own wants, concerns and desires concerning humans, an individual or other lifeforms.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I must love reading my own posts, because I have another one.

Not many but not one, for the reason that God is not countable. The concept of a number presumes a shape and fixed boundaries. God does not have these.

What you do is you think about all sorts of principles, powers, people even gods, forces. You ask what they all have in common and have to do with you, assuming they are all connected. That is the assumption. Everything and everyone is connected. Then you will discover that is something very difficult or impossible to define based on what is known, and you have begun attempting to define what God must be just like a philosopher. From this you can draw all attributes of God such as invisibility and transcendence. Now you choose whether to continue believing in such a connection or not. You can't formalize it. You decide if it is useful, beneficial. You opt in or out with your actions.

 

[The Hammer]

Often, I see people reference 'God' here but don't give a good definition of what that is to them. Also, I see a lot of folks conflate all theism with Abrahamic faith. I thought it would be interesting to see what 'God' actually is to us here at RF!

I politely request that theists only use this poll, as it isn't relevant to atheists. Agnostics may use the poll if they feel any of it applies to them.

Magick is infinite underlying All, Gods are concrete facets of this.

There are and have been many Gods, they are personable, part of natural laws, with many paths to meet.

 

[George-ananda]

I voted: Infinite and not fully knowable by the finite mind

That answer is leading in the poll as of now.

However I like to add that I also believe in demi-gods.

demigod
[ˈdemēˌɡäd]
NOUN
demi-gods (plural noun)

1. a being with partial or lesser divine status, such as a minor deity, the offspring of a god and a mortal, or a mortal raised to divine rank.

 

[PureX]

God is the source, sustenance, and purpose of all that is. As such, God is the great mystery of being, to us. And how we respond to this profound mystery is defining who we are. So we should try and choose our response, carefully.

 

[Trailblazer]

Often, I see people reference 'God' here but don't give a good definition of what that is to them. Also, I see a lot of folks conflate all theism with Abrahamic faith. I thought it would be interesting to see what 'God' actually is to us here at RF!

I politely request that theists only use this poll, as it isn't relevant to atheists. Agnostics may use the poll if they feel any of it applies to them.

Below are my answers, what "I believe" about God.

God is...(choose all that apply)

1. Infinite and not fully knowable by the finite mind
   Definitely
   
2. A concrete being, outside myself
   God is outside of me. God is not concrete, God is Spirit.
   
3. One
   Definitely
   
4. Many
   Absolutely not
   
5. Can relate to us(or other people) on a personal level
   God relates to humans only through His Messengers, never directly.
   
6. Does not deal with humanity directly
   No, only through His Messengers, although God can inspire people directly.
   
7. Lays out the basis for morality
   Definitely
   
8. Is a part of nature, or the laws of science
   No
   
9. Affords only one path to reach him/her
   Absolutely not
   
10. Affords many paths to reach him/her
    Definitely. There are many paths to God.

 

[Psalm23]

I voted Infinite, concrete being outside myself, one, can relate to us on a personal level, lays out the basis of morality, affords only one path.

 

[Suave]

Often, I see people reference 'God' here but don't give a good definition of what that is to them. Also, I see a lot of folks conflate all theism with Abrahamic faith. I thought it would be interesting to see what 'God' actually is to us here at RF!

I politely request that theists only use this poll, as it isn't relevant to atheists. Agnostics may use the poll if they feel any of it applies to them.

According to my religion of Christian Matrixism, a new age religion founded by yours truly, God is well defined as being the controller of simulations, a reality based virtual world programmer of human consciousness.

 

[Truthseeker]

Often, I see people reference 'God' here but don't give a good definition of what that is to them. Also, I see a lot of folks conflate all theism with Abrahamic faith. I thought it would be interesting to see what 'God' actually is to us here at RF!

I politely request that theists only use this poll, as it isn't relevant to atheists. Agnostics may use the poll if they feel any of it applies to them.

It is an interesting poll. I'm encouraged by the high number of people that see God as infinite and not fully knowable to the human mind, and the number of people who see many paths to God is pretty good from my point of view.

 

[Truthseeker]

One

I believe all comes from a singular source.

-Many

I believe God exists in countless forms, as can be seen by the myriad of deities throughout different cultures and at different times.

Interesting. God is presented differently in different cultures and times.

 

[Truthseeker]

Not many but not one, for the reason that God is not countable. The concept of a number presumes a shape and fixed boundaries. God does not have these.

Yes, I've seen that concept in the Baha'i Writings.

 

[Truthseeker]

Can relate to us(or other people) on a personal level
God relates to humans only through His Messengers, never directly.

Whoops. I think I got that one wrong. But I'm not sure. I've seen God described as a personal God by Shoghi Effendi, but that does not necessarily mean He relates to us on a personal level.

 

[Trailblazer]

Whoops. I think I got that one wrong. But I'm not sure. I've seen God described as a personal God by Shoghi Effendi, but that does not necessarily mean He relates to us on a personal level.

Regarding the personal God, this is what it says in Wikipedia, where Shoghi Effendi is quoted:

Personal God

While the Baháʼí writings teach of a personal god who is a being with a personality (including the capacity to reason and to feel love), they clearly state that this does not imply a human or physical form.[2] Shoghi Effendi writes:

What is meant by personal God is a God Who is conscious of His creation, Who has a Mind, a Will, a Purpose, and not, as many scientists and materialists believe, an unconscious and determined force operating in the universe. Such conception of the Divine Being, as the Supreme and ever present Reality in the world, is not anthropomorphic, for it transcends all human limitations and forms, and does by no means attempt to define the essence of Divinity which is obviously beyond any human comprehension. To say that God is a personal Reality does not mean that He has a physical form, or does in any way resemble a human being. To entertain such belief would be sheer blasphemy.[15][16]

God in the Baháʼí Faith

A personal God does not mean that we can have a personal relationship with God directly. That is not a Baha'i belief.

“He Who is everlastingly hidden from the eyes of men can never be known except through His Manifestation, and His Manifestation can adduce no greater proof of the truth of His Mission than the proof of His own Person.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 49

"We will have experience of God's spirit through His Prophets in the next world, but God is too great for us to know without this Intermediary. The Prophets know God, but how is more than our human minds can grasp. We believe we may attain in the next world to seeing the Prophets. There is certainly a future life. Heaven and hell are conditions within our own beings."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, November 14, 1947)

Lights of Guidance (second part): A Bahá'í Reference File

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Often, I see people reference 'God' here but don't give a good definition of what that is to them. Also, I see a lot of folks conflate all theism with Abrahamic faith. I thought it would be interesting to see what 'God' actually is to us here at RF!

I politely request that theists only use this poll, as it isn't relevant to atheists. Agnostics may use the poll if they feel any of it applies to them.

For me, anyone who worships the Creator is worshiping the Abrahamic God, even if they do not personally subscribe to the Tanakh (OT). For example, my traditional Lakota friends worship teh Creator. They use the name Wakan Tanka, which means Great Spirit or Great Mystery. It doesn't matter to me that they use this different name. There is only one Creator, and that's who they worship.

 

[Stonetree]

Often, I see people reference 'God' here but don't give a good definition of what that is to them. Also, I see a lot of folks conflate all theism with Abrahamic faith. I thought it would be interesting to see what 'God' actually is to us here at RF!

I politely request that theists only use this poll, as it isn't relevant to atheists. Agnostics may use the poll if they feel any of it applies to them.

>We do not know the image or infinite nature of God
>God exists outside of us
>God could be one or/and many at the same time. God is not governed by the physical laws that govern mortals
>God can relate (understand)to people
>God does not interact with humans directly(but it is possible)
>The basis for morality is socialization. Socialization grows out of brotherly love that originated with the family. The family revolves around motherhood which is a mammalian trait (motherly love). Even if you have never heard of God, holding your new born baby creates an unselfish and loving desire to connect to all of the above social responsibilities. Atheists also love their children and are moral citizens.
>There are many paths to God
> I have to add: prayer is important and can be powerful when offered by groups

 

[syo]

God is the eternal.