I believe in the Holy Trinity. I'm a Christian because Christ is the only God Who has bothered to actually reach out to me and He has had the biggest impact on me.
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What is your belief in regards to God?
- Thread starter Gambit
- Start date
Brahman animates finite forms giving the finite forms only finite knowledge and awareness,
Here's an analogy I'll try out on you: A massive electrical generator station with immense power animates the lamp in your bedroom. The power in the lamp is connected with its immense source but can only exhibit the amount of power the bulb (form) is designed to handle.
Gambit
Well-Known Member
Define "Brahman" and "atman."
Brahman is pure consciousness best defined as pure infinite sat-cit-ananda (being-awareness-bliss).
Brahman is atman
Gambit
Well-Known Member
Let me try a different tack. Is Brahman conscious?
Maybe you missed post #86 ago where I said
Brahman is pure consciousness best defined as pure infinite sat-cit-ananda (being-awareness-bliss).
Gambit
Well-Known Member
Does Brahman experience self-awareness?
By the way, IMHO, the experience of pure consciousness and bliss are not the same.
yes
Gambit
Well-Known Member
Have you ever experienced the state of pure consciousness?
no, not me
Kelly of the Phoenix
Well-Known Member
I am a theist. Been a Christian all my life, though recently, after a lot of events, I just couldn't hide my growing disappointment in Jesus anymore. I still worship God and acknowledge what Jesus' intentions were, but I feel Jesus dropped the ball somewhere if we're all supposed to be waiting for him to come back to fix something supposedly he fixed while here the first time. I am from a deeply spiritual family tradition: we are more worried if you DON'T hear from God than if you DO.
God:
1. While a single presence, is culturally expressed a myriad of ways.
2. "BibleGod" is rather unlikely, though I feel the book has an accurate theme of complicated morality (in other words, sometimes life just sucks and we have to deal with it).
3. Tweaked the universe, not necessarily "created" out of nothing, like Star Trek's replicators. God only uses materials already present.
4. God is generally loving, but due to differences in scale regarding (O)ur perceptions about life, He can come across as aloof or outright cruel.
5. Sin is culturally derived for the most part, but there IS such a thing as objective harm. (for examples, go to any discussion/argument about gay marriage and watch as gay relationships are conflated with violent or nonconsenting issues which are completely irrelevant to joyous consensual relationships)
6. God loves us primarily like you'd like a new video game. Nice to play with, but can easily be tossed into the trash when bored with it.
7. God does not revolve around humanity (which would explain how God tends to act aloof or cruel to us). There are entire galaxies out there ...
8. Any of the "omni" things are what we feel they are, but need not be true on an objective basis. My dog thinks opening cabinet doors must be magic, given his expression when I tried to teach him how to open them...
9. The bible isn't as good as the Mahabharata when it comes to consistent storytelling and themes. It also focuses so tightly on so few people throughout such a short time period that it's essentially worthless when dealing with issues that don't involve the ancient Mediterranean.
10. There is no separation possible in an objective sense from God and Heaven and Hell both have their back doors and loopholes.
God:
1. While a single presence, is culturally expressed a myriad of ways.
2. "BibleGod" is rather unlikely, though I feel the book has an accurate theme of complicated morality (in other words, sometimes life just sucks and we have to deal with it).
3. Tweaked the universe, not necessarily "created" out of nothing, like Star Trek's replicators. God only uses materials already present.
4. God is generally loving, but due to differences in scale regarding (O)ur perceptions about life, He can come across as aloof or outright cruel.
5. Sin is culturally derived for the most part, but there IS such a thing as objective harm. (for examples, go to any discussion/argument about gay marriage and watch as gay relationships are conflated with violent or nonconsenting issues which are completely irrelevant to joyous consensual relationships)
6. God loves us primarily like you'd like a new video game. Nice to play with, but can easily be tossed into the trash when bored with it.
7. God does not revolve around humanity (which would explain how God tends to act aloof or cruel to us). There are entire galaxies out there ...
8. Any of the "omni" things are what we feel they are, but need not be true on an objective basis. My dog thinks opening cabinet doors must be magic, given his expression when I tried to teach him how to open them...
9. The bible isn't as good as the Mahabharata when it comes to consistent storytelling and themes. It also focuses so tightly on so few people throughout such a short time period that it's essentially worthless when dealing with issues that don't involve the ancient Mediterranean.
10. There is no separation possible in an objective sense from God and Heaven and Hell both have their back doors and loopholes.
Gambit
Well-Known Member
God is being itself.
prometheus11
Well-Known Member
Consciousness?
Gambit
Well-Known Member
Actually, you experience the state of pure consciousness nightly during your sleep cycle - during the period of dreamless sleep. (I believe the Sanskrit term for it is "turiya.") You can also experience it during meditation or while under anesthesia. (If you are a practitioner of meditation, then you should be experiencing it regularly.) The point is that it is indistinguishable from unconsciousness.
JustWondering
Jerk
Agnostic in regards to the existence of some type of god/s possibly existing. Atheistic regarding most god concepts that I've heard of. I believe that if some kind of god/s exist they are apathetic towards humanity or unaware of humanity and/or might be incapable of affecting the mortal plane of existence.
goofball
mystic, clown and philosopher
I am a Daoist and have dropped all beliefs. I do have opinions, which are open to change, I had an NDE (Near Death Experience) in my teens and was blessed by the experience. I never met any angels or God, but I know (not believe) that there is a Divine Intelligence behind everything. The opening two lines sum it up pretty well for me:-
The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
God and religion are creations of Man and are corrupted, both are tools of control.
The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
God and religion are creations of Man and are corrupted, both are tools of control.
prometheus11
Well-Known Member
Nope. You believe. You don't know, you just believe that it know.
arthra
Baha'i
I suppose I'm closest to the "theist" in the poll.. or perhaps it would be "monotheist". I believe the attributes of God are throughout His creation and that the "essence" of God is unknowable for us humans ... that God sends Manifestations ... They are the Messengers and Prophets that have brought us guidance and teachings over the millennia...
