Why One God

[firedragon]

Isis could stitch Her chopped up Husband together. Shiva could piece together the Son He accidentally killed. Where does Yahweh show such talent?

I was not discussing YHWH. Didn't get to any specific concept of God. I was responding to someones claim that presupposes God is incapable of doing certain things. So the question is "how do you know".

What you are doing is jumping the gun, taking a biblical character, and a mythical character, and a Hindu God, and just making a sarcastic statement that you find amusing.

That's not an argument so cannot honour it. If you are up to defend someone, answer for him and answer the question with out any of these baggages, and tell me "how do you know" to make a positive claim.

Thanks.

 

[F1fan]

Of course I know you are wrong.

You, and you alone. So irrelevant. Being correct means being consistent with facts, not the biased opinion of one guy or the next. Your views are consistently contrary to fact, and your pride is there for all to see.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

You claimed that there "has to be" many God's because the creation of the universe has to be segmented into many parts because God has limited powers and the tasks have to be segmented like human beings who create computer games.

But even Yahweh sprang from polytheistic roots, where He wasn’t even Head Honcho.

 

[firedragon]

But even Yahweh sprang from polytheistic roots, where He wasn’t even Head Honcho.

That's not relevant to the question I asked. Saying "you too" is called a Tu Quoque fallacy.

Hope you try and understand that when someone makes a positive claim, the burden of proof is on the claimant. And what in the world do i have with YHWH? Not my cup of tea anyway. All of this is just absurd.

Cheers.

 

[RestlessSoul]

At least men are known to exist.

But why do adults feel a need to worship anything?

Something to do with humility, I think. In bowing to something greater than myself, I acknowledge my own powerlessness, and so make peace with myself and the world..

 

[F1fan]

Something to do with humility, I think. In bowing to something greater than myself, I acknowledge my own powerlessness, and so make peace with myself and the world..

The irony in your powerlessness is that you think yourself capable of deciding a higher power exists.

A practical approach would be for us lifeforms to acknowledge that we are living, and will die, as that is how nature functions. The fear of powerlessness against the process of nature can be invented as God. Yet we have to power to realize that nature isn't a God in any sense of the word, and we can rise above this natural inclination and fear.

 

[RestlessSoul]

The irony in your powerlessness is that you think yourself capable of deciding a higher power exists.

A practical approach would be for us lifeforms to acknowledge that we are living, and will die, as that is how nature functions. The fear of powerlessness against the process of nature can be invented as God. Yet we have to power to realize that nature isn't a God in any sense of the word, and we can rise above this natural inclination and fear.

But I'm not afraid. And I have no need to rise above anything.

I'm not afraid because I believe, despite all evidence to the contrary, in a loving God; and that just so long as I seek His will for me rather than my own, I have nothing to fear. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, and all that...

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

I was not discussing YHWH. Didn't get to any specific concept of God. I was responding to someones claim that presupposes God is incapable of doing certain things. So the question is "how do you know".

What you are doing is jumping the gun, taking a biblical character, and a mythical character, and a Hindu God, and just making a sarcastic statement that you find amusing.

That's not an argument so cannot honour it. If you are up to defend someone, answer for him and answer the question with out any of these baggages, and tell me "how do you know" to make a positive claim.

Thanks.

You don’t worship the God of Abraham?

 

[firedragon]

You don’t worship the God of Abraham?

You are trying to steer away this claim of someone else to someone elses burden. What's the gain in doing that? If you are a polytheist that's fine with me. If you are trying to answer a question asked from someone else, answer the question asked in relevance to his claim. Don't ask questions in order to create a strawman and respond to that.

Leaving that aside, you addresses YHWH twice. I don't care about it. It's irrelevant to my question to your friend you tried to answer for, and it's irrelevant to me. Now you say "God of Abraham"? And you ask "You dont worship"?

Rather than trying to create a new argument on a strawman, why don't you just make a new case you wish to make? This is dishonesty.

Yes. I do "believe in" the God of Abraham.

 

[Truthseeker]

I believe am sure :
Bahaullah never taught to evangelize
Muhammad didn't teach this either
Jesus didn't teach this either

Yes, I agree to that. If Christians, Muslims or Baha'is evangalize, it is due to their own proclivities.

 

[firedragon]

I believe am sure :
Bahaullah never taught to evangelize
Muhammad didn't teach this either
Jesus didn't teach this either

Brother. How do you make that claim "you are sure"?

 

[stvdv]

Brother. How do you make that claim "you are sure"?

Good evening (here in Holland) brother
I did anticipate that question (from you even). Although I avoid debates on such matters, now and then I like to post a "common sense claim"

To answer your question:
I think the word "evangelizing" is not used in the Bible, nor in the Koran, nor in Bahaullahs books
Even if it is used, which I doubt, then they need to prove the Prophet declared it
Well, if RF-ers get that far, I will say "you got me, I was wrong"

My definition of evangelizing (in that post) is how Christians practise it (in Holland, which I assume is worldwide the same):
"Evangelizing = Belittling the Faith of others while trying to impose your Faith on them in order to get them to convert to your Faith"

 

[stvdv]

Yes, I agree to that. If Christians, Muslims or Baha'is evangalize, it is due to their own proclivities.

Thank you, that is a nice confirmation of what I was quite sure of, and hoped to be true.
I hope others can't prove me wrong on this, because for me this is core material in Spiritual Life
And if Jesus, Muhanmmad or Bahaullah would have told us to Evangelize, I would be highly suprised

My definition of evangelizing is how Christians practise it (in Holland, which I assume is worldwide the same):
"Evangelizing = Belittling the Faith of others while trying to impose ones Faith on them in order to get them to convert to your Faith"

IF Christians would practise it as follows I would be okay with it:
""Evangelizing = Share your Faith with others + not belittle others (non) Faith, not magnify own Faith, not try to convert others away from their Faith"
@stvdvRF

 

[firedragon]

Good evening (here in Holland) brother
I did anticipate that question (from you even). Although I avoid debates on such matters, now and then I like to post a "common sense claim"

To answer your question:
I think the word "evangelizing" is not used in the Bible, nor in the Koran, nor in Bahaullahs books
Even if it is used, which I doubt, then they need to prove the Prophet declared it
Well, if RF-ers get that far, I will say "you got me, I was wrong"

My definition of evangelizing (in that post) is how Christians practise it (in Holland, which I assume is worldwide the same):
"Evangelizing = Belittling the Faith of others while trying to impose your Faith on them"

All three of these literature you refer to are written in different languages other than English. Vis a Vis, Koine Greek, Arabic, and Persian. So looking for a backward translation is invalid. What you need to look for is if the concept is there. I can tell you directly that if you think the Jesus attributions in the NT are what JEsus said, he said to evangelise. If you think the Qur'an is what Muhammed wrote, he said to evangelise. And if you think that Bahaullah wrote at all, he himself evangelised.

But you have clarified with a very specific evangelism you have experienced in Nederland with Christian evangelists. So what I say will not be relevant to that. Cheers.

 

[stvdv]

All three of these literature you refer to are written in different languages other than English. Vis a Vis, Koine Greek, Arabic, and Persian. So looking for a backward translation is invalid

I agree, that is an important point

What you need to look for is if the concept is there. I can tell you directly that if you think the Jesus attributions in the NT are what JEsus said, he said to evangelise. If you think the Qur'an is what Muhammed wrote, he said to evangelise. And if you think that Bahaullah wrote at all, he himself evangelised

Thanks, I appreciate that. You would not make such claims if untrue I think. I also get the feeling there is evangelism concept in these Scriptures. I can even think of a reason why it might have been useful in those times

But you have clarified with a very specific evangelism you have experienced in Nederland with Christian evangelists. So what I say will not be relevant to that. Cheers.

Thanks, I appreciate that

I am not per se against evangelism concept. IF done in a decent way THEN I am fine with it

My Master gave a nice clue on this "You can not always oblige, but you can always speak obligingly".

If evangelists leave out "belittling other Faiths" and "use respectful thoughts, words and deeds" I would feel much better. I even get uplifted if a Christian, Muslim or Bahai enthusiastically share their experience with their Religion. A key is "speak for yourself", don't "speak for others",
@stvdvRF

 

[Jainarayan]

Doesn't make sense to me.

I am of the opinion that there is more than One God. The Gods if you will.

The problem with having one all-powerful, controlling creator God is the problem of evil and suffering. Per Hume’s argument "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then from whence comes evil?"

When we accept the existence of multiple gods, evil, misfortune, disease, suffering, pain, and their counterparts can be attributed to a god/dess who controls these aspects of existence. We don’t have the problem of a conflicted omnipotent, omniscient God who is supposed to juggle. We don’t have the rationalizations of free will, the “wages of sin” and the like. Hinduism doesn’t have this problem because there is no single doctrine or dogma of a controlling God.

However, neither good nor evil, neither bliss nor suffering are linked to gods or god, but considered a part of the innate nature of living in the Saṃsāra cycle of rebirths. In Hindu thought, some suffering is self-caused (karma in this life or past life, either intentionally or from ignorance), some caused by evilness of others, some are natural (aging, disease, natural disasters).

Problem of evil in Hinduism - Wikipedia

Norse religion is not dissimilar in its concept of Wyrd.

 

[LuisDantas]

You are trying to steer away this claim of someone else to someone elses burden. What's the gain in doing that? If you are a polytheist that's fine with me. If you are trying to answer a question asked from someone else, answer the question asked in relevance to his claim. Don't ask questions in order to create a strawman and respond to that.

Leaving that aside, you addresses YHWH twice. I don't care about it. It's irrelevant to my question to your friend you tried to answer for, and it's irrelevant to me. Now you say "God of Abraham"? And you ask "You dont worship"?

Rather than trying to create a new argument on a strawman, why don't you just make a new case you wish to make? This is dishonesty.

Yes. I do "believe in" the God of Abraham.

There is no justification for discussing YHWH as if it were a general-purpose deity. It is not.

 

[Christopher Adam Geiser]

" I am of the opinion that there is more than One God. The Gods if you will."

that is what humans believed in for centuries before monotheism. it is more creative but not entirely right.

 

[The Hammer]

" I am of the opinion that there is more than One God. The Gods if you will."

that is what humans believed in for centuries before monotheism. it is more creative but not entirely right.

Or entirely wrong.

 

[firedragon]

I am not per se against evangelism concept.

Appreciate your thoughts a lot. I picked up this particular sentence because I have a comment on it.

Honestly, I don't like evangelism whatsoever. I simply hate it. It's not that I have any research to show it's bad or good on society. I just don't like it because a lot of them play tricks on you. They have sales tactics. And when they use those tactics on me I feel like what kind of silly nonsense are you talking about.

That's just my feeling. Personal feelings can be wrong or right. It's like I used to feel Salma Hayek is very beautiful and excellent marriage material. But I have no clue if that is correct or not. Well, a little different because we meet evangelists all the time, but not Salma Hayek. Only in dreams.

Cheers.