Why your god?

[Mike182]

They believe what their parents tell them too. easy

my parents are Christian... so is the rest of my family... i am Pagan...

sorry bud, i'm walking, talking and living proof that you are wrong - guess it's not all that easy

 

[Guitar's Cry]

This would be a good reason if not for the premise that most people's idea of God is first taught or handed down to them. God is basically someone else's idea or began with another person's relationship with a self-proclaimed Supreme BEing.

Which is also true for everything else, eh? The whole of our reality is built off of things "taught" or "handed down."

In the case of god, that other person's relationship that is handed down, is not handed down as a relationship, but as a concept. The relationship that is important to me is my relationship with that concept. That concept comes with all the special associations--both good and bad--and create a completely individualized god.

No one believes in the same god. They believe in a piece each.

 

[Gentoo]

my parents are Christian... so is the rest of my family... i am Pagan...

sorry bud, i'm walking, talking and living proof that you are wrong - guess it's not all that easy

Once again, Mike is not alone here

 

[Somkid]

This is actually a very deep philosophical topic. In order for a person to have a God/religion they must assume that they are correct and everyone else is wrong, thus we call this faith. So, assuming your chosen God is correct and your chosen religion is correct you must abide by the teachings no matter if they agree with you or not for example many Christians believe if you do not except Jesus Christ as your personal savior you go straight to hell do not pass go do not collect $200.

 

[MoonWater]

This is actually a very deep philosophical topic. In order for a person to have a God/religion they must assume that they are correct and everyone else is wrong.

Unless you believe that every God/religion(including yours) simply represents a different spiritual path that one can follow on their path to heaven/enlightenment/nirvana/harmony/etc. Sort of like spokes on a bike wheel, eventually they all lead to the center. This is something I believe myself as do many others I know. I follow my Goddess/Religion/Path because it fulfills me and nourishes me spiritually and gives me the guidance I require. But different people are nourished in different ways and need to be guided in different ways. So it is only natural that different religions and Gods would develope. Just like not every student learns the same way and thus need things taught to them differently than others. The advantage we have with Gods and religion however is that regardless of your needs their is a god/goddess/divine being or force out there who can meet your needs while in the school system your pretty much stuck with what you get.

 

[Somkid]

Unless you believe that every God/religion(including yours) simply represents a different spiritual path that one can follow on their path to heaven/enlightenment/nirvana/harmony/etc. Sort of like spokes on a bike wheel, eventually they all lead to the center. This is something I believe myself as do many others I know. I follow my Goddess/Religion/Path because it fulfills me and nourishes me spiritually and gives me the guidance I require. But different people are nourished in different ways and need to be guided in different ways. So it is only natural that different religions and Gods would develope. Just like not every student learns the same way and thus need things taught to them differently than others. The advantage we have with Gods and religion however is that regardless of your needs their is a god/goddess/divine being or force out there who can meet your needs while in the school system your pretty much stuck with what you get.

Thus we use the wheel as the symbol of Buddhism. I agree with you entirely as most if not all Buddhists would. But to answer the question which is more philosophical than religious, when one choses a god you are bound by its laws. Perhaps this is another reason we don't have a god in Buddhism???

 

[MoonWater]

Thus we use the wheel as the symbol of Buddhism. I agree with you entirely as most if not all Buddhists would. But to answer the question which is more philosophical than religious, when one choses a god you are bound by its laws.

Well I guess it depends on how one defines philosophy and religion. And I think we can agree that those two tend to mix themselves together quite a bit. Then add spirituality and you've basically got a three-some going on here. It aslo depends on how your God operates. For example My Patron Goddess doesn't really have any set laws or rules for me to follow, she gives me advice and offers me guidance and I can choose whether or not I heed her wisdom. If I decide not to she won't punish me or leave me, she'll just step back for a moment and when I am ready I'll come back to her for she knows that I eventually will need help and that if she tried to force it it would only push me further away. So I am not bound to her or bound to heed whatever she says. If she told me to do something that went against my moral code I would not do it and she knows this. I am also not stuck with her forever. If I find I need a different teacher I am free to leave her if I wish. She would be sad to see me go but woul let me go none the less. Now granted many other Gods(like the Abrahamic God) are much more rigid but I think even with them their codes are "more guidelines than actual rules"(pirates of the Carribean quote for those who don't know). But even that is a matter of interpretation.

Perhaps this is another reason we don't have a god in Buddhism???

Don't some sects of Buddhism believe Buddha is a God

 

[rocka21]

Also, it helps when the certain religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism) are not compatible with other religions.

thats funny, because we all believe in the same God.

the God of Abraham...

we fight over our Messiah ( what a shame)

 

[Somkid]

thats funny, because we all believe in the same God.

the God of Abraham...

we fight over our Messiah ( what a shame)

I'm not sure who "we" is, but we Buddhists (and that does go for all of us) don't believe in your God of Abraham or any other God for that matter. This is not for the smart or hurtful remarks but it is a simple fact.

 

[Azakel]

thats funny, because we all believe in the same God.

the God of Abraham...

we fight over our Messiah ( what a shame)

I'm not sure who "we" is, but we Buddhists (and that does go for all of us) don't believe in your God of Abraham or any other God for that matter. This is not for the smart or hurtful remarks but it is a simple fact.

I believe he was talking about the 3 religion that were in the OP, Islam, Christianity, Judaism. All of them believe in the same Monotheist God, but have different Messiahs they "fight" over.

 

[logician]

The gods of some religions demand that there be no other gods, so you take that belief as part of your religion.

 

[MoonWater]

The gods of some religions demand that there be no other gods, so you take that belief as part of your religion.

Well even that can be up to interpretation depending on the religion and the scriptures that go with it(if any) Like in the bible (unless I'm missing a quote so correct me if I'm wrong) I don't think there are any passages that explicitly say he is the ONLY God just that he is "the one true God" and that "thou shalt have no other Gods before me" Which could be interpreted(and often is) as saying that the biblical God is the only God but it could also be interpreted as saying that if you choose to follow the bible then the biblical God is the only God you should follow and the only true God to guide you in that particular religion and it doesn't necessarily apply to other religions and other Gods. Heck even if there were a passage in the bible or any other holy text that explicitly said "I am the only God there is." could still be interpreted to mean that this God is the only God for that particular religion. I'm not saying that it should be interpreted in that way, just that it could be and thus even religions that are mutualy exlusive in terms of Gods for those who follow them still leave room for other religions to follow other Gods without their followers being "doomed to eternal hellfire".

 

[Katzpur]

Why do people believe in there god but dismiss other deities? Why do they think they are following the correct higher power?

My God is the only one who has ever done anything for me. Nobody else's gods seem to want to be bothered with me. Bottom line: I go with what works for me.

 

[logician]

Well even that can be up to interpretation depending on the religion and the scriptures that go with it(if any) Like in the bible (unless I'm missing a quote so correct me if I'm wrong) I don't think there are any passages that explicitly say he is the ONLY God just that he is "the one true God" and that "thou shalt have no other Gods before me" Which could be interpreted(and often is) as saying that the biblical God is the only God but it could also be interpreted as saying that if you choose to follow the bible then the biblical God is the only God you should follow and the only true God to guide you in that particular religion and it doesn't necessarily apply to other religions and other Gods. Heck even if there were a passage in the bible or any other holy text that explicitly said "I am the only God there is." could still be interpreted to mean that this God is the only God for that particular religion. I'm not saying that it should be interpreted in that way, just that it could be and thus even religions that are mutualy exlusive in terms of Gods for those who follow them still leave room for other religions to follow other Gods without their followers being "doomed to eternal hellfire".

Many, many Christians say that the only way to eternal life is through Christ.

 

[Azakel]

My God is the only one who has ever done anything for me. Nobody else's gods seem to want to be bothered with me. Bottom line: I go with what works for me.

I can agree with that. The Christian God has not ever done anything for me but other Gods seem to like helping me on my way. Just like Katzpur: I go with what works for me. ^_^

 

[Somkid]

I believe he was talking about the 3 religion that were in the OP, Islam, Christianity, Judaism. All of them believe in the same Monotheist God, but have different Messiahs they "fight" over.

Ok, thank you that clears things up a bit actually more than a bit.

 

[MoonWater]

Many, many Christians say that the only way to eternal life is through Christ.

I know, I was just explaining the reasoning that causes other Christians to deem other paths as being just as valid, or just as much possibility of being valid, as their own. Even a simple statment such as "I am the only God" in a holy text can have numerous meanings and connotations depending on how one chooses to interpret those words. And which interpretation is best is another argument entirely, one that is ongoing and is unlikely to ever be solved.

 

[MdmSzdWhtGuy]

I was daydreaming in class one day and a question popped into my mind.

Why do people believe in there god but dismiss other deities? Why do they think they are following the correct higher power?

That sounds very similar to my Athiestic Epiphany that I had my freshman year of college, also similar to one described to me recently by a close friend. What hit me was the idea during Early Western Civ. that while the pyramids were being built, there was not ONE SINGLE SOLITARY Christian on the entire planet. Also, no Muslims. We had Jews, but there is no evidence that they were in Eqypt, or left en masse, and it just snowballed from there.

I cannot answer to you why a person can accept their god despite a dearth of evidence, while dismissing all other gods because of a dearth of evidence. Doesn't seem intellectually honest and consistent to me, and I cannot tolerate personal veiwpoints that are not intellectually honest and consistent.

My buddy said "Who am I? to be deciding "my God" is the right one, and everybody else's is wrong, since there is no more or less reason to beleive in mine than theirs?" And thus began is winding road to the path that leads to Freethinking. It can be a bumpy, even an ugly and dark path, but you are more likely to have some great parties on the way, and if you are too hung over from Sat. night, no sweat, the football doesn't start till noon.

B.

 

[Popeyesays]

I was daydreaming in class one day and a question popped into my mind.

Why do people believe in there god but dismiss other deities? Why do they think they are following the correct higher power?

There are no "other" deities. One God, One Message One Race of man.

Regards,

Scott

 

[Mike182]

There are no "other" deities. One God, One Message One Race of man.

Regards,

Scott

there are "Many" Gods, as proven by experience of different divine personalities.


i guess neither one of our statements will convince anyone huh?