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God is a concept

What shall we say, shall we call it by a name
As well to count the angels dancing on a pin
Water bright as the sky from which it came
And the name is on the earth that takes it in
We will not speak but stand inside the rain
And listen to the thunder shout
I am, I am, I am, I am
Let It Grow - GD
 
Cheshire_Kat said:
We do not even know God's name.

Even if someone subscribes to any of the Abrahamic religions they should know this by reading the Bible (or Torah or Quran) . When Moses asked God what His name was (when Moses received the 10 Commandments) God replied "I am who Am".

All names attributed to God are made by men.
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why would the abrahamic god need a name?
who is going to call out for him using it?
i think animals and even plants are far more intelligent than what we arrogant humans think, but i doubt they use names for each other.
 
Cheshire_Kat said:
Well, they wouldn't. Humans do use names or labels to construct concepts. ;)
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is god gender fluid now?
how upsetting for all those who created an image of a male god, be it allah, yaweh, god, buddha or whatever
and if you understand god as a concept, the we should refer to it as "it"
 
docpavor said:
is god gender fluid now?
how upsetting for all those who created an image of a male god, be it allah, yaweh, god, buddha or whatever
and if you understand god as a concept, the we should refer to it as "it"
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I have studied many religions and am not referring to my personal belief set but rather to an academic viewpoint. I used the plural form because there are three different Abrahamic religions, each with a different concept of "God":

The Hebrew God of the old testament is one version.

The Christian version is the Hebrew old testament God, but adds the view of three persons in one God(Trinity); one of which became man "to pay the wages of sin and save us" theough his death on the cross and his resurrection. The Orthodox Hebrews do not accept the Messiah as the Son of God, an important part of the Christian belief set.

The Muslim version is a God who many think is the same God but if you actually read all the material and examine the way that they "worship" him is likely heavily influenced by the Semite god Ba'al from the same general region. Muslins accept the Christian and Hebrew old testament God, but believe that Christ was not the son of God, only a Prophet; and the Mohammad is the true and perfect Prophet that supersedes and corrects Christ.
 
jasperkent said:
Early in recovery I balked at & then struggled with the concept of a "Higher Power."
I especially disliked the word "God," which appears a LOT in 12-Step literature but has all kinds of negative connotations for me. A sponsor suggested that anytime I see that word, just think of it as an acronym for Good Orderly Direction. Works for me.
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Believing for yourself the god is an acronym for something puts in with the people of lala land who beleive in god. In all cases, all these religions and the people of those religions have their own idea about what god is. Hence the fact that god is a concept. A concept that we cannot agree on. And you taking in god to mean something else for yourself is just like other people who have their own idea of god. At the end of the day, these differing ideas and beleifs about god is causing a whole lot of conflict in the world. Wars and crimes are all sought in the name of god. It is best to drop this notion and have nothing to do with it. Just be responsible and be happy.
jasperkent said:
Absolutely.

If I were to label my spirituality with the personification of a Supreme Being, it would be Mother Nature.
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Yes, mother nature is definately something great. But I'm not sure if it is something that is greater than we are. So is the universe..

Even if that is the case, I, myself, sometimes also resort to mother nature when it comes to figuring stuff out or seeking answers.

Asante said:
A Glock is a concept too, and like God, very real and they don't mess around!
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like i mentioned earlier, your example is a fallacy. We all know what a glock is. A glock is something that is concreate. It is identifiable. It's not a concept. God is something in peoples minds.. with no basis in reality.

Like OP mentioned, god is devised to put in answers to questions we dont have the answers to.

Instead of just living out the mystery of it all. The magic of it all. They have to devise some kind of "creator" for all of this. When there is none. Or atleast, we don't know of any. For if there was a creator, then who created the creator. It's a vicious cycle (i.e. who created god?).

We know who created a glock and where it came from and how it came to be, how its used and all that. These examples are nothing alike.
 
like i mentioned earlier, your example is a fallacy. We all know what a glock is. A glock is something that is concreate. It is identifiable. It's not a concept. God is something in peoples minds.. with no basis in reality.
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I define God as the totality of everything as one, ie the universe based on the big bang - if not the Multiverse.
There, a perfectly defined definition of God that's as tangible as a glock.
Want to deny the Universe as existing or holding consciousness? Be my guest
You seem to have this big poster "I Want To Disbelieve" and I don't want to wrangle you into beliefs that don't fit you so, sure, marginalize the concept of God to triviality if you must. You probably have good reason to want to do so.
Not logic at all though, you just saw God being defined in a way that defies most logic-based dismissal.
:)
 
Asante said:
I define God as the totality of everything as one, ie the universe based on the big bang - if not the Multiverse.
There, a perfectly defined definition of God that's as tangible as a glock.
Want to deny the Universe as existing or holding consciousness? Be my guest
You seem to have this big poster "I Want To Disbelieve" and I don't want to wrangle you into beliefs that don't fit you so, sure, marginalize the concept of God to triviality if you must. You probably have good reason to want to do so.
Not logic at all though, you just saw God being defined in a way that defies most logic-based dismissal.
:)
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so what have you of Jesus being god? or what have you that the kabaa is the house of god? or are you defining everything in your own terms now?
 
so what have you of Jesus being god? or what have you that the kabaa is the house of god? or are you defining everything in your own terms now?
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I'm not a Christian, I'm an Omnicyclian, but "the totality of everything as One" is not so alien to worldwide religions.
Like Islam, I agree that Jesus was a prophet, but that it is wrong to Deify him as being THE God. That is Idolatry.

See: "Jesus rides on a donkey through Jerusalem."
In that sentence, God is Jesus, the Donkey, the Riding AND Jerusalem.
Those other three are NOT Jesus and - didnt Jesus vividly pray to The Father?
"Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do." <-- case in point.
 
How can god not be anything except a concept of imagination? God cannot be defined because god is an idea without physical features. God is thought of as omnipotent, omnipresent and all that is. God is considered the great I am. With such limitless presence only the imagination can conceive an understanding of god.
People who believe in god do so by choice and is fed by services rendered to god. Prayer, religious teachings and study, submission of will in accordance with religious background and expectations of required understating, personal relationship to god.

These things have nothing to do with god with the exception of what you believe. If believing in god helps you in life then god has a purpose in your life. Which in turn gives you purpose by serving god.

It is my conclusion that god is a concept for people who have faith in such matters are consoled in believing something greater than themselves is watching out for them if they abide by god’s rules. If not, there will be consequences.

I cannot live by someone else’s standards for example “what would Jesus do” has got to be a sure fire way to fail in life. Being accountable for yourself is the only thing that matters in life. If you choose to be a bum be the best bum you are capable of being.
 
Reality, what a concept ...


robin-williams-cover-ftr-635x325.jpg
 
A concept that God does not exist or is even evil is still a concept

Everything everyone "knows" is a concept.

Even these words themselves are a concept.

Kinda the point, as we are all different and at the very lease see things and feel things differently.

Its almost like that was on purpose
 
Standup comic Pete Holmes likes to say that he believes in God but also agrees with atheists in that God is nothing.
If God is incomprehensible, undefinable, inexplicable, then yeah-- God is no thing.
 
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