conversations with Shelvin
Every now and then i will engage my turtle Shelvin in a philosohphical debate. He, like all turtles, possesses deep wisdom and understanding of the universe. He is a scholar and a gentleman. But sometimes he talks down to me. when he does that I lay him on his back and he gets the idea. Opposable thumbs are good.
Craig: I've been thinking about the nature of god.
Shelvin: there is no nature of god. god is nature.
C: as in a pagan tree worshiping god.
S: not exactly Craig, although it can be perceived in that way if you choose. God is the stuff that nature is made of. It is the cells, the molecles, the atoms and the energy inside of. Every bit of us and the universe is divine. all things are sacred.
C: So when god created the universe, what he was doing was expanding himself.
S: yes. God is the universe. he is the big bang. God "spoke his name" and exploded himself across the nothingness. No, that's not right. He was the nothingness as well. everyhting you can conceive of was compacted into a tiny speck. Of course, I'm implying that god is a sentient creature here, but I'm only doing this to help you understand the actions that have taken place.
C: I can follow you. You don't have to dumb it down.
S: Good. God can can be descibed as a force of nature. the force of nature. But that does not give him consciousness.
C: You said before that god "spoke his name." Even though god is not sentient do you think he has a name?
S: jewish faith attributes many names to god, depending on the aspects of him that they want to praise or invoke. the most common is "HaShem--the Lord"
C: I'm well aware of that.
S: I choose to believe that there is a true name to god. A name that defines the highest level that the universe can attain. The most virtuous virtue, if you will. And that name is 'Truth'
C: God is Truth. It's not an entirely new thought to me. Buddhism comes to the same conclusion in its own way.
S: I interpret buddhism like this. Buddhism believes that life is an illusion, a prision of your own perception. When you learn to look past your own perception, you discover that absolute truth of the universe, and you find divinity.
C: I think that I may counter and say that the true name of God is 'Love'
S: You are a romantic, like all mammals.
C: Maybe, but why then is love so fascinating to us? Why is so undefinable, yet we belive it exists and strive to achive it? We all strive for it, because god is inside of us, and we inherently understand the divinity of love.
S: you make a good point, but in order for god to be love, god would have to be sentient. Love is an emotion, while truth is an absolute.
C: What if love is an absolute, not an emotion? If god is love, then it explains our need for love. We are seeking more divinity. Love then could be a reaction of sorts, for pieces of god to bind with himself, to become more than what is was alone. Love is far too complex to hand off as an emotion. No other emotion is like that.
S: So you are going on faith that god is love.
C: well, you are going on faith that god is truth. Maybe there is a midpoint. Maybe god is faith.
S: you belive that faith is the midpoint of truth and love?
C: In a sense.
S: You are a moron.
(at this point I picked Shelvin up and he quickly recanted. Winner: Craig)
Craig: I've been thinking about the nature of god.
Shelvin: there is no nature of god. god is nature.
C: as in a pagan tree worshiping god.
S: not exactly Craig, although it can be perceived in that way if you choose. God is the stuff that nature is made of. It is the cells, the molecles, the atoms and the energy inside of. Every bit of us and the universe is divine. all things are sacred.
C: So when god created the universe, what he was doing was expanding himself.
S: yes. God is the universe. he is the big bang. God "spoke his name" and exploded himself across the nothingness. No, that's not right. He was the nothingness as well. everyhting you can conceive of was compacted into a tiny speck. Of course, I'm implying that god is a sentient creature here, but I'm only doing this to help you understand the actions that have taken place.
C: I can follow you. You don't have to dumb it down.
S: Good. God can can be descibed as a force of nature. the force of nature. But that does not give him consciousness.
C: You said before that god "spoke his name." Even though god is not sentient do you think he has a name?
S: jewish faith attributes many names to god, depending on the aspects of him that they want to praise or invoke. the most common is "HaShem--the Lord"
C: I'm well aware of that.
S: I choose to believe that there is a true name to god. A name that defines the highest level that the universe can attain. The most virtuous virtue, if you will. And that name is 'Truth'
C: God is Truth. It's not an entirely new thought to me. Buddhism comes to the same conclusion in its own way.
S: I interpret buddhism like this. Buddhism believes that life is an illusion, a prision of your own perception. When you learn to look past your own perception, you discover that absolute truth of the universe, and you find divinity.
C: I think that I may counter and say that the true name of God is 'Love'
S: You are a romantic, like all mammals.
C: Maybe, but why then is love so fascinating to us? Why is so undefinable, yet we belive it exists and strive to achive it? We all strive for it, because god is inside of us, and we inherently understand the divinity of love.
S: you make a good point, but in order for god to be love, god would have to be sentient. Love is an emotion, while truth is an absolute.
C: What if love is an absolute, not an emotion? If god is love, then it explains our need for love. We are seeking more divinity. Love then could be a reaction of sorts, for pieces of god to bind with himself, to become more than what is was alone. Love is far too complex to hand off as an emotion. No other emotion is like that.
S: So you are going on faith that god is love.
C: well, you are going on faith that god is truth. Maybe there is a midpoint. Maybe god is faith.
S: you belive that faith is the midpoint of truth and love?
C: In a sense.
S: You are a moron.
(at this point I picked Shelvin up and he quickly recanted. Winner: Craig)