The use of God
I mean this as a first part of a long dissertation. I'd love some discussion, and not just Nick because he's predictable XD
I care deeply about this stuff, and think way more then I should... because I've always questioned the purpose of believing in God. This is my current position... it may be different a week from now. I want to have some good long feedback, and maybe get a wholesome discussion going on. Anyone, everyone, POST! I want to hear your thoughts! I'll go kidnap Spencer and make him read it if thats what it takes... because I long for a good discussion.
“If every single person believed that guy standing in the middle of the road saying, ‘Don’t go there, it’s not meant for you’, we’d still be living in caves.” - Neil DeGrasse Tyson, National Aeronautics and Space Museum.
What is God? That’s a HUGE question, and one that I would be foolish to attempt to answer for everyone, even in 10,000 pages. There cannot be one answer, as God is not a static thing. As I understand the common stance (coming from a liberal Christian perspective), God is an entity that designed us, and everything around us, and now watches lovingly over his (her) creations. I will refer to God as an “it” for the purposes of clarity.
The problem doesn’t lie with that. The disconnect comes when people attempt to use “God’s divinity” to halt progress, to halt change. Saying that we were not meant to do something is literally closing off massive opportunities for growth. It’s an end without a reason. If someone were to do something and die horrifically as a direct result, you’d be justified in saying we weren’t meant to do it. However, just deciding you don’t approve of it (or more likely understand it), and then saying, “God disapproves” to stand as an excuse just doesn’t cut it.
I could walk down the street, pick a group of people at random and say, “Die, because God disapproves of your existence”. That’s exactly what these people try to do with ideas, hell, with entire fields. Genetics is a prime example. These types of people are instinctively opposed to genetics because they do not understand it. They say, “It’s fiddling with God’s perfect creation”. Guess what? God as an entity did not directly create anything! You know why I can say that and still call myself a Christian? Because people interpret the Bible FAR too literally.
My personal stance is that if God were an eternal being, it would have put into motion events that led to the elements of life being present. People seem to forget scale when it comes to matters of divinity. The universe is an incalculably massive place, and we seem to think that this all-knowing, all-powerful God is focused on us, on one measly planet in one measly system. God as a creator would not have sat down and molded us by hand, we’re just not that important.
Sure, God is present in almost every human’s life in some form or other… but that serves my eventual point even better. Might as well get into it now.
I feel God doesn’t exist.
I can hear the screams of heresy and treason and just about everything else horrid, but bear with me. God as I see it is a construct who serves to fill a certain gap, a certain role in each person. When nothing is going well, when life seems pointless and hopeless, we appeal to God to help us. If the appellant believes in the faith enough, they get a psychological boost, which to them means God is helping them personally. In reality, it’s more like a placebo effect. They believe that God will help them, and this belief makes them better.
In essence, God is the ultimate crutch for humanity. In being so, God is vitally important, and truly all-powerful.
I care deeply about this stuff, and think way more then I should... because I've always questioned the purpose of believing in God. This is my current position... it may be different a week from now. I want to have some good long feedback, and maybe get a wholesome discussion going on. Anyone, everyone, POST! I want to hear your thoughts! I'll go kidnap Spencer and make him read it if thats what it takes... because I long for a good discussion.
“If every single person believed that guy standing in the middle of the road saying, ‘Don’t go there, it’s not meant for you’, we’d still be living in caves.” - Neil DeGrasse Tyson, National Aeronautics and Space Museum.
What is God? That’s a HUGE question, and one that I would be foolish to attempt to answer for everyone, even in 10,000 pages. There cannot be one answer, as God is not a static thing. As I understand the common stance (coming from a liberal Christian perspective), God is an entity that designed us, and everything around us, and now watches lovingly over his (her) creations. I will refer to God as an “it” for the purposes of clarity.
The problem doesn’t lie with that. The disconnect comes when people attempt to use “God’s divinity” to halt progress, to halt change. Saying that we were not meant to do something is literally closing off massive opportunities for growth. It’s an end without a reason. If someone were to do something and die horrifically as a direct result, you’d be justified in saying we weren’t meant to do it. However, just deciding you don’t approve of it (or more likely understand it), and then saying, “God disapproves” to stand as an excuse just doesn’t cut it.
I could walk down the street, pick a group of people at random and say, “Die, because God disapproves of your existence”. That’s exactly what these people try to do with ideas, hell, with entire fields. Genetics is a prime example. These types of people are instinctively opposed to genetics because they do not understand it. They say, “It’s fiddling with God’s perfect creation”. Guess what? God as an entity did not directly create anything! You know why I can say that and still call myself a Christian? Because people interpret the Bible FAR too literally.
My personal stance is that if God were an eternal being, it would have put into motion events that led to the elements of life being present. People seem to forget scale when it comes to matters of divinity. The universe is an incalculably massive place, and we seem to think that this all-knowing, all-powerful God is focused on us, on one measly planet in one measly system. God as a creator would not have sat down and molded us by hand, we’re just not that important.
Sure, God is present in almost every human’s life in some form or other… but that serves my eventual point even better. Might as well get into it now.
I feel God doesn’t exist.
I can hear the screams of heresy and treason and just about everything else horrid, but bear with me. God as I see it is a construct who serves to fill a certain gap, a certain role in each person. When nothing is going well, when life seems pointless and hopeless, we appeal to God to help us. If the appellant believes in the faith enough, they get a psychological boost, which to them means God is helping them personally. In reality, it’s more like a placebo effect. They believe that God will help them, and this belief makes them better.
In essence, God is the ultimate crutch for humanity. In being so, God is vitally important, and truly all-powerful.