Tree Rings / Calendars

Originally posted by sonhouse
My personal opinion is all gods are just made up by men to either to come to terms with incomprehensible forces like earthquakes, floods, fire, lightning, thunder and so forth in the very early days of mankind or later in more modern historic times, a blatant agenda of empire building. That latter worked extremely well.

Agree. And do not leave out the fear of immortality. In other words, not only did man develop religion to explain natural phenomena (e.g., the sun god causes the sun to rise and set every day) and to have power in political structures, human brains evolved to believe in religious superstition to be soothed and have comfort with regard to their immortality.

Some scientists go as far to say that because of the physical changes in the brain over time, that humans are now even more predisposed to believe in religious myth and fantasies. And that this helps explain, at least in part, how people can be so easily brainwashed into religious falsehoods and misconceptions despite overwhelming evidence against. They want to believe.

Originally posted by sonhouse
If your god was not made up by man, I'll believe it when this god calls me out and points out the error of my ways. Till then, no man can tell me otherwise.

If this god or all the gods were made up by man, there are billions of duped people out there.

My personal opinion is all gods are just made up by men to either to come to terms with incomprehens ...[text shortened]... modern historic times, a blatant agenda of empire building. That latter worked extremely well.

I agree you'll believe the day you are called into account; however, that will
not be a matter of belief that day, but the purest reality then it will not be
like we have now where we see in a glass darkly.

I think you are confusing God with the evil done in His name, but you are as
you say free to do and believe what you will.
Kelly

Originally posted by VoidSpirit
if god is timeless, he could only be an observer. he could not interact with beings experiencing linear time.

as an elaboration, as you approach the speed of light, time slows down to the point that you experience no time at all at the speed of light. going in the opposite direction, as you approach speed of zero, your time perception speeds up until ...[text shortened]... with beings experiencing time, he would have to be in the same or similar time perception state.

I don't think your views on what God can and cannot do actually limit God in
any form or fashion, you are however always welcome to create limits to God
in your thinking that you come up with.
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
I don't think your views on what God can and cannot do actually limit God in
any form or fashion, you are however always welcome to create limits to God
in your thinking that you come up with.
Kelly

the biggest limitation that can be placed on god is to claim that it exists. next to that, all other speculations are of little significance.

Originally posted by VoidSpirit
the biggest limitation that can be placed on god is to claim that it exists. next to that, all other speculations are of little significance.

Sort of a laughable limitation, care be more specific as to why?
Since some people's gods are things like the sun, a piece of wood, or stone
that are made to look like something they want to worship. Since gods can
be pretty much anything I think having one be real is well true as wood and
stone are here, and you can see and touch them, the sun shines daily like
clock work so please be specific if you are able.

I'm quite sure you meant something other than those, and once you have
ID what it was you claim cannot be real please share why it cannot be. I may
agree with you since I don't think God is understood by you at all.
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
Sort of a laughable limitation, care be more specific as to why?
Since some people's gods are things like the sun, a piece of wood, or stone
that are made to look like something they want to worship. Since gods can
be pretty much anything I think having one be real is well true as wood and
stone are here, and you can see and touch them, the sun shines d ...[text shortened]... cannot be. I may
agree with you since I don't think God is understood by you at all.
Kelly

No, VS makes a very good point. Existence is inherently conditional. The theogony of Jewish Kabbalah (that I was studying so intently a few years back) at least acknowledges that—though I don’t think it produces any “answers” that are not question-begging (unless one takes the movement of ein sof from ein sof to god to be poetic and elicitive, rather than propositional). Still, the Kabbalists at least confront the issue of how the “divine unconditional” comes into conditional existence. (BTW, the theological Kabbalah I am talking about is pretty mainstream in Judaism, thought there are exceptions.)

Originally posted by vistesd
No, VS makes a very good point. Existence is inherently conditional. The theogony of Jewish Kabbalah (that I was studying so intently a few years back) at least acknowledges that—though I don’t think it produces any “answers” that are not question-begging (unless one takes the movement of ein sof from ein sof to god to be poetic and elicitive ...[text shortened]... ical Kabbalah I am talking about is pretty mainstream in Judaism, thought there are exceptions.)

Well I am acknowledging his point, existence is what he said couldn't happen,
but he didn't define what couldn't happen! How do I know he has a clue? What
stops anything from existence? Neither you or he know how what we do know
is in existence got here, so how exactly can you tell me how something else
couldn't possibly be in existence? You or he have something to add beyond the
fact that, "I don't believe in it" there something I am missing?
Kelly

Originally posted by sonhouse
No, I only intensely dislike the men who made your god up as is the case with all religions. I think they are despicable empire builders with absolutely no interest in actual spiritual values, only those that further their empires.

Those men you are talking about disobey the commandments of the
true God and make an idol for men to worship. It is good that you
are not fooled into believing them. But I am speaking of the true
God. The God that Christ declared to men. I have no desire to
control you. I want to set you free.

Originally posted by VoidSpirit
if god is timeless, he could only be an observer. he could not interact with beings experiencing linear time.

as an elaboration, as you approach the speed of light, time slows down to the point that you experience no time at all at the speed of light. going in the opposite direction, as you approach speed of zero, your time perception speeds up until ...[text shortened]... with beings experiencing time, he would have to be in the same or similar time perception state.

How could you know the mind of God, when your intelligence level is so low?