Do you believe in God and why

[Sunmaster]

2 hours ago, Tagged said:

It is not extreme sport, so please do not try to hard ????

It may not be a sport, but I do think it's extreme in a sense. ????

[yodsak]

On 8/4/2020 at 7:15 AM, fredwiggy said:

Only after man sinned (Genesis 3) did human and animal death enter the world (Genesis 1:31; Romans 5:12; 8:20-22). So where did today’s carnivorous lions come from?   From this link...............https://www.icr.org/article/did-lions-roam-garden-eden

Edited August 5, 2020 by yodsak

[thaibeachlovers]

17 hours ago, Tagged said:

Can you accept mother if I call her that ? ???? my preference 

You can call nature whatever you like. Gaia won't send you to the naughty corner.

[talahtnut]

On 8/4/2020 at 12:25 PM, mauGR1 said:

Well, as I said a zillion posts ago, I am a polytheist, and I am convinced that monotheism is just too simplistic, and,  in the past,politically convenient for the empires to divide and conquer..

Indeed, religions are powerful weapons and

the ultimate mind control systems.

Gods should be a thing of the past,

and we should be teaching human psychology

to our kids.

Maugr1, you have the patience of a saint.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

6 minutes ago, talahtnut said:

Indeed, religions are powerful weapons and

the ultimate mind control systems.

Gods should be a thing of the past,

and we should be teaching human psychology

to our kids.

Maugr1, you have the patience of a saint.

 

Social media is more powerful than religion. It makes people think that there is more than 2 genders.

 

I'd never let a psychologist near a child of mine. Like lawyers, there are good ones and bad ones, but the chances of finding a good one are not great.

[mauGR1]

2 hours ago, talahtnut said:

Indeed, religions are powerful weapons and

the ultimate mind control systems.

Gods should be a thing of the past,

and we should be teaching human psychology

to our kids.

Maugr1, you have the patience of a saint.z

 

Lol, actually I'm working on patience, apparently without great achievements.

I think religions are tools, one can choose how to use them; I never spoke to my children about religion, but I tried to teach them some critical, independent thought.

Although religions have been useful for me, i would not recommend them to everyone.

[mauGR1]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Social media is more powerful than religion. It makes people think that there is more than 2 genders.

 

I'd never let a psychologist near a child of mine. Like lawyers, there are good ones and bad ones, but the chances of finding a good one are not great.

I think that money and sex are still the most powerful engines for people actions, when one soul gets bored of the repetition, the only way out of the samsara is through enlightenment.

Yet Buddha apparently vowed to come back to this planet until the last sentient being is freed, I think I can see a sort of a message there.

[Tagged]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Social media is more powerful than religion. It makes people think that there is more than 2 genders.

 

I'd never let a psychologist near a child of mine. Like lawyers, there are good ones and bad ones, but the chances of finding a good one are not great.

Social media, fake news, religion, same same but different. 

 

Elvis was a god to, 

 

People are just people and people can be very simple is you connect to many to a thought, to an idea, and it will spread like an virus if you just have the right people with the right tools do do the job. 

 

To be earnest, social meida have made me aware of my friends who I grow up with how simple minded they are. Some of them some of them stayed all their life in same place, almost same work area, same holiday destinations with their family or neighbours for years, and their mindset scares me. Whe have grown appart greatly during the years. 

[fredwiggy]

2 hours ago, Tagged said:

Social media, fake news, religion, same same but different. 

 

Elvis was a god to, 

 

People are just people and people can be very simple is you connect to many to a thought, to an idea, and it will spread like an virus if you just have the right people with the right tools do do the job. 

 

To be earnest, social meida have made me aware of my friends who I grow up with how simple minded they are. Some of them some of them stayed all their life in same place, almost same work area, same holiday destinations with their family or neighbours for years, and their mindset scares me. Whe have grown appart greatly during the years. 

Elvis was a talented addict and not a God. Buddha was a peaceful man, and not a God. Those who hero worship people because of fame are morons. They aren't any better than a homeless bum, especially in God's eyes.

[transam]

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Elvis was a talented addict and not a God. Buddha was a peaceful man, and not a God. Those who hero worship people because of fame are morons. They aren't any better than a homeless bum, especially in God's eyes.

What God...?

[fredwiggy]

Just now, transam said:

What God...?

The only real one

[transam]

Just now, fredwiggy said:

The only real one

Which is....?

[fredwiggy]

Just now, transam said:

Which is....?

You know, the real one, the God of Abraham, or Yahweh, as he is also referred to.  (here we go again)

[Peter Denis]

12 minutes ago, transam said:

What God...?

 

5 minutes ago, transam said:

Which is....?

>> The God inside you - the divine spark.

The Thai 'wai' has its origin in the Indian Namaste >

‘The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you’

In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all.

 

 

The gesture (or mudra) of namaste is a simple act made by bringing together both palms of the hands before the heart, and lightly bowing the head. In the simplest of terms it is accepted as a humble greeting straight from the heart and reciprocated accordingly.

Namaste is a composite of the two Sanskrit words: nama and te. Nama means to bend, to bow, to sink, to incline, to stoop all these suggestions point to a sense of submitting oneself to another with complete humility & Te means you.

The word nama is split into two, na and ma. Na signifies negation and ma represents mine. The meaning would then be ‘not mine’. The import being that the individual soul belongs entirely to the Supreme soul, which is identified as residing in the individual towards whom the namaste is directed. Indeed there is nothing that the soul can claim as its own. Namaste is thus the necessary rejection of ‘I’ and the associated phenomena of egotism.

The whole action of namaste unfolds itself at three levels: mental, physical, and verbal.

It starts with a mental submission. This submission is in the spirit of total surrender of the self. This is parallel to the devotion one expresses before a chosen deity, also known as bhakti. The devotee who thus venerates with complete self-surrender is believed to partake the merits or qualities of the person or deity before whom he performs this submission. There is a prescription in the ancient texts known as Agamas that the worshipper of a deity must first become divine himself, for otherwise worship as a transaction would become invalid. A transaction can only be between equals, between individuals who share some details in common. Hence by performing namaste before an individual we recognize the divine spark in him. Further by facilitating our partaking of these divine qualities, namaste makes us aware of these very characteristics residing within our own selves. Simply put, namaste intimates the following:

‘The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you’

In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all.

< https://theyogapeople.com/namaste-meaning/ >

[transam]

2 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

You know, the real one, the God of Abraham, or Yahweh, as he is also referred to.  (here we go again)

"Here we go again"......Hmmmm, as far as I am aware there are many "gods" from many of years back that different folk seem to worship, but not one is proven.

Am I correct....?

[Tagged]

19 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Elvis was a talented addict and not a God. Buddha was a peaceful man, and not a God. Those who hero worship people because of fame are morons. They aren't any better than a homeless bum, especially in God's eyes.

You missed the point of my reply! People create many different gods in their minds, and Elvis was one of them. 

[transam]

1 minute ago, Peter Denis said:

 

>> The God inside you - the divine spark.

The Thai 'wai' has its origin in the Indian Namaste >

‘The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you’

In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all.

 

 

The gesture (or mudra) of namaste is a simple act made by bringing together both palms of the hands before the heart, and lightly bowing the head. In the simplest of terms it is accepted as a humble greeting straight from the heart and reciprocated accordingly.

Namaste is a composite of the two Sanskrit words: nama and te. Nama means to bend, to bow, to sink, to incline, to stoop all these suggestions point to a sense of submitting oneself to another with complete humility & Te means you.

The word nama is split into two, na and ma. Na signifies negation and ma represents mine. The meaning would then be ‘not mine’. The import being that the individual soul belongs entirely to the Supreme soul, which is identified as residing in the individual towards whom the namaste is directed. Indeed there is nothing that the soul can claim as its own. Namaste is thus the necessary rejection of ‘I’ and the associated phenomena of egotism.

The whole action of namaste unfolds itself at three levels: mental, physical, and verbal.

It starts with a mental submission. This submission is in the spirit of total surrender of the self. This is parallel to the devotion one expresses before a chosen deity, also known as bhakti. The devotee who thus venerates with complete self-surrender is believed to partake the merits or qualities of the person or deity before whom he performs this submission. There is a prescription in the ancient texts known as Agamas that the worshipper of a deity must first become divine himself, for otherwise worship as a transaction would become invalid. A transaction can only be between equals, between individuals who share some details in common. Hence by performing namaste before an individual we recognize the divine spark in him. Further by facilitating our partaking of these divine qualities, namaste makes us aware of these very characteristics residing within our own selves. Simply put, namaste intimates the following:

‘The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you’

In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all.

< https://theyogapeople.com/namaste-meaning/ >

I agree with your "Mental Submission", the rest is just what ever goes on in an individuals head....????

[Tagged]

15 hours ago, Sunmaster said:

It may not be a sport, but I do think it's extreme in a sense. ????

Especialy travelling to rural places, and take part of their use of anchient stimulitants traditions, or just pure acid trips. 

 

For some it changed their lifes for the better or worse. I have one friend who tipped over to the gods fantasy world and never really came back down. Some few others who also strive with their previous searches. 

[Sunmaster]

1 hour ago, transam said:

"Here we go again"......Hmmmm, as far as I am aware there are many "gods" from many of years back that different folk seem to worship, but not one is proven.

Am I correct....?

We have discussed this several times. The gods that people worship are just representations of the same universal creative force. Different times, different cultures, different approaches....same ultimate goal: the union with All-There-Is.

 

If we both want to drive to Chiang Mai, you may prefer comfort so will rather drive a Mercedes. Another one prefers speed and chooses a sports car. Another one still cares about style and chooses a classic Beetle. Different choices, but the end point is still the same for all of them.

 

Is one better than the other? It depends on your preferences and natural inclinations. And one doesn't invalidate the other. They coexist at the same time and they all have a reason to be. 

[transam]

5 minutes ago, Sunmaster said:

We have discussed this several times. The gods that people worship are just representations of the same universal creative force. Different times, different cultures, different approaches....same ultimate goal: the union with All-There-Is.

 

If we both want to drive to Chiang Mai, you may prefer comfort so will rather drive a Mercedes. Another one prefers speed and chooses a sports car. Another one still cares about style and chooses a classic Beetle. Different choices, but the end point is still the same for all of them.

 

Is one better than the other? It depends on your preferences and natural inclinations. And one doesn't invalidate the other. They coexist at the same time and they all have a reason to be. 

What about the miracles that the son of the Christian "god" supposedly performed...?

[Peter Denis]

10 minutes ago, transam said:

What about the miracles that the son of the Christian "god" supposedly performed...?

Yes, and to stay on topic, what are your favorite television programs... ?

[transam]

1 minute ago, Peter Denis said:

Yes, and to stay on topic, what are your favorite television programs... ?

Sorry but I don't understand your reply.

 

But perhaps you can answer my question correctly, the son of the Christian "god" performed miracles, well it is written that he did, so what are your thoughts on that...?

[Tagged]

16 minutes ago, transam said:

What about the miracles that the son of the Christian "god" supposedly performed...?

People do make miracles every day, every week, you just have to tune in to the right philadelphia church or alike, and read about it, and at the same time, make sure you donate some money for some more happiness and good luch to come your way, as better health. You might sign up for distanced healing as well. 

[Tagged]

38 minutes ago, transam said:

What about the miracles that the son of the Christian "god" supposedly performed...?

Here I found the answer, you just have to add the book to the basket and give them your credit card details

 

https://pcg.church/literature/414/the-plain-truth-about-healing

[fredwiggy]

17 minutes ago, transam said:

Sorry but I don't understand your reply.

 

But perhaps you can answer my question correctly, the son of the Christian "god" performed miracles, well it is written that he did, so what are your thoughts on that...?

Walking on water isn't easy, nor is bringing a man back from the dead, or turning a few fish into many so a large group would eat. I guess you

can say these didn't happen, that the testimony written down through the ages was false, but we who believe see these as miracles, and things that helped people back then believe.

[Peter Denis]

42 minutes ago, transam said:

Sorry but I don't understand your reply.

 

But perhaps you can answer my question correctly, the son of the Christian "god" performed miracles, well it is written that he did, so what are your thoughts on that...?

 

OK, I thought your response to @Sunmaster's response completely off topic.

But now that we are at it, will provide my views on your question.

 

As I see it, the majority of the stories in the Bible are meant as a beautiful allegory and should not be taken literally.

And that also applies to the New Testament, describing the teachings and life of Jesus.

The miracles that Jesus conducted do not refer to physical events but to spiritual awakening. 

The 7 main miracles attributed to Jesus become much clearer as to why they are mentioned, when trying to understand their psychological dimension.

• Turning water into wine. ...
• Feeding the 5,000. ...
• Curing the paralyzed man. ...
• Calming the storm. ...
• Healing the leper. ...
• Curing two blind men. ...
• Raising Lazarus from the dead.

In short: these are narratives of spiritual events describing a transformation when opening yourself to the spirit.

But does this mean that I renounce miracles?

No, I do not.  But in 'my book' a miracle is a manifestation of the Laws of a higher order, on a lower level.  And spiritually evolved persons (I surely do not count myself in that category) can indeed perform miracles.  But of course they will not do so for 'entertainment' value to those that reject anything spiritual unless a miracle is performed for them.

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by Peter Denis

[doctormann]

Mods, can we please have a B*ll*cks emoji because this topic surely needs one!

[Sunmaster]

The same misunderstanding happened when ignorant (not knowing, not understanding) took the alchemist's teaching of turning iron into gold. 

The ignorant would take it literally and actually try to produce gold, failing miserably and then come to the conclusion that it doesn't work.

The real meaning though, was a reference to elevating one's spirit to a higher realm through a spiritual purification. 

The same problem still happens today when people read spiritual teachings and take them literally, not understanding the deeper meaning of them.

Of course they are then (rightfully) ridiculed.

 

As for miracles...lighting a simple matchstick would have been a miracle a thousand years ago. What spiritually advanced people can do, may be considered miracles today, but in a more advanced society, where the majority have reached a certain level of development, they may be common occurrences. 

Nothing is truly supernatural or unique to special people. We all have the potential to get there, it's just a matter of what goal you have in life.

If you don't believe in that potential or don't care about it, that's up to you, but since you're not the measure of all there is, please accept that others may have different beliefs and goals...and faculties. 

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by Sunmaster

[transam]

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

 

OK, I thought your response to @Sunmaster's response completely off topic.

But now that we are at it, will provide my views on your question.

 

As I see it, the majority of the stories in the Bible are meant as a beautiful allegory and should not be taken literally.

And that also applies to the New Testament, describing the teachings and life of Jesus.

The miracles that Jesus conducted do not refer to physical events but to spiritual awakening. 

The 7 main miracles attributed to Jesus become much clearer as to why they are mentioned, when trying to understand their psychological dimension.

• Turning water into wine. ...
• Feeding the 5,000. ...
• Curing the paralyzed man. ...
• Calming the storm. ...
• Healing the leper. ...
• Curing two blind men. ...
• Raising Lazarus from the dead.

In short: these are narratives of spiritual events describing a transformation when opening yourself to the spirit.

But does this mean that I renounce miracles?

No, I do not.  But in 'my book' a miracle is a manifestation of the Laws of a higher order, on a lower level.  And spiritually evolved persons (I surely do not count myself in that category) can indeed perform miracles.  But of course they will not do so for 'entertainment' value to those that reject anything spiritual unless a miracle is performed for them.

 

Thanks for the replies, but to me it reads like folk who have been brainwashed, similar to that other religion who are going round killing folk for no other reason than their interpretation of a book, which reminds me of JW's, their own version of their book.

 

Children are dying from disease or starving all over the world, they have been for centuries, yet your "god" allows that, useless things like Mosquitoes have also been killing men, women and children for centuries, one of your "gods" creations, I guess.

 

As for the religious books, well, books and newspapers to this day are filled with lies, assumptions, proper gander, fiction, so virtually nothing can be proven as fact.. 

[transam]

8 minutes ago, Sunmaster said:

The same misunderstanding happened when ignorant (not knowing, not understanding) took the alchemist's teaching of turning iron into gold. 

The ignorant would take it literally and actually try to produce gold, failing miserably and then come to the conclusion that it doesn't work.

The real meaning though, was a reference to elevating one's spirit to a higher realm through a spiritual purification. 

The same problem still happens today when people read spiritual teachings and take them literally, not understanding the deeper meaning of them.

Of course they are then (rightfully) ridiculed.

 

As for miracles...lighting a simple matchstick would have been a miracle a thousand years ago. What spiritually advanced people can do, may be considered miracles today, but in a more advanced society, where the majority have reached a certain level of development, they may be common occurrences. 

Nothing is truly supernatural or unique to special people. We all have the potential to get there, it's just a matter of what goal you have in life.

If you don't believe in that potential or don't care about it, that's up to you, but since you're not the measure of all there is, please accept that others may have different beliefs and goals...and faculties. 

 

Seems I cannot be brainwashed then, and you cannot show any facts, only the way you want to twist stuff in your head so you can go along with a religion..