Do you believe in God and why

[thaibeachlovers]

5 minutes ago, Sunmaster said:

I think differently because I don't believe in the separateness of us and the Divine.

I think that what the sages said about the world is true...that the whole is contained in the smallest particle. In other words, the Cosmic Consciousness is contained in every photon, atom, cell, organ, body, world, galaxy and universe(s). There is nothing that does not come from the Source and nothing that doesn't carry all the characteristics of the Whole.
It would be no effort at all being present in the life of men. In fact, I believe there is no other way for us to exist, unless permeated with the divine spark.

Take the definition of a hologram for example:
Every part of a hologram contains the image of the whole object. For every viewing angle you see the image in a different perspective, as you would a real object. Each piece of a hologram contains a particular perspective of the image, but it includes the entire object.

Also, one of the core characteristics of all mystical/spiritual experiences, is the feeling of a cosmic unity and love that goes far beyond anything previously experienced. This love is described as deeply personal and profoundly liberating. This alone would suggest that there is indeed a personal relationship between man and the Whole that is always present, although rarely fully felt. Just like a hologram, we reflect one perspective of the Whole, but include the Whole in its entirety.
It follows that all other living beings and all other objects are also imbued with the same imprint and enjoy the same unlimited love. Not more important, not less; not more loved, not less than anything or anyone else.

 

I guess we are far apart on some things, but that's what makes the discussion interesting, provided one isn't on here just to mock and ask for impossible proofs.

 

BTW. no poster has ever replied to a post of mine asking for proof that romantic love is real. I guess it's in the "can't be proven" category, just like "God".

[mauGR1]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

BTW. no poster has ever replied to a post of mine asking for proof that romantic love is real. I guess it's in the "can't be proven" category, just like "God".

Well, at the risk of sounding repetitive, I've said a zillion times that any thought is real. As real as blocks of rock, sometimes shining as a sun, sometimes furious like a hurricane, etc.

Romantic love definitely exists. 

One can say it's an illusion, but then, everything can be regarded as an illusion in a way. 

Romantic love, just to stay on topic, is however just a bit less mysterious than God himself imho. 

[Sunmaster]

9 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I guess we are far apart on some things, but that's what makes the discussion interesting, provided one isn't on here just to mock and ask for impossible proofs.

 

BTW. no poster has ever replied to a post of mine asking for proof that romantic love is real. I guess it's in the "can't be proven" category, just like "God".

Absolutely, we all just carry a piece of the puzzle. It would be foolish to dismiss other puzzle pieces because of one's narrowmindedness.

No poster has "debunked" the scientific approach or any other approach either. I guess "The Enforcer" is not very good at his job, as the only thing he's been enforcing so far is ignorance and stubbornness. 

[mauGR1]

26 minutes ago, Sunmaster said:

It follows that all other living beings and all other objects are also imbued with the same imprint and enjoy the same unlimited love. Not more important, not less; not more loved, not less than anything or anyone else.

 

Agree on everything you said so clearly. 

However,  "more" and " less" exist, as far as i can see.

We are "trapped " in a physical body after all.

...but if you're describing a moment of enlightenment, when the false ego is completely forgotten, yep, i guess that's the feeling. 

[Ladidaa]

19 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Agree on everything you said so clearly. 

However,  "more" and " less" exist, as far as i can see.

We are "trapped " in a physical body after all.

...but if you're describing a moment of enlightenment, when the false ego is completely forgotten, yep, i guess that's the feeling. 

I think it's the same mechanism as with enlightenment.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Ladidaa

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, mauGR1 said:

Well, at the risk of sounding repetitive, I've said a zillion times that any thought is real. As real as blocks of rock, sometimes shining as a sun, sometimes furious like a hurricane, etc.

Romantic love definitely exists. 

One can say it's an illusion, but then, everything can be regarded as an illusion in a way. 

Romantic love, just to stay on topic, is however just a bit less mysterious than God himself imho. 

I use that as a counterpoint to those that ask for scientific proof of the existence of God. They seem to regard the lack of scientific proof for God as significant, so I ask them for the same re romantic love. There is no scientific proof for romantic love to my knowledge.

 

The point I'm making is that if people can believe in romantic love without scientific proof, why can't people believe in God without scientific proof?

Edited July 12, 2021 by thaibeachlovers

[ivor bigun]

dont know what God had to do with it but got my az jab with my pink card ,thank you wifey .

[mauGR1]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I use that as a counterpoint to those that ask for scientific proof of the existence of God. They seem to regard the lack of scientific proof for God as significant, so I ask them for the same re romantic love. There is no scientific proof for romantic love to my knowledge.

 

The point I'm making is that if people can believe in romantic love without scientific proof, why can't people believe in God without scientific proof?

Yes, of course i understand your point, and i think that the comparison is fair enough.

The point I'm making is that such feelings,  often disregarded as just electrical impulses from the brain, are so powerful that can overcome reason and logic in the shaping of our lives.

The "purpose" of romantic love is not just to make us reproduce imho, there's something more mysterious about it,  which atm I'm not able to grasp. 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

Yes, of course i understand your point, and i think that the comparison is fair enough.

The point I'm making is that such feelings,  often disregarded as just electrical impulses from the brain, are so powerful that can overcome reason and logic in the shaping of our lives.

The "purpose" of romantic love is not just to make us reproduce imho, there's something more mysterious about it,  which atm I'm not able to grasp. 

 

 

Reproduction is taken care of very capably by lust, of which IMO there is oodles of proof. Look no further than the masses of western men descending on Pattaya prior to corona.

To be clear, when I'm talking about "romantic love" I'm referring to men buying diamond rings and  expensive gifts for women, and women reading Mills and Boon and scoffing ice cream, or eating loads of chocolate while watching a soppy movie about how a handsome prince rescues the beautiful princess and they live happily ever after.

Also refers to eating a nice meal by candlelight ( eating in the dark dilates the pupils and apparently makes people more sexually attractive ) beside the sea under a full moon, which even I admit is romantic, despite not having a scientific explanation as to why that is. Bit like believing in God I guess.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

The "purpose" of romantic love is not just to make us reproduce imho, there's something more mysterious about it,  which atm I'm not able to grasp. 

IMO it's something promoted by commercial interests to sell things like diamond rings, literature of a certain sort ( think Mills and Boon ) and makeup etc. Also to convince people they need an expensive wedding costing thousands of $ for relatives they've hardly seen, instead of going to the registry office and a booze up down pub after.

To call me cynical about romance would be an understatement.

[mauGR1]

6 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Reproduction is taken care of very capably by lust, of which IMO there is oodles of proof. Look no further than the masses of western men descending on Pattaya prior to corona.

To be clear, when I'm talking about "romantic love" I'm referring to men buying diamond rings and  expensive gifts for women, and women reading Mills and Boon and scoffing ice cream, or eating loads of chocolate while watching a soppy movie about how a handsome prince rescues the beautiful princess and they live happily ever after.

Also refers to eating a nice meal by candlelight ( eating in the dark dilates the pupils and apparently makes people more sexually attractive ) beside the sea under a full moon, which even I admit is romantic, despite not having a scientific explanation as to why that is. Bit like believing in God I guess.

In my view, lust is often intertwined with romantic love.

Inside ( almost) every man is a white knight with a shining armour,  inside (almost) every woman is a damsel in distress waiting to be saved.

Been there, done that. Thanks God I'm old lol.

[mauGR1]

4 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO it's something promoted by commercial interests to sell things like diamond rings, literature of a certain sort ( think Mills and Boon ) and makeup etc. Also to convince people they need an expensive wedding costing thousands of $ for relatives they've hardly seen, instead of going to the registry office and a booze up down pub after.

To call me cynical about romance would be an understatement.

I heard that theory from you before,  but i think there is more than that.

I agree about the cynicism,  but one could say it's just being realistic. 

[thaibeachlovers]

18 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

In my view, lust is often intertwined with romantic love.

Inside ( almost) every man is a white knight with a shining armour,  inside (almost) every woman is a damsel in distress waiting to be saved.

Been there, done that. Thanks God I'm old lol.

Yeah, I used to be a "white knight" looking for people to help. I even became a nurse for that reason, and regretted it since.

I did finally wise up and put the shining armor in the wardrobe.

Occasionally I still try to help people, but usually regret doing so. Nowt so queer as folk.

[mauGR1]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

Yeah, I used to be a "white knight" looking for people to help. I even became a nurse for that reason, and regretted it since.

I did finally wise up and put the shining armor in the wardrobe.

Occasionally I still try to help people, but usually regret doing so. Nowt so queer as folk.

Helping others is great, and often a source of great joy, but we have to learn to deal with the ungrateful. 

I have to be honest, I'm not there yet, and I'm afraid it'll be a long way to go.

[canthai55]

11 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

BTW. no poster has ever replied to a post of mine asking for proof that romantic love is real. I guess it's in the "can't be proven" category, just like "God".

When people say they are 'In Love" they re talking about being in love with the concept. The "I want a person who will always be there for me, support me thru thick and thin, be my soulmate (???), etc etc etc They take vows, make pledges, swear eternal fidelity ...

And then time comes along ...

Man Plans, God Laughs

 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

18 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I use that as a counterpoint to those that ask for scientific proof of the existence of God. They seem to regard the lack of scientific proof for God as significant, so I ask them for the same re romantic love. There is no scientific proof for romantic love to my knowledge.

 

The point I'm making is that if people can believe in romantic love without scientific proof, why can't people believe in God without scientific proof?

Love is a many splendored thing but it is a feeling that passes and not being able to explain the workings of emotions does not require a god.  This is just a further example of saying - don't know how it works therefore god. 

Love to me is not something in the ether that you breathe in at a particular time..an objective presence.. it is a feeling. I don't think love is in the air but just that, say spring sunshine after a long winter, has a similar effect on us humans. I can't explain how it works but I cannot tell you how many psychological and physiological aspects of the body work.

 

[mauGR1]

5 hours ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

This is just a further example of saying - don't know how it works therefore god. 

Just the opposite actually. 

Understanding how it works,  brings to the understanding that everything is connected. 

Understanding that everything  is connected in countless ways, outside and inside, makes the intelligent design visible, if you dare to look at it.

Intelligent design is just another name of God.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

39 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Just the opposite actually. 

Understanding how it works,  brings to the understanding that everything is connected. 

Understanding that everything  is connected in countless ways, outside and inside, makes the intelligent design visible, if you dare to look at it.

Intelligent design is just another name of God.

You are critical if people ask you to show that god is definitely a thing. 

But if you say that you know and understand that god, or some sort of design, or that things being connected is definitely a thing then show how you know and that it is more than a feeling. 

If it is just a feeling then fine. 

[mauGR1]

45 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

You are critical if people ask you to show that god is definitely a thing. 

But if you say that you know and understand that god, or some sort of design, or that things being connected is definitely a thing then show how you know and that it is more than a feeling. 

If it is just a feeling then fine. 

Ok, let's say it's just  a feeling.

I have the feeling though, that you are not giving the right importance to the feelings. 

On the contrary,  i think that feelings have a major part in shaping the lives of people. 

Investigating the feelings and their nuances is as much as important, in the medical field,  for example,  as studying the bones, the blood vessels, the organs etc.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

17 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Ok, let's say it's just  a feeling.

I have the feeling though, that you are not giving the right importance to the feelings. 

On the contrary,  i think that feelings have a major part in shaping the lives of people. 

Investigating the feelings and their nuances is as much as important, in the medical field,  for example,  as studying the bones, the blood vessels, the organs etc.

 

I get the feeling that some posters will only be satisfied if God appeared and started doing miracles.

God hasn't appeared on earth in 2 millenia, but we are supposed to provide some hard evidence.

What's so hard to understand that God is of the spiritual dimension, and is not definable by present day science?

 

[mauGR1]

13 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I get the feeling that some posters will only be satisfied if God appeared and started doing miracles.

God hasn't appeared on earth in 2 millenia, but we are supposed to provide some hard evidence.

What's so hard to understand that God is of the spiritual dimension, and is not definable by present day science?

 

Personally, once i accept the fact that the material world is a sort of reflection,  or projection, of the spiritual world, I can see the presence of God in everything. 

Life is a miracle itself.

[canthai55]

A Priest was about to finish his tour of duty, and was leaving his Mission in the jungle where he has spent years teaching the natives about the Catholic religion when he realizes that the one thing he never taught them was how to speak English.

So he takes the chief for a walk in the forest.

He points to a tree and says to the chief, "This is a tree."

The chief looks at the tree and grunts, "Tree."

The Priest is pleased with the response.

They walk a little further and he points to a rock and says, "This is a rock."

Hearing this, the chief looks and grunts, "Rock."

The Priest was really getting enthusiastic about the results when he hears a rustling in the bushes.

As they peek over the top, he sees a couple of natives in the midst of heavy sexual activity.

The Priest is really flustered and quickly responds, "Man riding a bike."

The chief looks at the couple briefly, pulls out his blowgun and kills them both...

The Priest goes ballistic and yells at the chief that he has spent years teaching the tribe how to be civilized and be kind to each other, so how could he kill these people in cold blood that way?

The chief replied, "My bike."

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 7/13/2021 at 6:36 PM, mauGR1 said:

Personally, once i accept the fact that the material world is a sort of reflection,  or projection, of the spiritual world, I can see the presence of God in everything. 

Life is a miracle itself.

I know what you mean as I too believe that God is in everything, but I meant God in human form doing miracles.

[mauGR1]

13 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I know what you mean as I too believe that God is in everything, but I meant God in human form doing miracles.

I think "God" is in everything and everyone. 

I guess you're talking about Jesus, who I see as a personification of truth and love, for the people ( who want to hear), to evolve in that direction. 

In India, since ancient times, Jesus was known as a avatar of Vishnu,  the same as Buddha. 

But i can see a personification of God in Michelangelo's sculpture and painting, for example or Bach's music, and to some degree to every artist . 

 

[Sparktrader]

Idea of god great

Reality nothing there

You live then you die

 

[mauGR1]

38 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Idea of god great

Reality nothing there

You live then you die

 

Yeah, problem solved,  easy peasy ????

[Sunmaster]

I think defining love is as difficult as defining God or consciousness. In fact, I believe they are absolutely connected to each other. 

The way we interpret and act out on that interpretation says very little about Love itself. All it gives insight to, is the level to which we are able to love. Romantic love is maybe more of an ego-centered love. When you're courting a woman with a nice dinner at candlelight, what you're really doing is trying to make yourself feel better by getting that conquest perhaps.

With a deeper understanding of yourself (and therefore "God"), a new (deeper) dimension of love becomes more predominant. 
What I'm trying to say is that as consciousness expands (moves away from an ego-centric to a more inclusive point of view), so does love. Romantic love is temporary, because it will fade in time when the object of desire has been conquered and the ego can celebrate, while other types of love will last longer and the highest Love is eternal.
Maybe.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

people “believe” all kinds of superstitious or pseudo- scientific nonsense.

dont impose such wrong “beliefs” on others.

believe ONLY Reason, Logic, Real Science, FACTS ;

all Evidenced by multiple Reputable Sources

[Surelynot]

3 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

people “believe” all kinds of superstitious or pseudo- scientific nonsense.

dont impose such wrong “beliefs” on others.

believe ONLY Reason, Logic, Real Science, FACTS ;

all Evidenced by multiple Reputable Sources

Absolutely.......religious schools are the work of the devil....

[Sunmaster]

He says "don't impose wrong beliefs on others" and in the same paragraph tries to impose his idea of what is real on others.
LOL