Discussion of God (Not Definition)

Yes, I think "unimaginable" sums up my view as well.

I sometimes make the comparison that I have as much hope of truly understanding God and His nature as my cat can understand all that it means to be human.

How can the finite hope to fully understand the Infinite?

God exists. God created us. God loves us.

All else is commentary.

Eudaimonist said:

No, it isn't. If he were to say that he was certain, or had firm belief, that there is alien life, that would be faith. But the probability is simply based on the observation that life started on Earth, and that the same conditions could exist elsewhere in the universe. We even have evidence of other planets orbiting stars other than our own.


eudaimonia,

Mark

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The narrator said "probable", which serves as an indicator of his own personal beliefs. It indicates his belief of their existence. This would be his belief, faith.

Under Grace said:

The narrator said "probable", which serves as an indicator of his own personal beliefs. It indicates his belief of their existence. This would be his belief, faith.

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No, it would be an estimation, based in mathematics.


eudaimonia,

Mark

razeontherock said:

This I agree with. Saw your post on the how ya doin thread, didn't want to expand there but you said wanting to read the whole OT before you get through the NT, right? I've read the Bible to the point where most of it is rich in meaning to me and I'll tell you, the OT expounds upon the NT. So I'd recommend reading the NT first, except for Revelation which doesn't begin to make much sense until you've mastered the other 66 books. Once the NT is under your belt the OT means more, and after finishing that the NT means a LOT more ... careful though, if you listen to me it might just come alive to you!

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I'm currently struggling with Ezekiel... it seems to be very repetitive and I'm quite put off by the angry tone of the writing.

Not until after the Bible comes alive to you, nope.

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I'm not expecting anything... just trying to read it with an open mind

Minty said:

I'm currently struggling with Ezekiel... it seems to be very repetitive and I'm quite put off by the angry tone of the writing.

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Remember that Ezekiel was writing when Israel was exiled in Babylon, so there is a bit of an angry tone there since they were currently being punished for disobeying.

b&wpac4 said:

Remember that Ezekiel was writing when Israel was exiled in Babylon, so there is a bit of an angry tone there since they were currently being punished for disobeying.

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I never knew that (or maybe I did and because I had a break of about six months after I started reading it I forgot it). Thanks for telling me... kind of makes sense more now

Minty said:

I never knew that (or maybe I did and because I had a break of about six months after I started reading it I forgot it). Thanks for telling me... kind of makes sense more now

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Also keep in mind that the job of the prophets were not to make the people of Israel get the warm and fuzzies, they were telling the people what they were doing wrong and what they needed to do to get it right. They are, perhaps, the harshest critics of Israel.

They are supposed to, in many ways, make the people feel uncomfortable and self-conscious about what they may be doing wrong.

Under Grace said:

I found the narrator saying "it is probable there is an alien life"... his belief is an act of faith.

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He didn't actually say, "I believe in alien life." He said it is probable. If you roll a die with one black dot on one face and five red dots on the other face then it is "probable" you will get a red dot. Probability does not equal Faith.

I also really like QualiaSoups videos on youtube. They always make you think and force you think about some tough stuff.

I think God is everything and more. He is infinity + one. He defies logic which is why guys like QualiaSoup will probably never believe in god because they think everything is logic. What is the answer to the arithmetic series: 1 - 1 + 1 - 1 + 1...? This, to me demonstrates something God would know. Somehow. And, to the human mind, the automatic answer is, "well that series has no answer." Or does it? It would defy logic if it did which is why humans can't wrap their head around that series having an answer.

Booko said:

Yes, I think "unimaginable" sums up my view as well.

I sometimes make the comparison that I have as much hope of truly understanding God and His nature as my cat can understand all that it means to be human.

How can the finite hope to fully understand the Infinite?

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I wish more Christians would appreciate this!

I guess the best way to put my personal view on the divine is that it exists as an incomprehensible force that as a human being one can not hope to fully grasp or completely understand. To me, it is like and infinitely complex equation that would boggle the mind so much the mind can't take it all in, has no ability to do so.

Which leads me to my belief in what I like to call the disco-ball theory. Basically I think in an attempt to try and reconcile this vast enigma with our limited human capabilities we will choose to cling to certian parts that make the most sense to us (And I don't mean cling in a negative way here, I think having faith can be a beautiful and wonderful thing; I think the same of having an atheistic view too. It's all in how you live it).

In a sense, if the divine were a giant disco ball(yes that sounds a bit silly but bear with me) that is made up of an infinite number of mirrors; each of us are only really seeing the mirror in which is best reflected ourselves and our values, the mirror that we most connect to. I think we make our ideas and ideals of god based on the mirror that we are seeing, which is why we all hold so many different faiths.
For me, this becomes my belief in the goddess and the god and the duality of all things.