Is your God the same as mine?

[Winken]

My position is the same as yours and I wonder how people gain enlightenment through other religions or spiritual systems such as yoga or native American spirituality for example.

They don't.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Could your God really be compassionate if He were to let justice slide?

Ok I'll take ownership of "my God".
Some of the Bible is quite decisive about "justice". Looks closer to revenge in my opinion. Separating the bad guys from the good guys very easily when the truth is we are all sinners.
My perspective is evolving on this though. It is simplistic to just expect a "kind, sweet Jesus" who "turns the other cheek" all the time, I admit. Yes I agree that "compassion" has more depth than we give credit for.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

They don't.

How do you know?
He said 'enlightenment", not salvation.

 

[Widlast]

Yes I am Christian and try to be a respectful one. But I do have doubts. And whilst I accept that God made me and all human beings, I think we all create our own concept of God. As the old question goes, "did God create us or did we create God?"
My notion of God is more compassionate than judgemental. I know some of you who quote scripture see God as strong, powerful and not afraid to send us to eternal damnation. So your God is not the same as mine.

There is no doubt that the PERCEPTION of God is individual.
Each person understands God in a slightly different way due to differences in culture, experience, and understanding.

That has nothing to do with the nature of God. Don't fall for the notion that your perceptions somehow affect reality.
God is as He is regardless of how others perceive Him.

 

[CrystalDragon]

personally sharing with His children

God wants all to be saved. But He does evaluate what is good and what is Satanic and anti-love. And there is the flaming sewer which burns with fire and brimstone, so He has a place to put what is anti-love.

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

God does evaluate. He senses if we are of His love or not >

"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)

I call the fire and brimstone the very definition of "Satanic" and "anti-love", though keep in mind Satan barely did anything in the OT and wasn't seen as the Evil One until the New Testament.

 

[MayMcFlurry]

From a Gnostic Christian perspective, the God of the old testament is not the same as the Father of the new testament. Just like Christians do not see the Muslim God as being the same.

Personally, I think the Jews had their cultural perceptions of God, and the Romans developed their own. Some pluralists may say they are different aspects of the Ultimate Deity, I would say they are different deities all together.

 

[FanTheFlame]

I think a lot of us kid ourselves that we know who God is. Many of us may be just living in dreamland, a delusion.
Perhaps God gives us points for trying. That he can see our hearts and manages to overlook our misconceptions. Our prejudices, our sins.
Those who place themselves as God, as the centre of the Universe will certainly be in for a big shock one day.

Hmm, Bettercallpaul, I can't figure out exactly how you view the Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the End. You do realize we are talking about the Creator of ALL things. Those who claim to be "Christian" DO claim to serve the same God. Our God, Jesus (The) Christ, does not change. Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" and Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I do not change; ..."

I'm sorry but I do not agree with you on "perhaps God gives us points for trying.". He understands our struggle with sin and He looks upon our heart and knows our thoughts and motives. He gave us (we accepted / received) the Holy Spirit so that we may be victorious over temptation. God did not send Jesus to be brutally tortured, killed, and be the ultimate sacrifice just so we can "try to do good". He saved us so that we may Glorify Him. Yes, we sin and struggle as humans, but our mindset should be: "Failure is not an option for Christians". We are to overcome evil with good and strive to be Holy and obedient to Christ.

 

[Tinyarch]

From a Gnostic Christian perspective, the God of the old testament is not the same as the Father of the new testament. Just like Christians do not see the Muslim God as being the same.

Personally, I think the Jews had their cultural perceptions of God, and the Romans developed their own. Some pluralists may say they are different aspects of the Ultimate Deity, I would say they are different deities all together.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'll just chalk this answer in as being completely wrong and biblically unsupportable, MayMcFlurry. You are free to hold this opinion, but it is entirely wrong.

 

[MayMcFlurry]

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'll just chalk this answer in as being completely wrong and biblically unsupportable, MayMcFlurry. You are free to hold this opinion, but it is entirely wrong.

Well, that's your opinion too. Meanwhile Muslims believe Allah is the same as Yahweh.

Who is wrong? Spiritual reality is far too subjective.

 

[Tinyarch]

Well, that's your opinion too. Meanwhile Muslims believe Allah is the same as Yahweh.

Who is wrong? Spiritual reality is far too subjective.

No, it's not.
You just conflate it in an attempt to promote heresy as a legitimate opinion.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Don't fall for the notion that your perceptions somehow affect reality.

I dont know how many times I have to refute this.
God exists outside our perceptions of Him. Of course I know this.
My perception will be just incomplete as anyone else's.
But I get the impression that some of us on this thread think their perception of God is closest to the truth.

 

[afishamongmany]

Hi Paul -

My perception will be just incomplete as anyone else's.

Well no mate. 'Your perceptions' may be more or less 'incomplete' than someone else's. Unless you see us all as having exactly the same levels of incompleteness?

...some of us on this thread think their perception of God is closest to the truth.

Would you agree that some 'perceptions of God' are closer to the truth than others or are they all equally valid (or invalid)?
John 14:7-9
Go well
><>

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Well no mate.

gday mate!

 

[com7fy8]

I call the fire and brimstone the very definition of "Satanic" and "anti-love", though keep in mind Satan barely did anything in the OT and wasn't seen as the Evil One until the New Testament.

Fire can be very effective for managing Satan and his wicked filth of unforgiveness and bitterness and hate and fear and other anti-love things. So, I consider the place of fire and brimstone to be for controlling evil to stay away from us who spend eternity with our Groom Jesus.

And I consider Hebrews 12:29 >

"For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29)

The same fire can warm people who are in a circle around the fire, but that fire also can burn someone who is not relating sensitively and sensibly with the fire. Plus, that fire can keep predators away.

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)