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Dylan
Isn't it incredulous how "religious" folks seem to have such a moral certitude about their correctness? I find that to be the absolute height of arrogance...to think we "know" God and how He wants us to follow him is rather obtuse if you ask me. It would be much wiser on our part to keep getting up each morning and asking Him to reveal HImself a little more and to show us the way. I suspect He would send us off on a mission for our neighbor, who might be a different religion than ours
posted by
MysticGmekeepr
on June 1, 2005 at 1:47 PM
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"I belive that I will die and go to hell for asking too many questions"
Michael..............Never! Keep asking. GOd wants us to question, not just accept everything taht some heiarchy shoves down our throats, asking us to swallow and sprout belief.
posted by
MysticGmekeepr
on June 1, 2005 at 1:38 PM
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And I am humbled by your compliment! Thanks!
posted by
Dyl_Pickle
on May 29, 2005 at 9:48 AM
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Wrong question...
The right question is: What is God? See my article on Making Magic work for you.
posted by
Wordwizard
on May 29, 2005 at 9:04 AM
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Dylabvalente, you have made a very interesting point andI am humbled by your words
posted by
michael_pilarte
on May 28, 2005 at 4:31 PM
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Mary X
I also noticed your comment. I had not read that Jefferson quotation. I'm glad you posted it. Jeffersonian wisdom can be very helpful sometimes!
posted by
Dyl_Pickle
on May 28, 2005 at 6:07 AM
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"...these are people that said that mental illness was being possesed by the devil." There are still people who say this. Churches -- and not just the Catholic one -- still do exorcisms. I saw one on TV.
I cannot assure you you won't go to hell for asking these questions, but I can assure you I think it's ridiculous for people to try to make you think that. That idea was the church-state's way of consolidating its authority: make people afraid to question theology as it was put to them.
How convenient for the rulers for people to believe divine retribution will be the punishment for their unorthodoxy!
It's clear to me, as you have explained, that God's word is not so clear. Not clear enough to warrant the certain proclamations of divine wisdom that some religionists make.
One virtue of religion, in my view, is that it provides cause for being humble, modest, not believing man to be absolutely wise or virtuous.
It would seem that, if we are flawed, we are flawed in our interpretations of God's word and thus should not presume to denounce, much less punish, different interpretations of God's word.
God may be perfect, but we are not perfect filters for his instruction. It is one thing for us to denounce prophecy that is clearly malevolent, such as "God says [fill in the blank: Muslims, Jews, Christians, blacks, gays, etc.] must die!"
We have no viable choice but to denounce this nonsense, even if we can't PROVE that God doesn't mean this. But for less obvious differences in interpretation, it would seem wise for us to err on caution's side and not proclaim our theology absolutely superior to another.
posted by
Dyl_Pickle
on May 28, 2005 at 6:05 AM
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Michael_Pilarte,
"It is better to debate an issue without settling it, than to settle an issue without debating it." Thomas Jefferson. Who hasn't had these questions? Can anyone truthfully answer them? "Who has known the mind of God?" Isaiah. I believe in the mystery, the vastness of God, and that Jesus is the path to him. Why then the ambiguity and the conflict between religions? I don't know. Except that through my own refelctions and experiences, I do believe that this world is a spiritual battlefield, only who the contestants are, I'm not sure. That we are being tested, I also believe.
posted by
Blanche.
on May 26, 2005 at 9:25 PM
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