Is "God" simply a 'moniker'???

[_Roger Morrison]

A "Nick-name" laid on the the creation process of the Universe by primatives, albeit sophisticated (some of them) relative to their time & intelligence, in answer to the big "how-come-question"... It was "God"!!! Who else, what else, could it have been? That might have satisfied peoples conditioned to believe in mysteries, magic and miracles.

Today, might "God" be better understood as 'Universal truth'; 'Applied Science'; 'Expanding Understanding'? This idea has been discussed recently on another thread. However, on a longish trip yesterday--Sunday--i listened to several religious speakers who used the "God" term frequently.

I began to substitute other words for "God" and was surprised how more meaningful, and practial, their sentences became by using differing terminology. That in fact lent more credibility to many of the statements. Try it, and see...

Thoughts, comments, explainations??? Must there be a personal, prejudiced "God" of magic & mystery to control &/or over-see the tides, orbiting planets, and 'special-children' of 'favoured-folks'? OR, are we secure in the ways and means of nature? Gaining more security as we draw closer to Universal Truth? Wondering??? Warm regards, Roger

[_Jersey Girl]

A "Nick-name" laid on the the creation process of the Universe by primatives, albeit sophisticated (some of them) relative to their time & intelligence, in answer to the big "how-come-question"... It was "God"!!! Who else, what else, could it have been? That might have satisfied peoples conditioned to believe in mysteries, magic and miracles.

Today, might "God" be better understood as 'Universal truth'; 'Applied Science'; 'Expanding Understanding'? This idea has been discussed recently on another thread. However, on a longish trip yesterday--Sunday--I listened to several religious speakers who used the "God" term frequently.

I began to substitute other words for "God" and was surprised how more meaningful, and practial, their sentences became by using differing terminology. That in fact lent more credibility to many of the statements. Try it, and see...

Thoughts, comments, explainations??? Must there be a personal, prejudiced "God" of magic & mystery to control &/or over-see the tides, orbiting planets, and 'special-children' of 'favoured-folks'? OR, are we secure in the ways and means of nature? Gaining more security as we draw closer to Universal Truth? Wondering??? Warm regards, Roger

I'm going to try to hunt down an old post I made that ponders nearly the same thing...but in a different way.

[_Jersey Girl]

What if God is this?

"What if God is only the expression of what the human mind and it's early intellect couldn't comprehend so many thousands of years ago?

What if ancient people manufactured our God concept because they lacked the knowledge to define or explain the sun, the moon, the stars, day, night, seasonal changes, thunder, lightning, storms at sea, earthquakes, the life cycle of plants, animals and humans?

The "mysteries" of their bodies, their language, their emotions, the birth and death of thier children, their parents and themselves? Their urges, their courage, their fears, their guilt, their behavior, their purpose and their occupation?

What if they were so frightened by the powerful forces of nature, of electrical storms, of floods, of volcanic and seismic activity--that they thought those powerful forces were perpetrated on them by some awesome being and they made God up--and passed "him" on to us?"

[_Roger Morrison]

Hi Jersey Girl, as it's said, "Great minds think alike!" As i guess, do fools...LOL!! But releasing the mind of conditioning, indoctrination, fear, and authoritarian edicting to consider "truth of all things", it seems highly unlikely that the biblical, ecclesiatical, theological "God" never did exist, outside of human imagination. The ancients not to be discredited. They worked with what THEY had...

Does such a determination/conclusion undo awe, respect, appreciation of, and for, those 'things'--tangible and otherwise--that have moved humanity from the dark caves of the past? Not to other than the thinking and feeling impaired. IMSCO... Does such an awareness blind one to the reality of the remaining caves yet to explore and escape? Only to the ignorant and arrogant... As it seems to me. Warm regards, Roger

[_Ren]

I certainly relate to this idea of God as a Moniker.

I often hear religious folks describe the wonder of the universe, the elegance of existence, the depths of our consiousness and our souls.

They choose to call this 'God'.
...and I understand exactly what their saying. I just don't call it that...

[_Roger Morrison]

I certainly relate to this idea of God as a Moniker.

I often hear religious folks describe the wonder of the universe, the elegance of existence, the depths of our consiousness and our souls.

They choose to call this 'God'.
...and I understand exactly what their saying. I just don't call it that...

Agree. Nothing like communication, whatever the lingo, to bring us together. I tried to get into your "Den" and blog...but was denied :-( Warm regards, Roger

[_Ren]

I tried to get into your "Den" and blog...but was denied :-(

...don't think your missing out on much, but...
"Ask and ye shall receive".

[_Ren]

Agree. Nothing like communication, whatever the lingo, to bring us together.

There is another aspect to this though...
...even though I might think I 'get' what their on about, in many cases I'll be told I really don't.

...because I don't beleive in the 'God' that they do. A universe run by a sentient being makes ALL the difference.
Especially when it comes to such matters as morality - apparently...

I also think that's a big role that God plays - filling the gaps that not so much haven't been 'filled' as of yet, but which could never be filled - no matter how much else we discover about the natural world...

Some seem to need the ultimate wise man, sitting upon the ultimate mountain. Without that, they can't seem to make sense of anything...

[_Roger Morrison]

Agree. Nothing like communication, whatever the lingo, to bring us together.

There is another aspect to this though...
...even though I might think I 'get' what their on about, in many cases I'll be told I really don't.

...because I don't beleive in the 'God' that they do. A universe run by a sentient being makes ALL the difference.
Especially when it comes to such matters as morality - apparently...

I also think that's a big role that God plays - filling the gaps that not so much haven't been 'filled' as of yet, but which could never be filled - no matter how much else we discover about the natural world...

Some seem to need the ultimate wise man, sitting upon the ultimate mountain. Without that, they can't seem to make sense of anything...

Agree again... However, i think that "...some..." might be in a decreasing number. In the fact of population increase, AND in the fact of more information available through a growing education base not available previously... Not that 'education' always wins over 'indoctrination'. But at least it is an alternative. Right?

"...matters of morality..." is a drum fundies tend to beat... But again, better informed folks--in & outside of church--know that's a time-worn myth. If not, jails would confine only Atheists... Warm regards, Roger

[_truth dancer]

Great topic Roger...

To my way of experiencing the world, "God" is the anthropomorphizing of the mystery!

:-)

I like how you said, "they worked with what they had." Exactly! Seems humans answer the big questions based on their experiece, surroundings, insights and wisdom of their time.

The problems come in when we hold onto ideas/beliefs that no longer fit with "reality" as it is experienced by modern life.

In other words, in the past, the stories/myths were based on the experiences of the time, but today we are still holding onto these old stories rather than creating a new story based on our experience of life as we know it.

It is so not working as evidenced by our chaotic world. ;-)

~dancer~