The Evolution of "God"

Isn't it funny how "God" seems to evolve along with the more knowledge or information that humankind gains?

No longer does "God" live on the mountain and cause volcanic eruptions due to his wrath!

No longer does "God" live in the sky (just beyond the clouds) and cause storms due to his wrath!

No longer does "God" call for the massacre of thousands of tribes, choose people simply based on their nationality (or tribe) or causes the parting of giant seas!

The "God" who lived in primitive times acted primitive.

The "God" who existed during superstitious times happened to fall right into place with the superstitions of that time.

But, the more man increases knowledge, the more science expands; the more "God" evolves ... right along with man.

That's simply because "God" was made in man's image. He acts like man acts. He does what man wants. He is an invention of man and seems to have played the part well.

No longer do we have a medieval "God" (with the exception of the fundamentalists who reminisce about the good old days of inquisitions, crusades, witch trails, lynchings and the like).

Now, "God" has evolved into something bigger, more universal, more embracing, etc.

Sooner or later, the "God" concept will no longer be needed and will vanish.

 

Isn't it odd ...

That today, while preparing the afternoon's mean for the other monks, I thought this very same thought.

The reason I was was due to a memory I was entertaining of when I lived in Louisville, KY, before ordaining. Walking on my way home from work, I went though a mall, a Galleria actually, and was approached by two menonite men who were trying to tell me that God was a real, flesh and blood, human being and that he was separate from all other beings. Then I thought about the quote I put in another thread here that quoted Genesis, then the thought of where the God of the Christians was written to have said, "Let Us Make Man In Our Image..." and I had the thought that it doesn't really mean in the physical image of a human being with arms, legs, hands, feet, a neck and a head with eyes, ears, nose, tongue and brain. And if it did have any meaning it would have meant something along the lines of being a kind of non-coporeal being just like he was only we became attached to the form we choose to take ... and then we created God in our image ... so then it became crystal clear that the reason these people believed God to be a human being was because they not only clung to the idea that their God had/has human form, they also craved this idea ... so to them, I suppose their God is limited to the imperfections of a human form ... or else we are limited to our imperfections of believing that the human form is all there is to us ...

Then again ... it was only a thought ...

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Hmmm... that was a VERY interesting post, DK.

 

I've long had an affinity for hermetic philosophy. Hermetism is basically a religion or philosophy of the mind. They believe that everything in existence is held within the mind of God, and the mind is the divine aspect of human beings. With this belief it is impossible to understand God unless your awareness encompasses all things, so they usually refer to God as 'The All' and abstain from making any declarations as to what The All does or doesen't do, or what it likes and doesen't like because God isn't some being hanging out watching over us, it is all things and nothing simultaneously. A paradox meant to remind us that knowledge is ever expanding and we can't make any absolute statements unless our mind can expand to contain all of creation and therefore become one with God. However they still tried to understand what they could of God by understanding the world around them since they believed it to be the mind of God. As above, So below. So as human understanding grows and our awareness expands, so does our understanding and awareness of God. The world is an idea held in the mind of God, and God is an idea held in the mind of man.

 

Religion is merely a social evolutionary tool, used to explain away that which was previously unexplainable by attributing these unexplainable actions to some higher deity (volcanoes, plagues, etc). Sadly, it has become so ingrained within modern society that it's now slowing social evolution down.

Religion fulfilled its purpose in the past, and now it's time for it to die. However, there are those that still cling to religion for whatever reason they have, and many seek to "convert" others so that they feel as though their religion is valid since many others participate in it as well.

Of course, everyone knows that just because people believe something doesn't mean it's true. Remember when everyone thought the world was flat?

Silly religion, Trix are for kids.

 

I think that's probably how God started out, as nothing more than a thought.

But at some point I believe God became sentient.

Worshipped by billions of people around the world and nurtured within the mind of the collective conscience, God took on sentience

Now fully grown and developed, God is the manifestation of all that is good in man



Hotwater

 

What if "God" is something other than what you think? What if God is something other than what anyone thinks?

So, are you upset that man hasn't realized your ideals? Maybe your understanding of the divine is as good as, or better than anything anyone has ever imagined.

Maybe your ideal is what everyone has been waiting for and talking about, however inaccurately, for the past three or four thousand years. Maybe you could share your "vision."

We have also outgrown medieval art, music, science, medicine, technology, politics, philosophy, social institutions, etc. Now that Humanity knows better than it did then, should we discard these traditions for their past (and present) imperfections?

And, if the Fundamentalists are your teachers then maybe your religious bitterness is understandable.

God is an omni-transcendent ideal. Always has been. As such, whatever "God" is, He/She/It inspires people to re-think their mundane habits, feelings and thoughts about what reality ultimately is and how it works.

And yes, there has been considerable abuse of the ideal.

And then what?

Peace and Love

 

God could just be playing at being all of us?

peace, God bless you all

 

What if someone here could offer evidence for their claims? What then?

My "vision" is simply that religion retards human progress because we waste time placing stock in superstition rather than reality.

Once we stop living our lives based on myth, we can learn to appreciate the myth for what it was and begin to form a more harmonious bond between each other.

We should take them and LEARN FROM THEM and respect their HISTORICAL/EDUCATIONAL value.

No fundies are my teachers. And I am not religiously bitter. I am only bitter at what religion has done to mankind--what we have done to each other because of it.

So, how do we disagree? I think "God" is nothing more than a concept as well. But this "inspiring figure" also inspires people to start killing and maiming as well.

Considerable is a soft way of putting it. I'd say the ideal itself is based on subserviece, irresponsibility, guilt and fear.

Then, we are one step closer to a better world. No superstitions to kill or die for and definitely not base foreign policy on.

Peace and Love[/QUOTE]

 

Yes, throughout years Christianity has changed, it has changed with technology, it has changed to fit the needs of the Church, and it has changed with human perceptiveness.
Perhaps this is out of place, ok yes it it out of place, but I'd like to point out that when Islam claims Christianity has been flawed, this is exactly what is being talked about. Islam has no clergy with personal benefit to lead to corruption and it holds a founding concept that the original text of it's holy scripture is unable to be translated.

 

Hey Libertine,

It seems to me what you are truly opposed to is "killing and maiming, irresponsibility, guilt, fear, superstitions," and all of the horrors that humans have inflicted upon one another.

I am completely in agreement with you on that one.

I think all we disagree about is the value of a meaningful story.

When it comes to meaningful stories and the wisdom they may contain, I would trust Joseph Campbell on his worst day before I would trust any Fundamentalist.

Fundamentalism, with its militantly ignorant dismissal of enlightened exegesis as mere Liberal trickery, is as poor a manifestation of that ideal as The Manson Family was a bad example of the Hippie Ideal.

If there ever is going to be a better world, it is not going to be some posthumous cloud fest, or any other impossibly escapist fantasy. The perfect world is THIS world, transformed by people actually dropping the exegetically-oblivious bullshit and realizing their religious stories, myths, ideals and inspirations actually mean something.

Religion is not a metaphysical insurance policy, it is not the final exam to determine whether "us" or "them" deserve to live or die, nor is it the cheat sheet that will guarantee you will pass the final exam, it is not a "war" of "Good" and "Evil," it is not a competition, it is not even an obligation.

It is an ideal. As such, it has a metaphysical existence as real as "the Past" or "the Future" or time or space or Yes or No or Liberal or Conservative or Hippie or, well, you get the picture. Religion is, hopefully, a continuing clarification of that ideal. It is a relationship with that ideal.

All apologies, but it seems you have had a damaging relationship with a very distorted version of that ideal. If I can compare it to the guy who has a lifelong obsession with his first love, who betrayed him by getting pregnant from screwing an entire busload of soldiers. You can't fix it, you can't leave it alone, you can't just find another girlfriend. I can't imagine anyone would want to continue that kind of relationship but learning to trust others not to do the same is a leap of faith that is just too risky to take.

Ideally, however, the kind of love you once felt for the girl (along with your sense of innocence, compassion, happiness, trust, and whatever else you "lost") continues to exist. Now, when you meet your ideal woman, how are you going to treat the girl?

That is the "problem" with religion, believe it or not.

Peace and Love

 

Hey did you try eating a dictionary and it got stuck before you shat it out?

 

Man, where was your head when you wrote that? Or do you just not like words?

I think you've just got to love words. Words are good. They hold your thoughts and help them find form and give them a way to go from you to me and from me to you. Yes, we could just point and grunt, but most of your thoughts, and some of mine, could not be known if we did it that way.

I hope my choice of words does not cause you grief. But if they do then I think you may have missed the whole point of this thread.

And if you don't like words, then I have to ask, what did you hope to find here?

Peace and Love

 

I won't be so kind...you're an idiot.

 

Why?

 

If you're addressing me, I don't know if the person that I replied to is in reality an idiot.

His comment was so bloody stupid-sounding and nasty..."idiot" just popped out and I posted it.

 

just an off day maybe? lol
happens to the best of us

peace

 

You nailed it, bro.

 

I wasn't sure if you were referring to me. Sometimes, without my knowing it, my idiocy wrestles free of its leash and I find I am sharing my ignorance with disproportionate enthusiasm. I thought maybe this was one of those times.

But hey, let's move on. What were we talking about?

Peace and Love

 

I definitely wasn't referring to you.

Agree...onwards.