I have asked Christian's, Muslim's,

and Jew's, on 5 continents, if the God they believe in is the same God as the other religions pray to. They all have told me their God is more divine than the others.

When you look at the historical ideals of what the religions profess too, of peace and love and compassion; you see that when either was a majority religion, that war and conquest was/is waged equally by all.

Could the problem lie in affirming a faith in a religious philosophy, and not to God?

by Stanimal (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 429 comments) on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 9:45:14 AM
 

Man-made Tradition

Exactly, Stan. It is the man-made religious traditions that divide us, not God.

We've all seen the self-righteous opinion pieces and comments about how ridiculous it is that Sunni and Shiah Muslims can't get over themselves long enough to build a unified country. It is ridiculous, but no more ridiculous than Catholic and Protestant Christians killing each other for hundreds of years, over stupid stuff like the proper way to conduct church services.

To me, that is the true meaning of Obama's statement about people clinging to religion. Barack didn't mean to disparage people's faith in God, but in religious prejudices. There is a big difference in honoring God with your actions and using religion as a hammer or a crutch.

by JC Garrett (34 articles, 48 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 452 comments) on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 7:04:11 PM
 

GOD IS MAN MADE

GOD IS MAN MADE. The fact that egomaniacle humans can't get through their thick skulls is that god is man made. There is not one shred of evidents  that indicates anything like a god exists. The entire idea was developed to enslave the masses. And it clearly has worked.

by arlen custer (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 217 comments) on Friday, May 2, 2008 at 9:09:49 AM
 

God

Would some believer tell me what this god looks like, I've asked several believers but none would answer, perhaps it's a personal abberition, but if it is i wish these believers wouldn't contaminate everything thing they touch with their personal wishes.

 Most societies have moved on from religious doctrines except in the backwoods, Europe has many replicas of that ancient voodooism and many wars to show for it.

by douglas kay (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 83 comments) on Friday, May 2, 2008 at 6:58:17 AM
 

What God Looks Like

This is what God looks like:

He looks a lot like you and me on the very rarest of our best days.

Those days when at least for an hour or so we actually do put the needs of others before our needs. When we push our prejudices, and our fears, and our selfishness to the furthest corner of our minds and, for just a little while, we allow ourselves to act out of genuine love without expecting anything in return. (In all honesty I have had very few of those moments, but I can never forget the small handful that I have had.)

He looks like the way we felt when we held our first child just after he or she was born into the world, as we gazed down at the fragile miracle that we had created, and we saw without a doubt that it was good, while at the same instant feeling the anxiety of a huge new responsibility.

He looks like times we saw the pain of a complete stranger and tears involuntarily rolled down our cheeks.

He looks like the calming, peaceful wave of relief we feel when we finally bring ourselves to truly forgive a wrong that we have suffered at the hands of the person we love most in the entire world.

He looks like the contentedness on the face of a close friend or relative on their deathbed, having lived a long and fruitful life and knowing that the end is near, yet at peace with themselves and ready to go.

He looks like the deep sense of loss we felt when that loved one finally left us.

He looks like the most beautiful things we have within us - love, compassion, tenderness and strength; patience,  forgiveness, truth and humility. He possesses none of our baseness - envy, deceit, greed and arrogance; malice, prejudice, selfishness or pride. His hate is not a self-righteous evil like our hate - His is a righteous hatred of evil. And evil is simply the lack of love for our fellow man.

To condense all of that into a simple sentence:

God looks like the pure love we should all strive to show to each other, no matter the name by which we call Him.

At least that's what I think He looks like.

by JC Garrett (34 articles, 48 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 452 comments) on Friday, May 2, 2008 at 9:09:58 AM
 

He? I think your talking about

one of the most beautiful black woman you will ever meet.

If there truly is a God/Goddess, they would expect us to love thy neighbor as thyself, which I don't see our self-professed born again self-appointed chicken-hawk, former substance abusing, War criminal Commander in Thief, setting a very good example.

But, I'm not a religious person to begin with.

by Stanimal (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 429 comments) on Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 8:46:17 AM
 

Nor am I.

Religion IS man-made, but God isn't. The rituals and traditions of religion very often keep us away from God instead of closer. God could care less whether or not we put on the trappings of piety - he'd rather that we practice piety.

Piety is not attending church or wearing religion on your shirtsleeve to gain attention, just like patriotism has nothing to do with a flag pin or nationalistic rhetoric.

Piety is faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.

by JC Garrett (34 articles, 48 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 452 comments) on Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 9:40:22 AM
 

You Are The Proof of the control

As I have said. You clearly prove how effective the control is. You just can't let go of the twisted concept of god, can you? It's messing with your head and you don't even know it.

by arlen custer (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 217 comments) on Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 3:32:31 PM