(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The "God is..." Heresy [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-09-03 I’m not sure this is really the right forum to be discussing religion, but then again it’s probably not the right forum for my Ghana diaries, either, so here we are. I want to say that I am not arguing for or against Christianity or religion in general. And anyway, I’m an ignorant farmboy of limited education and no accomplishments in life with mentioning, so perhaps I am speaking above my station but It seems to me what is normally defined as organized religion- a group of people who hold a set of beliefs in common, those beliefs having to do with the nature of reality, the Cause and Purpose of existence, and the Source of All that Is- has one common flaw. They set up the premise of a being who is superior to themselves and then define that superior being with their own understanding. Or, if they are atheists who reject all ideas of spirit, God, and whatnot, they do the same thing in reverse. “If God exists why do things exist in the world that I don’t like?” Or, “If I were running the world things would be a lot different; therefore no one is running the world.” I really don’t want to go into long, detailed discussions here in a little diary in this very limited format. Heck, I don’t even read my way through stories that go on too long here so I can’t expect anyone else to read mine. I Just want to suggest that both sides, religious and anti-religious, might approach these subjects with a bit of humility. As humans we love to speculate and think about things and that’s fun and edifying, but thinking that our conclusions are the sum total of what is, was, and ever can be is perhaps not entirely wise. Many who argue against religion, and Christianity especially, love to use what seem to be logical arguments and they have a point. Sometimes they are just silly. I am a bit flabbergasted at the ‘If God is omnipotent can he create a rock he can’t lift? And if he can’t, therefore God doesn’t exist.” I mean wahhh? “If God is omnipotent can He kill himself? If not He must not be omnipotent.” That’s just getting lost in your own word-definitions. But in the defense of those who say such things, theists set themselves up with that very idea of the three omnis- omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. There is nothing that says that God has to be any of those things except a few verses in the Bible, perhaps, and they smack of the attempt to flatter one’s god when one is asking Him for favors. Or, again, of religious philosophers who get carried away in their own speculations. I am wandering from my point, which is almost impossible once one begins to discuss such things. I apologize, and I am not trying to light any fires. Oddly enough, I am trying to put them out. I am merely asking that we show a bit more humility toward one another when discussing our disagreements in religion spirituality, and the nature of reality. I love religious people who really do dedicate themselves to what they believe to be a higher good and who lose themselves in good works toward others. Many of them truly are trying to make life better for every living thing. I do not love religious people who us their beliefs as a club to beat and abuse those who do not hold those beliefs. I love (and I truly do) the scientific, philosophical, and thoughtful people who dedicate their lives to figuring things out, to try to understand the universe and, often, to make life better for all of us. I am deeply in love with those who are providing photos of the Universe through the space telescopes. They are as much artists enriching mankind as the renaissance or impressionist painters or the cave painters of the Ice Ages. Those photographs are beautiful! I do not love scientists who attack any spiritual belief or experience and belligerently insult those who hold them as ignorant and crude. Ultimately to say “God is” is to try to put in a box something that is by definition greater than the box. If there is any being greater than ourselves we are not going to understand it or to able to dissect it into parts like a dead frog. Whenever anyone says “God is x” they are by definition trying to describe a greater by a lesser. As humans we are entitled to do that but ultimately they are inevitably leaving something out. I just hate arguments. Let’s just all work as Democrats to make the world a better place and to get good people elected to office. We are all on the same side, here. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/3/2191298/-The-God-is-Heresy Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/