What God Wants

lightgigantic said:
Actually the only difference between an animal and a human is that a human has the opportunity to apply what god wants (ie at the minimum entertain the notion of being free from the inebrieties of material existence). IN the absence of the proper application of human intelligence, this capacity gets hijacked by animal propensities (eating sleeping mating and defending) with the result being the current delightful environments we have of frozen vegetables, bottled water, skyscrapers and pornographic downloading computers

I thought we'd established that nobody knows what God wants, especially since few people that even believe in a God can agree on what their God wants?
 
wsionynw said:
LOL!! Theory, you said that humans are better than animals because we are more intelligent and you stated that it was fact. You are wrong, it is a matter of opinion. Humans could not survive without animal life and plant life, on the other hand the huge variety of life on this plant could survive just as well and even far better without humans. In the 'opinion' of life on this planet then humans are worse than animals.
Get over yourself. :p

the CRAB can get along without humans just as I can get along without CRAB,

ALL animals (LIKE HUMANS) cannot get along without other forms of plant/animals life.

We are the same in that regard, we are however not the same in regards to intelligence, and thus it is not a matter of subjective opinion it is a fact.

you are 'Crabby' in every sense ;)
 
Theoryofrelativity said:
We are the same in that regard, we are however not the same in regards to intelligence, and thus it is not a matter of subjective opinion it is a fact.

Exactly, we are not the same, hence we are different, and not better. :)
 
ggazoo said:
I'm trying to bring in a bit of a fresh perspective to things around here so bare with me.

I just finished reading a very enlightening book entitled "What God Wants" by Neale Donald Walsch. While trying to do his book justice here would be a disservice, I wanted to pass along some of his (not just his) ideas and see what everyone thought.

There are many examples of what many people feel is "What God Wants":

Marriage
Remain abstinent until wedlock. Once married, the wife must be obedient to the husband, and the man is the head of the house. This is what God Wants.

Homosexuality
Any sexual activities between a man and a man or a woman and a woman is unatrural. Partake in these and go to Hell. This is what God Wants.

Money
Society discourages wealth: "Money is the root of all evil". So, do something nobel, and get little or no monetary reward. This is what God Wants.

Free Will
People have been told that if they do not do what God asks of them, then they'll burn for it for all of eternity. This is what God Wants.

Suffering
God has been hurt by the weakness and wickedness of humanity, and in order to set things straight, people must suffer, believing that they will be rewarded in the afterlife. This is what God Wants.

These are just a few examples of what major religions around the world have taught humanity. Mr. Walsch offers a very refreshing and eye opening view as to exactly what God wants:



Nothing.



Nadda, zip, zlich. Think about it: Why would an omnipotent, omniscient being like God want anything? The best reason to believe in God is that we don't need Him. He made us capable enough to get along just fine without Him. That's the beauty of it.

The very notion of God not wanting anything opens up a whole new way wave of questions:

Why would God make human beings responsible for getting what He wants? Would you make your children responsible for your happiness?

Why would God want us to surrender to Him, worship Him, and pay homage to Him... only to be sent to Hell for all of eternity if we don't? Why would God punish us so horribly for our confusion and weakness?

Why would God ask others to kill in His name?

Take this site. Are infidels destined to Hell because they speak their mind?

We are told to fear God, thus convincing ourselves that being unhappy is what makes us happy. Why? Why would God want us to fear Him? Fear and guilt are the only enemies of humanity.

And here's a biggie: What would happen if all the religions in the world finally realized that God wanted nothing? Everyone thinks that they have God on their side. This is why people fly airplanes into buildings shouting "Allah is great!", while others drop bombs on innocent people paid for by money that's imprinted with "In God We Trust". We have world leaders doing things according to their own beliefs as to what they think what God wants.

Look at the problems of the world today. We say that all of our problems are either political or economic, but they're not. They're spiritual. We have a major spiritual problem in the world right now. If there is only One God under many varied religions, then we have to realize that we are all part of a larger group called humanity. Why did we just shake our heads at the people massacred in Dafur by other people, but rush to the aid of thousands in Indonesia when the Tsunami hit? Were we guilty as a human race and wanted to turn our heads at Darfur? It makes sense since we rushed to Indonesia, which was a natural disaster (not intentionally caused by mankind). People claim that they want Oneness with God and other people, but we can't experience that if we deny it; hence the "Separation Theology" that religions have taught.

Religions have taught that humanity's imperfections have caused them to be separate from God. That we must live a good life, and follow a book of rules in order to find our way back home to the 'promised land'. God wants humans to be separate from Him and work their way back "home" (to Heaven, as it where). Is this want God wants? No.

Most of the major religions will say that there is only one God. There are many religions who say that even attempting this train of thought that "God Wants Nothing" is blashemy, but it's not.

The problem is that society refuses to tolerate any new ideas on faith - or even question it for that matter. No new thought is allowed. If humanity had taken that train of thought, then virtually no progress in science, technology or medicine would have been made in the past 300 years or so. We're trying to build a 21st century reality with 1st century thinking.

You can't take the Bible literally. It there's to provide historical context within larger, timeless messages. If we try to apply our history to today, we'll most likely repeat it.

For example, I mentioned homosexuality. About 8 years ago, a young man by the name of Matthew Shepard was beaten to death in Wyoming. Reverend Fred Phelps went out of his way to visit the young man's funeral and yell "God hates fags!" And, if that wasn't enough, He went as far as to produce a monument in the young man's name that read:

"Matthew Shepard entered Hell on October 12, 1998, at age 21 in defiance of God's warning"

Disgusting. That is the ultimate proof of what God does NOT want.

But here's an example of some open thinking, coming from none other than the pope. In 1999, he describe Hell as not a literal place of fiery torture, but as a situation where someone may find themselves separated from God. He said "fire" was metaphorical. Are there people in Hell though? That's something we can't know.

Now one of the weaker responses that I expect on this particular site is (and I'll say it now to save you the trouble): "God wants nothing, because God does not exist". However, that logic is faulty. The 2 basic questions of Theology are:

1. Who and what is God?
2. What does God want, and why?

Proposed answers:

1. God is life and everything in life. Life is the Alpha and the Omega, the All in All. There is nothing that IS that It is not. If this is not the definition of God, then what is?

2. God wants nothing because God has, and is, everything that God could possible want.

This is a site that argues about the existence of God, among others things, as it should. But the human brain hasn't developed to the point where we can truly understand God.

Moses. Confucius. Siddhartha Gautama (Budda). Jesus of Nazareth. Migammed. Patanjai. Baha'u'llah. Jala al-Din Rumi, Paramahansa Yoganda, Joseph Smith These are all Messengers from God. But many of us has been told that only one of these is the right one. Choose the "wrong" one, and you'll go to Hell.

So which one is it? It's all of them. Words do their best job by falling away:

God is being what God is.
God is being what God?
God is being what?
God is being.
God is.
God.

Like I said, it's hard to explain everything that I mentioned without reading the book, but here's hoping that it is cause for an open and unbiased discussion.

Thoughts?
God wants us to follow His commandments so that we are not lost. It's for our sake God wants these things. So that we can be free, and live in peace.
 
Cyperium said:
God wants us to follow His commandments so that we are not lost. It's for our sake God wants these things. So that we can be free, and live in peace.

*************
M*W: Wait a minute. How do you know what God wants when you can't even prove your God exists? This is what I don't understand about you and the likes of Jenyar and Water. You PRETEND to know what a god wants, even going so far as to describe in detail the emotions of your God, but you can't even offer one little iota of evidence that such a god exists! That's kinda like putting the cart before the horse, don't ya think?

Why are you people so afraid to admit deep down there really is no such god? What is it in you that is lacking? What empty holes do you need to fill in your lives with an imaginary deity? Medication might help.
 
Medicine Woman said:
*************
M*W: Wait a minute. How do you know what God wants when you can't even prove your God exists? This is what I don't understand about you and the likes of Jenyar and Water. You PRETEND to know what a god wants, even going so far as to describe in detail the emotions of your God, but you can't even offer one little iota of evidence that such a god exists! That's kinda like putting the cart before the horse, don't ya think?

Why are you people so afraid to admit deep down there really is no such god? What is it in you that is lacking? What empty holes do you need to fill in your lives with an imaginary deity? Medication might help.

Read the scriptures!! They are the word of God!! He wrote them with the holy pen of the heavens!! :rolleyes:
 
wsionynw said:
Read the scriptures!! They are the word of God!! He wrote them with the holy pen of the heavens!! :rolleyes:

*************
M*W: Oh, come on now! What a lie that is! Aren't you embarrassed for saying that? You're such a loser for saying that!
 
Medicine Woman said:
*************
M*W: Oh, come on now! What a lie that is! Aren't you embarrassed for saying that? You're such a loser for saying that!

DOH! You found me out MW, the holy pen of the heavens is a myth! :D
 
Why is it so hard for theists to accept the fact that we are all assembleges of atoms forged in ancient supernova events, that have the ability to know this (an awesome concept in itself) and to possibly even understand one day the underlying nature of the universe itself? And not only that, we have the ability to wonder at and be amazed by everything new we discover.

Theism is pretty dull and static actually.
 
superluminal said:
Why is it so hard for theists to accept the fact that we are all assembleges of atoms forged in ancient supernova events, that have the ability to know this (an awesome concept in itself) and to possibly even understand one day the underlying nature of the universe itself? And not only that, we have the ability to wonder at and be amazed by everything new we discover.

Theism is pretty dull and static actually.

why is it so hard for atheists to accept that life could have originated in space and thus that life deliberately or accidentally seeded this planet.
 
wsionynw said:
DOH You found me out MW, the holy pen of the heavens is a myth! :D

*************
M*W: God is a myth. Heaven is a myth. Satan is a myth. Why are you propagating myths?
 
Theoryofrelativity said:
why is it so hard for atheists to accept that life could have originated in space and thus that life deliberately or accidentally seeded this planet.

It's possible that life was seeded on this planet from sources in outer space, although I'm not sure there's any evidence to suggest that might be true. As an idea I have no problem with it, and I'm an atheist.
If God is an alien species that deliberatley seeded this planet with life then I guess God exists, if that were proved to be true.
I'm not suggesting for a second that we devote classroom time to teaching this idea to kids.
 
Medicine Woman said:
*************
M*W: God is a myth. Heaven is a myth. Satan is a myth. Why are you propagating myths?

Ok, ok, I hold my hands up! The Invisible Pink Unicorn (the sister of the Invisible Pink Unicron) told me to make a sarcastic comment about scriptures and God.
Then she kicked me in the nuts for being an atheist. :)
 
wsionynw said:
Ok, ok, I hold my hands up! The Invisible Pink Unicorn (the sister of the Invisible Pink Unicron) told me to make a sarcastic comment about scriptures and God. Then she kicked me in the nuts for being an atheist. :)

*************
M*W: As she should!
 
wsionynw said:
I thought we'd established that nobody knows what God wants, especially since few people that even believe in a God can agree on what their God wants?

Actually it is apparent to many persons who study world religion (just in terms of theory - we are not even talking about the epistemology or ontology here) there are many remarkably similar foundations - of course those who haven't studied world religions tend to make superficial arguments.
 
superluminal said:
Why is it so hard for theists to accept the fact that we are all assembleges of atoms forged in ancient supernova events, that have the ability to know this (an awesome concept in itself) and to possibly even understand one day the underlying nature of the universe itself? And not only that, we have the ability to wonder at and be amazed by everything new we discover.

Theism is pretty dull and static actually.

Well to accept that we were created by some mythical supernova requires more faith for a start, because it doesn't explain what caused the supernova.

What makes the study of matter dull in comparison to theism, is that theism you get the opportunity to study the intelligence that assembled all these things that we are fascinated by
 
Theoryofrelativity said:
God is misrepresented in religion however it is wrong to say he does not want something:

He wants us to improve

hence EVOLUTION

evolution of body

and mind and spirit

all things 'evolve' when we stop evolving are we perfect or on the brink of extinction ?

What is the nature of this improvement? What is it catergorised or qualified by? How is this "improvement" distinct from the opposite term of reference, namely dysfunctionalism or perhaps failure?
 
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lightgigantic said:
What is the nature of this improvement? What is it catergorised or qualified by? How is this "improvement" distinct from the opposite term of reference, namely dysfunctionalism or perhaps failure?


we are becoming more compassionate and emapthetic as time goes by

Consider our changing attitudes towards animals and the numerous laws and organisations developed to protect and preserve them

Consider the numerous other charitable organisations set up to help other disadvantaged groups and to aid medical reseacrh

We care more today than we did yesterday about other forms of life and their quality of it.

As old savage and cruel century old traditions are outlawed this is demonstrated easily.

Before you use war as an example of this not happenning, war is not agreed by the masses just a small minority, soldiers are under rule to obey. The rest of the world objects. Also war has always been part of our culture so certainly it has not become worse in that regard just that we are better at it now.
 
Theoryofrelativity

we are becoming more compassionate and emapthetic as time goes by

Doesn't seem to be manifesting in NYC ;)

Consider our changing attitudes towards animals and the numerous laws and organisations developed to protect and preserve them

You mean we have now realised the benefits of killing animals in more barbaric ways and ensuring thatthe lives they lead until we kill them a completely disgusting - check out the PETA websites - goveg.com

Consider the numerous other charitable organisations set up to help other disadvantaged groups and to aid medical reseacrh

In a recent world peace conference attended by many representatives of such charities the topic of world poverty was addressed - their solution was "prepare for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer because there is nothing we can do about it" - in other words quanitity vs quality amounts to zilch

We care more today than we did yesterday about other forms of life and their quality of it.

Really? when was yesterday? the 1980's?

As old savage and cruel century old traditions are outlawed this is demonstrated easily.

Instead we have modern ones that enable savagery to be manifest on an industrial level and for the most part have reduced something as elementary and necessary as successful child rearing to a hobby for the rich

Before you use war as an example of this not happenning, war is not agreed by the masses just a small minority, soldiers are under rule to obey. The rest of the world objects. Also war has always been part of our culture so certainly it has not become worse in that regard just that we are better at it now.


Yes I will wait untilpeople start using nuclear bombs before I bring that one up
 
Theoryofrelativity said:
I don't have a religion

Humans are not more important than animals but we are superior in intelligence and we have the ability to problem solve and these two facts give us a collective advantage against all other animals.

If you truly believe this are you
a) a vegetarian who believes everyone else should be too;
b) happy to kill other people (or have them killed) and eat them?

If there is no difference in status or importance between people and animals then there should be no rational logical problems in humans eating other humans or hunting them or shooting them for sport (historic culture based on theistic morality cannot of course be cited in this context as you would not believe that such was 'logical').

Therefore either the proposition of humans eating other humans or hunting them or shooting them for sport is reasonable or else your original premise was false.

I believe that any civilised society requires to believe that people are more important than animals. Those that have not have included the Third Reich with the inevitable appalling consequences.

Just because you do not believe in God does not require you to disbelieve everything the Bible says. Much could still be true, although I accept that evolution cannot explain people being different to animals, which is presumably why you say you believe that they are not.

But do you honestly believe that you are no more important than a cow or a sheep? I somehow doubt that in reality. Are you certain that your naturalistic evolutionary dogma has not caused some distortion of reality and some self delusion here?

I believe that God made people special for special purposes (that could not be done by animals) as below (from Luke 12):

22-24He continued this subject with his disciples. "Don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.
25-28"Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can't even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

29-32"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

33-34"Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

People are more important than animals but not more important than each other (or God!).

The problem in many of our modern societies (especially in the west) is not the theoretical status of animals against human beings but the reality of the status we give to people, believing that some (often we, ourselves in the rich world) are somehow of higher status than others (particularly those in the majority poorer world). We are not usually honest enough to say this with our words but we most certainly show it clearly with our actions (world resource use, pollution, global warming, unfair trade, indebtedness, linked aid, arms sales and other support for immoral regimes and insurgents - the list could go on and on!).




regards,


Gordon.
 
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