Why Believe?

[jayleew]

Why believe in something or fight for a cause that a primary stakeholder does not take up with you? What would happen if people fought for freedom for another group of people and those that they fought for stood idly by, or worse yet, ran away from liberty?

Why do believers take up their faith and spread it through the streets while their god does nothing of the sort for itself?

Is belief in god self-gratifying? Is that an indication that god is pleased...when the follower is pleased? How else can a follower know his or her god, except by this process of worship?

If this is true, how can a follower know that belief in god is not merely self-edification?

Perhaps spirituality is merely a process to become self-edified.

 

[lightgigantic]

Why believe in something or fight for a cause that a primary stakeholder does not take up with you? What would happen if people fought for freedom for another group of people and those that they fought for stood idly by, or worse yet, ran away from liberty?

if one stands idly by or runs away from it, I'ld say that one is more or less mad, what to speak of being gifted or having attained a liberated state

Why do believers take up their faith and spread it through the streets while their god does nothing of the sort for itself?

What on earth makes you say that?
Practically every second of material existence teaches us that it hasn't, can't or won't deliver anything close to a liberated state (yet vast reservoirs of illusion cause us to default on that precise point)

Is belief in god self-gratifying? Is that an indication that god is pleased...when the follower is pleased?

yes and no since one's pleasure can adopt a variety of modes
self satisfaction might be a better word

How else can a follower know his or her god, except by this process of worship?

inasmuch as worship bestows the mercy of god, there is no other way

If this is true, how can a follower know that belief in god is not merely self-edification?

why would self edification be mere?

Perhaps spirituality is merely a process to become self-edified.

although there are marked distinctions between the self and god, self realization and god realization go hand in hand. IOW a complete understanding of god grants a complete understanding of one's self and vice versa

 

[Adstar]

Why believe in something or fight for a cause that a primary stakeholder does not take up with you? What would happen if people fought for freedom for another group of people and those that they fought for stood idly by, or worse yet, ran away from liberty?

I guess they do so in the hope that the primary stakeholder's will embrace the concept and run with it. The fact that they might not does not dent the hope that sometimes they will.

Why do believers take up their faith and spread it through the streets while their god does nothing of the sort for itself?

Well as a Christian i believe the primary movement towards God is by the work of the Holy Spirit upon the hearers. i believe i play a very insignificant role in the process. It is God choosing to honour us by giving us some part in the process at all.

Is belief in god self-gratifying? Is that an indication that god is pleased...when the follower is pleased? How else can a follower know his or her god, except by this process of worship?

Revelation is given to the follower. These revelations are greatly gratifying, You are humbled and feel incredibly blessed when you get revelation.

If this is true, how can a follower know that belief in god is not merely self-edification?

Perhaps spirituality is merely a process to become self-edified.

I don't know how self-edification relates to a Christian. Its not like Christianity teaches us that we are given revelation because we are special or superior or good. We are given revelation because we agree with God that we are not special, not good, not superior. Our righteousness are as filthy rags compared to God. The Word of God reveals to us just how sinful we actually are.

Romans 7
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Jesus can and has.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[The Esotericist]

Romans 7
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

*It's important to remember here, that as the Roman empire became huge and bloated, a big massive bureaucracy, and as the early religion of Christianity started to grow and flourish, Rome decided to USE it to their advantage as a tool of propaganda. It was in those days, that ROME decided what was going to be OFFICIAL canon, not the church. Rome chose which bishops and leaders were going to chose which of the documents to put into the original bible. It sometimes astounds me how absolutely little "Christians" know of the history of canonical texts in the bible. They don't know that the bible they study and love, is actually a political document used to control the populations of the earth. It's really, quite sad. The greatest truths and wisdom that the Christ gave, the truths he meant to give to free the people of the earth? Were essentially destroyed and buried by the Roman empire. He never wanted to be "worshiped" as a "son" of god. He taught that you are all creations of "god." You don't need a "savior." So stop it already. As long as you go on believing this hogwash, you will be slaves to the state. . . and that is exactly how the Roman empire wanted it's citizens frame of mind to be in. It wanted them to believe they were sinful unworthy cretins, in need of someone to save them. Christ taught that you are beautiful, sacred, perfect creations of the creator, you ARE a part of the creation. . . yet, this teaching was heresy, it was stamped out and buried, because Rome couldn't treat God's holy creation like slaves. Now Christians are in collusion with Rome. . . so stop it already. . . If you really want to know and live what Christ taught? Read the Gnostic Gospels and the Dead Sea Scrolls. . . Not that Censored Bullshit that passes as the word of God. That has been so totally butchered over the centuries. The only thing of value in that is maybe the Gospel.

 

[jayleew]

Well as a Christian i believe the primary movement towards God is by the work of the Holy Spirit upon the hearers. i believe i play a very insignificant role in the process. It is God choosing to honour us by giving us some part in the process at all.

It looks to me like Christians are not just doing some part in the process, it looks like they are doing it all.

What part does God play to you? What part does God play to other people you know? Can you be specific?

 

[Adstar]

It looks to me like Christians are not just doing some part in the process, it looks like they are doing it all.

Well if you picked up a bible and read it. The bible would probably play a part more effectivly then the part a Christian plays in the process. This should give you some idea as to the real part played by Christians. Less than a book.

What part does God play to you? What part does God play to other people you know? Can you be specific?

God influances my conscience. Sparks it up. Provokes an emotion. As He does in the minds of thoes He is working on through the Holy Spirit.

If you do not feel any emotion when you read the gospel then it is a good bet God is not working on you.

I do see however a Lot of emotions expressed in this forum when the Word of God is shared.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[NMSquirrel]

Not that Censored Bullshit that passes as the word of God. That has been so totally butchered over the centuries. The only thing of value in that is maybe the Gospel.

there are other things of value..but in order to find them,context and history helps, and that(your post) knowledge is helpful with those understandings..

do you really think god taught us all we needed to know in that one book?

 

[birch]

If you do not feel any emotion when you read the gospel then it is a good bet God is not working on you.

people feel all kinds of emotions when they are reading fiction or nonfiction.