Would we honor Gos
- Thread starter arauca
- Start date
The anticipation of reward and fear of punishment probably has a role to play in the faith of many people. Beyond this there is a love of God where the self is entirely forgotten -- the fruit of spiritual development and detachment.
Considering that there's no proof of heaven or hell, and you still believe and worship God...that might answer your question.
If we can find scriptural commentaries that not only deal with topics other than reward and punishment, but discuss how fixation with ideas of reward and punishment inhibit spiritual development (after a certain point), the answer must be "yes".
Would some theists still preach to non-theists, if those theists wouldn't believe in heaven or hell?
Who is "we"?
I don't believe in either heaven or hell, and I venerate several gods. So, yes.
If by "God" you mean some kind of omni-present monad rather than as a general term...yes, also. In my religion, just as an example, there's plenty of people who believe in a "background god" that is not intelligent or active in the usual sense of the word, but is nonetheless the force from which all the other gods sprang. It is not typically honoured directly, but it's referenced in some liturgy.
Yazata
Valued Senior Member
I don't believe in the existence of heaven or hell and I've never believed in the existence of a monotheistic God.
But I do have to say that if I believed in both God and in the widespread traditional idea of eternal torture in hell, that combination would seem to be sufficient reason NOT to honor the God responsible for infinite suffering.
The whole idea of God torturing people unspeakably for all of eternity, for the crime of not "loving" God in precisely the manner that God demands, makes God into something very much like a rapist. ("Love me baby, love me... or I'm gonna hurt you real bad!")
That image of God isn't worthy of being honored.
Yes Through God we can find peace and happiness . Does not this have some similarity with Buddhism ?
"We" in the case I meat theists