Wow!
Where do I even start?
So, if He is so wise, why there is so much confusions with his message? If he is trying to communicate with everyone on the planet, why everyone says something different? Well, the only logical answer is that it is not God's fault
The ONLY logical answer?
Are you kidding me?
First of all, there are two glaring options you seem to have missed.
What about, "God does not exist, and the concept was invented by humans"?
What about, "There are many different Gods"?
Secondly, if God (the wise and ideal and creator of all, including us) is misunderstood it is MOST CERTAINLY his fault.
If people can no clearly express what/who/where/why he is to each other, it is most certainly his fault.
He coudl simply imbue us with an innate knowledge of him, his rules and mandates if he wanted to, and it would be instinctual, and there would be no need to express it to anyone else - everyone would know.
(after all, He is wise), but it is our differing cultures that causes us to communicate the idea of God in different ways
1.) How do you know he is wise?
Because some people have said so?
2.) If he is so wise, couldn't he give his teachings in a way that everyone very plainly and simply undertsands them?
(which is in essence the whole point of the Comparative Religion forums). What is the point of comparing different religions if we are not trying to find some underlying similarity?
No it's not.
Not at all.
Comparitive Religion, like Anthropology, is simply the study of people and their beliefs - it does not claim to be looking for truth in the similarities.
What's the point?? To learn about people, their beliefs and the roots of and influences upon those beliefs.
On the contrary, if we find similarities, we can then use those similarities to ultimately unite people from different cultures!
Recognizing, accepting and understanding differences is as important to communication and understanding as finding similarities - perhaps more so.
But basically, the idea is that our differeing cultures causes us to communicate about God in different ways. The East sees God is more passive. The West, as more active. That's one example.
No, the idea is that our differing cultures and influences cause us to view our Deities in different ways and lead us to different beliefs and philosophical systems.
Cultural Philosophies are influenced by so many different things from weather to food, and understanding these influences helps us to understand people.
Religion is the study of God through man's eyes. Comparative Religion is the study of man through Gods eyes.
Bullshit cop-out.
I don't buy it.
so we will find contradictions, which are resolvable if we think about it carefully.
Is God paradoxical or is he not.
You are contradicting yourself here.
Are you going to blame it on God?
No- not what I said. But that could be right as well.
What I said is that different people will see Him through different perspectives.
And why would he not tailor his message to the listener?
It's quite a simple thing to recognize that communication is a two-way street, and both parties are equally responsible for both sides od the communication.
The most basic course in communication will teach you taht you have to take the listener's culture, language, background and understanding of the subject into account to be an effective communicator - God wouldn't realize this?
I've been looking at the mountain from different perspectives for over 10 years...
And I have been studying it for more than 25.
Even the simplest mind can look at a mountain and know they are looking at only one face.
And yes, someone who studies the mountain for long enough and carefully enough will know every face.
One can see the mountain as a whole.
The mountain can not both exists and not exist at the same time, however.
Paradoxes do not exist.
You are looking at a single perspective. LOL!!
You think so?
I doubt it.
Show me how.
