My Hope

[Gary Childress]

There is an aspect to reality that must inspire the great religious traditions. That I accept. I don't know what it is or much more than there is uncertainty and movement in the mind and the universe. However, I cannot admire a "heavenly father" who drowns his "children". If the Bible is the authoritative truth about God, then I'm just shit out of luck. I cannot love such a God and I'd rather love God than fear him/her/it.

[seeds]

There is an aspect to reality that must inspire the great religious traditions. That I accept. I don't know what it is or much more than there is uncertainty and movement in the mind and the universe.

Well, if me and good ol' G. Berkeley are correct in asserting that the universe is the mind of a higher Being,...

(see my "Burning Bush-like encounter with God" thread - viewtopic.php?t=41452)

...then I suggest that the fact that our very bodies and brains are created from the living fabric of this higher Being's mental essence, might at least be partially responsible for inspiring the belief in the existence of said Being.

And through the years,...

(and in accordance with the general [but ever-ascending] level of human consciousness that existed on earth in past eras)

...certain interpretations of unique inspirations were deemed plausible and thus accepted, of which I tried to represent in one of my fanciful illustrations...

However, I cannot admire a "heavenly father" who drowns his "children". If the Bible is the authoritative truth about God, then I'm just shit out of luck. I cannot love such a God and I'd rather love God than fear him/her/it.

Good grief, Gary, are you completely incapable of entertaining the notion that the mythical nonsense handed down to us from ancient minds, might not be accurate?
_______

[Sculptor]

There is an aspect to reality that must inspire the great religious traditions. That I accept. I don't know what it is or much more than there is uncertainty and movement in the mind and the universe. However, I cannot admire a "heavenly father" who drowns his "children". If the Bible is the authoritative truth about God, then I'm just shit out of luck. I cannot love such a God and I'd rather love God than fear him/her/it.

Ah yeah. But what is your "hope"?

[Gary Childress]

There is an aspect to reality that must inspire the great religious traditions. That I accept. I don't know what it is or much more than there is uncertainty and movement in the mind and the universe. However, I cannot admire a "heavenly father" who drowns his "children". If the Bible is the authoritative truth about God, then I'm just shit out of luck. I cannot love such a God and I'd rather love God than fear him/her/it.

Ah yeah. But what is your "hope"?

If there is a God, then my hope is that the Bible is not the authoritative truth about God.

[Gary Childress]

Good grief, Gary, are you completely incapable of entertaining the notion that the mythical nonsense handed down to us from ancient minds, might not be accurate?
_______

I suppose so.

[Sculptor]

There is an aspect to reality that must inspire the great religious traditions. That I accept. I don't know what it is or much more than there is uncertainty and movement in the mind and the universe. However, I cannot admire a "heavenly father" who drowns his "children". If the Bible is the authoritative truth about God, then I'm just shit out of luck. I cannot love such a God and I'd rather love God than fear him/her/it.

Ah yeah. But what is your "hope"?

If there is a God, then my hope is that the Bible is not the authoritative truth about God.

That's easy.
THe notions of god in the bible are incoherent and contradictory. So no worries mate!
The Bible makes god out to be a snidey, backstabbing, narcsisist, needy and pathetic, but at the same time powerful beneficient and providential.
So if you are Jewish you are lucky enough to be the guys with all the gifts, yet god seems too impotent to be able to easily provide the simplest thing, and still has not even got the "promised land" thing sorted out, as he has involved Jews in a strategy of genocide so god can achieve his goal.
And what about all that nonsense about killing himself on a cross to firgive our sins which he seems to have designed into us.
Seriously if a 100 different people had written a bunch of imagianry stuff which was cobbled together by someone without the common sense to sort out the wheat from the chaff then it would be a better job that the scriptures, rather than the "word of god" ..
Oh wait,.... that is exactly what it is.. a bunch of disparate bollocks and not the word of god at all.
It's not the word of god.
Its not true
and it certainly is not authoritative.

[Age]

There is an aspect to reality that must inspire the great religious traditions. That I accept. I don't know what it is or much more than there is uncertainty and movement in the mind and the universe.

Why, in that aspect to reality, the great religious traditions must be inspired?

Is it possible that other 'things' 'must be inspired, also', from 'an aspect of reality'?

However, I cannot admire a "heavenly father" who drowns his "children". If the Bible is the authoritative truth about God, then I'm just shit out of luck. I cannot love such a God and I'd rather love God than fear him/her/it.

Could the word 'drown', be related to the word 'water', which is related to 'washing', and/or 'cleansing'?

Or, do you just immediately think of 'death' and 'dying', and then just 'believe' that that is exactly, and only, what the 'drown' word is referring to, alone?

In other words could the 'current' views and beliefs you have 'now' come from previous misinterpretations or misunderstandings?

Or, is how you see and view every thing 'now', exactly how things are meant to be 'seen' and 'looked at'?

[Age]

There is an aspect to reality that must inspire the great religious traditions. That I accept. I don't know what it is or much more than there is uncertainty and movement in the mind and the universe.

Well, if me and good ol' G. Berkeley are correct in asserting that the universe is the mind of a higher Being,...

(see my "Burning Bush-like encounter with God" thread - viewtopic.php?t=41452)

...then I suggest that the fact that our very bodies and brains are created from the living fabric of this higher Being's mental essence, might at least be partially responsible for inspiring the belief in the existence of said Being.

And through the years,...

(and in accordance with the general [but ever-ascending] level of human consciousness that existed on earth in past eras)

...certain interpretations of unique inspirations were deemed plausible and thus accepted, of which I tried to represent in one of my fanciful illustrations...

But what you are trying to assert is not correct.

And, if you were OPEN, then you could find out and understand why, and how, Correctly.

But, if you want to keep believing that what you assert is accurate and/or fully true, then by all means carry on as you have been.

However, I cannot admire a "heavenly father" who drowns his "children". If the Bible is the authoritative truth about God, then I'm just shit out of luck. I cannot love such a God and I'd rather love God than fear him/her/it.

Good grief, Gary, are you completely incapable of entertaining the notion that the mythical nonsense handed down to us from ancient minds, might not be accurate?
_______

Are you "seeds" capable of entertaining the notion that the 'stuff' you are trying to 'hand down', to 'us', from the ancient APE-thinking/believing days, when this was being written, might not be accurate and correct?

[Age]

There is an aspect to reality that must inspire the great religious traditions. That I accept. I don't know what it is or much more than there is uncertainty and movement in the mind and the universe. However, I cannot admire a "heavenly father" who drowns his "children". If the Bible is the authoritative truth about God, then I'm just shit out of luck. I cannot love such a God and I'd rather love God than fear him/her/it.

Ah yeah. But what is your "hope"?

If there is a God, then my hope is that the Bible is not the authoritative truth about God.

If there is an aspect to reality, which 'must' inspire, then it would do so to all people, at all times.

Worrying about just 'one version', the bible, out of 'countless versions' of stories, and that the words in that 'one story' called the bible is the one and only true word and/or to be taken literally, is just another form of delusional thinking and of delusional fear/worry.

[Age]

Ah yeah. But what is your "hope"?

If there is a God, then my hope is that the Bible is not the authoritative truth about God.

That's easy.
THe notions of god in the bible are incoherent and contradictory.

Here is another one. Could it be the 'interpretations' and 'understandings' which get passed on, and CHANGED, which are 'incoherent and contradictory' to you "sculptor"?

Or, is it a 100% guaranteed fact that it is 'the notions', which were originally intended, what are 'incoherent and contradictory'?

It is like these people have not heard of, not played, not comprehended, or just not remembered, 'the telephone game'.

The intended 'message/notion' is rarely, if ever, the 'exact same' by the time it has reached 'you'.

So no worries mate!
The Bible makes god out to be a snidey, backstabbing, narcsisist, needy and pathetic, but at the same time powerful beneficient and providential.

And, 'your version', "sculptor", is the absolutely true, right, and correct one, right?

So if you are Jewish you are lucky enough to be the guys with all the gifts, yet god seems too impotent to be able to easily provide the simplest thing, and still has not even got the "promised land" thing sorted out, as he has involved Jews in a strategy of genocide so god can achieve his goal.
And what about all that nonsense about killing himself on a cross to firgive our sins which he seems to have designed into us.

Most of you adult human beings have, literally, 'missed the mark', in regards to what the word 'sin' even means and is referring to, exactly.

And, when, and if, one finds out and understands what the 'sin' word means or is referring to, exactly, then just how hilarious what has been happening and occurring for about 2000 years or so, up to when this is being written, will also be found out and understood as well.

Seriously if a 100 different people had written a bunch of imagianry stuff which was cobbled together by someone without the common sense to sort out the wheat from the chaff then it would be a better job that the scriptures, rather than the "word of god" ..
Oh wait,.... that is exactly what it is.. a bunch of disparate bollocks and not the word of god at all.
It's not the word of god.
Its not true
and it certainly is not authoritative.

See, people say just about absolutely any thing, and there will be some who end up believing it to be absolutely true and right.

[Wizard22]

I believe Salvation comes from within, not from Religion.