God Is Energy, Not a Person

[Florence]

Excerpts from James Van Praagh's new book : Adventures of the Soul: Journey Through the Physical and Spiritual Dimensions:

"I now realize that I'm God, my dog is God, every plant in my garden is God, every insect in my garden is God, and the air I breathe is God. The word God has been burdened with the religious connotation of an omnipotent being that is separate from and greater than us. I don't believe that."

"To me, God is and energy and I am made of it, I am not separate from God. and neither is anything you see."

"I believe in a loving energy that permeates and animates everything."

[Miss Hepburn]

Good post, Florence!
Excellent! (AND I didn't know about this new book, thank you!) :icon_thumright:
Hope this gets the ball rolling on others' feelings on this Being we call God.
A friend went to Mr Van Praagh in Calif before he started becoming this famous, I like
him very much as a person, a dear little man.

Personally, my mind has been blown so often I wouldn't know what to say
about 'God'...the Universe being a hologram changed everything...that one of my cells contains
the whole of everything in it...well, need I say more?! Ha!

I would fall short saying what my concept of God is...I am glad Mr. Van Praagh attempted it.
To continue what he tried...


I might say...."I have experienced a loving Being, a Spirit or Divine Presence
that permeates and animates everything and is nothing if not Pure Feelings...that is very accessible,
not this obscure, unknowable Creator at ALL!
This loving Being is the Great Cosmic Shapeshifter experiencing All That Is
eternally through all means possible." :notworthy:

:love9:

[Florence]

I asked the spirits around me if there was a God? They showed to me a white robe standing up with no person wearing it. I took from this that God is not a person. They also said there is no organized religion in the afterlife.

[samsara4]

Excerpts from James Van Praagh's new book : Adventures of the Soul: Journey Through the Physical and Spiritual Dimensions:

"I now realize that I'm God, my dog is God, every plant in my garden is God, every insect in my garden is God, and the air I breathe is God. The word God has been burdened with the religious connotation of an omnipotent being that is separate from and greater than us. I don't believe that."

"To me, God is and energy and I am made of it, I am not separate from God. and neither is anything you see."

"I believe in a loving energy that permeates and animates everything."

Yet another concept.

It is said that God is that for which the mind has no category. This cannot be expressed in words.

[charly233]

Nice quotes. God is Energy whilst at the same time, for me, God is a person. God is THE person, the one true being who is the whole universe. Whilst I believe that I am this God, along with dogs, insects and everything else, I believe it is possible to have a personal relationship with this being. God is my best friend.

This may sound contradictory. How can one have a relationship with God when God is not separate from you? It seems to me that God both is me and is not-me at the same time. This just goes to show that my little stories about god always miss the mark.

God is beyond my stories about God. What matters is my experience of God. My experience may be different to your experience. We need to respect each others experiences and not fall out over them.

There are many experiences but, for me, one God.

[Miss Hepburn]

They also said there is no organized religion in the afterlife.
Don't tell the Baptists. :tongue:

[Florence]

I have a born again Christian friend who thinks I am going to hell for communicating with spirts.

The bible says a lot about this:We have seen that the dead can not communicate with the living (Isaiah 26:14), that consulting mediums, witches, astrology’s, and psychics is sin (Duet 18:10-11), that such spiritists will be cut off from God forever (Lev 20:6), and that it all comes to nothing anyway (Isaiah 19:3). God’s face is against anyone that tries to communicate with the dead, or consults mediums, psychics, witches, astrologers, and any kind of spiritist. If you communicate with someone from the dead, it is not who you think it is. Besides, once someone dies, they can not cross over again to the living (Luke 16:26).

[Ivy]

I didn't think that even Christians believed that god was a person anymore. For several hundred years I thought that most Christian sects had gone off the white bearded man, and taught that God is Omnipresent in the natural world.

I'm in the UK, and I know that religion here is quite different from that of America. It would be interesting to find out if this is why.

I'm quite amazed that people still believe God is a man. But good thread if people do.

[Miss Hepburn]

I have a born again Christian friend who thinks I am
going to hell for communicating with spirts.

Yeah, what else is new? Ha Ha ha!
Well, I'm Born Again, Speak in Tongues and Baptized in the Holy Spirit,
a healer by His Grace...
Guess what ... You are not! :tongue:
(And neither is she...)

[TesseLated]

I came to this realization 20+ yrs ago in my first 'manic' experience. I have experienced those realizations many more times and confirmed (within my self) that everything is indeed true.

'God' IS the Energy that is Consciousness ...Animator of Life..It IS Love.

It is ALL that IS. In It-we all are One.

Language does not, or ever will, do It any justice.


It is understandable to personify that Force as a 'Him'..The caretaker of our Souls.

"Our soul is united to Him who is unchangeable goodness. And between God and our soul there is neither wrath nor forgiveness in his sight. For our soul is so wholly united to God, through His one goodness, that between God and our soul nothing can interpose."....................."I was answered in spiritual understanding, and it was said: What, do you wish to know your Lord's meaning in this thing? Know it well, love was his meaning. Who reveals it to you? Love. What did he reveal to you? Love. Why did he reveal it to you? For love. Remain in this, and you will know more of the same. But you will never know different, without end." -Julian of Norwich by way of a NDE-1373 A.D.

[knightofalbion]

God is Spirit. God is Love.

And no, there is no organised religion in the Afterlife. When one becomes aware of spiritual truth & universal law, Orthodoxy is exposed for what it is.

[knightofalbion]

Man was created in the Divine Image, but in the spiritual sense, created to be "the sanctuary of love and justice; innocent, pure of soul, with a heart filled with kindness"...

[lemex]

I asked the spirits around me if there was a God? They showed to me a white robe standing up with no person wearing it. I took from this that God is not a person. They also said there is no organized religion in the afterlife.

Think about what happened.

This no less qualifies as spiritual awareness. :smile: You may not want to hear this but I thought it important to see that. I do wonder about new things we begin to see and if some of us had lived in ancient times and the first to have thought and said this, imagine how different religion might have ended up..... lol. This is how it happened in the olden days.

I happen to think this is very brave to admit and open oneself to spirit.

[Florence]

Religion depends on faith. You have to believe in something someone tells you is true. Religion was inspired by thoughts of men not a God. I was raised Roman Catholic and believed everyone was going to hell except for the Catholics. Education has lessened the control of the Churches. Countries with less religion have less crime.

[tainamom]

When one reaches true self consciousness, you can experience being in front of the Creator. The Creator is all Loving, Purifying, Cleansing, Destroying - just completely amazing. No words can truly describe the Everlasting Beauty, Kindness, Incredible Peace the Creator Is and Does Provide.

For now, I do not see myself as God, but a creation of God - always in God's Everlasting Presence.

[whoguy423]

Excerpts from James Van Praagh's new book : Adventures of the Soul: Journey Through the Physical and Spiritual Dimensions:

"I now realize that I'm God, my dog is God, every plant in my garden is God, every insect in my garden is God, and the air I breathe is God. The word God has been burdened with the religious connotation of an omnipotent being that is separate from and greater than us. I don't believe that."

"To me, God is and energy and I am made of it, I am not separate from God. and neither is anything you see."

"I believe in a loving energy that permeates and animates everything."


Great POST!!! I too, came to the same conclusion when I went on my journey to find GOD!!!!

Funny that.... I REALLY went out to find GOD ... and I surprised myself.... I found HIM/HER/IT using purely my engineering background and real tangible evidence.

It is exactly as you describe.

I must let you take note.... ALL things are energy.... SPACE, MATTER, RADIATION and TIME and it's behaviour is governed by what most call the "Universal Conciousness" ..... I just like to call this... LOVE.


Cheers

[Stillness_Speaks]

Religion depends on faith. You have to believe in something someone tells you is true. Religion was inspired by thoughts of men not a God. I was raised Roman Catholic and believed everyone was going to hell except for the Catholics. Education has lessened the control of the Churches. Countries with less religion have less crime.

So, the words you started this thread with (quoted below) is not true then? You exclude religion from God and men from God, but you include your own mind, personal spirits and beliefs?

"To me, God is and energy and I am made of it, I am not separate from God. and neither is anything you see."

"I believe in a loving energy that permeates and animates everything."

[Amilius777]

As much as I am not a big fan of Van Praagh, I completely agree.

Majority of religious fanatics do not even know what "GOD" means. It means- "I am that I Am" - "It is to Be". "To Be" or "Is"- and to "be" or what "Is", is Energy.

I would not agree with Praagh that "all energy" is God. That is a lame laid back explanation.

All energy manifests from G-O-D which is the Divine Energy that emanates all energy.

Energy can not be destroyed or made. But that doesn't mean there isn't different levels of energy. Just as there are different levels of vibration.

"The Most High"- "Highest Energy" "Highest Consciousness"

God is more of the highest-supreme Consciousness. And if you are a learner of the Gospels, a divine Person of that Energy became human.

Catholics believe there are "three Persons" in One God. If only everyone understood that the Trinity makes more sense nowadays then it ever has! God is the Divine Energy, and there are Three beings who reside in that Power and highest State.

Now is there only Three? Of course not, but from a human perspective, we only know of three- The Father-God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I am certain once you reach that plane you understand it more than just a Trinity.

These three divine Beings- the Father-Mother God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit (Christ Consciousness), are all on the plane of Divine Energy- they all share the same energy which is GOD, and they make up that Energy which we call GOD.

The purpose of all souls, individual energies, are to follow the examples and teachings laid down by God through whatever religion or spiritual tradition to become like Jesus- become implemented and part of the Divine Energy.

But once a soul, their own energy, becomes one with the Divine Energy; they never lose their own uniqueness and energetic individuality.

[Gem]

As much as I am not a big fan of Van Praagh, I completely agree.

Majority of religious fanatics do not even know what "GOD" means. It means- "I am that I Am" - "It is to Be". "To Be" or "Is"- and to "be" or what "Is", is Energy.

Having spiritual inclinations doesn't mean oyu can just get up and say what words mean. Most of us simply use a dictionary which would specify the already agreed definition. No dictionary I know of defines 'God' in the way you have.

I would not agree with Praagh that "all energy" is God. That is a lame laid back explanation.

All energy manifests from G-O-D which is the Divine Energy that emanates all energy.

Energy can not be destroyed or made. But that doesn't mean there isn't different levels of energy. Just as there are different levels of vibration.

"The Most High"- "Highest Energy" "Highest Consciousness"

God is more of the highest-supreme Consciousness. And if you are a learner of the Gospels, a divine Person of that Energy became human.

Catholics believe there are "three Persons" in One God. If only everyone understood that the Trinity makes more sense nowadays then it ever has! God is the Divine Energy, and there are Three beings who reside in that Power and highest State.

Now is there only Three? Of course not, but from a human perspective, we only know of three- The Father-God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I am certain once you reach that plane you understand it more than just a Trinity.

These three divine Beings- the Father-Mother God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit (Christ Consciousness), are all on the plane of Divine Energy- they all share the same energy which is GOD, and they make up that Energy which we call GOD.

The purpose of all souls, individual energies, are to follow the examples and teachings laid down by God through whatever religion or spiritual tradition to become like Jesus- become implemented and part of the Divine Energy.

But once a soul, their own energy, becomes one with the Divine Energy; they never lose their own uniqueness and energetic individuality.

[Amilius777]

Excuse me but if you read the conversation between Moses and God you will know what I mean.

"I Am that I Am". Moses replied that he didn't understand. The I AM responded with a dumbed down explanation- "I am the GOD of your ancestors"

The I AM which is the Divine Energy can manifest as a deity or deities or what have you, your God, the God of Abraham, the God of Hindus, etc; but there is at the end of the day only One Divine Power- One Divine Energy.

Yes, the definition of God in the dictionary is "supreme being" "Deity of the three monotheistic religions" etc. But I was going for a deeper understanding.

Excuse me if I am not allowed to do so.

[Baile]

Excuse me if I am not allowed to do so.It was your assertion that "religious fanatics" have no idea what God means, and that you do, that elicited Gem's reply to you. :wink:

[Gem]

Excuse me but if you read the conversation between Moses and God you will know what I mean.

"I Am that I Am". Moses replied that he didn't understand. The I AM responded with a dumbed down explanation- "I am the GOD of your ancestors"

The I AM which is the Divine Energy can manifest as a deity or deities or what have you, your God, the God of Abraham, the God of Hindus, etc; but there is at the end of the day only One Divine Power- One Divine Energy.

Yes, the definition of God in the dictionary is "supreme being" "Deity of the three monotheistic religions" etc. But I was going for a deeper understanding.

Excuse me if I am not allowed to do so.

Conversations about God are invariably inane, but don't mistake me for someone who believes in God. Anyone can tell you that it's all energy, atheists included. Energy isn't at all contentious, though. God is.

[candyfloss28]

I like you. Not a big fan of christians normally but you are alright.

[Megamedes]

"I believe in a loving energy that permeates and animates everything."

I believe in nothingness; that nothing is god and that this nothingness is that which fills us with possibilities.

[Pleroma]

God is Person, Not a Energy.

Majority of the organized religions have a personal god and one just cannot reject the notion of an anthropomorphic god having a human form simply like that. Just as there are mystics as posted in the OP who assert that God is impersonal there are equal number of mystics who assert that God is a Person with whom we can have a dialogue with.

[Florence]

God is a personification, not a person.

[Smiler]

I believe we are all a spark of God ..how bright or dark we become is our own thoughts, deeds ..actions, reactions. We choose as adults.
I believe the awakening is the awareness of our own thoughts..etc.
I don't believe we are individually God..or else miracles would be on the earth. I do believe that each has their own relationship with the divine.
I believe there are gifts from God.

I also say good morning to God ..Most days .

To love ...is being God Like ..that does not make One The whole ..but rather a part of the divine.

:) IMO

God Is The Brightest Of all LIGHT :)

[mickiel]

We don't know what God is, and that's exactly how he wants it for now; and in my personal view, we will never know what he is, even in eternity.

[Smiler]

We Cannot Judge ..what experience another has/does/ is ...with God.
With respect mickiel and I realize we are sharing opinions :)
How do you know .

quote:
[We don't know what God is, and that's exactly how he wants it for now; and in my personal view, we will never know what he is, even in eternity.
]

[mickiel]

We Cannot Judge ..what experience another has/does/ is ...with God.
With respect mickiel and I realize we are sharing opinions :)
How do you know .

quote:
[We don't know what God is, and that's exactly how he wants it for now; and in my personal view, we will never know what he is, even in eternity.
]



With respect in return, I said we don't know, so the question of " How do I know", is illrelevant in being posed; without being self righteous and posing one's guess as being relevant, we all are reduced to mere speculation, and that is just how it is. When there are hundreds of views, no view can be real; when there is only one view, then all others don't matter, when God is concerned, IF that one view is God's personal view.

NOWHERE in scripture does God explain himself; he only gave hints TO himself through his writers. THAT has a MEANING; meaning he does NOT want us to really know!

I personally think its because we CANNOT really know! Oh we like to think we can, or one day will, but I think God is WAY BEYOND that circumstance; biblical circumstancial evidence is NOT knowing God, its SURFACE information only:. The beings on his throne WITH him are WAY beyond us;

and I don't think they really know him.

I think the ONLY chance we have of knowing God, will be through Jesus revealing as an intercessor; and even in that vein, we will only know so much!

Because even Jesus does not know ALL about his father. Nor does any human know all about their human father!

[Lucyan28]

We don't know what God is, and that's exactly how he wants it for now; and in my personal view, we will never know what he is, even in eternity.

Well you said: HE IS :tongue: how could we know that? ;D

[Lucyan28]

The idea of one god is something weird even for my wildest thoughts, but I think if there is a god 'IT' would be a dreaming energy, creating all universes with all their possibilities in its dream. This does not make sense, isn't it? :(

[Megamedes]

“For all the Gods are one God, and all the Goddesses are one Goddess, and there is only one Initiator. And to every man his own truth, and the God within.”

I like those words from the prologue of Mist of Avalon. To me they say all we need to know, that we are the initiator of our own life, our own truth and our own god. Believing in no god is equally a belief in god as believing there is a god, simply because you have to acknowledge the idea of god to believe god does not exist.

[Gem]

“For all the Gods are one God, and all the Goddesses are one Goddess, and there is only one Initiator. And to every man his own truth, and the God within.”

I like those words from the prologue of Mist of Avalon. To me they say all we need to know, that we are the initiator of our own life, our own truth and our own god. Believing in no god is equally a belief in god as believing there is a god, simply because you have to acknowledge the idea of god to believe god does not exist.

I acknowledge the idea of unicorns but don't equally believe in unicorns.

Nice prologue!

[Gem]

The idea of one god is something weird even for my wildest thoughts, but I think if there is a god 'IT' would be a dreaming energy, creating all universes with all their possibilities in its dream. This does not make sense, isn't it? :(
I think the idea of a universal dream makes more sense than the idea of God because we can be certain that there is a dream, but we can't be certain that there is a dreamer of dreams.

[Morpheus]

Jesus stated, to those who sought His life with stones in hands, "ye are gods". Quoting from Psalms 82.

In several places, He equated people with angels, in scripture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_kill (http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/redir.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiritualforums.co m%2Fvb%2Fredir.php%3Flink%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww .spiritualforums.com%252Fvb%252Fredir.php%253Flink %253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fen.wikipedia.org%252 52Fwiki%25252FThou_shalt_not_kill)

"The Hebrew Bible contains numerous prohibitions against unlawful killing, ... Since man is made in God's image."