What is " The Image of God?"

[mickiel]

Originally Posted by Topology

The problem is that you have decided who is and is not God, You give God its identity. You will always experience your pre-conception of god. Most of our reality is subject to how we interpret it.

If you take the time to investigate the reality of God, beyond how you think and conceive of God, you might find that the distance between you and God is purely a function of how you think. Your thought process creates the experience of distance and separation. When you bring yourself into a direct experience of the Essence of God, there's a point where you trip and fall in and get absorbed into his being and then you realize that his being is your own being.

How can anything less than God every truly recognize God? Sit with that question. It takes God to know God. So if you see God truly, then you are God. If you do not see truly, then you don't know God and it would behoove you to abandon all concepts and thoughts of God and simple engage a search and inquiry into the direct experience of God, if you start to look closely at those thoughts of separation, the presumption that you and God are not the same, those thoughts waver and begin to dissolve. You are assuming you are not God based on how you pre-conceive the idea of God.

Shed the pre-conceptions and immerse yourself in the experience and presence of God. Once immersed, then ask yourself is God's presence truly different than your own?

We are each a face of God, but we have lost that understanding in thinking that we are something different, other than, less than God.

Well I certainly don't think we are explaining the same God, or concept of God. Your explination fits those who think as you do, I do not agree with your self concept of what God is. The God I believe in cannot die; I can and will die, thus- I am not my God.

Other reasons why I am not God;

I lie; God does not lie.
I lust; God does not lust.
I have needs; God has no needs.
There are many things I do not understand; God understands all things.

Now in my view, if I convince myself that I am my God, then it stands to reason that I then should be like him and do the things he can do. I cannot create air, water, earth, wind or fire. I cannot create life. So I am not going to seduce myself into thinking I am things which I am not, or can do things I simply cannot. Now it may " Sound good" to say I am God, but its only a selfish pleasing seduction; a sound that I have convinced myself of, thinking that I have obtained levels that common sense and reality convinces me that I have not.

So to those who have reached such a level in their minds, so be it with them. I rather like being in my own reality, my own place, understanding my limitations. I am not God, nor will ever be.

Originally Posted by mickiel

Well I certainly don't think we are explaining the same God, or concept of God. Your explination fits those who think as you do, I do not agree with your self concept of what God is. The God I believe in cannot die; I can and will die, thus- I am not my God.

Other reasons why I am not God;

I lie; God does not lie.
I lust; God does not lust.
I have needs; God has no needs.
There are many things I do not understand; God understands all things.

Now in my view, if I convince myself that I am my God, then it stands to reason that I then should be like him and do the things he can do. I cannot create air, water, earth, wind or fire. I cannot create life. So I am not going to seduce myself into thinking I am things which I am not, or can do things I simply cannot. Now it may " Sound good" to say I am God, but its only a selfish pleasing seduction; a sound that I have convinced myself of, thinking that I have obtained levels that common sense and reality convinces me that I have not.

So to those who have reached such a level in their minds, so be it with them. I rather like being in my own reality, my own place, understanding my limitations. I am not God, nor will ever be.

I don't have a concept of God.

I have an experience of universal presence, of life flowing through the body and consciousness. That is what I call God.

Most of the time I don't think about God as thinking about it is a form of separation.

You do not understand my perspective because you don't know what its like to have no concept of God.

Originally Posted by mickiel

You , like many natralist, must replace God with nature, evolution, science or something; anything but God. There exist a spirit that looks to discredit God as creator, and give that credit over to nature, rocks and chemicals. Not only Atheist, but Naturalist and nuetralist. In my view, it was God himself who set these forces against him, because he wanted oppisition to him.

No no no, pagan traditions elevated them ALL to the same thing. And BTW, god also said humans will have full authority over all life ont he planet, which doesnt give credit to ANYTHING else but outselves.....


And I am not a full naturalist. I just understand that things now can be explained by science instead of some invisible, contradictory dude in the sky.

IF you were to say " well, the rules you state are just gods way of letting it happen, the rules are what we percieve as gods will", I could buy that a little bit. But what you are speaking of is assumptions and personal opinion on things that we KNOW how they work, and are as explainable as we possibly can get right now.

Dont think im trying to be rude, but if your going to talk about god, make sure you know what you are talking about please:

"I lie; God does not lie.
I lust; God does not lust.
I have needs; God has no needs.
There are many things I do not understand; God understands all things"

God lied alot, as well as contradicted himself, many times. For instance, god said isreal will be free and jacobs kids will inherit isreal. Well hes promised it to them over and over again in the bible, and yet, they get more and more oppressed as time went on.

God lusts as well, lusts for destruction (especially in the OT). He had no second thought about wiping out the planet in genesis, he lusts for our worship too, other wise why would be get so mad about us worshiping other gods like in exodus?

GOd has needs, other wise he wouldnt have made it "law" for us to practice the sabbath, worship only GOD and abandon all traditions that were passed down for thousands of years. HE also needs money! He needs the church, who is the third richest institution in the world, and pays NO taxes to take donations from the public to show our faith. And lastly god NEEDS US, other wise he wouldnt exisist.

Lastly, god doesnt understand all things, other wise he wouldnt have created humans, because he would understand that him creating us, would cause the serpent to have someone to dupe into taking the fruit off the tree. He wouldve understood that it doesnt matter what we believe in, as long as we understand and respect eachother and nature. But no, it HAS to be god and jesus, other wise you go to hell...

[mickiel]

Originally Posted by Time

But no, it HAS to be god and jesus, other wise you go to hell...

There is no such thing as hell, thats a christian error. I am not christian, and I am not a naturalist. God is real, I do not view him as some dude in the sky. And I do not believe that it means anything to God as to who believes in him or not, he knows that we all are destined to be with him. It does not matter to God what humans believe, he knows he gets his way in the end.

Although humanity has lost their heads and their beliefs have just gone wild, he has destined that we all be with him.

Originally Posted by mickiel

There is no such thing as hell, thats a christian error. I am not christian, and I am not a naturalist. God is real, I do not view him as some dude in the sky. And I do not believe that it means anything to God as to who believes in him or not, he knows that we all are destined to be with him. It does not matter to God what humans believe, he knows he gets his way in the end.

Although humanity has lost their heads and their beliefs have just gone wild, he has destined that we all be with him.

So what's the delay? Why reunion in the future and not now?

Originally Posted by mickiel

There is no such thing as hell, thats a christian error. I am not christian, and I am not a naturalist. God is real, I do not view him as some dude in the sky. And I do not believe that it means anything to God as to who believes in him or not, he knows that we all are destined to be with him. It does not matter to God what humans believe, he knows he gets his way in the end.

Although humanity has lost their heads and their beliefs have just gone wild, he has destined that we all be with him.

Ok, in that case were are going to have to open a whole other can of worms then...

You cant say god, and not expect to me assiciated with christianity. The word god, while being germanic, is strickly associated with the christian diety. ITs a name for YHWH, which is the same god as "GOD".

You see what I mean? God, is a NAME , while god, is a tiltle, yet still derived from the CHRISTIAN NAME for their one diety. By using the word God as a name you are using a christian word, and belief, even if you dont use it AS such, its still a christian word, no matter how you think of it.

There are very few people who can actually say they are 100% not christian. 99% of us are influenced by this religion in the western world, becuse its our principle religion. ITs EVERYWHERE, law, tv, radio, music... you cant hide from christianity in the western world. And since we all grow up IN that world, were influenced it whether we admit to it or not

Originally Posted by mickiel

I rather like being in my own reality, my own place, understanding my limitations. I am not God, nor will ever be.

The thing is, a comparison between 2 conceptual images doesn't amount to much.
Firstly one would have to know what is God and what is this self I call me?
Only then can such a comparison be made, afterall how can one ever come to a sensible conclusion based upon unknowable factors.
God is unknown & in all truth what I am is unknown.
Therefore it is better to admit that one stands in the jaw of uncertainty/unknowing.

If I penetrate to the depths of my own existence and my own present reality, the indefinable am that is myself in its deepest roots,
then through this deep center I pass into the infinite I am which is the very Name of the Almighty. (Thomas Merton)

If thou knowest thine own self, thou knowest God. (Ibn-Al-Arabi)

[mickiel]

Originally Posted by Topology

So what's the delay? Why reunion in the future and not now?

I don't know. I believe God has a certain pathology toward how he does things, and he just takes his sweet time of it. His patience is legendary in heaven.

[mickiel]

Originally Posted by Time

Ok, in that case were are going to have to open a whole other can of worms then...

You cant say god, and not expect to me assiciated with christianity. The word god, while being germanic, is strickly associated with the christian diety. ITs a name for YHWH, which is the same god as "GOD".

You see what I mean? God, is a NAME , while god, is a tiltle, yet still derived from the CHRISTIAN NAME for their one diety. By using the word God as a name you are using a christian word, and belief, even if you dont use it AS such, its still a christian word, no matter how you think of it.

There are very few people who can actually say they are 100% not christian. 99% of us are influenced by this religion in the western world, becuse its our principle religion. ITs EVERYWHERE, law, tv, radio, music... you cant hide from christianity in the western world. And since we all grow up IN that world, were influenced it whether we admit to it or not

I totally disagree with this. Christians do not hold a monopoly on God, they just think they do, and obviously so do you. The orginal believers in God were called " The Way." Christian is a term the Romans used to label these people. God has NEVER endorsed the name christianity to represent his people-- never!

And neither can you.

[mickiel]

Originally Posted by Elijah

The thing is, a comparison between 2 conceptual images doesn't amount to much.
Firstly one would have to know what is God and what is this self I call me?
Only then can such a comparison be made, afterall how can one ever come to a sensible conclusion based upon unknowable factors.
God is unknown & in all truth what I am is unknown.
Therefore it is better to admit that one stands in the jaw of uncertainty/unknowing.

Well this " Sounds Good", but we can get to know God, and ourselves. I am not into this " Oh, everything is Mystical, were dumfounded nebulous creatures" kind of spiritual movement. I know myself better every year, and I learn more about God every year. I don't personally know God, but I personally know more of him.,

For a person to fall for a philosophy that they cannot know themselves; is an act of falling more in love with that philosophy than yourself. What you Love you can get to know, reguardless of what any of the swamis have cooked up.