The Mention of God puts up such Walls

[Lynn]

Hello

I wanted to look at why the mere mention of God in the Metaphysical community can put up such walls. While I will be honest I do not walk with God as a faith I too do not dismiss the idea of God being something that is possible. I would not go to say I feel that the path walked is maybe the original intention of the whole concept of Religion but it is the evolutionary path man has walked.

I am the president of a Metaphysical Society and the founder is a Reverend and at first I honestly found that odd but there are Metaphysical Ministers. When it comes to our meetings I find that at times the mere mention of God strikes such a cord with people. Yet it is a part and parcel of what Metaphysics is based on I feel.

We look to call God Mother Father God or Divine Light.....ext ext but God sets that wall up. Why is that ? To me that is a block or fear that we are holding onto that needs to be cleared that can have deep roots in maybe even our past lives.

I often will read a blessing that has Lord or God in it as it to me calls on that energy of a higher vibration of energy that is positive yet it is not a formal Prayer many times. As a Medium I use the Lords Prayer to protect me and my audience when doing an open message night. Those words hold a powerful vibration of energy when said with convictions and respects.

What is it in us that puts up those walls.....I know well that I do not want comments that its "Religion and Dogma" as I do not feel that that truly exists in the hearts of man on the Soul levels. What I want is to explore our inner fears on the word God. That vibration of the word. Is it a fear?

For me it took so many years to find that balance to find that inner peace with it all and accept that "God Bless You" being said to me for the work I take on at times that is the hardest work of all, finding and bringing home the missing. Something in a higher power does guide me or how could I do this work......



Lynn

[Tanemon]

I think you've touched on why the resistance is there. Whatever people may feel within their souls, on the everyday level the word "God" conjures up associations of narrow-mindedness, old-fashionedness, old gender roles, guilt-slinging Bible thumpers, sectarian squabbles, and exclusion of the viewpoints and faiths in the world other than Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

"God" isn't even used in the original manuscripts of the Bible - because the word comes from a Germanic root that was used to translate names or terms used in the Biblical literature.

So, I agree with you, Lynn, that shuddering at the word God is silly. But I think we're culturally still in strong reaction against how white people in Europe and the Americas looked at things fifty or a hundred years ago.

So, for now, people often prefer terms like Source, The Divine, Tao (or Dao), The Universe, etc.

The word 'god' usually refers to some separate entity that watches, judges and rules. I know that to many here, 'god' doesn't mean that, but in general society that's what it means.

That's the problem I have with it. I just can't reconcile the idea of something 'separate' being divine, because in my belief there is nothing separate from us, because we are all part of one single thing, and every part of that one thing is divine.

i use the word creator, as my ancestors used or great spirit, only to differentiate that i am not talking about the god of the old testament which so many think of when the word is used.

i also possibly unconsciously feel the word 'god' projects an image of a huge being we should all worship whereas creator seems gentler, more on an equal par with creation and not made to sit on a pedastal and be worshipped. can't really explain that-it's hard to articulate.

[Seawolf]

Originally Posted by Lynn

Hello

I wanted to look at why the mere mention of God in the Metaphysical community can put up such walls.
Lynn

God is a strong concept in Western countries. That's why walls are put up against it in particular. You don't hear people being upset about the belief in forest spirits, Hindu gods, etc because it's not a strong part of our society. To be against something, there has to be a connection to it. Hate is much like love, in that it's deep feeling and concern about something. Since our traditional religious beliefs involve a concept of God, that's what we concern ourselves with. When we rage against the idea of God, it's because it's part of us through our environment.

Why is there so much resentment? One might blame the actions of a few who believe in God, that others are to blame for it. Another might point to the individual, knowing that much concern shows a struggle going on inside the person with their beliefs. We can't help be affected by our environment because that's how the human mind works, and much of the strong distaste for God comes from struggling against deeply embedded subconscious beliefs imo. Otherwise, why would a person care so much if it wasn't a part of them?

[LadyMay]

Originally Posted by Seawolf

God is a strong concept in Western countries. That's why walls are put up against it in particular. You don't hear people being upset about the belief in forest spirits, Hindu gods, etc because it's not a strong part of our society. To be against something, there has to be a connection to it. Hate is much like love, in that it's deep feeling and concern about something. Since our traditional religious beliefs involve a concept of God, that's what we concern ourselves with. When we rage against the idea of God, it's because it's part of us through our environment.

Why is there so much resentment? One might blame the actions of a few who believe in God, that others are to blame for it. Another might point to the individual, knowing that much concern shows a struggle going on inside the person with their beliefs. We can't help be affected by our environment because that's how the human mind works, and much of the strong distaste for God comes from struggling against deeply embedded subconscious beliefs imo. Otherwise, why would a person care so much if it wasn't a part of them?

Good description. I like this.

Science takes a minimalist approach. Even if the pieces don't fit, like GR, QM and now consciousness, science will take the minimalist approach. Regardless of what the Truth is, science will minimize the importance of consciousness, happiness, life purpose and meaning, the afterlife, and will dismiss these things as billions of neurocircuits. The Truth is much more subtle than that. Without God, the wealthy and the atheist-intellectuals would enslave us all and make us automatons.

When it comes right down to it, all of these scientific breakthroughs give diminishing results after a while. I don't give a (Edit by Staff) that there is a new app out there. I want spiritual knowingness. I want to experience the divine.

[wstein]

Certainly a lot of it comes from religious zealots doing great harm in the name of God. This intolerance is often more than a minor annoyance. In more extreme cases people are driven out, stripped of rights or belongings, or even occasionally killed.

Additionally, the more typical religious person is very rigid in their beliefs about God and inadvertently or intentionally puts that on others. Those who don't believe in one of the more popular notions of God end up defending themselves and their beliefs a lot.

Another difficulty with the 'God topic' is an implied level of awareness. Most religious people have very limited awareness of the greater reality. Their concept of God is a prepackaged image from a religion. They often react badly to that 'woo woo' stuff not fitting their concept of God. Many many people I have met were punished and abused as children for talking about metaphysical stuff.

For me at least all this oppression from the religious puts me on guard not to trigger their fears as the response can be hostile or even damaging.
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Another issue with the term 'God' is that outside the religious circles it can mean so many things as to be mostly ambiguous. People that embrace metaphysics usually start using a more specific word to indicate their view on any such divine beings. To me those who still use the term 'God' tend to not be very mature in their metaphysical journey. Nothing wrong with being a beginner, I just don't find a lot in common with them.

[Seawolf]

Originally Posted by wstein

Additionally, the more typical religious person is very rigid in their beliefs about God and inadvertently or intentionally puts that on others.

Really? Is the typical Buddhist like this?

I would say painting people who follow spiritual beliefs with such a broad negative stroke like this shows rigidness of belief and ideas of spiritual superiority.

Seeing others who believe differently than we do as oppressive and as a threat is popular in fundamentalism too. It's common in fundamentalism to label those with different spiritual beliefs as 'just religious' but seeing themselves as having Truth. It's minority though, most don't seem to think like that, but enough do to cause problems in the world.

[No-thing-ness]

I prefer the word Source as all life comes from this (one)Source.

Man created g_d, so for me the word g_d is just that a word.

I do like this though as it resonates with me:-

The Tao which can be spoken of is not the Eternal Tao.

But we do like our word games!!!!