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PocketLady



Registered: 01/18/10
Posts: 1,773
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Why did God Create Atheists? 7
#26357243 - 12/02/19 01:39 PM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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"Why did God create Atheists?
There is a famous story told in Chassidic literature that addresses this very question. The Master teaches the student that God created everything in the world to be appreciated, since everything is here to teach us a lesson.
One clever student asks “What lesson can we learn from atheists? Why did God create them?”
The Master responds “God created atheists to teach us the most important lesson of them all — the lesson of true compassion. You see, when an atheist performs an act of charity, visits someone who is sick, helps someone in need, and cares for the world, he is not doing so because of some religious teaching. He does not believe that God commanded him to perform this act. In fact, he does not believe in God at all, so his acts are based on an inner sense of morality. And look at the kindness he can bestow upon others simply because he feels it to be right.”
“This means,” the Master continued “that when someone reaches out to you for help, you should never say ‘I pray that God will help you.’ Instead for the moment, you should become an atheist, imagine that there is no God who can help, and say ‘I will help you.’”
- Martin Buber, Tales of Hasidim Vol. 2 (1991)
-------------------- Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity. The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death. Tomorrow, when resurrection comes, The heart that is not in love will fail the test. ~ Rumi The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny. ~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir
Edited by PocketLady (12/02/19 01:49 PM)
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yeah


Registered: 02/08/09
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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: PocketLady]
#26357444 - 12/02/19 03:41 PM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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saintdextro
Entheogen psychonaut



Registered: 01/03/15
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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: yeah] 2
#26357827 - 12/02/19 07:42 PM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
"There are many people who claim to be inside the Church, but they are really outside it, for they do not practice the love and the life of Christ; and there are many apparently outside the Church, but who are really inside it, for they do practice the love and life of Christ"
-Saint Augustine
-------------------- "He who finds peace and joy And radiance within himself That man becomes one with God And vanishes into God's bliss." -Bhagavad Gita, 5.24 One 21 - Building Better Bombs One 21 - Pacified One 21 - Two Sides Is Fine "Respectability is a cloak for the hypocrite" - Jiddu Krishnamurti
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Buster_Brown
L'une


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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: saintdextro]
#26357845 - 12/02/19 07:50 PM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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The atheist position is accommodated in the position of "Build a fort" (defensive position) and "Cast a mount" (attack), which suggests a delight in showing the opposition a thing or two.
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Antigov



Registered: 03/17/19
Posts: 792
Loc: Deep within the BibleBelt
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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: Buster_Brown] 1
#26357869 - 12/02/19 07:58 PM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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God created free will, atheism is just the symptom.
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Loaded Shaman
Psychophysiologist



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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: Antigov]
#26358299 - 12/03/19 02:52 AM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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Who created God?
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  "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance." — Confucius
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Antigov



Registered: 03/17/19
Posts: 792
Loc: Deep within the BibleBelt
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The Bible has several names for God. Ancient of days, alpha and omega, beginning and the end, etc. If the universe is infinite, than God is infinite. No beginning no end. If God is the universe, and there are infinite universe is there a God in each or one, or infinite Gods?
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pineninja
Dream Weaver



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Posts: 12,468
Loc: South
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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: Antigov] 1
#26358334 - 12/03/19 03:40 AM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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No atheist no religion.
No anti no dote
-------------------- Just a fool on the hill.
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MarkostheGnostic
Elder



Registered: 12/09/99
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Obviously the shorthand English so God refers to The Eternal and hence uncreated Ultimate Reality. So properly speaking, God does not ‘exist,’ but IS prior to existence. Metaphysical means ontologically prior to physics (where ‘physis’ Is nature in Greek).
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
Edited by MarkostheGnostic (12/05/19 01:16 AM)
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Yellow Pants


Registered: 05/14/17
Posts: 1,386
Loc:
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Quote:
MarkostheGnostic said: Obviously the shorthand English so d God refers to The Eternal and hence uncreated Ultimate Reality. So properly speaking, God does not ‘exist,’ but IS prior to existence. Metaphysical means ontologically prior to physics (where ‘physis’ Is nature in Greek).
Certainly man has created metaphysics ?
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MarkostheGnostic
Elder



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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: Yellow Pants]
#26359891 - 12/03/19 08:00 PM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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Man has created symbols and language the purpose of which is to communicate ideas. Ideas are mental impressions of actual Reality. The metaphysical is a word for and idea which is reflective of Reality. Mankind itself is a creation, an evolutionary process which is a link in the Great Chain of Being which has its origin in the Transcendental Mystery which we call God.
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
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Loaded Shaman
Psychophysiologist



Registered: 03/02/15
Posts: 8,006
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Quote:
MarkostheGnostic said: Obviously the shorthand English so d God refers to The Eternal and hence uncreated Ultimate Reality. So properly speaking, God does not ‘exist,’ but IS prior to existence. Metaphysical means ontologically prior to physics (where ‘physis’ Is nature in Greek).
Correct, as my sig quote conveniently points out! Metaphysic > Epistemology. My question was for some of the lesser-learned but deeply opinionated folk lol. Everyone has "thoughts" until the real philosophical boundaries show up.
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  "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance." — Confucius
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yeah


Registered: 02/08/09
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My experience has left me to believe that God is more than an impersonal energy field or immutable concept and very much a personal, relatable consciousness.
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Yellow Pants


Registered: 05/14/17
Posts: 1,386
Loc:
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Quote:
MarkostheGnostic said: Man has created symbols and language the purpose of which is to communicate ideas. Ideas are mental impressions of actual Reality. The metaphysical is a word for and idea which is reflective of Reality. Mankind itself is a creation, an evolutionary process which is a link in the Great Chain of Being which has its origin in the Transcendental Mystery which we call God.
Ideally.
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Bill_Oreilly
ANIMALS (the RAINBOW SERPENT)


Registered: 11/12/11
Posts: 26,370
Loc: Boston
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Quote:
Loaded Shaman said: Who created God?
God created itself or God always was.
-------------------- Something there is mysteriously formed, Existing before Heaven and Earth, Silent, still, standing alone, unchanging, All-pervading, unfailing, I do not know its name; I call it tao. If forced to give it a name, I call it Great (ta). Being great, it flows out; Flowing out means far-reaching; Being far-reaching, it is said to return. It's just a shot away..
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MarkostheGnostic
Elder



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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: Yellow Pants]
#26362127 - 12/05/19 01:18 AM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Yellow Pants said:
Quote:
MarkostheGnostic said: Man has created symbols and language the purpose of which is to communicate ideas. Ideas are mental impressions of actual Reality. The metaphysical is a word for and idea which is reflective of Reality. Mankind itself is a creation, an evolutionary process which is a link in the Great Chain of Being which has its origin in the Transcendental Mystery which we call God.
Ideally.
Yes, well, I'm something of a philosophical Idealist.
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
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MarkostheGnostic
Elder



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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: yeah]
#26362131 - 12/05/19 01:25 AM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
yeah said: My experience has left me to believe that God is more than an impersonal energy field or immutable concept and very much a personal, relatable consciousness.
I rather agree with you yeah. At least I give thanks frequently: before eating, when my old car starts, and when to my delight a sudden inexplicable and persistent craving for pie was sated when my wife dug some frozen apple pie out of the freezer that I thought was long gone! My male feral cat required not one but two cornea surgeries. Both came out repaired (and the 2nd was 2 weeks of round-the-clock Hell for both of us). He is now free and comes in for visits. For this I am thankful and grateful. I'm not too sophisticated to give thanks even if I am only a temporary dream-character in this dream of God's called creation. Oddly, I never give thanks for disappointment or pain.
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
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Bill_Oreilly
ANIMALS (the RAINBOW SERPENT)


Registered: 11/12/11
Posts: 26,370
Loc: Boston
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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: yeah]
#26362191 - 12/05/19 03:11 AM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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God is alive and a being.
-------------------- Something there is mysteriously formed, Existing before Heaven and Earth, Silent, still, standing alone, unchanging, All-pervading, unfailing, I do not know its name; I call it tao. If forced to give it a name, I call it Great (ta). Being great, it flows out; Flowing out means far-reaching; Being far-reaching, it is said to return. It's just a shot away..
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Yellow Pants


Registered: 05/14/17
Posts: 1,386
Loc:
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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: Bill_Oreilly] 1
#26362402 - 12/05/19 07:38 AM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Bill_Oreilly said: God is alive and a being.
True I think.
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MarkostheGnostic
Elder



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Re: Why did God Create Atheists? [Re: Bill_Oreilly]
#26363162 - 12/05/19 02:53 PM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Bill_Oreilly said: God is alive and a being.
Correction: Nothing can be attributed to God (as Parmenides pointed out in the Platonic document long ago), so "alive" cannot be posited as we only understand this word as embodied life juxtaposed by death. Secondly, God is also beyond "being" as it is commonly understood (another point by Parmenides) and so even being cannot be posited yet none of these denials of attribute means denial of God as Ultimate Reality. The Platonic dialogue influenced the Platonists, then the Neo-Platonists and the Neo-Platonist Christian theologians like Pseudo-Dionysus who was very influential in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian mysticism. I was corrected by my Hindu logic and mythology teacher on this point decades ago so I'm passing it on. Scriptures are metaphorical at best.
Protestant theologian Paul Tillich probably said it best when he pointed out that God is not 'a' being among other beings but is rather "the Ground of Being." This God-concept has its corollaries in other religions God-concepts, even in non-theistic, non-personal aspects of Hinduism (Nirguna Brahman) and in Buddhism where one finds 'the Ground' in Tibetan Buddhism's Dzogchen practice.
In Buddhism, Ultimate Reality is identified as Compassion and Wisdom, in Christianity, the Logos or Son is identified as agapé (1 John 4:8). The Father in Christianity is the Unmanifested Godhead of which nothing can be posited yet despite that it is referred to as Father (although in Aramaic it is identified as Cosmic-Mother-Father or Cosmic Birther [Abwoon], both acknowledging a feminine aspect). Beyond the Christian Trinitarian God-concept lies the "Super-Essential Godhead" of Pseudo-Dionysus, a unity of which nothing can be posited, not even being.
We must learn to be quiet instead of attributing qualities and attributes that apply to existence to the Mystery which is prior to existence. Creation 'exists.' Properly speaking, God does not exist, which is to say God (Ultimate Reality) has no manifest existence since existence means form, energy, matter, extension in space-time, mass, charge, etc. As the Hindus say, "Neti, neti...," Not this, not this.
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
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