Not a problem, and you do have a point. It may be irrelevant, but I still wish to gain opinions from religious and non-religious people. :L It intrigues me.
'Talking to God'
- Thread starter Free Mind
- Start date
Not a problem, and you do have a point. It may be irrelevant, but I still wish to gain opinions from religious and non-religious people. :L It intrigues me.
@Free Mind yeah of course. though, discussing whether it was 'god' or not, rather than the content of the article seems like you missed the forest for the trees.
just MY opinion.
I never said people have to say whether it's god or not. I simply said discuss. :L Most people decided to put their view across whether it was god or not, and some didn't. ^^ Maybe I can ask what you think of the content? What do you think are the core truths in the article?
[MENTION=2578]Kgal[/MENTION]
What I get from that is. "You live and you learn." Currently humanity is going through a big learning experience (Think about how much has happened in the last 100 years!), and we need to learn from our mistakes, if we survive them as a species, that is. Many people already know a better way of living, but are obstructed by the rulers of the earth. We all need to grow up together before suffering can lessen. I think...We need to learn to not try and dominate over each other, but to help each other advance in this highly technically advancing world we live on. We still have a connection with nature and the simple things, we are just learning about what we can and cannot do. It's a big learning experience, which sadly, includes suffering at the moment. I'd say it's a stage in our development as a species.
from the article...
"....Without exception, intelligent species who gain dominance over their planet do so by becoming the most efficient predators. .... Only those who can manipulate the world they live in can one day hope to leave it and spread their seed throughout the universe.
Unlike the adaptors, who learn the point of cooperation fairly early on, manipulators battle on. And, once all lesser species have been overcome, they are so competitive and predatory that they are compelled to turn in on themselves. This nearly always evolves into tribal competition in one form or another and becomes more and more destructive - exactly like your own history.
However this competition is vital to promote the leap from biological to technological evolution.
You need an arms race in order to make progress.
Your desire to dominate fuels a search for knowledge which the adaptors never acquire. And although your initial desire for knowledge is selfish and destructive, it begins the development of an intellectual self awareness, a form of higher consciousness, which never emerges in any other species. Not even while they are experiencing it, for example, can the intelligent adaptors - your dolphins - express the concepts of Love or Time.
Militarisation and the development of weapons of mass destruction are your first serious test at level one. You're still not through that phase, though the signs are promising. There is no point whatsoever in my intervening to prevent your self-destruction. Your ability to survive these urges is a crucial test of your fitness to survive later stages. So I would not, never have and never will intervene to prevent a species from destroying itself. Most, in fact, do just that.....
"....Without exception, intelligent species who gain dominance over their planet do so by becoming the most efficient predators. .... Only those who can manipulate the world they live in can one day hope to leave it and spread their seed throughout the universe.
Unlike the adaptors, who learn the point of cooperation fairly early on, manipulators battle on. And, once all lesser species have been overcome, they are so competitive and predatory that they are compelled to turn in on themselves. This nearly always evolves into tribal competition in one form or another and becomes more and more destructive - exactly like your own history.
However this competition is vital to promote the leap from biological to technological evolution.
You need an arms race in order to make progress.
Your desire to dominate fuels a search for knowledge which the adaptors never acquire. And although your initial desire for knowledge is selfish and destructive, it begins the development of an intellectual self awareness, a form of higher consciousness, which never emerges in any other species. Not even while they are experiencing it, for example, can the intelligent adaptors - your dolphins - express the concepts of Love or Time.
Militarisation and the development of weapons of mass destruction are your first serious test at level one. You're still not through that phase, though the signs are promising. There is no point whatsoever in my intervening to prevent your self-destruction. Your ability to survive these urges is a crucial test of your fitness to survive later stages. So I would not, never have and never will intervene to prevent a species from destroying itself. Most, in fact, do just that.....
When you put it like that it does sound funny and a bit weird, but try not to simplify it to that extent so much. We are quite young as a species, and we are still learning. Some know better than others and know that war is not good. I've been in many conversations where people talk about how war has helped technology advance so much quicker and helped us to understand more, but at the cost of suffering? I don't really like that. I'd prefer to spend another 200 years getting to where we are now with technology and not have as MUCH suffering.
It seems that he is simply letting the 'ants' get on with it, and takes a few notes every now and then. A few losses is ok as long as we are striving for our goal, which in this case seems to be level 2? Part of this goal is becoming better as a species, and that would be to reduce suffering. Maybe war and suffering is just a way of us to learn a lesson quicker? I'm just throwing out ideas here. Many things are wrong with this world currently, as me and you know.
I think he is saying that war might be a step in the correct direction as species tend to have this phase at one point or another to reach the next level...
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LOL ...Yeh I know not to take it literally.
You said: I've been in many conversations where people talk about how war has helped technology advance so much quicker and helped us to understand more, but at the cost of suffering?
Ironically I've been running across several different venues that talk about how our suffering down here on earth is the point of why we are here. Then we go on to another place once we've "learned" how suffering feels and how when one suffers we all suffer.
I guess when I think about the teachings from the Buddha I cannot wrap my mind around how we are "supposed" to be angry and full of so much hate and fear we wage war upon each other. I think if it were up to the Buddha we'd spend many lifetimes coming and going from earth to learn compassion and that we are all part of God. That we are god and we can create worlds of love and kindness.
If we followed Buddha's (or Jesus's) plan - we'd stop trying to invent new ways to kill each other and live in peace. Kinda contradicts what the God in the article says.
...or does it?
You said: I've been in many conversations where people talk about how war has helped technology advance so much quicker and helped us to understand more, but at the cost of suffering?
Ironically I've been running across several different venues that talk about how our suffering down here on earth is the point of why we are here. Then we go on to another place once we've "learned" how suffering feels and how when one suffers we all suffer.
I guess when I think about the teachings from the Buddha I cannot wrap my mind around how we are "supposed" to be angry and full of so much hate and fear we wage war upon each other. I think if it were up to the Buddha we'd spend many lifetimes coming and going from earth to learn compassion and that we are all part of God. That we are god and we can create worlds of love and kindness.
If we followed Buddha's (or Jesus's) plan - we'd stop trying to invent new ways to kill each other and live in peace. Kinda contradicts what the God in the article says.
...or does it?
My opinion...someone had a lot of time to burn. Too random and too fantastic for me to take any part of it seriously. Then again I have always had trouble with religious fiction.
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It's just difficult to seperate where "that which is known" is being manipulated and/or mixed with fantasy by the author. I find fantasy difficult to engage in when so much of "what is known" is so fantastic and wondrous in it's own right. In fact, fantasy tends to fall short of the reality, becoming entangled in our limited human projections.
"If I am capable of grasping God objectively, I do not believe, but precisely because I cannot do this I must believe." - S
I'm afraid it's fake. Especially at the bottom, where it says..."If you are enjoying this....." and mainly because it was a very detailed, long conversation.
Very interesting though. If something like this were to ever happen to me, I would believe in Christianity with all my heart. I really would.
Very interesting though. If something like this were to ever happen to me, I would believe in Christianity with all my heart. I really would.
My spirit was lifted to heaven once and I think I met god. He didn't introduce himself as god, but I looked at him and sort of realized after the fact, who else could it be? It was how he looked at me and what he wore which told me who he was. He told me one thing before I was sent back to Earth.
That said, I'm sure he takes whatever appearance he wants to for any individual.
As for this website's "answers" from god, they're actually pretty close to the mark for the first few. Eerily similar to what I've already come to know through my own soul searching. As elaborated in my blog, the Ni Codex.
That said, I'm surprised he recalled that conversation in such detail. He either embellished, faked it, or god helped him remember.
As for god having constant vigil, I think the answer given there is somewhat wrong. Here's the thing, when you die and if you choose to go to heaven, God may enlist you as a servant of his. You can then visit Earth as an invisible guardian angel. These are the folks people report seeing at car accidents, who disappear when other help arrives. These are the spirits some see right before they perish. When you pray, they listen and they keep constant watch over your life. They have power given to them by god in order to help us through our lives. They can talk to god themselves. So I am not certain how intently god focuses on our lives because there is an administrative framework in place for him to watch over us, utilizing our ancestors and loved ones. There is a spiritual network on this planet which watches over every human being, that I am certain of. And I think if you pray to him, he's cognizant of the prayer.
As for evolving ourselves to create a god one day, yes, I believe that's precisely where evolution leads. Even if the human race perishes, god preserves our souls to take part in that final product. The deity we create is the One deity. Which is discussed in the union of two entities. This new entity makes new universes, and the cycle continues. From my perspective it's all one entity, but the idea that the transformation of our universe in-turn transforms god into something new is true.
And I do largely believe that aliens worship the same god we do, otherwise they would be interfering here on earth a lot more. God probably lets them know, and they inherently understand from their own progression that interference is wrong.
So did he actually meet god or is that guy just smart and understands the truth of why we're here and where we're going? I can't say, and it doesn't really matter because concepts are valid.
That said, I'm sure he takes whatever appearance he wants to for any individual.
As for this website's "answers" from god, they're actually pretty close to the mark for the first few. Eerily similar to what I've already come to know through my own soul searching. As elaborated in my blog, the Ni Codex.
That said, I'm surprised he recalled that conversation in such detail. He either embellished, faked it, or god helped him remember.
As for god having constant vigil, I think the answer given there is somewhat wrong. Here's the thing, when you die and if you choose to go to heaven, God may enlist you as a servant of his. You can then visit Earth as an invisible guardian angel. These are the folks people report seeing at car accidents, who disappear when other help arrives. These are the spirits some see right before they perish. When you pray, they listen and they keep constant watch over your life. They have power given to them by god in order to help us through our lives. They can talk to god themselves. So I am not certain how intently god focuses on our lives because there is an administrative framework in place for him to watch over us, utilizing our ancestors and loved ones. There is a spiritual network on this planet which watches over every human being, that I am certain of. And I think if you pray to him, he's cognizant of the prayer.
As for evolving ourselves to create a god one day, yes, I believe that's precisely where evolution leads. Even if the human race perishes, god preserves our souls to take part in that final product. The deity we create is the One deity. Which is discussed in the union of two entities. This new entity makes new universes, and the cycle continues. From my perspective it's all one entity, but the idea that the transformation of our universe in-turn transforms god into something new is true.
And I do largely believe that aliens worship the same god we do, otherwise they would be interfering here on earth a lot more. God probably lets them know, and they inherently understand from their own progression that interference is wrong.
So did he actually meet god or is that guy just smart and understands the truth of why we're here and where we're going? I can't say, and it doesn't really matter because concepts are valid.
Well, first of all, we all need to forget about the idea he talked to God - I don't think at any point the author expected people to assume this story was true, it's clearly a fictional setting in order to discuss philosophical matters.
Not sure about his ideas, though! Didn't really seem to say much to me.
Not sure about his ideas, though! Didn't really seem to say much to me.
when ever I see this posed as a queston I think back to Mother Theresa. . she said that she spent several hours a day in prayer. . .when asked what she talked to God about she replied, "I dont' talk, I listen"
This is exactly how it goes. Listening is the key in deeper understanding of God's will for us. God's response comes as visions to some individuals because he knows that this is only way to reach them and comfort them in midst of their spiritual and physical suffering. I have them occasionally and there is always message conveyed through symbolic images not aspirations. I am mentally healthy and have degree in psychology. Suffer as I see how people increasingly become deaf and blind and don't recognize what is good anymore. Many of us suffer because of indifference to goodness ...but we are not known by this fallen and transitional world.