What/Who Is God?

[SalixIncendium]

I'm not sure if this question has been asked here previously, and I'm not a fan of resurrecting ancient threads that have been posted and replied to by those who no longer participate here.

In my experience, "God" can mean different things to different religions or different people.

In the interest of getting to know you, who or what is God to you?

 

[wil]

Maybe I should wait...but heck I am right here.

I think I have to start with what I don't believe.

I don't believe in a creator being which.doles out punishment and blessings. That makes rules for living and judges people based on their actions in regards to said rules. I don't believe in Santa Claus.

But I do believe in the Santa Clause...

What I read when folks refer.to G!d is an underlying principle maybe the theory of everything TOE...maybe more than that. I believe we all operate under and are allowed by the physical laws.of nature...

I have reverence for all that is and absolutely appreciate it. But I do not worship it... I live it.

I say I am a nontheist panentheist Christian unitic.

I basically believe that all religioms attempt to explain the unexplainable while attemptimg.to keep people in line thru fear. They contain two goals...explaining life, the universe, creation and controlling the creations....they are early answers to life's riddles which morphed into acting as gov't.

That being said of all the attempts to do both I feel some portions which resonate and others which repel my sensibilities. All in all the bible is my goto book albeit not the standard 3000 variations... I mean on unity interpretation and metaphysics most closely, but not n lock step.

I drum to my own dancer.


Be still and know that I am G!d.
G!d is all there is.
Look neither high nor low we are in the midst.

 

[Cino]

In the interest of getting to know you, who or what is God to you?

Nothing I might say about God would make you know me better.

 

[stranger]

Hi again...

I'm not sure if this question has been asked here previously, and I'm not a fan of resurrecting ancient threads that have been posted and replied to by those who no longer participate here.

I know, right? I used to peruse the old threads but I had a rather visceral reaction to one guy's profile pic and I decided not to do that anymore. I didn't know the guy from Adam and have neve seen him here since I have been here, nor has her personally offended me, but the reaction was as if my very life were being threatened. Better to let sleeping dogs lie, I concluded.

In my experience, "God" can mean different things to different religions or different people.

In the interest of getting to know you, who or what is God to you?

I think Cino has hit this one already but I'll add my two cents. Basically you've already hinted at the answer to your own question when you said "In my experience..." Squiggly lines on a page (essentially anything I could consciously conjure) would always fall short of the reality.

Now, I can't imagine anyone ever actually wanting to get to know me. Down through the years people have wanted a lot of different things from me. They still do. But getting to know me? Nah, I don't think so. Actually getting to know implies love and anything less than that is just going to be another hard sell that falls short.

 

[RJM]

I'm not sure if this question has been asked here previously, and I'm not a fan of resurrecting ancient threads that have been posted and replied to by those who no longer participate here.

In my experience, "God" can mean different things to different religions or different people.

In the interest of getting to know you, who or what is God to you?

There isn't a quick answer to that one imo, but I will be trying to frame a proper response. In a way 'God' to me is the Spirit that surrounds and contains and permeates and 'weaves' nature -- but also personal and responsive 'closer than breathing'

 

[SalixIncendium]

Nothing I might say about God would make you know me better.

Any response, this one included, helps me to know you better.

 

[RJM]

I believe that because we have free will "God' needs man to ask for divine intervention. Angels may watch and weep, but are powerless to help unless invited.

Usually this first happens when a person is reduced to extremity and surrenders to God: I can't do this, please help me.

The process that follows may require a person to have to let go of a lot of the material and emotional baggage/dead wood they carry -- and this may be very painful at first.

But gradually a soul learns to surrender and trust everything to the Spirit.

I believe 'God' responds to the sincere surrender of the soul to the Divine -- any faith, any time, any place.

I believe God speaks to every individual soul in a unique way through their individual religion or lack of it

 

[wil]

What, who is G!d?

Not how or why or when....

What, who? To you?

 

[Cino]

What, who is G!d?

Not how or why or when....

What, who? To you?

"You" sounds about right.

It would be kind of impolite to use any other address for those who are present

 

[Aupmanyav]

'lā ʾilāha'
إله

Edit: Sarmad Kashani or simply as Sarmad (ca 1590–1661 - Delhi), beheaded by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, as he would not say ʾillā -llāhu (but one).

 

[RJM]

The thread title asks What/Who is God -- in a person's own opinion.

Anyone who doesn't want to respond to the thread title doesn't have to participate in the thread, imo?

 

[Thomas]

Catholic, generally, Christian Platonist more concisely. Traditionalist, Perennialist.

 

[SalixIncendium]

What, who is G!d?

Not how or why or when....

If you would like to answer how, why, or when, feel free to do so.

What, who? To you?

Yes. To you.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The thread title asks What/Who is God -- in a person's own opinion.

Anyone who doesn't want to respond to the thread title doesn't have to participate in the thread, imo?

Thank you for this.

I've been involved in many conversations that make reference to God...God's intent...what God does...etc. But in many of those conversations, participants struggle to even agree on what or who God is and find themselves simply talking past each other.

Being new here, I thought it would help me to learn a bit more of members' personal view of God to facilitate interaction and to avoid misunderstanding.

Maybe I was wrong?

But as @RJM Corbet alluded to, if you're not comfortable answering the question, you're under no obligation to do so.

 

[RJM]

Threads here sometimes start slow then come to life. I'm still considering the rest of my response to the title

 

[wil]

But in many of those conversations, participants struggle to even agree on what or who God is

Hence the reason we have a dozen religions and thousands of sects and denominations.

I doubt we will ever have a consensus....on earth...or in heaven.

 

[RJM]

As a Catholic I'm not fixed to a particular interpretation of the Catholic dogma, yet I believe Catholicism contains it all, though far from perfect able to evolve.

I accept the (symbolised) concept of Adam and Eve's original sin, but interpret it as the fact that our natural/animal form means we have to take other natural life to sustain our own.

I believe this dimension of nature is just one of perhaps infinite other rooms within the all encompassing house of Spirit. My Father's house has many mansions. The greater wheel of Spirit turns the lesser wheel of nature, but is not turned by it.

I believe the walls of the room of nature are the limitation of time and space upon our natural/animal form, but that as human beings we also extend beyond nature, into Spirit as our dilemma on this planet.

The crucifixion mystery -- suspended upon the polarity axis between Spirit and nature.

I believe the walls of the house of Spirit are walls of love, but in the great spiritual sense that all things are of one source and one return, and all connected.

What may lie beyond the Spirit -- containing and sustaining the Spirit dimension? Perhaps natural beings will never be able to conceive ...

(more to come, lol ...)

 

[SalixIncendium]

Hence the reason we have a dozen religions and thousands of sects and denominations.

I doubt we will ever have a consensus....on earth...or in heaven.

Indeed. We will never have a consensus because understandings of God vary based on what one has experienced.

It's not my intent to reach any sort of consensus, nor is it to critique or debate others on their views. It's only to understand the views of members here.

But since you bring it up, what is heaven to you?

 

[wil]

I believe heaven and hell to be constructs of our perspectives regarding earthly situations.

At any moment I can choose to be in either.

 

[davidsheep88]

G-d is G-d he will tells us who he is when we are dead and ressurected, there is in the bible scripture that says Jesus has A secret name in heaven and will be reveal it to his people who did believed in him. That secret will be revealed in heaven and he will show who he is .