Who is God?

If the known Universe as we see it though a telescope is an example of a perfect design even as beautiful as it can sometimes look in its decorator colors then a Higher Power must have some pretty stong weed to smoke.

(Actually it all kind of looks like a chimpanzee finger painting).

(Very messy).

Some comments here are rude to be placed in the Spirituality & Religion section. Constructive discussion, criticism and commentary of religious tenets and organized religions are welcome. Share thoughts about spiritual pathways and the crossroads between spirituality and science. The Spirituality & Religion board is for religious and spiritual topics. Members can post about any religion or spiritual topic. Topics or posts that better fit another category will be moved or split to the respective forum. The Spirituality and Religion Forum is not the place to attack others for their most personally held beliefs. The Religion and Spirituality Forum is the place to share ideas, and learn from one another.

A perfect world
[quote="Lightwizard"](Actually it all kind of looks like a chimpanzee finger painting).[/quote]

I think our world is beautiful. And pretty amazing. It certainly wasn't the work of an idiot - and it doesn't look much like an accident to me. Sure, humans have mucked it up a bit, but when you look at the basics of how it all works it's pretty amazing...

Ruach, I don't see anyone attacking others here.

People do from time to time cast aspersions on religions and do joke about them, as people do from time to time espouse religions and do speak reverently about them. That is all appropriate on this forum. At the best of times, people delineate why they think something is true, not true, or unknowable, in a calm thoughtful way. Sometimes wit and passion and sarcasm are brought to the subjects.

I tried to warn you.

I would respectfully suggest that what you seem to be seeing as an attack on your "personally held beliefs" -- actually are attempts to share ideas.

Since you suppose this forum is a place where ideas should be shared that way -- and where one can learn from those ideas...

...why not do so?

There is NO place on A2K where people are entitled to attack others. I think that the problem is with religion is that many are ultra sensitive about their most intimately held beliefs. Some perceive a challenge to their beliefs, as a personal affront.

On this forum, there are people with diverse, differing beliefs. There are many who do not respect religion at all, and their thoughts will pervade their posts. IMO, a person who is very sensitive about having their beliefs challenged, who is so deeply connected to a particular religion that any inquiry as to the justification of their beliefs would be emotionally disturbing, would do better to avoid those threads that would cause undue upset.

Or as "Give 'em hell Harry" said, "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen"!

Ruach, one statement you made I want to explore, regarding the universe being ordered and the human race in chaos. I'm not certain I believe that. If you look to science, the universe is in a constant state of flux, with violent events, and fascinating births. Our human world is simply a microcosm of this natural state of flux. While bad things are happening, beautiful things are happening simultaneously. The world is just as ordered as the universe, and just like the universe, depends on the pull between the good and the bad to stay in balance. As it seems you are feeling picked on, I send you some virtual pie.

It would also help to remember that nothing which happens in the universe is either bad or beautiful. Rather, we decide that such words describe how we value, or devalue, the events as we perceive them.

But i'm just a bad doggy, what do i know?

cavfancier, The world is just as ordered as the universe, and just like the universe, depends on the pull between the good and the bad to stay in balance.

The world is ordered, with a balance. But the human condition is not. There is a lack of love in the world which is leaving people sick, homeless, hungry, lonely, people are too self absorbed and greedy to put things in balance.
Even though the sky, water, air, dirt, land, trees, plants and the animal kingdoms are all being effected by the hand of man I mainly see beauty on the earth. Even though our streets are ugly cement and filled with papers , bottles, of all kinds of trash, the beaches are littered with vile trash, yet, there is still beauty. Our world reflects who mankind is. It is not mankind keeping the world and its laws in order though. Mankind cannot do that.
The human condition is chaos to me. A lack of respect and love to each other is lacking severly. Without this, it will only get worse. Proof that man is in chaos is the fact that there is always war and death and killing. We have never solved the problem of poverty. Always searching for a better way to rule each other. Where is the peace, and where is the love. A pocket here or there. It is mans failure to reach to the ends of the earth to really and truly make all men/women equal in lifestyle and necessities. People , too many people are so obviously indulged in their own thoughts they fail to or worse yet have no desire or even worse yet they don't know how to be loving and kind and respectful. I live a life that includes these things, I know what they can produce and cause to happen. -peace

Thank You for the virtual pie. It was delicious. I could tell you baked it yourself.