Define God

I sometimes resonate to the phrase "There is ONLY God."

However, it may be interesting to note that the Hebrew word for God, Yahweh, or Jehovah, simply means "He who causes to become"

An elegant statement of the relationship between God and Science.

The notion of an agent, a cause of something else reflects the human orientation. We make things happen and assume there is an agent behind "our" deeds and intentions. It's even built into our language. We think therefore we are is Descartes's formulation that reflects not logic per se but our very culture. We say not "rains" when water falls to earth; we say "it" rains. Nietzsche said, as I recall, grammar is the metaphysics of the masses. Actually it's the metaphysics of everyone, even our philosophers most of the time.

YHWH equals a continous unfinished action. So, even the angels in Heaven cannot know YHWH enough. That's why they proclaimed "Holy, Holy, Holy...." as the actions of God keeps unfolding before them.
And come to think of it, satan used to serve before the Throne of God in Heaven but to this day he still can't understand God.

It's difficult to grasp divinity by a finite mind. The ways of God, the scripture says, are past finding.

The Will? Patriarchal?

Krishna means "all attractive".

Both "he who causes to become" and "all attractive" are metaphysical "entities" that serve as conceptual backdrops for exploring a metaphysical reality. It doesn't cross over into the realm of science. There is no relationship between god and acience or anything else. God is a concept that cannot be contrasted to anything, because if it is then it is no longer god.

Yes, the concept would not refer to something Absolute if it is relative to some complementary "opposite".

A vital point in every religion if you ask me. Conveniently omitted to enable the concept of god to be contrasted to things like evil so we may wage our "holy wars" for whatever true reasons lie behind.

Similar to the design argument. We assume a designer. Does not mean that a cause or designer does not exist. It merely provides opportunity for reflection.

Yet he contiunes to invite us to come to know him.

We, dust, can have a personal relationship with the supreme.

Kind of boggles the wrinkly grey stuff in one's head, no?

In our step program we all were encouraged to have a higher power. Most took it to mean God although one person's higher power was Kareem Abdul Jabar (spelling?). This person took his higher power to mean someone he could look up to for inspiration and strength(and when you think about it, Kareem is about as high/(tall) as a person can get.)
Some people are said to worship money. The thing they worship, their god, is a thing instead of a being.
The bible seems to say that a person's god is that which he serves. They may, as stated above, serve in the acquisition of money. The bible says that there is one true God although there are those who will serve other things.
I read a really great newspaper article about how it is wrong to take "under God" out of our pledge of allegiance. Having "under God" lays claim to our freedom of beliefs/religion, our right to have a God/beliefs even if the name of a person's God is "no God". To remove "under God" is to follow in the path of those who advocate freedom from religion, not freedom of religion and try to destroy our right to such.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Some interesting thoughts aurorell. In the end, what we believe plays a part in the mark we make on the world. It seems to me that to believe in things that will make you act in the benefit of all is better than believing something that will cause you to act selfishly and cause tensions and trouble.

Dust we are, yet God took that dust and chemicals and wonderfully made us. God must like dust and dirt as much as he likes everything else he has made. He put us in a garden and we live because of working the dirt to grow food. I am quite pleased with his wonders.
BTW: can you tell me why our icons are so strange today? Does it have something to do with Aprils Fools Day?

No, it doesn't. It's just that god was in a muddy mood...

Not only were the icons strange yesterday, but everything was sorted backwards. If I hit the My Posts link all my posts were displayed oldest first, giving me discussions from 6 years ago...

Cyracuz
Will a person act unselfishly for the benefit of all if they do not believe they will be rewarded for their actions?
Seems like there are those who just take life as it comes and feel as though: I live today , I die tomorrow , my life is in the hands of fate so if I make a sacrifice and do something for someone else its all in the hands of fate (God?)anyway.
There are some who know Jesus in their hearts and believe there is a purpose in their lives and the sacrifices they make for others will help to bring themselves and others a little closer to God and understanding the good things he has planned for those who trust him in this world and the one beyond with him.
There are those who have some understanding of good and evil and have seen how much more effective living is with the pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, endurance/ patience, gentleness as opposed to deceitfulness, anger, impatience, self-centerednes, selfrighteousess.
There are those who are afraid of losing what they (think they) have.

This is the kind of sad question that confused christians can ask.

There's atheist/agnostic people who have ethics, are philantropic and really sacrifice themselves to humankind without relating to a god or some hypothetical reward.

Looks like this is beyond christians' understanding...

No matter what you do it is self serving if you do it for the reward. But unconditional love, it seems to me, is alien to christianity. It is exemplified in jesus, but not as something to strive to accomplish, but something to adore and worship from a distance. But everywhere it is "god loves you if you behave in such a way as to deserve his love".
At least, that's how it seems to me..

Aurorell, it seems to me that often the "selfish benefit" we seek through our good acts is to be worthy of love. To be loved or simply to be worthy of the love that we do not necessarily receive.

AuroreII wrote:
Will a person act unselfishly for the benefit of all if they do not believe they will be rewarded for their actions?

Francis wrote:

This is the kind of sad question that confused christians can ask.
There's atheist/agnostic people who have ethics, are philantropic and really sacrifice themselves to humankind without relating to a god or some hypothetical reward.

Looks like this is beyond christians' understanding...

Not beyond christian understanding. I wasn't really addressing the above solely to christians. Don't islamics believe that they will be rewarded with seven virgins? Anyway...
The question is- selflessness- what's the point? I mean I know why I would do it, but if it is truly all pointless why bother? It seems people must believe that there is some point for what they do. And what would they call the reason for why they do it? love? What is love? The bible says God is love. Maybe people don't necessarily relate that to God but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't so.