What religion/faith are you?

[Gingerbread Demon]

sorry I forgot to reply to this. On the practical side, I would say while the Baha'i faith does have a mystical, or at least poetic side (books like Seven Valleys), it mostly deals with practicalities and does not really enter into the "Is god so powerful that He can make a stone that He Himself cannot lift. Ha got him now!"- (George Carlin, Class Clown) debates.

Also, similar to Islam and Judaism, God is not personified within Baha'i writings. God is genderless, without beginning or end, and essentially unknowable save for by knowing these aforementioned messengers, or Manifestations. Not entirely that different from the Stoic concept of "The Logos" or the Christian Logos from the Gospel of John. Hope that helps. These are just my understands of it. As proselytism is forbidden in this religion, I try to er on the side of caution when discussing things about it.

That's kind of where I feel I am. To me God is such a being that there is just no way, no logical way we could ever have a personal relationship with them or they be able to talk to us, except by sending some kind of messenger in a form we can relate to. Such a being would be truly unknowable.

 

[dupersuper]

I remember reading something somewhere (sorry - I read *alot* on this stuff) that God/dess created life because They were lonely and wanted to share Their glorious creation. I always liked that.

That just makes me think of the Preacher comics.

The author of The Martian once wrote that there was only one soul…and we are passing it around

How surprisingly unscientific of them.

 

[Commander Troi]

That just makes me think of the Preacher comics.

LOL, really! I've read several of the trades (and watched the TV show) and that seems oddly uncynical for Preacher.

 

[thribs]

I don't remember. I will need to check my census form.

 

[Commander Troi]

That's kind of where I feel I am. To me God is such a being that there is just no way, no logical way we could ever have a personal relationship with them or they be able to talk to us, except by sending some kind of messenger in a form we can relate to. Such a being would be truly unknowable.

Yes. Messengers and Creation Herself. Personally, I connect through Nature, whether that be the bigass Eucalyptus tree in front of my house, the Desert Botanical Garden, a forest, or pictures of nebulas and galaxies, I find that sense of awe connects me in a way beyond words and ideas. This makes it hard to describe! As I have in my sig line, we are the Universe made manifest, trying to understand Itself.

 

[scotpens]

The author of The Martian once wrote that there was only one soul…and we are passing it around

You mean like Johnny Carson's Christmas fruitcake?

 

[Commander Troi]

You mean like Johnny Carson's Christmas fruitcake?

LOL!

Thinking a bit more as I have tea, I also connect with the Divine through people and other beings. My cats and other people's cats, dogs, ferrets, etc. My friends and the love they have for me and each other. My husband, who sometimes blows me away with his love and kindness. Watching people play with their kids. Acts of kindness between strangers. Anything where there is Love and Kindness, I think God/Goddess/Gods are there. Teaching by action.

I just realized that much of my more expansive views on this have been because of Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology. https://freewillastrology.com/

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

To me God is such a being that there is just no way, no logical way we could ever have a personal relationship with them or they be able to talk to us, except by sending some kind of messenger in a form we can relate to. Such a being would be truly unknowable.

Jesus is that Messenger in Christianity.

I find that sense of awe connects me in a way beyond words and ideas. This makes it hard to describe!

Psalm 19:1-6 is a favorite passage of mine along those lines.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Jesus is that Messenger in Christianity.

That was kind of my point had God not manufactured Jesus how could humans talk to God?

 

[Commander Troi]

That was kind of my point had God not manufactured Jesus how could humans talk to God?

I think it's different in that direction. Him/Her/It/They should be just fine understanding us if HHIT created us.

As a little girl in Catholic school, I was taught that Mary and the Saints interceded with God for us. But why would The Divine Wow need that? Of course, it could be US who need that.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

That was kind of my point had God not manufactured Jesus how could humans talk to God?

God is omnipotent presumably. They can make it so I just understand anything they want me to. They don’t.
Conclusion: they don’t want me to understand or there is no they.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

God is omnipotent presumably. They can make it so I just understand anything they want me to. They don’t.
Conclusion: they don’t want me to understand or there is no they.

Ah........ Good point.

Also the whole Mary and the saints thing interceding for us as pentecostals (I used to be one of those) the RC added all that to the scriptures, and I'm pretty sure the bible says adding things to its written word is a sin so the RC committed a sin there.

 

[DonIago]

Since it was brought up...what the heck is the pentecost anyway? Asking as a technically-Jew-but-mostly-Agnostic.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Since it was brought up...what the heck is the pentecost anyway? Asking as a technically-Jew-but-mostly-Agnostic.

Pentacostals are those christians that have a lot of music and song in worship and wave their hands around a lot and believe in things like speaking in tongues and laying of hands in prayer, it's kind of oddball and conservative at the same time and money is a huge focus of their religion. Everything is money and the prosperity gospel.

 

[Commander Troi]

Since it was brought up...what the heck is the pentecost anyway? Asking as a technically-Jew-but-mostly-Agnostic.

In Christianity, "Pentecost" was when the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles and other followers after Jesus' ascent into heaven. Pentecostals, and some other Evangelical denominations, read the relevant passage in Acts, Chapter 2, as the dictate to prophesy, speak in tongues, and "spread the Word" throughout the world. Some scholars believe it was originally the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot.

 

[Commander Troi]

Interesting article and relevant to our discussions here:
https://www.wired.com/story/psychologists-religion-how-god-works/

 

[DonIago]

In Christianity, "Pentecost" was when the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles and other followers after Jesus' ascent into heaven. Pentecostals, and some other Evangelical denominations, read the relevant passage in Acts, Chapter 2, as the dictate to prophesy, speak in tongues, and "spread the Word" throughout the world. Some scholars believe it was originally the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot.

Huh. I have no idea what Acts, Chapter 2 is all about, but this is interesting.

I always enjoyed Shavuot too.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

In Christianity, "Pentecost" was when the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles and other followers after Jesus' ascent into heaven. Pentecostals, and some other Evangelical denominations, read the relevant passage in Acts, Chapter 2, as the dictate to prophesy, speak in tongues, and "spread the Word" throughout the world. Some scholars believe it was originally the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot.

"Pentecost" (meaning "50th day") was the name for Shavuot given by Hellenistic Jews of the time. So yes, the passage clearly states that the festival was going on, and that many people were in Jerusalem from abroad to celebrate. And that's when the Spirit was poured out.

 

[Commander Troi]

Huh. I have no idea what Acts, Chapter 2 is all about, but this is interesting.

I always enjoyed Shavuot too.

Oh, sorry! Acts is a book in the "new" testament that deals with what Yeshua Ben Yusef's followers got up to after his death.

 

[CaptainJonathanArcher]

I am Roman Catholic! Did anyone of you know Khan himself Ricardo Montalban got knighted By Pope John Paul II! How cool is that?