About God
by subacati
The results of my poll to determine what my visitors believe about God. …
Out of a totall of 43 votes, the following results were given.
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26% Of the respondents believe that God is everything, and everything is God. This is, in a nutshell, what Hinduism claims.
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2% Believe that there are many gods, but they only worship one god. I don't know of any specific religion that teaches this although this is a lesser form of polytheism.
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No body claimed to believe that there are many gods and that they worship some or all of them.
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No body claimed to believe that 'God' is an alien. :spock: .This actually suprises me a little as many ufo fundis are active on the internet and I've seen some claim that the gods of all religions are aliens. :left: .I guess they don't frequent my blog though. :up: .
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28% Believe that there is no God. Nothing wrong with that. Freedom of belief, faith, etc, is everyone's right. :up: .
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44% Believe that there is only one God. This is also my own belief. Muslim, christian, judaic and buddhist Beliefs all fall somewhere within this group although some people argue that the christian 'Trinity' is not a true monotheist belief. But then again, I never asked about the nature of God as such. :up:
That's pretty interesting. 🙂 I'm surprised as well that no one claimed to believe that 'God' is an alien. I would have thought you would gotten at laast one vote for it.
:doh: I missed voting :irked:
Interesting, I wonder where the border-line falls between mythology and theology and even superstition? It must be a very thin line in some folk's minds. Human nature is constant. Your stats show this. They give a broad picture of distribution. Thanks for sharing this information.
Given a wider audience, the results would have been more evenly spread I think. This only represents the opinions of people who visited my blog. Even then, it only reflects the opinions of those who actually participated in the poll. I seldom even notice other peoples polls, mainly because you have to scroll right down to see them on a phone. 🙂 .It's interesting that you should mention superstition. The afrikaans word for superstition is, 'bygeloof'.(pronounced, bay-ha-lew-f The g in afrikaans is the hard h of the scottish word 'loch')Literally translated it means, 'additional belief'. i.e. it's a belief that you add on to your main beliefs but is not actually part of your main belief or religion. Most religions consider superstition to be false or even sinfull. Yet the beliefs of one religion often form the superstition of another. I've always thought that it's wierd how similar the core beliefs of most religions are. That's wat made me come to the conclusion that all religion must have a common origin. In my belief, that common origin is God.
for some reason we all need to believe that there is something, an intelligence higher than ours; but there's no proof apart from logic.
For me the proof is in the very sciences that claim to discredit the existance of God. The fine line between order that creates life, and chaos that makes life impossible, is for me sufficient evidence of a guiding power that enables the very mechanisms of our existance. One need only look to the structure and complexity of DNA to understand what I mean. Randomly ordered genes would not function. This has been proven by genetisists, yet to the untrained person, DNA appears totally random. This is much like the gobbledegook of machine code instructions of a computer program. A random set of binary numbers cannot magically transform into a functional computer program. Yet a well designed computer program appears to be random binary numbers to the uninformed. Everything in nature is well structured and perfectly ordered. Even evolution is controlled. How could this be except by the guiding 'hand' of a higher intelligence? I find it rather amusing that scientists usually use this very order and symmetry in nature as 'evidence' of the non-existence of God. Yet, try as they might, they cannot refrain from using references to the 'design' of natural science.
i agree with you completely.and the computer doesn't know about us. it has no awareness, no real reasoning abilities; certainly not anything like inspiration or aspiration. these are given from the creator to us. and who says god doesn't love us?don't we wish the best for our computers?
:heart:what I love in this post is,all answers are appreciated and not judged,that's the way to go Aadil! I always admire you for your open mind and for you strong believes that make you special without making you a fanatic :heart:
It's not my place to judge. 🙂 .If someone were to ask me to teach them about God, I'd teach them from a Muslim perspective, naturally. But I'd most likely mention the broader perspective as well. :up: .One cannot make an objective choice without looking at all the 'options', even the ones that may seem false at first should be investigated for thier merit and not judged out of hand. To do anything less is to deny yourself your own right to choose in the first place. :awww:
:happy:
But in discussions about the existence of God can anyone be persuaded to look at both sides of the debate in a rational and 'non-religious' way? You seem to be capable of doing this, but in 'intellectual debates' some are not. It sometimes comes down, in moot discussion, to the intensity, the emotion, the depth and conviction of the faith held by some speakers in such discussions. When any 'fundamentalist' (I am not suggesting you are one – to the contrary!) puts forward a legitimate argument they sometimes simply rely on the intensity of their faith and not on looking dispassionately and rationally at all sides of the equation. I have no criticism of their right to do so, but merely make my observation here, from a philosophical stand-point.
Your first paragraph describes what I would recognize as an intolerant person who is not interested in a rational discussion but is intent on pushing an opinionated and 'iron' viewpoint. Such people are found in certain churches, certain mosques and indeed in certain areas and parts of our societies. It is pointless to try ever to discuss such a profound subject with such people; although I am not advocating a rejection of any valid view point, but like yourself encourage anyone to make a convincing debate, or at the very least allow for the views of others who have a differently held viewpoint. Whenever I take part (outside the internet as well as here within OC) in discussions that involve sensitive or deeply held beliefs I do my utmost to use rational, reasoning, reasonable argument and to stay on the point, using an epistemic approach and to bring forward examples and 'evidence' that stands up to scrutiny under examination and debate. I am a philosopher and it is not always easy to find debates that are entirely free of emotive language. People often feel deeply involved and attached to their beliefs and it is never simple, for some people, to ever question their position or to countenance the idea that there may be another alternative and valid explanation that perhaps runs counter-to, or parallel-to, what they believe to be their personal "single truth".The lady you mention would probably find herself very comfortable in the presence of another lady who was recently in an audience at a republican convention, during the recent 'battle' for the presidency. She was denigrating Obama in front of McCain who was taking questions from his audience. McCain, to his credit, said Obama was a decent good american who had a different approach to Mccain's on how to run the Country as a Preseident. The lady leaned forward and whispered, loudly, "I don't like that man, he's an Arab!" McCain was shocked and firmly rejected the implication and denigration of Obama. The lady in question is as ignorant as the one you descibed. Is it not sad in both cases? One wonders how many more are like these pair. Their predjudice is based on misinformation and an insular attitude to the rest of the world and to knowledge, per se. I do not say these two ladies are "evil", but they are misinformed and, consequently, they live in a world of ignorance that encompasses their lives and yet they probably are never aware of this.
And I fully agree with you on that point. That is the reason why I'm always very carefull about who I speak to about religious matters. When someone approaches me on this subject, I try to surmise what thier true intention is as early as possible in the conversation. If thier intentions appear to be sincere and positive, I'll continue the discussion. If someone is clearlly intent on being stubborn and intolerant, I'll end the conversation as politely or abruptly as is fitting the situation. Some people do not seem to understand that one needn't agree or accept another view point in order to respect that view. An interesting letter published in a community newspaper about a year ago illustrates this point very well. The letter was submitted by a lady who was somewhat distraught to discover that all the meat sold in her local supermarket was, in fact, halaal. She complained that she wanted meat that was not dedicated to 'Allah' so that she could dedicate it herself to the 'Christian' God. Sadly, many 'christians' around here seem to believe that there are many 'gods' But that they only worship the 'christian' God. My poll shows that this may be a locall phenomenem. I was wondering at the time how she intended to perform a 'dedication' of the meat. To follow the procedure of the Old Testament, she would have needed to begin with a living animal. She can't say that she wanted to follow the New Testament since St Paul, (aka, Saul of Tarsus) clearly states that you should not question the origin of meat/food purchased in the 'marketplace'. Clearly, she was not following New Testament doctrine when she called into question the food that was for sale in the first place.
We're all ignorant to some degree. Some people are simply more willing to learn than others. What I like the most about Islamic teachings is that it strongly encourages humility. This is not to suggest that other teachings don't. Muslims are taught that any good advice or learning should be accepted as valid regardless of where it comes from. Sadly, some Muslim clerics define 'good' in such a way as to negate the virtue of this principle. For example, many Muslims are taught that only 'Islamic' knowledge is good. This has resulted in a reversal of progress. The very principles of science are derived from the Quran and were introduced into Europe by Arab scientist, most of whom were Muslim. In the modern world, however, most Muslims seem to reject science when it appears to conflict with thier views. One Ayat in the Quran translate approximately into english as, "Seek knowledge wherever you find it, even if you must go as far as China." Some Muslims interpret the word 'ilm' to refer exclusively to 'Islamic' knowledge however. That puts a different slant on things. Is disagree that this passage should be understood to mean 'Islamic' knowledge exclusively for two reasons. Firstly, there is no alternative word for knowledge in Arabic. Secondly, all 'Islamic' knowledge is originally from Arabia, so why would Allah instruct Arabs to 'seek' it in China?
"all 'Islamic' knowledge is originally from Arabia, so why would Allah instruct Arabs to 'seek' it in China? " An interesting point. It is said that the ancient/late imperial Chinese – up to relatively recent times, believed that China was the center of the world and that all others, beyonds its lands were barbarians, because they were not Chinese. There did not appear to be a chinese language word that was equivalent to the word "foreigner". The word used to describe anyone who was not from China and was beyond the boundaries of China, was "Barbarian". Doubtless things are different now, as far as that word-meaning is concerned but I cannot be certain about this. In terms of 'attitude-of-mind', there is a similarity between what I have previiusly mentioned and what you described, regarding the attitude to all other sources of knowledge and/or other beliefs that are deemed to be 'beyond the pale', and this is demonstrated in your mention of "Some Muslims interpret the word 'ilm' to refer exclusively to 'Islamic' knowledge however." Knowledge is a power and 'religious knowledge' is powerful and conveys authority from God (or Gods, if you happen to be someone who worships several, as appears to be the case in various parts of India and other similar – in religious practice – locales) when held by clerics, or priests, or rabbis, or shamans or whomsoever is in a position to give guidance or leadership, or to mentor others, or to proclaim, through interpretation ,from an 'holy book', in such circumstances.
I come from a country (India) which is home to over a hundred different languages and two score different religions. One this unique diversity has taught me is that its OK for different people to believe in different things and at the end of the day, it does not matter what your beliefs are of what religious practices you follow, if you practice humanity, kindness and have a respect for the beliefs, feelings and situations of fellow humans.So all in all, To some questions, like these there is only one answer: GOD KNOWS! :PNever get too serious in life…. Its not good for you…. 🙂
Thanks for your comment. I agree, don't get to serious. :p
I believe that there is a God. I perceive him in my own way. I do not like to base my belief on the Bible. There are to may flaws and fallacies. The bible was only about the Israelites and their God. What happened to the chinese, japanese, americans, africans, etc. during that time? It's like stating the whole world started from Israel.
These discussions remind me of a story by Leo Tolstoy, "The Coffee-House of Surat".You can read it here: http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/2737/
I get a 404 not found with that link, But I'll google it later thanks. :up:
Oops sorry, forgot that you blog url gets appended to the begining automatically!You can copy pase the link neway: http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/2737/
Feel free to advertise Locu. :up:
re "I believe that there is a God. I perceive him in my own way. I do not like to base my belief on the Bible. There are to may flaws and fallacies. The bible was only about the Israelites and their God. What happened to the chinese, japanese, americans, africans, etc. during that time?
It's like stating the whole world started from Israel. "You have a valid view. A believe in any "God" or "Gods" (a faith) is a valid belief if sincerely held by the believer. Some where in another blog I have taken part in an in-depth discussion at which glue (greetings sir) also contributed.I once wrote six short consecutive stories about the "idea", the "question", of "Origins" or "Beginnings". This may not be the place to self-advertise, but if qlue has no objection and if you are interested in what I had to say in my stories then of course I wll return and give you the link. It's a light-hearted approach to answering a profound question that to some is all about 'philosophy' and to others is all about an 'absolute truth'.
Many thanks, dear qlue :up:here is the link:http://my.opera.com/lokutus_prime/blog/dear-diary-beginningsNote to the reader:Please read the stories in the order in which they appear, one after the other. The reason will become apparent as you read on.:)
Thanks!!! I am very interested!*clicks the mighty blue text*
Thank you qlue, thank you P.o.D.