Corona688

The problem with the bible is not that we immediately discount it because it's the bible - it's that we don't give it the SPECIAL consideration that most christians would prefer. The bible says many things, some wise, some not, some just plain weird. ( pi is NOT three, the earth is NOT square, the blue sky is NOT made of water, and rabbits to NOT chew their own cud. ) And when it states things like the existence of god as fact, we are in NO way inclined to take the book's word for it. Examination of reality itself is best to determine hard facts.. as for philosophy, many people seem to think the bible is a good source; I don't see it though.

It's just a book. I can disagree with it if I want to.

Darth Dane

define god

Am I qualified to define God?

Who but God can define God?


1st John 4:7-8.

God is love.

The Kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21)

Does this mean when we bring out Love in our being that we are touching the kingdom of God?
And that the more we Love the more we touch?
Can we be One with it?

The trick of course is to keep Love when we see Sin being comitted in our eye

Love thy neighbor as you Love yourself






DD - Love & Laughter

sweep

If we are discussing the existence and nature of god, we have to be sure of what we are talking about. If we cannot, then it seems unreasonable to suppose we can talk about something beyond our comprehension. Further, when we attribute to god those qualities which we ourselves possess, surely we exhibit a confidence seen only in those with their heads firmly planted in their firmament.

In other words, who am I or anyone else to postulate, in the vernacular, the nature of anything, especially where morality and creation is concerned. The language of science affords us the opportunity to make stronger statements on matters of existence, reality, or whatever you wish to call it.

this is a wonderful philosophy and it works well within a range of circumstances. I am also an advocate of the 'love & laughter' philosophy, and have spoken at length of it, without actually putting it to the test.

But... for example, if I see a man trying to drag a child from the light and into his dark world of vice, I am going to stop that man, even if it means I have to bite his hand off to save the child. In this instance, the trick is to use minimum force in order to prevent suffering and trauma.

Corona688

There you go again with the bible quotes again. Telling us 'the bible says this' without giving us any real EVIDENCE of this but 'the bible says this and it must be right, because the bible says it's the word of god and istherefore right'. The bible is just a book. There you go again.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believed this was an argument about what god was, not what the bible says god was. The bible is just some book. Even worse, a lot of it is arguably a work of fiction. You may believe it is worthy of special consideration, but when it's treated as nonfiction, I see no reason not to hold it to the standards every other piece of nonfiction is held to: It must back itself up with facts to be taken seriously. Otherwise it's nothing but a mess of bald assertions.

If the bible is right on these matters, surely the facts alone can stand on their own without a plea to the bible's authority! Please show us the evidence that says god is love, and the kingdom of god, whatever that is, is with us.

Darth Dane

Ok. I say that the Kingdom is inside and that this "kingdom" is Love.

I have found no greater experience in the world than that of Love.

I define God to be Love then, that Love is teh purest expression of that which Is.

Better?





DD - Love & Laughter

Corona688

What is this 'kingdom' you speak of?
Please define this kingdom first, then we can talk about it. I'm happy for you. Um... I'm afraid that makes no sense at all to me. Love is the purest expression of what? In any case, you've gone from the bible making bald assertions, to you making bald assertions. If there was an argument in there, I don't see it.

Darth Dane

What is this 'kingdom' you speak of?

Love!

Please define this kingdom first, then we can talk about it.

The definition is Love.

Um... I'm afraid that makes no sense at all to me. Love is the purest expression of what?

Of everything and anything that exists or Is.



DD - Love & Laughter

sweep

would that include the love of 'chief', who suffocates the freshly lobectomised 'Nicolson', in the film 'One fleew over the Cucckoos nest'

are the manifestations of love all positive, or does love encompass tragedy too, as in Romeo and Juliet style?

smattering of love, lots of laughter.

easy now

Darth Dane

In Love there is freewill, as much as we may not like it, Love gives freewill to everything and anything that exists.

Love doesn't bind, it releases

So the chief didn't have Love for many as say Gandhi did. But he did have Love for what he was doing, no-one forced him. What he did was motivated of Love, it may have been distorted Love, but Love none the less, if everything shone with the same Love, we couldn't tell anything apart.

When someone kills in the name of God(as in the crusades) it is the Love for their God, but obviously not for the other part. the other parts God wouldn't like for the people to die. But as we see even thought both sides claim to be fighting and killing for Love and in the name of (insert as you wish) Any fighting is not the pure Love, but a distortion of it. Pure Love doesn't differentiate between gender race or religion.

Is Love an act of Life or death?

So we can see how loving someones version of the concept "God" is, by their actions.


Judge not lest thee be judged.

Does Love Judge?





DD - Love & Laughter

Corona688

OK, so you're not using kingdom in any sense of the word, then. Fair 'nuf. OK. Think I see what you're saying now, sort of. Don't agree with it, but there's no arguing with an entirely subjective philosophy.