Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Spenser · 07-18-2003, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Darth Dane
Why don't you believe?

There is a fifty fifty chance....

better safe than sorry?

DD - Love & Laughter

Bull shit. 50/50??? If by better safe you mean might as well believe then... GREAT which God do I choose or which religion has the worse version of hell I choose to avoid?

Philosoft · 07-18-2003, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Scandal

Yes, He/It is awesome! The threat or reward of hell matters little to me.

[Freud]Why do you feel it necessary to qualify your belief, to answer a question that hasn't even been asked? Do you feel guilty about some aspect of your belief?[/Freud]

Quote:

I trust God is Love.

Actually, you trust that there is some metaphysical meaning to this statement, as none is apparent. "God" and "love" are not equivalent entities or concepts.

Tenek · 07-18-2003, 05:48 PM

"God is Love" is a statement I find rather odd, especially about the Christian god. Take Abraham (ready to kill his own son per God's instructions), Onan (killed for disobeying God), Adam & Eve (cursed with spiritual death passed on to all humanity for disobedience), Lot's wife (killed for disobedience), Jepthah (killed his daughter for God) and the constant emphasis on all the laws... one finds God to be, to use the D&D notation, Lawful Neutral. Which explains the killing - God no longer has to care.

Scandal · 07-18-2003, 06:12 PM

Philosoft,
I simply said that I trust that God is Love.
Don't read more into it than is there.

Tenek,
I did not specify that I was talking about a Christian God. You seem to be referring to the idea of a Biblical God.

The_Unknown_Banana · 07-18-2003, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Scandal
Philosoft,
I simply said that I trust that God is Love.
Don't read more into it than is there.

Actually, I believe Philisoft is saying that there is actually no meaning whatsoever in the statement "God is Love". (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I too am puzzled by such a statement)

If I said I was love, what would it mean? Would it actually make any sense? What makes a being fit the description of "love"?

Either you mean "God Loves" or "God represents love" or some such thing, but you cannot describe a being as "love", as far as my understanding goes.

Scandal · 07-18-2003, 07:50 PM

Hi Unknown Banana,

There may be no meaning for you or Philosoft in the statement, "God is Love" but as far as I can sense God, my closest description of Him/It is Love.

Take it or leave it.

The_Unknown_Banana · 07-18-2003, 08:18 PM

The sort of feeling a child gets for it's natural parents, such is the feeling a christian gets for his/her supposed creator..?

I guess saying "God is love" is just using poetic license. I can accept that.

Actually, I was curious as to how a dictionary defined "love". http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=love

Guess it could mean God is an "intense emotional attachment" :P

PS. Hi! Welcome to the boards

braces_for_impact · 07-18-2003, 08:23 PM

Quote:

If God is Love, then it doesn't matter, you are forgiven either way, you may experience teh result of your actions throughout your life, in the famous flash-before-your-eyes thingie, so it might be more fun if you have been nice to others

Ah, but you're gambling on the chance that he's love too.

And the odds continue to stack up in the oppositions favor...

Cross Examiner · 07-18-2003, 08:31 PM

What's up Banana, Philo. Banana, I still intend to respond meaningfully to your reply, stay tuned. This here will be quick, I don't intend to get involved but thought I'd offer an idea or two sympathetic to Scandal.

I see two ways to approach the statement: God is love. God may be love, love incarnate. He is not love incarnate in this universe because that is illogical according to the laws of this universe. But he may be the very embodiment of love in His own domain, the eternal, a domain we know little of apart from revelation and deduction. But if love exists tangibly in another universe it is certainly beyond the scope of finite physics to probe.

In this universe, love is an idea that engenders action/emotion in the individual who loves in practice. The statement may then mean that God is utterly characterized by love, rather than His very essence is love, which is difficult to comprehend. Either understanding conforms to the near-universal attestation of Christians that God is love, experientially confirmed.

Quantum Ninja · 07-18-2003, 08:37 PM

Can God do what he doesn't want to do? Can God want at all?

07-18-2003, 08:31 PM	#19
Cross Examiner Veteran Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Carlsbad, CA Posts: 1,881	God is love? What's up Banana, Philo. Banana, I still intend to respond meaningfully to your reply, stay tuned. This here will be quick, I don't intend to get involved but thought I'd offer an idea or two sympathetic to Scandal. I see two ways to approach the statement: God is love. God may be love, love incarnate. He is not love incarnate in this universe because that is illogical according to the laws of this universe. But he may be the very embodiment of love in His own domain, the eternal, a domain we know little of apart from revelation and deduction. But if love exists tangibly in another universe it is certainly beyond the scope of finite physics to probe. In this universe, love is an idea that engenders action/emotion in the individual who loves in practice. The statement may then mean that God is utterly characterized by love, rather than His very essence is love, which is difficult to comprehend. Either understanding conforms to the near-universal attestation of Christians that God is love, experientially confirmed.

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07-18-2003, 05:48 PM	#13
Tenek Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 979	"God is Love" is a statement I find rather odd, especially about the Christian god. Take Abraham (ready to kill his own son per God's instructions), Onan (killed for disobeying God), Adam & Eve (cursed with spiritual death passed on to all humanity for disobedience), Lot's wife (killed for disobedience), Jepthah (killed his daughter for God) and the constant emphasis on all the laws... one finds God to be, to use the D&D notation, Lawful Neutral. Which explains the killing - God no longer has to care.

07-18-2003, 06:12 PM	#14
Scandal Regular Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 131	Philosoft, I simply said that I trust that God is Love. Don't read more into it than is there. Tenek, I did not specify that I was talking about a Christian God. You seem to be referring to the idea of a Biblical God.

07-18-2003, 07:50 PM	#16
Scandal Regular Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 131	Hi Unknown Banana, There may be no meaning for you or Philosoft in the statement, "God is Love" but as far as I can sense God, my closest description of Him/It is Love. Take it or leave it.

07-18-2003, 08:18 PM	#17
The_Unknown_Banana Regular Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Zealand Posts: 179	The sort of feeling a child gets for it's natural parents, such is the feeling a christian gets for his/her supposed creator..? I guess saying "God is love" is just using poetic license. I can accept that. Actually, I was curious as to how a dictionary defined "love". http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=love Guess it could mean God is an "intense emotional attachment" :P PS. Hi! Welcome to the boards

07-18-2003, 08:37 PM	#20
Quantum Ninja Regular Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Between here and there Posts: 412	Can God do what he doesn't want to do? Can God want at all?

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