It's normal to have an ever expanding world as you grow up. Then experience, reading, education and travel can further expand that world once you are on your own, if you let them. A big area is our understanding about God in this world. For me, the error here is when we chose from all we know and experience to form a world that is by design more comfortable and of necessity, excludes others or/and has some concept that explains their participation in your world. Most of this is determined by how colored your glasses become and how big your blinders really are.
Examples abound all along the spectrum. Of late, there has been singular concepts about God that eliminate him altogether or say there is no need of him. Some militantly want to show that God doesn't exist by saying there is no evidence for anything metaphysical, all can or will be explained by science and reason even to the extent of creating their own fundamental legalism.
Examples abound all along the spectrum. Of late, there has been singular concepts about God that eliminate him altogether or say there is no need of him. Some militantly want to show that God doesn't exist by saying there is no evidence for anything metaphysical, all can or will be explained by science and reason even to the extent of creating their own fundamental legalism.
Yet, believers don't share in a common theism as seen in mono and poly. Mono being what you get after being out with poly. They further confine what God is to a sectarian ideology, a dogmatic theology, a traditional understanding or an emotional experience. To note, the confining of God should come with some caution. Some say God is confined to a sacred text, some say to a revealed revelation (which coincidently was given to them or their group), some say God is confined to those who claim to speak for God and some say God is confined to personal guidance. Using "some" this much is really fun for some reason.
There are those who really stretch the imagination by saying that God is on a totally other plane and man's experience of him on Earth is only incidental at best. Somehow this is comforting? Others say they have an intuitive knowing of God that doesn't need to be explained or defended. They avoid academics and tradition in order to sublimely rest upon their mystical laurels.
It seems that having THE ANSWER is terribly important in this matter. Yet few voice the possibility that man is not capable of understanding the answer. Apparently, it is better for him to assume such wisdom and justifiably go after, or defend against, anything that is different, militarily or otherwise. It is far too convenient to be who you are in your world, especially if you eliminate, ignore or explain away others in their worlds.
Here's a guess, and not necessarily an informed guess. Mankind does a lot better with a God of love rather than a God of retribution. Yet, there is something alluring about damnation, boils, famine and a really big flood when it comes to early Old Testament motivation seminars. ...Now get out there and sell that manna.
It doesn't make sense to narrowly or broadly place God in this world, neither seems to cover all that needs to be considered. Nor should anyone who can materialistically account for what is attributed to God, ever believe that God was not genuinely involved. The thing with God is that he gets to be God. To understand the all of God, you might need to be another God or be really, really, really Godlike.
My "ungodlikeness" has been apparent for quite a while now, but I do look back at my messianic period with great fondness. If I could only walk on water again. Those were the days. Since I'm not making final judgements like I used to be able, I'd like to speculate on what some claim. I remember a CEO of a bank in the infamous bailout saying that he believed they did GOD'S WORK. Well of course he did. Someone with that big of an echo, just like so many others with similar claims, has no embarrassment. When they are the all and should have it all, no other conclusion can be made.
What seems a little more believable to me is that God is involved with that CEO in whatever way God choses. I'd like to believe that God's concern and love has the same necessary and appropriate application in everyone's life. That however might not be the case. But for now, I'm going to go with it. Call me naive'.
I just don't think God treats the current Pope or Billy Graham or any iman or spiritual teacher or rabbi different than any child in this world, dying from starvation or not, Moslem or Christian or Buddhist or Jew. I don't think I have to make comparisons to anyone else in the mainstream; politician, business person soldier, factory worker, teacher, farmer, doctor and etc. It comes out about the same.
Rather than for your team to win a super bowl (Would it have hurt Manning to just believe that Seattle might not care about Omaha?), it seems we would be better off praying to see more of what God is really doing and being open to all the places he is able to bless with his goodness, even if they don't meet our expectations. This is not to say that God doesn't care about our wants, needs, problems, pains and concerns. I just think he reserves the right to sort them out in the context of our real lives according to what we most likely can not understand.
A few more speculations. Chances are that God doesn't only exist in your world. Chances are God is not exclusively on your side. Chances are that God doesn't belong to a political party or endorse a particular ideology. Chances are that God doesn't belong to any particular church, temple, synagogue or mosque. Chances are that God can be in worlds within worlds within worlds and do just fine. So why all the hostilities, violence, hate campaigns, intolerances, militant attitudes, ignorance, self aggrandizement and etc in his name?
I think there's some pretty good reasons to be more content with the way God is in our world and in the world of others. A better world of understanding can't be all that bad. If you need to be ugly about something, do it in your own name. I'm thinking of trying it myself.
BONUS PIC
My "ungodlikeness" has been apparent for quite a while now, but I do look back at my messianic period with great fondness. If I could only walk on water again. Those were the days. Since I'm not making final judgements like I used to be able, I'd like to speculate on what some claim. I remember a CEO of a bank in the infamous bailout saying that he believed they did GOD'S WORK. Well of course he did. Someone with that big of an echo, just like so many others with similar claims, has no embarrassment. When they are the all and should have it all, no other conclusion can be made.
What seems a little more believable to me is that God is involved with that CEO in whatever way God choses. I'd like to believe that God's concern and love has the same necessary and appropriate application in everyone's life. That however might not be the case. But for now, I'm going to go with it. Call me naive'.
I just don't think God treats the current Pope or Billy Graham or any iman or spiritual teacher or rabbi different than any child in this world, dying from starvation or not, Moslem or Christian or Buddhist or Jew. I don't think I have to make comparisons to anyone else in the mainstream; politician, business person soldier, factory worker, teacher, farmer, doctor and etc. It comes out about the same.
Rather than for your team to win a super bowl (Would it have hurt Manning to just believe that Seattle might not care about Omaha?), it seems we would be better off praying to see more of what God is really doing and being open to all the places he is able to bless with his goodness, even if they don't meet our expectations. This is not to say that God doesn't care about our wants, needs, problems, pains and concerns. I just think he reserves the right to sort them out in the context of our real lives according to what we most likely can not understand.
A few more speculations. Chances are that God doesn't only exist in your world. Chances are God is not exclusively on your side. Chances are that God doesn't belong to a political party or endorse a particular ideology. Chances are that God doesn't belong to any particular church, temple, synagogue or mosque. Chances are that God can be in worlds within worlds within worlds and do just fine. So why all the hostilities, violence, hate campaigns, intolerances, militant attitudes, ignorance, self aggrandizement and etc in his name?
I think there's some pretty good reasons to be more content with the way God is in our world and in the world of others. A better world of understanding can't be all that bad. If you need to be ugly about something, do it in your own name. I'm thinking of trying it myself.
BONUS PIC
CREDITS: WeknowMemes, HuffPost, the happy world of neon lights
