Who is God?

Beautifully said - you've put words to my feelings, thanks

I couldn't put it better, Mishap. Thank you.

I think we all have a God, a spiritual part of our brain, somewhere we go for strength in times of trouble. It is part of us and it dies with us. I struggle to accept religions based on belief in one God, except as social and political organisations.

I thank you all for your thoughts and valid comments, so ably expounded.

!Dear "Vampy" - If I may call you that?,
I was not trying to say that you are sitting back "wallowing". Far from it - I sometimes have a poor manner of expressing my thoughts . But it does get people thinking and exchanging ideas!

I agree with all, that much cruelty, wars and misunderstanding, have been perpetrated in the name of Religion"

I believe in the "God life force" which is within every thing.

What is it that leaves the body at death, making the difference between a living body and a dead carcase? The breath of the "God Spirit"?

Gramps....call me Vamps or V or Vampirequeen but please not Vampy...it really doesn't describe my character. Makes me sound far too nice.

So, Gramps
I have just read your posts.

Could you please tell me how much you have actually implemented in your life what you have said in your posts?

I would really like to know. Have you ever helped anybody in desperate situations? I mean helping for instance financially? Not knowing if you would ever, EVER, see your aid reimbursed?
Do let us know.

We are physical manifestations of Eternal Consciousness.

Well fuck flip me!

Thanks J,
going to bed laughing ......

Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe there are fairies at the end of it too?

Hi Joanna,
Have you children, or young people in financial trouble?

I have done a lot of voluntary work over the years.

Over the last five years I've helped young children in a local school with their reading.

For almost fifteen years I have visited "sick" eople, either at a group meeting, or at their home. I only accepted my travel expenses, depending on circumstances.

I'm no Saint, just an ordinary bloke,who likes to help where I can.

Does that answer your quite natrual curiosity?

Thanks for your interest in the subject in question!

I'm sorry about upsetting you, namewise!
I'll call you Vamps ,if ok with you?

( Do you think someone may muddle the "V" and "G" , there's quite a large "amp"erage between us!

Mishap Wonderfully expressed.

I hope we are all agreed that there is no monopoly of goodness, kindness and morality by believers. I don't think Gramps implied that there was.

This is probably a predictable question from me, but where was anyone's god when my son was struck down by a stroke at the age of 35? Or when dreadful things happen to other people's loved ones?

Thank you for kind comments.

Gramps - I do not believe that anything leaves the body when we die. The atoms all remain, but the system that collates those atoms into a human being fails. What we see as the "self" (that ceases when we die) is I believe part of the organism that is a human being.

Working for a brain injury service convinced me that the idea of "self" is entirely brain-based. I saw so many people whose self/personality was totally changed by damage to a particular part of the brain. And my own DD underwent a total personality change when she suffered a severe ante-natal depression - on this occasion her self/personality was changed chemically by the pregnancy hormones, and she reverted to her normal self when this ended.

kittylester There are some Christians who believe that suffering is a blessing from god as it enables a human to share some of Christ's suffering. I wouldn't mind betting that they have never been in pain themselves.

See, Nanadogsbody, that's the kind of comment that gets atheists a bad name.

I know that you and others on GN can see no reason to respect other people's beliefs, but couldn't you just manage a bit of compassion for their feelings?

(I don't mean my feelings btw. I'm quite capable of telling you to stuff off. Not that I would of course )

That would be patronising, jings. Besides, they are just indulging in emotional blackmail (possibly without realising it) – 'you can't say that because my feelings might be hurt'. It's called suppression of free speech.

And no, I don't think people should be free to say absolutely anything – that's not what freedom of speech means – but ridiculing belief in fairies or angels is not offensive. It's just ridicule. Robust beliefs are immune to ridicule so it shouldn't actually matter what other people think, or say they think.

Perhaps, jingle, you could leave people who are offended to speak for themselves?

absent I think that is unfair. I know Christians who have suffered dreadfully and as a result their faith has grown stronger. I will give you a simple illustration, not of suffering but of faith. I know a Christian who gave birth to a Down's syndrome child and as a result looked into abortion in detail. She concluded that she was against it and started showing everyone she knew a film called The Silent Scream. She went on to have another downs child and when I saw them recently they were in their early 20s and both lovely people, the girl being a born performed and very musical. She saw them as a blessing as did her older 'normal' daughter.

Many years ago I read about an atheist who was in a Thai prison accused of drugs smuggling. Apparently it was dreadful place, dirty and overcrowded. After some years she 'found God' and eventually was released. She had certainly suffered.

I know that some of you will find negative comments about these examples and I have only put them here to show that Christians suffer just as much as anyone else. Perhaps it is because they suffer in silence tha some don't realise it. Also they often help people out but tend not to go round saying how good they are. It is noticable that some GNs do a lot of talking about how brilliant/good/clever they are but this is not something that Christans tend to do. I note that Gramps only said he had helped when challenged about it.

Going to the gym to get away from the flack!

The person in the Thai jail: was she released because she found god? "she 'found' god and ... was released". Or is it that she found god in jail (so to speak!), served out her sentence, and was then released and continued to have religious faith, after not having had it before?

Just teasing. I'm sure you see the problem

Alison, I think your examples could be used of atheists and agnostics as well. I think you are being unfair to generalise about religious people not boasting about their good works and atheists being the opposite. How would one know if religion/faith is never mentioned? It usually isn't in my experience. Most people avoid the subject like the plague.

Also, why assume that it is only religious people who are totally accepting of Downs syndrome children? It may well be mainly religious people who oppose the use of abortion for any reason, but Downs syndrome is not the only reason people want abortions.