In the old thread (406,000 clicks)
Anon wrote:
"...I'm new.
I believe that there is a "God" - if you will."
Anon, you may think that I am being an arrogant, impertinent know-it-all, when I say, "I now know there is GOD." But this is not my intention. To understand more fully the concept represented by the acronym I use, please google on unitheism and/or panentheism. Take note that I did not use the indefinite article, a. GOD, in my opinion, is beyond being categorized in any way, shape or form.
Having affirmed the above, what I readily admit it that, theologically speaking, there are many things I do not know about GOD. I certainly do not know what you and others mean when you say "God", but I am willing to listen.
All this kind of theological thinking comes under the general category of monotheism (theism, for short). By the way, I admit I was born, raised and educated as a theist...until my thirties. I also admit that I was never comfortable with the traditional theistic doctrines in which I was raised. Fortunately, I was raised in a religion, and studied at two church-related universities--One in New Brunswick (
http://www.mta.ca ) and one in Massachusetts, USA (Boston University) neither of which had as one of their commands: THOU SHALL NOT THINK FOR THYSELF. In fact, quite the opposite was true.
Looking back, I now feel I know what bothered me most about theism: It had to do with the doctrine of prayer. Although church leaders were expected to practice and promote the art of prayer I never felt comfortable with it.
THE ART OF PRAYER, ESPECIALLY THE PASTORAL PRAYER
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It was considered normal--still is in most religions--for people to speak to God in prayer, privately or publicly. As a minister (1953-1994), I was expected to address God and speak to Him, on behalf of the congregation, as if he was a person sitting there and listening to me, and to me alone, as I petitioned him to do this that and the other thing for the church and the world ... [MORE ON THIS LATER]
THE ART OF MEDITATION
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My comfort level improved, immensely, when I went back to a method I first became aware of when I was a teen, when I studied a program called MENTALPHYSICS: It talked about MEDITATION.
MEDITATION is more about "connecting with, and/or tuning into" that which is total universal and all-encompassing--the ground of all being. What one calls this concept is, in my opinion, not all that important, as long as one feels good about it. If you are comfortable with the word, 'God', use it.
I don't mind using it as long as I am not expected to think of GOD as a "being", a "Him", a "person" or a "Heavenly Father" up there. One of my fellow posters, in brainMeta, says he prefers "Nature". Okay by me. What matters to me is this: As long as the "name" helps us to be socially useful, moral, ethical, just and loving human beings who want to leave our earthly home a better place than it was when we found it.
I am a theological pragmatist. I am one who accepts what is practical and is in keeping with the Golden Rule. As a philosophical and theological pragmatist, I tend to agree with what Dr. Carl Jung said about personality types. I had the privilege of doing a formal study of Jung for one year and I took the Myers Briggs personality test. My results sure seem to fit with the kind of personality I feel that I am.
By the way, Jung was the son of a Swiss-Protestant minister. Early on, they were at odds over matters of belief. But, later in life there was a happy reconciliation and meeting of the minds, [More on this art too, later]
Anon, you conclude with:
"... Cultures used to think that the world was flat you know - because they believed their eyes. Although, I do not want to follow any religion."Presuming that you are, what helps you to be a moral, ethical, loving and just human being, and one interested in being part of this forum?
