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God told me to

tecoyah

Illusionary
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Throughout the history of Human civilization, Humans have felt a presence above and beyond what can be seen, and explained. Our creative, and complex nature forces us to search continuously for an answer to "That Which Is"....and have Faith in something undefined, thus creating a need to define it. This is simply the result of who we are as a people.
Humans have used this creation of the mind as justification for Hatred and destruction since the first "God" came to us, and we have continued to do so to this day. Rather than trying to understand why we need the supernatural phycologically in our lives, we blindly accept the manmade words of fabricated Gods as a means to inflict pain and devistation of those who happen to read a different book of God inspired words. Below is a short list of Gods supposed library:

Bhagavad Gita
Bahai Texts
Bible
Buddhist Texts
Christian Fathers
Confucian Texts
Corpus Hermeticum
Dead Sea Scrolls
Divrei Torah
Enuma Elish
Ethiopian Texts
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Gnostic Texts
Hindu Texts
Islamic Texts
Jain Texts
1st and 2nd Books of Jeu
Mormon Texts
Nag Hammadi Texts
Old Testament Apocrypha
Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
Pistis Sophia
New Testament Apocryphal Acts
New Testament Apocryphal Apocalypse
New Testament Apocryphal Gospels
Taoist Texts
Sepher Yetzirah
Shinto Texts
Sikh Texts
Tibetan Book of the Dead
Urantia Book
Zen Texts
Zoroastrian Texts

In this thread I would hope to see the Faithful explain to me why they feel only ONE of these books could possibly be the true words of this God entity, and all others merely the creations of human minds, desperate for answers.
 
I'm not going to state which ones are from god, however I must point out to you that some of the text you have listed above never claim to be god.
Buddhist Texts
Confucian Texts
Taoist Texts
Buddah is not god, but a point of enlightenment, which is why anyone can become buddah.

Confucious no one recognizes as god, but a highly respected scholar. Confucian text is known as the analects.

Taoist or daoism is simply what the name implies, methods. It's a balance of yin and yang. Or for ever action there is a reaction, for every right there is a wrong. Again no god.

However some do confuse buddism or buddah to be godly, even though there is no such claim - as do a very small minority claim Confucious to be.

Daoism though is the most superstitious of these three as it has astrological and fortune telling traits mixed in. But these are not to be confused with worshipping a god, more so respecting the spirit rhelm.

Zen and Shinto
Zen stems from the statement that all living things have a spirit, a life force, it's an extension of daoism only without the fortune telling and astrology, a more localized Japanese version. Again though, no god, but a respect for the spirit world.

Shinto is similar again to Zen in that it's also influenced by taoism. If we look at the phonetic pronunciation of Shinto it's Shendao, the dao of which comes from the influence of the Dao in Daoism.
Shinto is a form of animism, though there is the central sun goddess figure, but again far from true god status placed on by western standards. shinto is also strongly influences by Buddism and is often mistaken for a form of buddism. But the similarities are striking as Buddism too is lightly animism.
 
Actually, True Islam (not the fanatic 'revised' version) accepts mostly all religious texts to be true. Muslims believe there have been over 10,000 prophets, each sent to different nations during times of need, and each were accepted after a period of shortcomings. However, it is in the nature of man to transgress, no one is perfect, thus each prophets message was duly corrupted by his own people after a while, and another messenger was sent.

The Prophet Muhammad is said to be, 'The Seal of the Prophets', and some Muslims take this as him being the LAST prophet. I personally believe that the Muslims nation is not unlike any other nation on this planet. They have indeed gone astray, and i believe that a new messenger should (or has) come. The Seal of the Prophets means that Muhammad was the Greatest Prophet, not the last.

but that's just me - other muslims may believe otherwise, and you may believe as you wish. i have no problem with christians or jews or atheists, as long as they have no problem with me.
 
tecoyah said:
I seriously hope you arent ridiculing Buddhist teachings, though from your interpretation of Christs teachings it would not suprise me. For one to profess Christianity, and proceed to debase the Buddhist way of life is tantamount to slapping the Christ in the face, as they parallel each other in practice. I hesitate to say it but, perhaps you should re-read your bible.


jfuh said:
I'm not going to state which ones are from god, however I must point out to you that some of the text you have listed above never claim to be god.
Shinto is a form of animism, though there is the central sun goddess figure, but again far from true god status placed on by western standards. shinto is also strongly influences by Buddism and is often mistaken for a form of buddism. But the similarities are striking as Buddism too is lightly animism.
You correction should be accepted - no gods in the meaning accepted by the western civilization, which has departed from mythological worldviews long time ago (historical views has replaced mythological ones). But does it also exactly mean no religion as a system of believes? Wiki says: Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, "the teachings of the awakened one") is a religion, a practical philosophy, and arguably a psychology,…
I don’t know, – don’t Amitabha (Buddha of Boundless Light of the Western Paradise), Bhaisajyaguru ( the Healing Buddha), Sangharama(Protector of Buddhism) and others have all properties of deities? I think Buddhism is gaining popularity in US, - people look for a compromise between Faith and atheism. One can make money importing little China sculptures of the Healing Buddha and others to Wallmart. $4.99 a piece – not a big money – by who knows may be some healing may be bought… may be quite a good deal between Christmases.

I cannot be an expert - I cannot understand too much anyway –whatever I have read and I have heard - gives me an impression of a totally different worldview, - for instance, - " I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering" (The Buddha). To achieve this state (Nirvana), adherents train and purify the mind, eventually arriving at an understanding of the true nature of all things, thus ending (nirodha) all ignorance and unhappiness and attaining liberation: nirvāṇa (Pāli nibbāna)… - why would I need to end these things in me … how can I be happy if I don’t know sadness… it has been impossible for me to feel an urge for non self existance … The “Worthy-One” (Arhat) is completely pure and free from desire. That person has experienced Nirvana and will know it fully at death, when all matter, sensations, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness will disappear forever. …some kind of suicide… a while ago I did not mind reaching nirvana by means of vodka and wine.. now it is very difficult to go for it … may be it is some personal prejudgement… does not fit in my worldview.. – but religion is more like a personal thing… unless one says: I believe because everyone believes..


I don’t know why tecyah has not edited his list, may be he does not like it would be too short. If it is the reason –I have found that loosing just 3 texts he can add a whole bunch of other texts to his list:
Major forms of religion that developed within China include ancestor worship, Chinese folk religion, shamanism, Taoism and the veneration of localized deities. Most Chinese have a conception of heaven and yin and yang. Many Chinese have also believed in such practices as astrology, Feng Shui, and geomancy….Historically, the emperor was regarded as the Son of Heaven, and he typically led the imperial court in performing elaborate annual rituals… Ancestor worship is a religious practice based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, take an interest in the affairs of the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Ancestor worship in some cultures (such as Chinese) (拜祖, pinyin: bàizǔ), also ancestor veneration (敬祖, pinyin: jìngzǔ ), seeks to honor the deeds, memories, and sacrifice of the deceased. Much of the worship includes visiting the deceased at their graves, making offerings to the deceased to provide for their welfare in the afterlife. Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism that claim the ability to diagnose and cure human suffering and, in some societies, the ability to cause suffering. This is believed to be accomplished by traversing the axis mundi and forming a special relationship with, or gaining control over, spirits. Shamans have been credited with the ability to control the weather, divination, the interpretation of dreams, astral projection, and traveling to upper and lower worlds. Shamanistic traditions have existed throughout the world since prehistoric times.
Chinese folk religion also retains traces of some of its ancestral neolithic belief systems which include in animal worship, as well as the worship of the sun, moon, earth, the heavens, and various stars. It has been practiced alongside Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism by Chinese people throughout the world for thousands of years.



I like this one: It seems Chinese were well ahead of Darwin:

From the beginning of time, a certain rock on the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers had been soaking up the goodness of nature and QI energy. One day this pregnant rock released a stone egg, and from it hatched a Stone Ape, who solemnly bowed to the Four Corners of the Earth — then jumped off to have fun.
This was MONKEY. He was high-spirited, egotistical and full of mischievous pranks. He was soon having a wonderful time as King of the Apes. But a niggling worry began to gnaw at him — one which would change his life
….First the DRAGON-KINGS complained of rudeness and theft. Then YEN-LO-WANG, the God of Death, lodged a formal protest. "That intolerable ape has just vandalised my filing system and made monkeys immortal. What are you going to do about it?"
…Not wishing to shed needless karma, the JADE-EMPEROR invited MONKEY to Heaven and gave him a job.
…..But the Great Stone Ape — immortal, spiritually illumined and filled with Heavenly essences — was not only indestructable but also pretty handy in a fight. The forces of Heaven made an embarrassing display and slunk off in defeat. There was nothing for it — the Ruler of Heaven called for BUDDHA.

Xī Yóu Jì Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology and value systems. In particular, the pantheon of Taoist and Buddhist deities is still reflective of many Chinese folk religious beliefs today.

But in the end – Buddhists only know why they are Buddhists, religion is quite a personal thing - as long as they don’t get together to cut my throat I don’t mind them in Wallmart next to x-mas ornaments, - may be they start asking questions… before they get free from all desires…
 
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tecoyah said:
I would hope to see the Faithful explain to me why they feel only ONE of these books could possibly be the true words of this God entity
Ptskid would tell you that he personally knows god. Try to beat that.
Doughgirl would tell you that the scriptures clearly say so and she would give you a bunch to chew on. Try to beat that.
As to myself, I can tell you that in order to debate on DP one has to:
1. have time.
2. have good keyboarding skill.
3. have good possession of English.
Since I meet none of the requirements … I would be like fighting you with my hands tied up and my eyes blinded… But don’t worry I will try to go easy on you this time.

1. I agree that one should to give him/herself an account why other gods/religions do no fit. Like ptskid does, explaining to you that Jews have wrong god, and doughgirl confirming that they do not eat food in the right way. Don’t you understand such good reasons confirmed by numerous sources?

2. I am afraid you are not asking for such an account, but expressing your opinion that religion is the source of all evil. You opinion is expressed as a random collection of sentences- it is difficult to find an order or a structure. I may have to ask for some clarification.

tecoyah said:
Throughout the history of Human civilization, Humans have felt a presence above and beyond what can be seen, and explained.

The question is: if all Humans throughout all history have felt the presence – is the presence fictional, does it exist or not? Is it a product of imagination or is it real? If something makes all of us to experience the same feeling – does it exist or not? Is it a part of the real world we live in? is it a real part of us in the world?

tecoyah said:
Our creative and complex nature forces us to search continuously for an answer to "That Which Is"....and have Faith in something undefined, thus creating a need to define it.


You are trying to put 2 excluding each other things together: the search for an answer “that which is”… equals the search for definition , - and it is opposite to having Faith in something undefined. What is natural for us – to search for definition or to have faith in something undefined? How having faith in something undefined creates a need to define it? It is difficult to understand your position.

tecoyah said:
This is simply the result of who we are as a people.

So – whatever you are trying to say is natural, to define or have faith in undefined, - it is a property of a human being, and, I guess, it is natural twice, - is it what you are saying?

tecoyah said:
Humans have used this creation of the mind as justification for Hatred and destruction since the first "God" came to us, and we have continued to do so to this day.

Now you contradict yourself again – if it is a property of all humans and we all feel it, and it is natural twice – it cannot be a creation of our mind. If we all look at the fire and see the fire and feel the heat – the fire is not creation of our mind. There is a philosophy which says it is, but I don’t think you are advocating such a view here, are you?


tecoyah said:
Rather than trying to understand why we need the supernatural phycologically in our lives,

Another contradiction: either you are saying that our nature forces us to search for an answer (to understand), or you are saying rather than trying to understand we do something else, – which one of 2 is your true nature?


tecoyah said:
we blindly accept the manmade words of fabricated Gods as a means to inflict pain and devistation of those who happen to read a different book of God inspired words.

I don’t think you are blindly accepting anything, why would you think I do? Or if I am blind in my nature, what makes you think you have a different nature? Are we so different in our nature? Is one of us screwed in his nature? Should we flip a coin – to find out who is, - or you know already?

tecoyah said:
…Gods as a means to inflict pain and devistation of those who happen to read a different book of God inspired words.

I am afraid, this is your main feeling, your main thought and disappointment – and it has been so far as substantiated as pstkid’s dislike of Jews.

Do you know why we marry to opposite gender: in order to have fights over little things and inflict pain and tears.
Do you know why we make kids: in order to make females suffer birth pain and make ourselves sleepless over the problems kids bring to us, - so they can shout ‘’I hate you’’ at us once in a while…

tecoyah said:
…Gods as a means to inflict pain and devistation of those who happen to read a different book of God inspired words.

OK. Let us assume you are right… Since you have stated that the human actions of your concern are products of our ‘’creative and complex human nature’’ and they are “simply the result of who we are as a people’’ – what is your recipe, what you can suggest for others as the way out of the human nature? I have to assume that you have risen to the state of being a superhuman…

tecoyah said:
…Gods as a means to inflict pain and devistation of those who happen to read a different book of God inspired words.

If, on the base of your arguments, you are proclaiming that gods/religions are the source of evil, I have a very easy answer for you: OK.
I have nothing to say against, I have no arguments of your level.
OK, you're right; who is next, ptskid, Major Baker?

If you are asking why I believe in my G-d, but not in others, it may be a little bit more difficult to answer, -- but I am afraid it is not your real question, I don’t see it is, you have to show me money, before I do any work.
 
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