To See The World In A Grain Of Sand Or The Hand Of God In A Formation Of Space Matter.

[sandyRoe]

I confess, I haven't the imagination to see them myself. Do you?




http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/hand-of-god-seen-in-space

[goodlife]

Sandy@ I see a needs for motivated heart.

The wise man says: The heart of the wise is at his right hand, but the heart of the stupid at his left hand. And also in whatever way the foolish one is walking, his own heart is lacking............Eccl. 10:2, 3.

So Sad many people take all these things for granted. They are glad to enjoy themselves all the benefits of life, but do not stop to consider their real source.
All think that life came about largely by accident, a process of evolution with no one responsible for starting it or controlling its operation.

[naomi24]

//They are glad to enjoy themselves all the benefits of life, but do not stop to consider their real source. //

And what about when they're not enjoying all the benefits of life? What about when their lives are blighted, through no fault of their own, by cancer or some other dreadful disease? Should they stop to consider the real source then?

[sandyRoe]

Isn't it a tad unfair for an unbeliever to lay the blame for grief, pain, and death at the doorstep of God? I think Hermann of Richenau neatly encapsulated our condition when he wrote this line in Salve Regina, '...mourning and weeping in this valley of tears...'
Whether God exists or not, pain and loss is part of the human condition.

[Khandro]

jomifl; I think you are mixing your Klimts with you Munchs, but it is Monday morning.

[naomi24]

//Isn't it a tad unfair for an unbeliever to lay the blame for grief, pain, and death at the doorstep of God? //

For obvious reasons the unbeliever doesn't lay the blame for grief, pain, and death at the doorstep of God - but it's reasonable to ask why the believer doesn't.

[Khandro]

God cannot be blamed for "grief, pain, and death" anymore than you can be.
Also, as the Zen-Master [might] say; before you start to see for the world in a grain of sand, you must first see the grain of sand.

[goodlife]

naomi@ that because you don't know your Bible

Would you let yourself starve to death? Poison yourself? Challenge someone to a duel from which neither of you could hope to survive?

What, then, do you think of a world economic and social system that lets good food rot while millions starve? Or what do you think of nations that pollute earth’s environment while arming themselves for nuclear war.

No, you say, I’m not crazy,But people are.

[naomi24]

Goodlife, that doesn't answer my question.

[goodlife]

No-true it doesn't, you don't know God,nor the Bible.

You don't know answers to the questions,you are one who just likes to blame.

[vulcan42]

goodlife, once again your statement suggests you know your God and you understand your bible. If you understand the bible so well why can't you answer our questions? If you have this superior knowledge you claim, it should be simple to do so. simples.

[Khandro]

Ref. Goodlife's post 13:17; for the record, I concur completely.

[naomi24]

Too difficult, Goodlife?

Khandro, //God cannot be blamed for "grief, pain, and death"//

As a self-proclaimed Buddhist, which God are you referring to? Surely not the same one that Goodlife talks about?

[goodlife]

Vulcan@ Only if you have a simple mind,have said it before, that millions of people have a general idea about God. They say that they believe in God, although their actions often belie that claim

The difference between men knowledge and accurate knowledge is implied in the Bible.

Human knowledge stand in opposition to God. This is because the overall outlook,

Paul wrote: Did not God make the wisdom of the world foolish? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not get to know God, God saw good through the foolishness of what is preached to save those believing. For both the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks look for wisdom; but we preach Christ impaled, to the Jews a cause for stumbling but to the nations foolishness, ............1 Cor. 1:20-25.

Yes very idea that something good could be accomplished through someone’s death on a stake sounded foolish.

And yet Jesus’ death on the stake was actually no weak thing and no foolish thing. It provided the basis for fulfilling all of God’s promises and the future blessing of obedient mankind.

And your worldly wisdom that denies the ransom provision is foolish

Like the Jew the pursuit of falsely called ‘knowledge’ would cost them God’s approval and blessing, is the same to you lot here. (1 Tim. 6:20) now that smiple, and sill you can't see it.

[sandyRoe]

Smiple & Sill, is that the firm of ecclesiastical outfitters in The Strand?

[Khandro]

naomi; you should really learn something about Buddhism before starting to ruminate.
Also goodlife's God and my God may be in essence the same entity, but we just have different understandings. Do you remember the Irish comedian, Dave Allen? he used to always close his act by saying "Goodnight, and may your God go with you".
Everyones take is different, - except of course, the poor atheists, who have nothing.

[vulcan42]

Dave Allen referred to himself as a practising atheist.As you have quoted him you must think he had "something" as opposed to nothing.

[sandyRoe]

He did have a wicked sense of humour and was impishly irreverent.

[Khandro]

'He [Dave Allen]was a religious sceptic (according to Allen himself, "what you might call a practising atheist", and often joked, "I'm an atheist, thank God") as a result of his deeply held objections to the rigidity of his strict Catholic schooling. Consequently, religion became an important subject for his humour, especially the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, generally mocking church customs and rituals rather than beliefs.'
I think his beef was with some religious rituals, not God.

[naomi24]

Khandro, //naomi; you should really learn something about Buddhism before starting to ruminate.//

I have learnt something about Buddhism….

//goodlife's God and my God may be in essence the same entity, but we just have different understandings.//

…..rather more than you appear to have learnt about Goodlife’s God.

//I think his [Dave Allen’s] beef was with some religious rituals, not God.//

As with many of your unqualified statements, you need to think that one through, Khandro. As a ‘practising atheist’, Dave Allen couldn’t possibly have had a beef with any God.

[Khandro]

^ I quote D.Allen not as a theologian, but as a wise comedian; "May your God go with you" is very apt. Being an Irishman, he saw his country being torn apart by stupid religious dogma - ask Sandy for details.