Thread: God's Name

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Other religions are no better in this respect.

Buddhism is considered to be perfectly rational in its core. Any comments?

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Could God by any chance create a stone heavy enough so that He won't be able to lift it?

Tell me, my dear Crocodile, have you ever heard of Schroedinger's cat and the superposition principle?

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Buddhism is considered to be perfectly rational in its core. Any comments?

Unfortunately, I'm not as familiar with Buddhism as with the other religions. All I know Judaism appears to be very logical thanks to the countless arguments of very smart people over several centuries. Until you dig a bit deeper.

Originally Posted by Ramil

Tell me, my dear Crocodile, have you ever heard of Schroedinger's cat and the superposition principle?

If you start speaking Quantum Physics to me I'm washing my hands.

Originally Posted by Crocodile

If you start speaking Quantum Physics to me I'm washing my hands.

But when those scientists start talking about a cat being dead and alive at the same time, you take their word for it and at least pretend you believe, don't you? The more I learned about astrophysics the stronger my belief in God became.

After reading this discussion about the conception of Jesus being the God, it became more clear for me why we, Orthodox Christians count Easter the main religious holiday (the holiday more dedicated to Christ's divinity), while for Catholics and Protestants main holiday is Christmas wich more dedicated to his human incarnation.

Originally Posted by Ramil

But when those scientists start talking about a cat being dead and alive at the same time, you take their word for it and at least pretend you believe, don't you? The more I learned about astrophysics the stronger my belief in God became.

Yeah... the famous "there are believers among the physicists too"... I've been through that. Here's what I have to say. There are people who sense something more than the other people do. Those people have existed at any time in history, in almost any cultural/religious context and they have explained their actions rather differently. Biblical and shamanic, monotheistic and pagan religions had implied different rituals, but the result was pretty much the same (or at least comparable). So, that means those chosen people don't know at all how they do it. In my opinion, a religion is an unfair attempt to capitalize on those special abilities. Dixi.

Despite my beliefs I sometimes disapprove of church and religion even in their 'finer' forms. This doesn't diminish my faith, but wrapping your mind in canonical dogms is not the best way to comprehend God.

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Unfortunately, I'm not as familiar with Buddhism as with the other religions. All I know Judaism appears to be very logical thanks to the countless arguments of very smart people over several centuries. Until you dig a bit deeper.

I feel like the situation with Buddhism is quite opposite. Countless modifications of completely insane people over millenia were unable to overthrow Gautama's rationality.

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Could God by any chance create a stone heavy enough so that He won't be able to lift it?

Heavy Mysteries, one of my favs...

Originally Posted by Basil77

After reading this discussion about the conception of Jesus being the God, it became more clear for me why we, Orthodox Christians count Easter the main religious holiday (the holiday more dedicated to Christ's divinity), while for Catholics and Protestants main holiday is Christmas wich more dedicated to his human incarnation.

This also always seemed odd to me that people celebrate his birth so much more than the miracle of his re-birth. There would not be a Christmas if not for the Easter, correct? So, why is the emphasis not placed on celebrating, worshiping, making atonement on Easter? I never understood that. I'm glad to see that I'm now not the ONLY person. THANK YOU, Basil!!!

Originally Posted by Ramil

Despite my beliefs I sometimes disapprove of church and religion even in their 'finer' forms. This doesn't diminish my faith, but wrapping your mind in canonical dogms is not the best way to comprehend God.

Yeah, I realize you're a heretic. It's ok, we won't burn you for that.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Heavy Mysteries, one of my favs...

"...Once a week, Father Russell would come in for "Heavy Mystery" time. And you'd save all your weird questions for Father Russell. In fact, you'd make up strange questions. You'd take a whole week thinking up trick questions for Father Russell. "Hey, hey, hey Father! Hey, uh, if God is all-powerful, can he make a rock so big that he himself can't lift it? HA, HA, HEEEEEY! WE GOT HIM NOW! AH, HA, HA!" Or else you'd take a very simple sin and surround it with the most bizarre circumstances you could imagine...to try to, y'know, relieve the guilt in the sin. We'd usually end up with the, uh, statement, "Would that then be a sin then, Father?"

Like, here, this is an example. There was one sin- not receiving communion during Easter time. You had to perform your "Easter duty". You had to receive once between Ash Wednesday and Pentecost Sunday and if you didn't do it, it was a mortal sin. Provided, of course, you had said to yourself, "Hey, I'm not gonna do it this year!" And, uh, there weren't many mortal sins on that, but a lot of guys went to Venial(?) City on Easter duty and so you would ask the priest y'know, you'd..."Hey, Father, hey, uh.." Remember guys would leave their hand up after they got called on, right? And the priest would say, "What are you, the Statue of Liberty, Dunn?" "Oh, sorry Father. Anyways, Father. Suppose that you didn't make your Easter duty...and it's Pentecost Sunday...the last day...and you're on a ship at sea...and the chaplain goes into a coma...but you wanted to receive. And then it's Monday, too late...but then you cross the International Date Line!" "Yes, I'm sure God will take that into account. Sit down, Woozie."

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Yeah, I realize you're a heretic. It's ok, we won't burn you for that.

Yes, they would have probably burned me back in the medieval Europe if I said that aloud. )))

Actually in the liturgic year of the Western churches Easter is also the most important celebration and also the time when the liturgic year starts and ends. It's only the fact that the presents tend to be more interesting which makes Christmas the more interesting celebration in the eyes of the public and of course the economy.

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Yeah... the famous "there are believers among the physicists too"... I've been through that. Here's what I have to say. There are people who sense something more than the other people do. Those people have existed at any time in history, in almost any cultural/religious context and they have explained their actions rather differently. Biblical and shamanic, monotheistic and pagan religions had implied different rituals, but the result was pretty much the same (or at least comparable). So, that means those chosen people don't know at all how they do it. In my opinion, a religion is an unfair attempt to capitalize on those special abilities. Dixi.

What's very interesting in my opinion is that if you look at the mystics within any religious tradition, such as Meister Eckhardt in Christianity, the Muslim sufis, but also mystics of any other religion, monotheistic or no, the results and philosophies they reach are all pretty much the same, and there is no enmity between those philosophies anymore. While such content is normally called the esoteric (inner) teaching, religions as presented to the people are called exoteric; they are mostly window dressing for the masses who would not understand the underlying common principles and cannot be taught their content, so they are presented with something to fear so they behave.

My comments after reading this:

1) It-ogo is a physicist, I think! Do you feel like you have any special insights that make your faith stronger or weaker...?

2) I think the big question is whether you believe that God created the world, or that it created itself, or just happened! If I believe that God created the world, then I think he can manage to be two people at the same time.... and sit next to himself! Also under such circumstances the resurrection isn't hard to believe either.

3) People who feel that they are rational and sceptical and still want to believe, can check out books like "A case for Christ", "The privileged planet" and similar. They are about how very rational scientists became convinced about Christianity.

4) Illustration of Trinity

Originally Posted by Hanna

My comments after reading this:

1) It-ogo is a physicist, I think! Do you feel like you have any special insights that make your faith stronger or weaker...?

I don't remember I mentioned my specialization here, but yes, I am. No special insights or counter-insights connected to my activity in physics detected. I feel like mixing science and metaphysics (+religion) in any combination brings no good.

And, BTW I don't identify myself as a Christian.

For materialistic persons I suggest reading this:
Fine-tuned Universe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/designun.html

It's not a proof of God's existance (well, not for them, anyway) but still an idea to ponder upon. Also try to estimate the probability of our universe coming into existence if only random chance ruled the process.

Originally Posted by Ramil

For materialistic persons I suggest reading this:
Fine-tuned Universe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Evidence for the Fine Tuning of the Universe

It's not a proof of God's existance (well, not for them, anyway) but still an idea to ponder upon. Also try to estimate the probability of our universe coming into existence if only random chance ruled the process.

Hey, you was the one who declared skepticism towards British Scientists TM. Why do you think it is different? Scientific method has severe and complicated limitations. If one don't keep all of them in his mind, he can not often get even the general sense of the models. Those mathematical models are things in themselves. Don't take them too serious.

And BTW I do not identify myself as materialistic person either.