If there is a God, then what...?

[Gary Childress]

If there is a God, then the question arises, what would/does God want me to do?

Christianity says, "love one another".

Islam says, "submit to God".

Judaism says, "God chooses me".

But none of these things is something I want, or else something that seems realistic.

I think loving one another is indisputably a great thing if it can be done in good faith, but it seems almost impossible (perhaps even unrealistic) in the world as it stands to truly, genuinely love EVERYone else. So it's setting us up for failure from the get-go. And who wants to spend their whole life in shame and failure because the impossible is being demanded of us?

Submitting to God seems to me to reduce the world to God's private dungeon. Who wants to live in a dungeon, and what other human being has the divine authority to tell me to "submit" to anything at the threat that she or he is going to play the role of God's designated executioner against me if I don't?

Believing that God has chosen me for something is far beyond hubris. Aside from being obstinate, there's nothing worthy about me from anyone or anything else for God to choose. And, as Groucho Marx might possibly have said (if the opportunity had appeared), if God chooses me, then there's something wrong with God. Therefore, I probably SHOULDN'T want to be chosen by a God who would choose me.

There's got to be some other option out there. But what? Is agnosticism a sustainable approach to religion when many others are basically putting their blind faith in something they can only know by reading something written about the unknowable by another human being?

[phyllo]

If you can't love, then start with don't hate.

And once you achieve that, then move a little closer in the direction of love.

[Impenitent]

you can't love another if you don't love yourself

-Imp

[Gary Childress]

If you can't love, then start with don't hate.

And once you achieve that, then move a little closer in the direction of love.

Is it OK if I fake it?

[Gary Childress]

you can't love another if you don't love yourself

-Imp

Total write off then.

[phyllo]

If you can't love, then start with don't hate.

And once you achieve that, then move a little closer in the direction of love.

Is it OK if I fake it?

I have yet to figure what you are actually looking to achieve.

Faking it may be useful or it may not.

Depends on what you are after.

[Gary Childress]

If you can't love, then start with don't hate.

And once you achieve that, then move a little closer in the direction of love.

Is it OK if I fake it?

I have yet to figure what you are actually looking to achieve.

Faking it may be useful or it may not.

Depends on what you are after.

I'm after happiness. I'm a weed in someone else's garden looking for sunlight. It's what weeds do.

[phyllo]

I'm after happiness.

Faking a smile will make you happy.

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/s ... ncna822591

Do you need god to make you happy? Why the god posts?

[Gary Childress]

I'm after happiness.

Do you need god to make you happy? Why the god posts?

Well, if there is a God and I'm supposed to be doing something special to please God (as most religious accounts seem to reckon), then I can only imagine that not doing what God wants is going to earn me unhappiness. So if God wants something that I am unable or unwilling to provide, then that wouldn't be good and might be the cause of my present unhappiness. And since I am unable or unwilling to change to please God, I just want to know for sure that it's God's fault that I'm unhappy.

[Immanuel Can]

And since I am unable or unwilling to change to please God, I just want to know for sure that it's God's fault that I'm unhappy.

Maybe you need to change. Maybe the reason you're so unhappy is that you refuse to change. Maybe we all need to change, in fact.

However, if that's the case, it can't be God's fault if you're the one unwilling to change. If you're stuck where you are, it's by your own choice.

[Dubious]

If there is a God, then the question arises, what would/does God want me to do?

..use your free will to accept or negate, whichever is most convenient at the moment. Why do you always assume god, if it exists, must be the biblical one...the most defective god imaginable whom you never cease to complain about!

[phyllo]

I'm after happiness.

Do you need god to make you happy? Why the god posts?

Well, if there is a God and I'm supposed to be doing something special to please God (as most religious accounts seem to reckon), then I can only imagine that not doing what God wants is going to earn me unhappiness. So if God wants something that I am unable or unwilling to provide, then that wouldn't be good and might be the cause of my present unhappiness. And since I am unable or unwilling to change to please God, I just want to know for sure that it's God's fault that I'm unhappy.

There are at least two problems with that ...

There is no certainty when it comes to god(s). That's why there are so many gods, so many religions and so many sects. It's possible to believe but it's not possible to know.

Finding fault is unlikely to make you happy. There may be some satisfaction, some relief in it, but not happiness.

[Walker]

If there is a God, then the question arises, what would/does God want me to do?

Christianity says, "love one another".

Islam says, "submit to God".

Judaism says, "God chooses me".

But none of these things is something I want, or else something that seems realistic.

I think loving one another is indisputably a great thing if it can be done in good faith, but it seems almost impossible (perhaps even unrealistic) in the world as it stands to truly, genuinely love EVERYone else. So it's setting us up for failure from the get-go. And who wants to spend their whole life in shame and failure because the impossible is being demanded of us?

Rather than aim for a subjective and thus arbitrary ideal, an ideal that is limited by your current state of mind, aim for the all you are that is currently blocked by occlusions, and aim by removing occlusions such as specific ignorance. That’s what God wants of you. Listen and you will hear.

Submitting to God seems to me to reduce the world to God's private dungeon. Who wants to live in a dungeon, and what other human being has the divine authority to tell me to "submit" to anything at the threat that she or he is going to play the role of God's designated executioner against me if I don't?

Submitting is submitting the boss ego so that you become the transparent vehicle for the message of love whether the medium is flesh or words.

Believing that God has chosen me for something is far beyond hubris. Aside from being obstinate, there's nothing worthy about me from anyone or anything else for God to choose. And, as Groucho Marx might possibly have said (if the opportunity had appeared), if God chooses me, then there's something wrong with God. Therefore, I probably SHOULDN'T want to be chosen by a God who would choose me.

Because God made you, you have a purpose. Sometimes the purpose finds you, sometimes you find the purpose. Keep in mind that all things organic and inorganic are compounds of interacting things, which can get confusing if one attempts the dynamic analysis of tracking all the new combinations of elements and their interactions in perpetual flux, although some things do flux at a longer time rate than others, such as the transition of the planet into nova fodder.

There's got to be some other option out there. But what? Is agnosticism a sustainable approach to religion when many others are basically putting their blind faith in something they can only know by reading something written about the unknowable by another human being?

The most changeable compounds are the human compounded relationships, and that’s a motive force to seek long-term solitude to reduce the number of interacting variables that comprise reality (humans being the most complex of the variables), and it was likely a motive force for Sarte to discover the words to describe No Exit.

This mind won’t give you that mind, i.e., this view won’t give you the unknown “that” view. Other than traumatic or other powerful emotional events that leave no option to return to what was, periodic exposure to no mind is an option because that will open some other portal to mind other than the one you’ve worn out with familiarity.

For example, e-prime writing is another portal to mind that departs from what is and into the unknown. E-prime writing is effective in different ways to be discovered according to one’s capacity to be physically affected by mind functioning. It’s a much more conscious way to write that gives rise to the organic discovery that form can indeed be content to be discovered.

Commentary

[Walker]

A way to find a reply can be more than to sigh, Thank you for the contribution ...

For example, you can try feedbacking another's posting, into an e-prime translation, without asking questions.

[Gary Childress]

I am insane, and the world is insane. I'm not sure which is more insane.