Xiam
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- Posted: Tue, 01 May 2012 06:35:05 +0000
Damn, am I late to the party?
I do. I don't understand why they glorify him like they do, but I do think he was a hoopy frood who really knew where his towel was.
Sounds like you should maybe ask a priest then. They're there for that, you know. Ask questions, figure things out.
Lots of people are. In regards to the latter three, they're basically possible afterlifes. I'll break it down to simple answers. Good people go to Heaven, bad people go to Hell, good people who have messed up a bit go to Purgatory to get out all the bad stuff before they can be allowed into Heaven.
That's, of course, the million dollar question. Many Christians will say yes, but some may actually say no. Of course, most non-Christians will say no as well. I mean, he was a man. He had parents. You will also hear many Christians say God is his father, which makes it really confusing because you really have to twist your brain around to gather that someone can be their own father. For realism's sake, though, his mother was Mary, his father was Joseph, and he was just a decent rabbi who tried to promote a little change in the Jewish faith when the religious authorities were a bit corrupt. Not to mention the Romans everywhere. He may or may not have done miracles, and he may or may not have been the Messiah (though Jewish prophecies of the Messiah suggest that he was not. He was one of many candidates, and he wasn't even the closest to fulfilling said prophecies).
He's depicted as an angry and "jealous" deity. Also, back in early Canaanite times, Yahweh was very possibly a god of storms. So there's that too.
Christians believe that non-Christians will go to Hell, yes - though some are actually a bit lenient and will suggest thatanyone who is kind and charitable may go to Heaven. Religion is a fuzzy thing like that, I can't give you any definite answers. Though I should note that many people of other religions have their own views on the afterlife, many also including levels of punishment and reward.
Aha, there's something too. Many religions have variations upon this in their own way. For instance, in Greek mythology, many gods had half-mortal children - the classic Heroes. And in Hindu mythology, the gods would sometimes become Incarnate in mortal forms often. Though the only one I can think of off the top of my head was Vishnu, who would come down to protect the world often in various avatars.
And you're right, the Abrahamic God does seem very limited for such an omnipotent being. For instance, in Genesis, Adam and Eve, and if I'm not mistaken their son Cain, manage to hide from God. Hide. From God. To me, it feels a bit like saying your king knows all and sees all - he doesn't, but for the sake of ensuring no one revolts, the people in power choose to spread the rumor anyway.
Pretty much. Humanity has always been very superstitious - it comes with our mindset - and over time we developed the concepts of gods and such. The only problem is, we also have a habit of anthropomorphizing everything. And when we do that with things that are supposed to be more powerful than us, it becomes an odd contradiction of making the infinite finite. Which is just ridiculous.
I mean, let's face it. If there's a God, it cannot be in any way human. I mean, sure, we're going to be a part of it in some way - or it's a part of us - but not necessarily in any way we'd immediately recognize.
I'm sorry if I ranted any. Long story short, I understand where you're coming from. And I do think you should maybe take it up with someone "in the know," like a priest or a monk or somebody. If their answers are not good enough, find someone who might have the answers, perhaps the clergy of another religion. You're probably at that age where you're asking a lot of those questions about God, and yourself. So yeah, go and ask about. Look up some stuff on Wikipedia if you feel up for it.
J.T3
I don't understand religons that endorse Jesus Christ
I do. I don't understand why they glorify him like they do, but I do think he was a hoopy frood who really knew where his towel was.
J.T3
I've been baptized under the Catholic Faith, but to be honest I've never actually understood it. I never served first communion nor have I ever participated in Sunday school. I use to attend mass every Sunday when I was a child, but I was just a child and I didn't understand what was going on.
Sounds like you should maybe ask a priest then. They're there for that, you know. Ask questions, figure things out.
J.T3
I some what understand what Jesus did, but I'm often very confused about the aspect of God, Heaven, Purgatory and Hell.
Lots of people are. In regards to the latter three, they're basically possible afterlifes. I'll break it down to simple answers. Good people go to Heaven, bad people go to Hell, good people who have messed up a bit go to Purgatory to get out all the bad stuff before they can be allowed into Heaven.
J.T3
My first concern is God... Was Jesus God? I remember people debating about this because of something he had said to someone.
That's, of course, the million dollar question. Many Christians will say yes, but some may actually say no. Of course, most non-Christians will say no as well. I mean, he was a man. He had parents. You will also hear many Christians say God is his father, which makes it really confusing because you really have to twist your brain around to gather that someone can be their own father. For realism's sake, though, his mother was Mary, his father was Joseph, and he was just a decent rabbi who tried to promote a little change in the Jewish faith when the religious authorities were a bit corrupt. Not to mention the Romans everywhere. He may or may not have done miracles, and he may or may not have been the Messiah (though Jewish prophecies of the Messiah suggest that he was not. He was one of many candidates, and he wasn't even the closest to fulfilling said prophecies).
J.T3
How come God is very vengeful and punishes people by sending them to hell for eternity? A large portion of the world does not believe in the Religion or just doesn't know about it. Does that mean a huge portion of the world will be sent to hell upon dying? Some how I would expect a supreme being to be more forgiving.
He's depicted as an angry and "jealous" deity. Also, back in early Canaanite times, Yahweh was very possibly a god of storms. So there's that too.
Christians believe that non-Christians will go to Hell, yes - though some are actually a bit lenient and will suggest thatanyone who is kind and charitable may go to Heaven. Religion is a fuzzy thing like that, I can't give you any definite answers. Though I should note that many people of other religions have their own views on the afterlife, many also including levels of punishment and reward.
J.T3
How come God seems to be limited? The concept of God usually implies being omniscient and unlimited in terms of power. Yet it seems God is very limited; only having one son...
Aha, there's something too. Many religions have variations upon this in their own way. For instance, in Greek mythology, many gods had half-mortal children - the classic Heroes. And in Hindu mythology, the gods would sometimes become Incarnate in mortal forms often. Though the only one I can think of off the top of my head was Vishnu, who would come down to protect the world often in various avatars.
And you're right, the Abrahamic God does seem very limited for such an omnipotent being. For instance, in Genesis, Adam and Eve, and if I'm not mistaken their son Cain, manage to hide from God. Hide. From God. To me, it feels a bit like saying your king knows all and sees all - he doesn't, but for the sake of ensuring no one revolts, the people in power choose to spread the rumor anyway.
J.T3
I try to put things in perspective... People back then where not really that intelligent or skeptical. They blindly believed a lot of things with out much logic. Makes me believe a one person could trick a mass group of people into doing something with a little intelligence and foresight.
Pretty much. Humanity has always been very superstitious - it comes with our mindset - and over time we developed the concepts of gods and such. The only problem is, we also have a habit of anthropomorphizing everything. And when we do that with things that are supposed to be more powerful than us, it becomes an odd contradiction of making the infinite finite. Which is just ridiculous.
I mean, let's face it. If there's a God, it cannot be in any way human. I mean, sure, we're going to be a part of it in some way - or it's a part of us - but not necessarily in any way we'd immediately recognize.
I'm sorry if I ranted any. Long story short, I understand where you're coming from. And I do think you should maybe take it up with someone "in the know," like a priest or a monk or somebody. If their answers are not good enough, find someone who might have the answers, perhaps the clergy of another religion. You're probably at that age where you're asking a lot of those questions about God, and yourself. So yeah, go and ask about. Look up some stuff on Wikipedia if you feel up for it.
