[Wizdumb]

There is a problem in today's world. The problem is in our perspective of God. Through our entire lives, and the lives of generations before us, the image of God has been painted through religion. Everything we supposedly know about God has been placed into a box. Placed there by religion. And throughout our entire lives, we are meant to focus only on that box, if we want to know God.

Since we all grew up knowing only the things in the box, this is all most people ever see about God. They think it is all God is. But i'm here to tell you it's not true. The stuff religion teaches does not necessarily have anything to do with God. We need to think outside of the box religion has placed the illusion of God in. Look beyond the portrait painted by religion. Because God is real, just not the God of current religions. Just as God does not sit on a mountain throwing lightning bolts, God does not do the things claimed in current religions. We need to distinguish the factual information about God from the non-factual. Which, of course, is incredibly difficult to do. But, the first thing any of us need to do is understand the possibility that God has nothing to do with current religions. Just as God had nothing to do with religions of old.

Think outside the box. Unlearn what you've learned about God through religion. And then maybe you'll be able to find some truth about God.

[infamous]

Originally Posted by Wizdumb

Just as God had nothing to do with religions of old.

Are you saying that God had nothing to do with the written word, the Bible by another name?

Originally Posted by Wizdumb

Think outside the box. Unlearn what you've learned about God through religion.

Again, are you saying we should dismiss what the Bible has to say?

Originally Posted by Wizdumb

And then maybe you'll be able to find some truth about God.

The "truth about God" is certainly a very personal thing but I don't think this gives us license to ignore what scripture says about him.

[Mr. Potato Head]

If you're referring to religion as the contemporary business and conflict creator that it is today, then I agree with you. However, if you are including the Bible in your description, I can't agree with you. I choose to learn about what God has to say through the Bible (even though I don't read it avidly, which I should). Other people choose other books and also lead different lives as well, some with more or less conflict than myself.

Anyways, I agree that if you can learn about God, perhaps through the Bible, without getting sucked into religious zeal, more power to you!

[Boerseun]

I've read your post.

...and I've pondered a bit.

And then I re-read your post.

And, lo and behold, I still fail to see your point.

Although, slightly off-topic, an interesting observation begs to be made right about here:

The biggest single influence on our idea and visualisation of God, is, in my mind, Michaelangelo's painting "The Descent of Adam". That old guy with the grey beard sitting on that fluffy cloud, is inprinted on our tiny gullible little minds from gindergarten as "God".

How wacky is that?

[rockytriton]

The idea that you need to read the bible to understand God is crazy to me. If God is really so great, you should be able to have a personal relationship with him without ever picking up any religious text. That's the way that I see it at least. How else would you explain civilizations that never heard of the bible? Would you say that they were just all damned to hell for their ignorance?

[Mr. Potato Head]

Originally Posted by rockytriton

The idea that you need to read the bible to understand God is crazy to me. If God is really so great, you should be able to have a personal relationship with him without ever picking up any religious text. That's the way that I see it at least. How else would you explain civilizations that never heard of the bible? Would you say that they were just all damned to hell for their ignorance?

I'll rephrase what I said. Some may or may not choose Christianity as their method of spiritual belief. I have and so I must by definition use the Bible to learn the history of my method. My relationship with God is my own and I completely agree with you that you can certainly develop a relationship with God without literature. However, the question that remains is, What, if any religion, is the "right" one? No one will know, even by science. Seems like russian roulette to me.

[Mr. Potato Head]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

The biggest single influence on our idea and visualisation of God, is, in my mind, Michaelangelo's painting "The Descent of Adam". That old guy with the grey beard sitting on that fluffy cloud, is inprinted on our tiny gullible little minds from gindergarten as "God".

How wacky is that?

You seem to project your perception onto the world as their own a lot. "In my mind" always leads to "our minds." Unfortunately for you, I don't see God as a painting for I don't see Him at all. Only one sense is available to know God and it isn't one of the five scientifically stated ones either.

[rockytriton]

Originally Posted by Mr. Potato Head

Seems like russian roulette to me.

Yes, choosing a religion is like playing russian roulette with your soul. The important thing to remember is to be good to people, then you have a chance if you chose poorly.

[Chacmool]

That's exactly what makes religion so daunting to me - you're only allowed one choice, and if you're wrong, you get condemned for all eternity. So, for argument's sake, if I accepted Jesus as my personal saviour in the Christian tradition, and fully committed my life to being a good and devoted Christian, but it turned out that a deity from another religion was the One and Only - I would go to hell?

[Mr. Potato Head]

Originally Posted by Chacmool

That's exactly what makes religion so daunting to me - you're only allowed one choice, and if you're wrong, you get condemned for all eternity. So, for argument's sake, if I accepted Jesus as my personal saviour in the Christian tradition, and fully committed my life to being a good and devoted Christian, but it turned out that a deity from another religion was the One and Only - I would go to hell?

Unfortunately, most of us are too ignorant of other options to know for sure. I've stated my personal reason for choosing Christianity in another thread. Because of the fact that it holds that God gave sacrifice to know man as opposed to man sacrificing things to earn God's favor. I like that. But I can't believe that just being nice to people will allow you to get out of choosing. Maybe the right religion wants you to be mean to people. How can we know? I can certainly see why someone predisposed to facts alone could give up on or get scared away from religion. There are none and your mind/body WILL die ignorant. But will your soul?