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Logos

Imagine for a moment if you can that there is a God, and imagine that this God has a will, and that instead of allowing us to have free will, this God only allowed us to express his will. I believe that this would actually describe the function of an angel. But then again, as the story goes, they must have had some level of free will to be able to rebel against God, but back to supposing.

What would we experience in this reality if this one change were made to the way things are. What do you feel we would lose, or miss out on, what positive effects might we experience?

What do you think God's will is? Do you think it is contained fully within any of the worlds religions? Do you think it is simple or complex?

I'd really appreciate it if everyone could keep this from degenerating into an argument as to whether or not there is a God. We are supposing after all.

We are all one

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Brother Logos
The more I learn, the less I know. | Truth doesn't change, only our perception of it does.
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Vicki

First, I'll say I have no faith in organized religion. However, I do believe in God, and the Bible. God's purpose for the Earth, and the people on it, is much more simple than world religion. World religion is so complicated, most people don't want anything to do with it.

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1tokeovertheline

I think along the same line as Vicki. God's will is very simple. Religions(s)(s)(s)(s) make it complex.

Buzzby

You may be one, but I'm not and never have been!

I think the vast majority of people in the world would disagree with you. Organized religion is an important part of every culture that I know of. Atheists, agnostics, and "I'm just spiritual" people are a small minority.

I see no conflict between "Free Will" and "God's Will". If we posit a creator god who lives outside of time in Eternity, he created the universe as a whole, including its time dimension. Therefore, he created it exactly as he wanted it to be, and, like a novelist, knows the beginning, the middle, and the end of the "story". We, the created, live in time. We have no idea what's going to happen next. We use our free will to determine our course. Free will is a product of the limited perspective that comes from living in time. God's will created the whole show. It would be a very limited God who didn't hold his whole creation in his mind.

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Vicki

I am not Atheist or Agnostic. I believe in God (Jehovah/Yahweh), and his son, Jesus. I believe God's purpose for us is simple compared to organized religion. Besides myself, I know many people who were raised very religious, in one religion or another. God is very important to me.

Something screwed up (wrong belief, and injustice unhandled, etc..) in that religion caused that person to stop attending, but that doesn't mean they don't still love God, including myself. Myself and these people, who are not a small minority, are just fed up with organized religion. How it's run (in a lot of cases, very badly), how there isn't a lot of love there, how God just doesn't seem to be there, or in the people's hearts. Walking out of the place not feeling spritually uplifted at all. BTW, I am good friends with Jews, Catholics, Baptists, etc. They all feel as I do.

 

1tokeovertheline

Vicki,
I think we may have met in church..... Sounds like you have been through some religious bullshit.

Buzzby,
I remember the signature you had about " I like your Christ....." or whatever. Vicki's post reminded me off it.

1Toke

Vicki

Depends on what church, I guess. I've been in quite a few different ones, at different times. I really wanted to see what other religions were saying, how they acted, was there love there, was God there, etc. It was very interesting, to say the least.

I have seen religious bullshit in every religion I attended, in one form or another. I had a friend once tell me that they are all that way, and I just needed to find one that had the least amount of bullshit, and go there. I'm sorry, but I refuse. I'm sick of the bullshit. Except Penn & Teller's, Bullshit. I can always watch that.

Logos

Speaking of churches, I get asked a lot (when I mention I'm a preacher) what church I go to, and since I neither attend or preach at any church, I have become fond of saying the church of here and now. Church can happen anywhere and any time. Whenever two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be.

To me church isn't about a particular building or a particular time of a particular day. My favorite concept for an organized church would be to meet somewhere peaceful and beautiful outdoors where everyone gets a chance to express their beliefs without fear of judgment in an open and honest way.

I think that part of God's will is in expressing harmony, Life is harmony immersed into chaos. IE, a seed brings order forth from the chaos of dirt. It is a pattern that chaos conforms to.

I had read somewhere that before the "beginning", God began to dream, and the dream was chaotic. God learned that the dream could be controlled by will, but as order edged out chaos, God longed for the spontaneity of chaos. Long story short, the concept I have taken from this is that existence is a pattern of order laid upon the randomness of chaos. It is all part of God's dream, and we are all part of God in a very long drawn out game of hide and seek.

We are all one (except Buzzby)

imFADED

"It is not God's will merely that we should be happy, but that we should make ourselves happy" ~ Immanuel Kant

LiVeRpOoLFTW

GOD Made pot man made beer who do you trust~~!!~~!