Does Leo Believe In God?

[Algi]

My big question is after all this spiritual enlightenment work does Leo believe in God who loves mankind or even a supernatural creator?

 

[Guest]

Why do you care?

[Ayla]

@Algi Define God  

[BHL_20]

@Algi No, if you watch his video about knowledge you'll see that Leo is all about questioning and undermining beliefs. He also critisizes dogmatic people a lot. 

He believes in "God" as the presence in the universe. God is what you become when you reach enlightenment. 

Edited March 17, 2016 by BHL_20

[WelcometoReality]

28 minutes ago, Algi said:

My big question is after all this spiritual enlightenment work does Leo believe in God who loves mankind or even a supernatural creator?

If he believes in God he's probably working hard to remove that belief. ?

[Algi]

@BHL_20 I am Muslim, and my religion says to question everything before you follow it. He may undermine Beliefs but still can believe in a creator and a purpose of life? 

[theinevitableandi]

28 minutes ago, BHL_20 said:

@Algi No, if you watch his video about knowledge you'll see that Leo is all about questioning and undermining beliefs. He also critisizes dogmatic people a lot. 

He believes in "God" as the presence in the universe. God is what you become when you reach enlightenment. 

God is what you are before and after you realize it . So they say ?

[Capethaz]

@Algi Yes, but not in the way that you are thinking.

[Natasha]

Fundamentalist idea of God is in the Blue stage on Clare Grave's scale of Psychological Evolution. Leo says there is no good or bad stage, every stage is necessary for developmental advancement. You have to get through Blue to advance to the Orange, then Green, Yellow, etc.

In his video 'Spirituality vs Religion' there will be good insights for you as well.

http://www.actualized.org/articles/the-grand-model-of-psychological-evolution

http://www.actualized.org/articles/spirituality-vs-religion

[SkyPanther]

You become "god" when you become enlightened.  Because god in the sense that Leo, and the other contemplative religions see it is the unconditioned element (Nibbana).  i.e  nothing.   Or from quantum physics, an uncollapsed quantum state.   Nothing can be anything.  And anything is nothing.

Since you are "something" you came from "nothing", and in that case you are "god". 

[Emerald]

From watching almost all of his videos regarding spirituality: yes and no.

Yes in the sense that God (spirit) is what existence and non-existence is comprised of. Enlightenment is the realization that you are God and that reality is this. No, in the sense that he doesn't believe in a God-image. He doesn't think that there is a man in the clouds... nor does he subscribe to any particular religion.

[Algi]

@Natasha I seen the video science vs religion but just because somebody created a model with colours it does not mean that once you pass the blue stage you realise that God does not exist in a sense that you need to worship him.

[Algi]

@Emerald Wilkins I see your point, but he never really completely answers it fully.  I don't worship God as a man in the sky, but rather as eternal being who loves mankind and you can pray to at any given time.

[SkyPanther]

9 hours ago, Algi said:

@Emerald Wilkins I see your point, but he never really completely answers it fully.  I don't worship God as a man in the sky, but rather as eternal being who loves mankind and you can pray to at any given time.

Why do you have to worship something?  I think the thing you are not "seeing" is that "god", that is the Abrahamic god, is pretty much an ego, based on the ego's of men. (and by men I mean males).

The particular society you belong to has conditioned you to act a certain way.  Just like people in the US are mostly conditioned to be Christian, and pursue material goals.

When you lose your ego, "god" loses the ego as well. That is what Leo is talking about.  Once you realize that you, and everyone/thing else is part of "god", there is no need to worship, essentially, yourself and ego.  Empty rituals and laws will not get you to enlightenment.

Enlightenment comes when you lose the conceptual ego, and see reality for what it is, instead of what you have been conditioned to see it as.  Which means also saying "I don't know", if you do not have an answer to something.  That does not keep you from having faith though.  Just acknowledge that faith is not the same thing as knowledge. 

 

[nbolt]

LOL

[Algi]

@SkyPanther You clearly do not know that Islam teaches everything but ego. The whole religion is based on reflecting and "losing" the ego for good. It encourages you to fast which is difficult for an ego,  and many other things. I firmly bielieve that if you minus all the cultural social conditioning; which is all man made ego profitable systems as you rightly mentioned and trace back the original text scriptures with an open mind (not logic), then you will be on your way to the path of enlightenment. 

[nbolt]

3 minutes ago, Algi said:

@SkyPanther You clearly do not know that Islam teaches everything but ego. The whole religion is based on reflecting and "losing" the ego for good. It encourages you to fast which is difficult for an ego,  and many other things. I firmly bielieve that if you minus all the cultural social conditioning; which is all man made ego profitable systems as you rightly mentioned and trace back the original text scriptures with an open mind (not logic), then you will be on your way to the path of enlightenment. 

The only religion (if you can even call it that) that teaches losing the ego is (zen) buddhism.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Neill Bolton

[SkyPanther]

5 minutes ago, Algi said:

@SkyPanther You clearly do not know that Islam teaches everything but ego. The whole religion is based on reflecting and "losing" the ego for good. It encourages you to fast which is difficult for an ego,  and many other things. I firmly bielieve that if you minus all the cultural social conditioning; which is all man made ego profitable systems as you rightly mentioned and trace back the original text scriptures with an open mind (not logic), then you will be on your way to the path of enlightenment. 

By wanting something "after" death(which creates the concept of an immortal ego being (soul)), by propping up following laws, and rituals ( praying 5 times a day), you build up an ego that is "different" from the ego that is normally conditioned by nature.  Nature of being human in a sometimes limited resource area.

A cultural ego.  Religion informs culture.  And religion and god themselves are concepts.  

 

You change one form of conditioning for another. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by SkyPanther

[SkyPanther]

7 minutes ago, Neill Bolton said:

The only religion (if you can even call it that) that teaches losing the ego is (zen) buddhism.

This is correct, and I would also not call the root of Siddhartha Gautama's (the Buddhas) teachings a religion.  Though it has been turned into that via culture.  

If you go to Thailand for instance, there is a lot of Ritual, Idolization, etc, going on of the Buddha. Which is ironic, and funny, because the Buddha himself said that Rites and Rituals accomplish nothing, and he was a normal (but enlightened) human being. 

[Algi]

@SkyPanther I see your point going from one ego to another, but intention is where it all counts. If you are praying etc for wrong reasons like to pretend that you are good then it doesn't matter anyway. My point is that Islam gives you a way, but it is up to you with what intention you practice it and what ego you develop. If you are seeking knowledge about spiritual enlightenment just to show off your knowledge even most subtly then again it is growing a different form of ego like you said.

Bielieving that universe came from nothing and that there isn't a purpose for us here, sounds very limited just like the earth is flat.