Do I believe in God? ( a short essay )

[Andrew Rogers]

Greetings friend, I have wrote a short essay on the question of God. If you have interest, I would be glad to hear any criticisms.

 

Do I believe in God?

To answer this question we will have to dissect both words 'believe' and 'God'.

Usually by 'believe' we understand 'acting as if a given proposition is true, without it being scientifically proven or even with it being proven false or being unprovable at all'.

A skeptic might argue - why should anybody act as if something is true, knowing that it has no facts to back it up?

Here I would point him to the concept of a 'social construct' - a phenomena, when in order to better their lives, people act in such a way.

One example - paper money. The piece of paper itself is worthless, but still people will gladly trade it for their goods and services, because they know, that other will do it, too.

People might not believe in Santa Claus, yet they are happy to celebrate the New Year, gather around a freshly cut fir-tree and exchange presents.

Or when a former British colony suddenly accepted the social construct of seeing themselves as a new, independent nation and fought hard to persuade the Brits also to see them as such.

By the above I wanted to prove that often pretending that something is true, while it is not, might be beneficial.

 

Next we should dissect 'God'. Is it Yahweh, the God of the Bible? Maybe it is Allah or any of the Hindu Gods? Or maybe just a vague notion that 'there is something above you' ?

If there are numerous tribes slaughtering each other, it might be beneficial for someone to raise up and say - we are Christians, we don't act in such a way, we have to act with love and compassion.

Of course, some rulers will take it a step further by adding - and Yahweh will send you for an eternity to hell if don't do as I tell you!

Same with Allah, notion of which unites Muslims and gives them a sense of purpose, which, unfortunately, often it lays in slaughtering members of other social constructs.

Moreover, I would argue that believing in God is, in general, no different, then believing in one's country - they both are social constructs, created to benefit their members.

We could also look at people who do not believe in anything - cynics and nihilists. People usually find happiness in pursuing something they see as meaningful, be it patriotism, religion or secular humanism. A cynic does not see meaning in such things, therefor he does not pursue them and, when life's sufferings hit him, he quickly becomes bitter and resentful. As Nietzsche had put it - "if you have a why, you can bear almost any how"

Therefor it seems that the most beneficial social construct might be the one that will give its members a shared sense of identity and meaning in life.

As for me personally - I love to grapple with ideas, I love to look at them from different angles - therefor Christianity or any other dogmatic religion most certainly do not suit me. Yet philosophical movements might strike a cord in my sole. Stoicism with its concept of "amor fati" ( believing in your destiny ) , for example.

[Angelite]

The way I see it,

all of the descriptions above?, are surface level views. Viewed from the lens of utilitarian pov. 

It's so, far far far away from Reality. 

Maybe you should travel more. Or read more. 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Angelite

[Leo Gura]

YOU ARE GOD!

[Aeris]

Aldous Huxley was aware that all is predetermined in infinitum.

There is a Book he wrote about enlightenment.

Telling there is nothing to become.

Yes you are true humans cling to meaning like fly on a shit.

I create meaning every morning.

That is the ubermensh.

Free living on my mind rules. Society is the forest and I take the fruits that have been stolen.

Cause as god. Everything is mine by right.

even Nietzsche couldn't embody his own vision. 

Seeing' truth After putting meaning in 'will of power' makes him insane + Asylum.

Cause this wasn't the whole truth

 

But at his time no one was enlightened and his lifestyle and health didn't helped with his breakthrough.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Aeris

[Andrew Rogers]

7 hours ago, Angelite said:

all of the descriptions above?, are surface level views. Viewed from the lens of utilitarian pov. 

It's so, far far far away from Reality. Maybe you should travel more. Or read more. 

Maybe you could be a bit more specific? What would traveling provide in this case? I.e. seeing that different cultures have very different 'Gods' shows that they are 'social constructs' ( in a good & useful way ), like languages, flags, currencies, etc.

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

YOU ARE GOD!

I know will write part 2 of the essay shortly, covering this topic.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Andrew Rogers

[Angelite]

17 minutes ago, Andrew Rogers said:

seeing that different cultures have very different 'Gods' shows that they are 'social constructs' ( in a good & useful way ), like languages, flags, currencies, etc.

 

No. That's still surface level aka projections of your own utilitarian lens. 

Go deeper. To the roots of everything. Without skipping the process. (Not drugs haha)

Edited October 2, 2019 by Angelite

[Andrew Rogers]

2 minutes ago, Angelite said:

No. That's still surface level aka projections of your own utilitarian lens. 

Go deeper. To the roots of everything. 

You mean traveling, i.e. tripping?

[Angelite]

36 minutes ago, Andrew Rogers said:

You mean traveling, i.e. tripping?

Tell me whatchu get from ur tripping

Can you create a fly? Rn. 

 

[Andrew Rogers]

No. It can expand my view on the world and myself in it. Yet it is hard to describe in words and certainly is beyond this topic.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Andrew Rogers

[Angelite]

7 minutes ago, Andrew Rogers said:

No. It can expand my view on the world and myself in it. Yet it is hard to describe in words and certainly is beyond this topic.

But why do people who claimed to have seen a lot during their trip, still stuck in life problems & losing hope? For example, still worrying about i.e. sustenance & little minute fears ? Why are they not enlightened? (Clear seeing). 

Why are your views still very limited & distorted?

 

 

[R-Type]

2 minutes ago, Angelite said:

But why do people who claimed to have seen a lot during their trip, still stuck in life problems & losing hope? For example, still worrying about i.e. sustenance & little minute fears ? Why are they not enlightened? (Clear seeing). 

Why are your views still very limited & distorted?

 

 

Why do you keep on asking broad questions and giving vague suggestions? Why not getting more specific if you know better? ?

[Andrew Rogers]

11 minutes ago, Angelite said:

But why do people who claimed to have seen a lot during their trip, still stuck in life problems & losing hope? For example, still worrying about i.e. sustenance & little minute fears ? Why are they not enlightened? (Clear seeing). 

Why are your views still very limited & distorted?

 If you read reports on reddit and other places, you might find a different picture, i.e. people becoming free of their fears after a trip.

[Angelite]

I have got a transcendental knowledge from our Creator through the Prophet(Muhammad). 

That's how I know God. Or else I wouldn't. God of all creations..

A knowledge that lifted all your fears and give you clarity. After that, nothing will be contradictory. Past, present or future experiences. It never will (be contradictory). Relative or Absolute. 

 

 

[Andrew Rogers]

2 minutes ago, Angelite said:

I have got a transcendental knowledge from our Creator through the Prophet(Muhammad). 

That's how I know God. Or else I wouldn't. God of all creations..

A knowledge that lifted all your fears and give you clarity. After that, nothing will be contradictory. Past, present or future experiences. It never will (be contradictory). Relative or Absolute.

Could you be a bit more specific on that? What knowledge and how did Muhammad give you?

[Angelite]

For example,

About Allah, the Creator of all creations which is not anything like creations. 

Some history which(traces) can still be seen in this physical world. 

When & where you'll die had been pre determined. 

Your sustenance had been predetermined. 

Your birthdate. 

Whom was meant to be born in this world had been predetermined. 

Whether your life would be suffering or non-suffering. (Both are equally just, but tested differently). 

Just to mention a few. 

1 hour ago, Andrew Rogers said:

how did Muhammad give you?

Through the Quran, which is not a big book. 

[Andrew Rogers]

So some guy 1500 years ago said that everything is predetermined and now you see it as some kinds of a great revelation?

[Angelite]

3 minutes ago, Andrew Rogers said:

So some guy 1500 years ago said that everything is predetermined and now you see it as some kinds of a great revelation?

Not everything. 

You know, it's fun & fascinating when you see things unfolding according to the map.

[Andrew Rogers]

Does this map predict any future things unfolding or does it explain things that already have been unfolded?

[Angelite]

Both..

[Andrew Rogers]

Just now, Angelite said:

Both..

Cool