God without religion

roosh

pauldla wrote: »

Indeed. Love, it seems, is energy. But god, we are told, is love. So, therefore, god is energy. But so is coal! So, coal is god. And god is coal.

I have a friend who is a doctor of theology. She maintains that god is an event. I fear to throw that into the mix.

God is everything, including coal

Northclare

This is the type of spirituality I follow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7h3iYIg9hI

angelman121

GOD IS A FEELING. We have it already. You either feel it or you search for it, however feeling's are only experienced within the self so the search must be within the self, when we have enough of the outside world we will start the inner search.

The Journey

Over time under pressure, is a diamond born of coal
Released is hidden treasure
On a journey of a soul

Oceans turned to desert sand
Mountains lost at sea
Molten lava giving birth
Moments in eternity

Cities built and crumble slow
Populations fall and grow
One by one days come and go
In the journey of a soul

Battles fought, no one wins
So we live to fight again
An inner struggle, our own sins
Return again to haunt us

A tiny seed can crack a rock
A thought of truth once planted
Will grow unhindered, stopped by nought
A search will end, once started

Patterns form in head and heart
Shattered dreams with short lived pleasure
Until one day we make a start
And seek for hidden treasure

Over time and under pressure
A diamond born of coal
In your own time and at your own leisure
You are the journey of that soul

havetoquit

This topic really interests me, particularly as I am experiencing a confusing phase/dilemma if you like.

Whilst never being over zealously religious, I was brought up in an organized religion and until recent years abided by much of it's teachings, if not agreeing with others.

However, I am now, like many more I imagine, in a situation whereby I only know the God whom I learned of through my religion.

I abhor those who claimed to be doing his work and following his teaching whilst doing the opposite and wish to distance myself totally from the whole idea of organised religion without losing my faith in God, although even His existence is sometimes a huge mystery to me.

I honestly feel just a tad lost right now with regard to religion, but know that there will come a day, as it does to us all, when if I do not make some arrangements ahead of time, that a funeral will take place as a matter of course accordingly to the regulations of the very religion I want to distance myself from.

Gosh, sorry about the tone of my message, but am having a little issue with articulating exactly what I want to say.

Reading the views/responses of others on this topic is very helpful and I doubt that I am the only one with this confusion.

havetoquit

That is just beautiful and I shall copy and keep it with your permission, if I may.

angelman121

havetoquit wrote: »

That is just beautiful and I shall copy and keep it with your permission, if I may.

Yes your welcome, You can find more Poems I have written here
http://http://www.paulwilliams.ie/poems/pomesIndex.html

gillad

havetoquit wrote: »

This topic really interests me, particularly as I am experiencing a confusing phase/dilemma if you like.

Whilst never being over zealously religious, I was brought up in an organized religion and until recent years abided by much of it's teachings, if not agreeing with others.

However, I am now, like many more I imagine, in a situation whereby I only know the God whom I learned of through my religion.

I abhor those who claimed to be doing his work and following his teaching whilst doing the opposite and wish to distance myself totally from the whole idea of organised religion without losing my faith in God, although even His existence is sometimes a huge mystery to me.


I honestly feel just a tad lost right now with regard to religion, but know that there will come a day, as it does to us all, when if I do not make some arrangements ahead of time, that a funeral will take place as a matter of course accordingly to the regulations of the very religion I want to distance myself from.

Gosh, sorry about the tone of my message, but am having a little issue with articulating exactly what I want to say.

Reading the views/responses of others on this topic is very helpful and I doubt that I am the only one with this confusion.

You dont need a religion to connect with God.You can do it at home alone or better still out in nature.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is within you"

BTW God doesnt punish are there is no such place as hell

havetoquit

Thank you for your kind response.

I indeed do believe that I can connect with God, as I have never really lost the connection and yes, nature brings one even closer.

I have never really given a great deal of thought to punishment or Hell, but as nobody has ever returned to tell us of their experience in Heaven, one only has the word of our fellow humans, depending on their own religious upbringing, or teaching.

It is of course comforting to think that God does not punish, but does this then mean that those who have hurt him and not lived by his teachings and example on earth simply gain access to Him without issue?

I know that I am simply asking your own opinion and that is all basically any of us can offer; opinions and thoughts where religion is concerned, as one finds such a huge variety of differences as to the way one should live one's life in order to ever hope of seeing God.

My other real concern is that how the loving God that I pray to can allow such horrific things to happen to innocent God loving people? Does he not have the power to shield them from abusive people and disasters of the most horrific kind etc? Why does he take so many good from this world when by their example alone they could have brought people closer to him?

I find the Bible contradictory when I try to understand it and this of course causes more confusion.

Anyway, thank you so much again for your response.

gillad

havetoquit wrote: »

Thank you for your kind response.

I indeed do believe that I can connect with God, as I have never really lost the connection and yes, nature brings one even closer.

I have never really given a great deal of thought to punishment or Hell, but as nobody has ever returned to tell us of their experience in Heaven, one only has the word of our fellow humans, depending on their own religious upbringing, or teaching.

It is of course comforting to think that God does not punish, but does this then mean that those who have hurt him and not lived by his teachings and example on earth simply gain access to Him without issue?

I know that I am simply asking your own opinion and that is all basically any of us can offer; opinions and thoughts where religion is concerned, as one finds such a huge variety of differences as to the way one should live one's life in order to ever hope of seeing God.

My other real concern is that how the loving God that I pray to can allow such horrific things to happen to innocent God loving people? Does he not have the power to shield them from abusive people and disasters of the most horrific kind etc? Why does he take so many good from this world when by their example alone they could have brought people closer to him?

I find the Bible contradictory when I try to understand it and this of course causes more confusion.

Anyway, thank you so much again for your response.

Its important to get different opinions because you can look at them all and decide which you like best.Everyone is different and thats why there are so many different religions.There is no right religion,what i do is a take a bit from all religions and a bit of science and i create my own version of God.Think of all religions at the base of a pyramid looking up to their God at the top.They are all looking at the same place,they just have different views.We can stand alone and look up too.

We are all equal when we die and return to spirit.It doesnt matter what you`v done, but if you have been evil you will understand that it was the wrong way to live your life and you may get a chance to put it right someway or maybe try again but you wont be punished.God is pure love and doesnt punish.

God lets us do what we like(we have freewill) and doesnt interfere so we are free to do as we like and thats why there is suffering.Disasters are natural and will happen and have nothing to do with God.I believe that if you get a strong connection to "your own view of God" then this will protect you from negativity and maybe even Disasters too.

We are here to experience life and emotions and its all part of an evolution of our soul/spirit so its important to experience the negative stuff in life too because the more you experience the smarter your spirit will get.

I dont read the bible because it was put together and translated(edited) in a way by the church to frighten people into being good little sheep with no freewill.
This is my opinion and i hope you can take something from it:)

havetoquit

Thank you for your kindness in taking time to respond.

Would it be interpreted in good spirit if I asked if your present beliefs are those which you have always held or did you have an experience which led to them?

I understand all that you have said and am at relative peace with myself over all, apart from a few niggles here and there.

I live my life as best I can and hand over my concerns to my higher power.

I am confused regarding our loving God, when for example a dear friend questions why her beautiful first child was taken in illness shortly after birth and there are just so many other instances that I am regularly presented with and find my responses leaving their questions still unanswered.

How can these unfortunate people see their traumas as anything other than either a punishing God or to doubt his very existence when all their prayers and good living has been ignored.

Perhaps I dwell too much on these things, but the anxieties and worries of those I try to enable to overcome tragedy, suffering, injustice or loss are a great concern to me and when God comes into their questions, I doubt that any of us have the answers that they seek, even if we think we do.

I wish you a peaceful and enjoyable evening.

angelman121

havetoquit wrote: »

Thank you for your kind response.

I indeed do believe that I can connect with God, as I have never really lost the connection and yes, nature brings one even closer.

I have never really given a great deal of thought to punishment or Hell, but as nobody has ever returned to tell us of their experience in Heaven, one only has the word of our fellow humans, depending on their own religious upbringing, or teaching.

It is of course comforting to think that God does not punish, but does this then mean that those who have hurt him and not lived by his teachings and example on earth simply gain access to Him without issue?

I know that I am simply asking your own opinion and that is all basically any of us can offer; opinions and thoughts where religion is concerned, as one finds such a huge variety of differences as to the way one should live one's life in order to ever hope of seeing God.

My other real concern is that how the loving God that I pray to can allow such horrific things to happen to innocent God loving people? Does he not have the power to shield them from abusive people and disasters of the most horrific kind etc? Why does he take so many good from this world when by their example alone they could have brought people closer to him?

I find the Bible contradictory when I try to understand it and this of course causes more confusion.

Anyway, thank you so much again for your response.

I don't see god as a he or a her, and I don't feel separated from it either . The way I experience what is called god- I call it LIFE -is through feeling, when I feel love flowing from me I am connected with the energy of life that has no ending i.e the outside stretches into infinity ! and is beyond time(and so eternal) as time is contained within a bubble in space called earth and only applies to the thinking human mind where it was invented. I would also say about 'nobody returning from heaven' that as a spiritual being you Haven't left it,(this is to long to include here so I'll just put link)http://http://www.paulwilliams.ie/HeavenOnEarth/heavenOnEarth.html
It's just a matter of what you put before it. As for gaining access to god/life the law of like to like applies here if you are not unconditional love shining and sharing itself -well then you are something else and so the door is closed to you so to speak, until you remove all that is not unconditional love you have as much time as you like to see what needs to be removed, sadness anger judgement guilt hate and all the other yucky stuff that comes between you and your peace.
About god/life allowing such horrific things to happen to innocent God loving people?. From a spiritual eternal point of view this world and all it contains is only like a dream and it's also where we learn about our own creations, anger hate etc . I know I have learned about my own crap through crappy things happening to me in my life, however it was perfect for me to learn what I had to learn and so I allow the rest of the world to learn in it's own way in it's own time
Happy Every Day
P

daisybelle2008

havetoquit wrote: »

I find the Bible contradictory when I try to understand it and this of course causes more confusion.

Hi Poster,

I have an observation about your posts regarding the confusion you are feeling. You say that you find the Bible contradictory and that is adding to your confusing. Yet your idea of God (who you call ‘HIM’) is already biblical and entrenched with organised religions concepts and conditions.

It is difficult (I would say impossible) to try to hold a concept of God, which is external to you, without making it judgmental and projecting a man-made concept of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ onto this external notion.
The idea of ‘judgment’ is something that will have you going around in circles with your concept of ‘God’. You expect this God to judge and punish and in return you are trying to apply judgment back to your external concept. i.e Why does ‘He’ allow bad things to happen?.

Any external projection is never going to be understood. That is why you will always question ‘His existence’. Because you are making him up and trying to slap some terms and conditions that you speculate ‘He’ should have.

[/QUOTE] It is of course comforting to think that God does not punish, but does this then mean that those who have hurt him and not lived by his teachings and example on earth simply gain access to Him without issue? [/QUOTE]

What teachings are these? The ones you make up or the ones made up by organised religions?
Again you are trying so hard to make this God judgmental, separate and hard to access.

[/QUOTE] one finds such a huge variety of differences as to the way one should live one's life in order to ever hope of seeing God. [/QUOTE]

That is because the biblical idea of God is man-made; no two people are going to have the exact same concept of something that is a projection of people’s opinion. You will forever struggle to come up with ‘one way’ to ‘please’ the God. But if God is unconditional love, then ‘God’ does not ‘need’ pleasing.

[/QUOTE] I find the Bible contradictory when I try to understand it and this of course causes more confusion. [/QUOTE]

Then why are you trying to understand it? I mean that genuinely. It is fictional stories about a man-made concept. Trying to understand it by adding more fictional concepts is futile and going to lead to more confusion.
I would say to you that maybe think about what Angelman121 and others touch on. The idea that we are all 'God', that God is not separate but part of you and our true state is unconditional love.
You have to open your mind very objectively to understand what they are saying. ‘judgment’ separates you from this concept. ‘Judgment’ and ‘unconditional’ cannot exist together.

I've always wondered if there was a god. And now I know there is - and it's me – Homer Simpson

ShamrockLady

doctoremma wrote: »

Possibly could go in any number of fora but I'm most familiar with the posters here....

Is it possible to have god without religion? For those who have turned away from organised religion in favour of a more personal approach, does the god figure (and many of the rules) not coincide with the that of the religion you are most familiar with? When switching denominations, are you not just trying to fit religion to your own world view? Do deists have a god figure that fits with their most familiar religion? For the "spiritual but not religious", what form does your god take?

It is very possible to have God without religion. That's the way God would want it. Religion is man made. I believe in Christianity and living a life as Jesus would. Not that I do all the time, but I try. For me, it's God all the way. No organized religion.

Eiriu

GarIT wrote: »

No, I doubt you came up with your god yourself. I'm just pointing out that it doesn't have to follow any set of rules if you do not belong to a religion.

You find God yourself.

It is your own responsibility.

All the information is there.

Eiriu

EI_Flyboy wrote: »

If there is a God, a single creator or if you believe in a God then you have to accept that God existed and exists free and independent of any religion. Religion is man's creation and as such is subject to all man's failings and imperfections. You don't need religion to access God.

Start with existentialism and buddhism, and see where you get from there.