Guest guest Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 WELL EXPRESSED THOUGHTS. Parag Does God Exist? Around this time last Sunday, I was getting ready to go to the temple for Janamashtami celebrations. (We have common celebrations for all important festivals.) In the temple, I was a sort of detached witness to the rituals. I was thinking about something else the whole time. Later, I wrote down my thoughts. You may read..... DOES GOD EXIST? It is blasphemous to doubt God's existence. Despite this knowledge, I have serious doubts about God's position as the creator and controller of the world. I think this line of thinking would qualify me to be an agnostic. I find God to be an amorphous figure. I do not know whether it is right to describe him as a figure, as if he were an eminent personality in some field. But I do know that I am equivocal about his identity. And I squarely blame him for this confusion. God is universally acknowledged as the maker of humans. Why did he create us or, for that matter, everything else that constitutes the universe? It seems he had nothing better to do. It is funny to believe that boredom might have goaded him into action. What does this assumption mean? I would say he had no purpose in his life. If that is the case, thinking that God created us simply to deal with the state of nothingness he was in makes me uneasy. Who created God? I think man did it. The reason why God created us will always be a matter of conjecture. Perhaps he had no comprehensible reason. In contrast, humans had a reason to create Him. God is not meant to be a definite entity. It is easier and logical to understand Him as a concept. Conceptually, God can be equated with hope. Life was full of dangers and attendant fears for our earliest ancestors. Man needed a saviour when his courage failed. He attributed everything he could not understand or explain to an unknown master. Man's hope ( that God would come to his rescue when he was helpless) and his belief (that God had created everything that man found marvellous or mysterious ) slowly crystallised into extreme reverence. Thus God acquired His status as the Supreme Being. As the human race progressed, man explored and understood the world around him. Now we have a vast knowlege about everything. The quest for knowledge continues. As a result, our perception has changed. Our hopes have a new meaning. In the past, diseases like smallpox, cholera and plague used to wipe out millions. Smallpox has been eradicated from the world and the other diseases are unheard of now. How did it happen? Man made vaccine and understood the importance of sanitation. Now we do not hope for protection against these scourges. Where does God figure in this scheme of things? Humans still believe in God. This belief is important. Hope sustains our life. We want somebody to help us when we are struck by any crisis. If everything else fails and we become helpless, it is God who can give us the strength and courage to fight and survive. He gives us the hope that things would be better. This is the real power God holds for those who need Him. At the same time, we must not forget there are a few others who have the fortitude to deal with vagaries of life on their own. For them God does not mean much. Therefore, God is only a psychological necessity. I have had a different feeling about God from the very ebginning.. I want to put forth my perspective through an experience I once had. I had gone to a famous temple. At the entrance, there was a beggar in a pitiable condition. He barely had any clothes on his body. He was dishevelled, with long matted hair. There was a worn out bowl in front of him in which an occasional pilgrim dropped a coin. Disgusted by his appearence, people mostly flung the coins at him from a distance. His face was swollen grotesquely, and had big sores. He was not even interested to wave away the flies swarming his face. I wondered for a long time afterwards what he thought of God. Did God exist for that poor man? Was there any hope for him in that world. I was sure only death would put an end to his misery. God was nearby, comfortably ensconced in his sanctified surroundings. What did He feel about that beggar's wretchedness? I doubted God ever thought about that hopeless creature, abandoned by everyone. I was certain there was no God in that temple. It is just that his followers thought he was there. Bharat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 In my times, we had decided to leave out God and Politics from any discussion here. Over to Ravin. Kishore Shah 1974 -------------------------------------------------- Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 6:59 AM To: <mgims > Subject: Re: Does God Exist? > WELL EXPRESSED THOUGHTS. > Parag > Does God Exist? > > > > Around this time last Sunday, I was getting ready to go to the temple for > Janamashtami celebrations. (We have common celebrations for all important > festivals.) In the temple, I was a sort of detached witness to the > rituals. I was thinking about something else the whole > time. Later, I wrote down my thoughts. You may read..... > > > DOES GOD EXIST? > It is blasphemous to doubt God's existence. Despite this knowledge, I > have serious doubts about God's position as the creator and controller of > the world. I think this line of thinking would qualify me to be an > agnostic. I find God to be an amorphous figure. I do not know whether it > is right to describe him as a figure, as if he were an eminent personality > in some field. But I do know that I am equivocal about his identity. And I > squarely blame him for this confusion. > God is universally acknowledged as the maker of humans. Why did he create > us or, for that > matter, everything else that constitutes the universe? It seems he had > nothing better to do. It is funny to believe that boredom might have > goaded him into action. What does this assumption mean? I would say he had > no purpose in his life. If that is the case, thinking that God created us > simply to deal with the state of nothingness he was in makes me uneasy. > Who created God? I think man did it. The reason why God created us will > always be a matter of conjecture. Perhaps he had no comprehensible reason. > In contrast, humans had a reason to create Him. God is not meant to be a > definite entity. It is easier and logical to > understand > Him as a concept. Conceptually, God can be equated with hope. Life was > full of dangers and attendant fears for our earliest ancestors. Man needed > a saviour when his courage failed. He attributed everything he could not > understand or explain to an unknown master. Man's hope ( that God would > come to his rescue when he was helpless) and his belief (that God had > created everything that man found marvellous or mysterious ) slowly > crystallised into extreme reverence. Thus God acquired His status as the > Supreme Being. > As the human race progressed, man explored and understood the world > around him. Now we have a vast knowlege about everything. The quest for > knowledge continues. As a result, our perception has changed. Our hopes > have a new meaning. In > the > past, diseases like smallpox, cholera and plague used to wipe out > millions. Smallpox has been eradicated from the world and the other > diseases are unheard of now. How did it happen? Man made vaccine and > understood the importance of sanitation. Now we do not hope for protection > against these scourges. Where does God figure in this scheme of things? > Humans still believe in God. This belief is important. Hope sustains our > life. We want somebody to help us when we are struck by any crisis. If > everything else fails and we become helpless, it is God who can give us > the strength and courage to fight and survive. He gives us the hope that > things would be better. This is the real power God holds for those who > need Him. At the same time, we must not forget there are a few others > who have the fortitude to deal with vagaries of life on their own. For > them God does not mean much. Therefore, God is only a psychological > necessity. > I have had a different feeling about God from the very ebginning.. I want > to put forth my perspective through an experience I once had. I had gone > to a famous temple. At the entrance, there was a beggar in a pitiable > condition. He barely had any clothes on his body. He was dishevelled, with > long matted hair. There was a worn out bowl in front of him in which an > occasional pilgrim dropped a coin. Disgusted by his appearence, people > mostly flung the coins at him from a distance. His face was swollen > grotesquely, and had big sores. He was not even interested to wave away > the flies swarming his face. I wondered for a long time afterwards what he > thought of God. Did God exist for that poor man? Was there any hope for > him in that world. I was sure only death would put an end to his misery. > God was nearby, comfortably ensconced in his sanctified surroundings. What > did He feel about that beggar's wretchedness? I doubted God ever thought > about that hopeless > creature, abandoned by everyone. I was certain there was no God in that > temple. It is just that his followers thought he was there. > Bharat > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Dear friends, Discussing God or politics on this forum in the past took ugly turns and as a result if which one member had to be banned from the forum. The latter was done since the member in question failed to rein himself in and took things as a personal attack. And continued with increased venomous tirades. I am in favour of healthy discussions on this forum, be it a topic of any choice. But going by our past experience I guess it would be best to keep the ban on discussions questioning religion and politics in place. Ravin '82 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Interesting write-up. Looking beyond the religious tone the question could be extrapolated to any of the other impenetrable questions- Does truth exist? Does right/wrong exist? It is all a matter of perception. To quote the old adage- 'Sarve sukhino santu or as my teenagers would say- ' whatever floats your boat'. Let the believers and non-believers continue with their 'beliefs' - as long as they do not harm/arenot judgemental about the other group. Malini From: mgims [mailto:mgims ] On Behalf Of Bharat Sharma Sent: 28 August 2011 18:45 To: mgims Subject: Does God Exist? Around this time last Sunday, I was getting ready to go to the temple for Janamashtami celebrations. (We have common celebrations for all important festivals.) In the temple, I was a sort of detached witness to the rituals. I was thinking about something else the whole time. Later, I wrote down my thoughts. You may read..... DOES GOD EXIST? It is blasphemous to doubt God's existence. Despite this knowledge, I have serious doubts about God's position as the creator and controller of the world. I think this line of thinking would qualify me to be an agnostic. I find God to be an amorphous figure. I do not know whether it is right to describe him as a figure, as if he were an eminent personality in some field. But I do know that I am equivocal about his identity. And I squarely blame him for this confusion. God is universally acknowledged as the maker of humans. Why did he create us or, for that matter, everything else that constitutes the universe? It seems he had nothing better to do. It is funny to believe that boredom might have goaded him into action. What does this assumption mean? I would say he had no purpose in his life. If that is the case, thinking that God created us simply to deal with the state of nothingness he was in makes me uneasy. Who created God? I think man did it. The reason why God created us will always be a matter of conjecture. Perhaps he had no comprehensible reason. In contrast, humans had a reason to create Him. God is not meant to be a definite entity. It is easier and logical to understand Him as a concept. Conceptually, God can be equated with hope. Life was full of dangers and attendant fears for our earliest ancestors. Man needed a saviour when his courage failed. He attributed everything he could not understand or explain to an unknown master. Man's hope ( that God would come to his rescue when he was helpless) and his belief (that God had created everything that man found marvellous or mysterious ) slowly crystallised into extreme reverence. Thus God acquired His status as the Supreme Being. As the human race progressed, man explored and understood the world around him. Now we have a vast knowlege about everything. The quest for knowledge continues. As a result, our perception has changed. Our hopes have a new meaning. In the past, diseases like smallpox, cholera and plague used to wipe out millions. Smallpox has been eradicated from the world and the other diseases are unheard of now. How did it happen? Man made vaccine and understood the importance of sanitation. Now we do not hope for protection against these scourges. Where does God figure in this scheme of things? Humans still believe in God. This belief is important. Hope sustains our life. We want somebody to help us when we are struck by any crisis. If everything else fails and we become helpless, it is God who can give us the strength and courage to fight and survive. He gives us the hope that things would be better. This is the real power God holds for those who need Him. At the same time, we must not forget there are a few others who have the fortitude to deal with vagaries of life on their own. For them God does not mean much. Therefore, God is only a psychological necessity. I have had a different feeling about God from the very ebginning.. I want to put forth my perspective through an experience I once had. I had gone to a famous temple. At the entrance, there was a beggar in a pitiable condition. He barely had any clothes on his body. He was dishevelled, with long matted hair. There was a worn out bowl in front of him in which an occasional pilgrim dropped a coin. Disgusted by his appearence, people mostly flung the coins at him from a distance. His face was swollen grotesquely, and had big sores. He was not even interested to wave away the flies swarming his face. I wondered for a long time afterwards what he thought of God. Did God exist for that poor man? Was there any hope for him in that world. I was sure only death would put an end to his misery. God was nearby, comfortably ensconced in his sanctified surroundings. What did He feel about that beggar's wretchedness? I doubted God ever thought about that hopeless creature, abandoned by everyone. I was certain there was no God in that temple. It is just that his followers thought he was there. Bharat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 well, well, folks I exist. I thank, therefore I am. Â Ashok Sinha ________________________________ To: mgims Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 12:14 PM Subject: RE: Does God Exist? Â Interesting write-up. Looking beyond the religious tone the question could be extrapolated to any of the other impenetrable questions- Does truth exist? Does right/wrong exist? It is all a matter of perception. To quote the old adage- 'Sarve sukhino santu or as my teenagers would say- ' whatever floats your boat'. Let the believers and non-believers continue with their 'beliefs' - as long as they do not harm/arenot judgemental about the other group. Malini From: mgims [mailto:mgims ] On Behalf Of Bharat Sharma Sent: 28 August 2011 18:45 To: mgims Subject: Does God Exist? Around this time last Sunday, I was getting ready to go to the temple for Janamashtami celebrations. (We have common celebrations for all important festivals.) In the temple, I was a sort of detached witness to the rituals. I was thinking about something else the whole time. Later, I wrote down my thoughts. You may read..... DOES GOD EXIST? It is blasphemous to doubt God's existence. Despite this knowledge, I have serious doubts about God's position as the creator and controller of the world. I think this line of thinking would qualify me to be an agnostic. I find God to be an amorphous figure. I do not know whether it is right to describe him as a figure, as if he were an eminent personality in some field. But I do know that I am equivocal about his identity. And I squarely blame him for this confusion. God is universally acknowledged as the maker of humans. Why did he create us or, for that matter, everything else that constitutes the universe? It seems he had nothing better to do. It is funny to believe that boredom might have goaded him into action. What does this assumption mean? I would say he had no purpose in his life. If that is the case, thinking that God created us simply to deal with the state of nothingness he was in makes me uneasy. Who created God? I think man did it. The reason why God created us will always be a matter of conjecture. Perhaps he had no comprehensible reason. In contrast, humans had a reason to create Him. God is not meant to be a definite entity. It is easier and logical to understand Him as a concept. Conceptually, God can be equated with hope. Life was full of dangers and attendant fears for our earliest ancestors. Man needed a saviour when his courage failed. He attributed everything he could not understand or explain to an unknown master. Man's hope ( that God would come to his rescue when he was helpless) and his belief (that God had created everything that man found marvellous or mysterious ) slowly crystallised into extreme reverence. Thus God acquired His status as the Supreme Being. As the human race progressed, man explored and understood the world around him. Now we have a vast knowlege about everything. The quest for knowledge continues. As a result, our perception has changed. Our hopes have a new meaning. In the past, diseases like smallpox, cholera and plague used to wipe out millions. Smallpox has been eradicated from the world and the other diseases are unheard of now. How did it happen? Man made vaccine and understood the importance of sanitation. Now we do not hope for protection against these scourges. Where does God figure in this scheme of things? Humans still believe in God. This belief is important. Hope sustains our life. We want somebody to help us when we are struck by any crisis. If everything else fails and we become helpless, it is God who can give us the strength and courage to fight and survive. He gives us the hope that things would be better. This is the real power God holds for those who need Him. At the same time, we must not forget there are a few others who have the fortitude to deal with vagaries of life on their own. For them God does not mean much. Therefore, God is only a psychological necessity. I have had a different feeling about God from the very ebginning.. I want to put forth my perspective through an experience I once had. I had gone to a famous temple. At the entrance, there was a beggar in a pitiable condition. He barely had any clothes on his body. He was dishevelled, with long matted hair. There was a worn out bowl in front of him in which an occasional pilgrim dropped a coin. Disgusted by his appearence, people mostly flung the coins at him from a distance. His face was swollen grotesquely, and had big sores. He was not even interested to wave away the flies swarming his face. I wondered for a long time afterwards what he thought of God. Did God exist for that poor man? Was there any hope for him in that world. I was sure only death would put an end to his misery. God was nearby, comfortably ensconced in his sanctified surroundings. What did He feel about that beggar's wretchedness? I doubted God ever thought about that hopeless creature, abandoned by everyone. I was certain there was no God in that temple. It is just that his followers thought he was there. Bharat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 A nice way to proclaim your existential identity. Bharat Subject: Re: Does God Exist? To: " mgims " <mgims > Date: Monday, 29 August, 2011, 10:04 AM Â well, well, folks I exist. I thank, therefore I am. Â Ashok Sinha ________________________________ To: mgims Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 12:14 PM Subject: RE: Does God Exist? Â Interesting write-up. Looking beyond the religious tone the question could be extrapolated to any of the other impenetrable questions- Does truth exist? Does right/wrong exist? It is all a matter of perception. To quote the old adage- 'Sarve sukhino santu or as my teenagers would say- ' whatever floats your boat'. Let the believers and non-believers continue with their 'beliefs' - as long as they do not harm/arenot judgemental about the other group. Malini From: mgims [mailto:mgims ] On Behalf Of Bharat Sharma Sent: 28 August 2011 18:45 To: mgims Subject: Does God Exist? Around this time last Sunday, I was getting ready to go to the temple for Janamashtami celebrations. (We have common celebrations for all important festivals.) In the temple, I was a sort of detached witness to the rituals. I was thinking about something else the whole time. Later, I wrote down my thoughts. You may read..... DOES GOD EXIST? It is blasphemous to doubt God's existence. Despite this knowledge, I have serious doubts about God's position as the creator and controller of the world. I think this line of thinking would qualify me to be an agnostic. I find God to be an amorphous figure. I do not know whether it is right to describe him as a figure, as if he were an eminent personality in some field. But I do know that I am equivocal about his identity. And I squarely blame him for this confusion. God is universally acknowledged as the maker of humans. Why did he create us or, for that matter, everything else that constitutes the universe? It seems he had nothing better to do. It is funny to believe that boredom might have goaded him into action. What does this assumption mean? I would say he had no purpose in his life. If that is the case, thinking that God created us simply to deal with the state of nothingness he was in makes me uneasy. Who created God? I think man did it. The reason why God created us will always be a matter of conjecture. Perhaps he had no comprehensible reason. In contrast, humans had a reason to create Him. God is not meant to be a definite entity. It is easier and logical to understand Him as a concept. Conceptually, God can be equated with hope. Life was full of dangers and attendant fears for our earliest ancestors. Man needed a saviour when his courage failed. He attributed everything he could not understand or explain to an unknown master. Man's hope ( that God would come to his rescue when he was helpless) and his belief (that God had created everything that man found marvellous or mysterious ) slowly crystallised into extreme reverence. Thus God acquired His status as the Supreme Being. As the human race progressed, man explored and understood the world around him. Now we have a vast knowlege about everything. The quest for knowledge continues. As a result, our perception has changed. Our hopes have a new meaning. In the past, diseases like smallpox, cholera and plague used to wipe out millions. Smallpox has been eradicated from the world and the other diseases are unheard of now. How did it happen? Man made vaccine and understood the importance of sanitation. Now we do not hope for protection against these scourges. Where does God figure in this scheme of things? Humans still believe in God. This belief is important. Hope sustains our life. We want somebody to help us when we are struck by any crisis. If everything else fails and we become helpless, it is God who can give us the strength and courage to fight and survive. He gives us the hope that things would be better. This is the real power God holds for those who need Him. At the same time, we must not forget there are a few others who have the fortitude to deal with vagaries of life on their own. For them God does not mean much. Therefore, God is only a psychological necessity. I have had a different feeling about God from the very ebginning.. I want to put forth my perspective through an experience I once had. I had gone to a famous temple. At the entrance, there was a beggar in a pitiable condition. He barely had any clothes on his body. He was dishevelled, with long matted hair. There was a worn out bowl in front of him in which an occasional pilgrim dropped a coin. Disgusted by his appearence, people mostly flung the coins at him from a distance. His face was swollen grotesquely, and had big sores. He was not even interested to wave away the flies swarming his face. I wondered for a long time afterwards what he thought of God. Did God exist for that poor man? Was there any hope for him in that world. I was sure only death would put an end to his misery. God was nearby, comfortably ensconced in his sanctified surroundings. What did He feel about that beggar's wretchedness? I doubted God ever thought about that hopeless creature, abandoned by everyone. I was certain there was no God in that temple. It is just that his followers thought he was there. Bharat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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