QUOTE(Vagrant Dreamer @ Jun 20 2008, 07:27 PM)
A lot of the 'new' ideas about God are actually very 'old' ideas about God. I think that generally there is an east-meets-west mentality that has been developing for decades, still in the minority certainly, but a popular belief pattern. Many are simply tired of having people tell them the 'Truth' as they see it and have settled on contemplating their own truth. Of course, it is true that religions are becoming more activist and commercialized than they have been for a while, in an effort to 'bring more people to God.'
However, no truth can be explicitly stated about God - no matter how ambiguous. God in nature can be understood by the illuminated, and illumination comes in degrees - but the Absolute cannot be known or even accurately contemplated by the limited consciousness of Man.
Kabbalists, Indians, even Native Americans and many other tribal cultures the world over, have always accepted that God is unknowable, and have refrained from describing it - with the understanding that God is creation, and that the lesser aspect of God is all that can ever be known to us.
peace
Well I have tried to explain my understanding of GOD in several posts. God differs between religions is partly due to the fact that each religion holds part of the key or truth. Each thinking they hold THE KEY. Grudjieff (sp) did the same thing with his students each 4th way school hold part of the teaching, they over lap as in religions.
God is a word that carries too much baggage because it can not be explained. Metaphors were used, over time the metaphors change meaning as they are out dated. I think the Absolute or infinite being fits the description better.
I think the quantum physics is very close. They break is down to consciousness, that is raw consciousness. Where matter ends, (matter being the part science can deal with, and us as our brains seem to need some form before it can contemplate. Out side that is just raw consciousness it is neutral as is the Absolute it can be formed into anything. The universe is expanding because I believe the Absolute is becoming more aware of itself. The Absolute doesn't much care it is too big to know itself total. There is no separateness, only the illusion of separateness. This can be experienced in meditation.
We record our actions, we deal out our judgement, we reap the rewards. Positive or negetive has nothing to do with it, it is just a learning process. At intervals the Absolute cleans slate. I believe we are going through this process at this time. The absolute seems to be going into the direction of order out of chaos.
Personally I would rather have this GOD (which is so loving, and benevolent) do the judging, but I believe otherwise.
So how do you explain the very apparent fact that there is you and me and 6.5 billion others. I have a difficult time and I have experienced the wholeness many times. With all the distractions it is hard to maintain, anyway in that state there is nothing here, nothing to learn.
I highly recommend Atom to Cosmos by Itzhak Bentov. He did great work in the structure of consciousness. He explains it as an engineer. You can get it a Amazon or you can watch the whole thing on You Tube. The DVD has a short computer graphic which doesn't do too much for me. Probably was cool at one time. The first part was done in 1978 I think, Ben is in an interview here. The second part is done by someone else and she takes ya through the whole thing. It gets way out there and for me at this stage is not that usable or verifiable. However it is interesting since he found Hebrew and Sanskrit out there, 2 of the alphabets that came form GOD, have number values, and are magickal.
So GOD is what ones level of understanding. I for one can not understand how the old vision of GOD sitting on a cloud watching taking notes is still around but many believe that. Certainly you have much less responsibility with that belief, you have someone to blame. Until you Personally take responsibility for your actions I don't believe you can get too much further whit contemplating god. The population as a whole is taking less and less personal responsibility, and we are witnessing the disintegration of civilization, and we ain't seen nothing yet. I was at a Dali Lama function, someone mentioned the great job the police were doing with traffic. He said "Yesssss, Police... Well I suppose there is a need for them. Eternal police better, if you have eternal police no need for external police.
I basically let GOD do his/her thing (who is going to stop GOD) I follow the coincidences, and the voice inside. Neither have lead me to a bad place, bad things may happen but they turn out for the better in the end. I try to spend time with out distractions everyday.
I believe that there are Ascended Masters that come out of the wood work now and then, mostly to a bad end. I believe they do the major work, here and elsewhere. The earth is their experiment, they more or less let us go on our own, inject some direction most evident in religion, to teach us. We however take them, in the wrong way and elevate them to godhood as they have godlike abilities. This is not what they want, they are looking for team mates, they can do so much the rest needs to be done by us. If enough get it fine, if they don't well things can get cleaned up (one of those events is upon us), if there isn't enough to work with, the whole experiment can be scraped. In other words:
If not enough evolve, or too many forget their path, then the earth and its lofty inhabitance can be eliminated and another experiment started, it the planet is needed to be wiped then they will do that and start elsewhere. There are just too many signs pointing to us being in deep doo doo, I believe we are at this point. There are signs that we are at a major point and that it is through out the entire universe. The Absolute has very little (as I understand it) with this process it is just the growing pains for it. We are very rapidly heading to anarchy, anarchy doesn't work. I am hoping that there are enough people that keep order in them selves to keep Humans in the picture... but is doesn't have to be. The Absolute doesn't care. The absolute can be formed into anything it is just raw consciousness, get too far out of the game that energy is recycled, nothing personal.
Well I got off a bit but there is my take. Atom to Cosmos is very much watching, factor in some quantum physics and that is as far as I can go at this point to understanding GOD.
Krell