How does God work?

[diy_fun_uk]

It is control.

"If you don't xxxxxxxxxx, then you will burn forever in hell......"

There being two places to go when you die, depending on whether you have been good or bad, gives "comfort" to believers.

But what has never been explained to me is what happens if your first partner dies and you remarry, what happens (assuming you all end up in the same place) when you die?
Could be a bit awkward meeting both....

This is one of the things I wonder about. Religions often refer to a heaven type place, where you'll see all your friends and family and live happily ever after for eternity. But unless folk are given some sort of heavenly lobotomy, how will that work? You're in heaven and you bump in to person x who you never had any time for, nor them for you. So do you magically just get on with them, or do you have to put a face on it as you did on earth?

I'm being a bit trivial I know, however much of it just doesn't add up to me. Like the true story of an elderly nun in Italy who had devoted her life to God. It was evening time and she was alone in the church. A guy entered the church and raped her. Couple of things. Firstly, what 'message' is the nun supposed to take from this? Secondly, could this 'all powerful' God that she's devoted her life to not have intervened e.g. just made the guy keep walking beyond the church.

Someone near death lives. 'That's the prayers answered.' Someone near death dies. 'Ours is not to reason why ...'

 

[Brigadier]

The simple fact that there are so many religions, in so many differing parts of the world, all supporting different versions of their God, rather than a single God - all suggests to me a 'need' by people for a God to be developed, rather than there being any actual God/Creator.

I twigged to it all being superstitious nonsense, long before my teens, yet others need to cling to some form of belief in a higher being.

Exactly; most people are comforted by having a higher power, even those that protest loudly that they don't.
Like the cult of celebrity.

Like those who want to depose a ceremonial royal family, only to tumble over themselves to replace them with a president with actual power and influence.

 

[securespark]

Someone near death lives. 'That's the prayers answered.' Someone near death dies. 'Ours is not to reason why ...'

Exactly!

I was watching the news about the earthquake in Turkey.
"Praise be to Allah for saving my son!"

Why did the b@stard send the quake in the first place?

Someone I knew at school rationalised it thus:

God allows natural disasters, and if people die, they are not believers. He only saves believers.

 

[JonathanM]

I'm not trying to be a smartypants and apols if every one already knows this, but I found this interesting at the time. I've had many Muslim friends and colleagues over the years, but I still knew almost nothing about Islam. A good few years ago, somehow, I got to chatting on a very basic level about religion with one of my Muslim friends, and about the god they follow. He told me that Muslims worship the same god as Christians and Jews, the god of Abraham, and that many of the main characters from the Bible, such as Jesus and John the Baptist, appear in the Quran. I suppose these days everybody learns this in Religious Studies at school, but back in my day the teaching was purely about Christianity.

 

[ellal]

Religion certainly became control, but the origins must date back much further to times when people were completely unaware of life and the world. It's quite easy to see why people were afraid that some higher power might bring famine and pestilence on them if they didn't make an offering. Some people obviously saw that this fear was a useful way of controlling large numbers of people. It's not a great leap from that to taking advantage, which brings us pretty much up to date.

One could be forgiven that substituting 'religion' with 'politics' works in exactly the same way....

Ensnare the gullible and persecute 'non believers' !

You say, it brings us 'up to date'?

We are however way out of time, since the political zealots have forced us into an irretrievable regression that the majority will suffer from...

But there is a slow burning revolution happening...

And it can't come quick enough as far as I'm concerned!

 

[ellal]

I'm not trying to be a smartypants and apols if every one already knows this, but I found this interesting at the time. I've had many Muslim friends and colleagues over the years, but I still knew almost nothing about Islam. A good few years ago, somehow, I got to chatting on a very basic level about religion with one of my Muslim friends, and about the god they follow. He told me that Muslims worship the same god as Christians and Jews, the god of Abraham, and that many of the main characters from the Bible, such as Jesus and John the Baptist, appear in the Quran. I suppose these days everybody learns this in Religious Studies at school, but back in my day the teaching was purely about Christianity.

It's called indoctrination, wherever you come from...

It's all crap of course

Unless someone/anyone can prove me wrong and come up with proof that their imaginary friend (of whatever 'persuasion') actually exists?

It's a given that no-one will rise to that challenge!

 

[RandomGrinch]

Some of us would like to think there is a meaning to this malarkey called 'life' - a 'God', or belief, may be helpful in achieving this.

Others may look at the random chance and happenstance that brought us into existence - stare into the bleakness and meaninglessness of infinity, and think.. "ok, we're here now, I suppose we better just get on with it then"!

 

[ellal]

Some of us would like to think there is a meaning to this malarkey called 'life' - a 'God', or belief, may be helpful in achieving this.

Some of us care not a jot about an imaginary friend that is rather reluctant to reveal itself !

Instead if one does some good then there is the almost certainty that 'good karma' is the reward...

Maybe not for yourself, but at some point for one of your loved ones/friends and most often from an unlikely source...

Humans do have in them the ability to do good regardless of where they come from...

But sadly many of those in need of 'good karma' choose to blame those who may have offered help simply because of their prejudices as to where that help came from!

 

[Dork Lard]

Chap hears on the weather forecast that a great storm & flood is coming & people in low lying areas should move immediately to higher ground.

This chap believes in his God & that his God will protect him & his family from harm.

When the flood water reaches the first floor this chap gathers his family & climbs out onto his roof. Awhile later 2x men in a boat come to rescue them, the chap shouts across "go away, my God will not let harm come to me". When the flood reaches almost to the ridge a helicopter flys overhead to drop them a rescue line. The chap shouts up to them "go away, my God will not let harm come to me", so the helicopter flys off . . . . .

The chap is stood at the gates to his heaven & see's his God through the railings. "My God, why has't though forsaken me"?

His God walks over to the railings & says to him . . . . "What are you doing here? I sent you a weather forecast, I sent you 2x men in a boat & then I sent you a helicopter".

 

[ellal]

His God walks over to the railings & says to him . . . . "What are you doing here? I sent you a weather forecast, I sent you 2x men in a boat & then I sent you a helicopter".

You forgot the bit about that imaginary 'god' in his 'infinite wisdom' should have added...

'Well f*ck you then'...

After all, what's a single stupid person got to do with the grand scheme of things where over the ages hundreds of millions of people have died needlessly on it's imaginary 'watch'?

Those who believe in an imaginary 'god friend' are also most likely to believe in the the brexit unicorns

 

[Trazor]

You forgot the bit about that imaginary 'god' in his 'infinite wisdom' should have added...

'Well f*ck you then'...

After all, what's a single stupid person got to do with the grand scheme of things where over the ages hundreds of millions of people have died needlessly on it's imaginary 'watch'?

Those who believe in an imaginary 'god friend' are also most likely to believe in the the brexit unicorns

What a miserable Troll you are.

Ask your "Doctor sons" for some happy pills.

 

[fillyboy]

What a miserable Troll you are.

Ask your "Doctor sons" for some happy pills.

I'm not a believer, but if anyone else chooses to believe in a God, or simply a higher power, I respect that.

 

[Justin Passing]

I'm not a believer, but if anyone else chooses to believe in a God, or simply a higher power, I respect that.

I don't, I just think they're a bit pathetic

 

[Dork Lard]

I don't, I just think they're a bit pathetic

I know a few very religious believers & I don't think they're anywhere near being classed as "pathetic".

In fact, I'd say they're in a far better place than you are.

 

[Justin Passing]

I know a few very religious believers & I don't think they're anywhere near being classed as "pathetic".

In fact, I'd say they're in a far better place than you are.

I'm sure they're very content with their self important hocus pocus and off-the-shelf morality. Which they probably contracted from mummy and daddy with no intelligent thought of their own.