toldailytopic: What among your beliefs about God have changed over time, and how?

[bybee]

My mom came from a Jewish background, and my father from a Christian one. Early on, I was under the impression that Judaism and Christianity were close enough to the same things. As it became harder and harder to hold onto this misconception, I chose Judaism. During this time however, I experienced a lot of doubt. There have been times where I told myself atheism must be correct.

I always knew the Greek myths, even in preschool a bit. I later got into others. I became more interested in Pagan beliefs first by learning about the Sumerian Flood story, of Asherah who was worshiped as the consort of the Jewish God. I was fascinated by the Canaanite God El, and Arabic Allah- both cognates for a common semitic term for a supreme deity... cognates of "Elohanu" and "Elohim". All etymologies from a proto-semitic pagan pantheon. I remembered thinking of the use of the word "Elohim", plural, in Genesis. Gradually, it began to seem to me that virtually the whole world was once Polytheistic/animistic- and that the only doctrine that really opposed this idea without hope of compromise was Abrahamic monotheism. Between the two, it looks a lot more like the latter was the deviation or anomaly, not the former. Polytheism developed independently all over the world. Monotheism emerged from the levant not too long ago,

Sounds as though you are still evolving in your spiritual apprehension?

 

[Yazichestvo]

Sounds as though you are still evolving in your spiritual apprehension?

At least a bit, yes. I don't expect to do a complete 180 degree turn, but some change is possible. It's a simple fact that I am probably younger than a lot of the people here, so realistically, my beliefs might be fairly different when I'm older.

 

[coulter4president]

I used to be a strict traditional believer. About the age 18 I started asking questions that the pastor could not answer. The more I read, the more confused I got. I some saw that tradition was just that, tradition, not truth. The early church was made up of men just like us, they were not as smart but they were full of zest for the church. Truth got distorted.
I believed that Jesus was God. Then I realized that God cannot die. And Jesus kept praying to his God. Now we all know that there is only one God. Wow, what a can of worms that turned out to be.
At that time, I became an agnostic. That was in 1954, I felt that their was a God (Maybe).
It was then while I was in the Navy that a gentleman from the Seventh Day Adventist church taught me some of his thoughts. That got me started all over again. But it was him who I believe God sent to me, to show me by prophecy that Jesus was the annointed one from God. He show me beyond a reasonable doubt that Daniel had the time table for us to understand.
Since that time I feel that I have really been blessed by the spirit of God for he has taught me so much. After reading the Bible through about twenty times I still do not understand it all. We need to know of the culture of thoes times. It really is a lifetime study and one must not close their mind to new thoughts. We will never know it all.

The main thing to be learned is that Jesus is the son of the only God. He came to show us the way to God's presents. No one knows it all, but if your heart is in the right place, God will tell you enough to build your faith on.

God bless all thoes who keep seeking God's truth.

i really began to grow in Christ whne i began spedning time at the Blesed Sacrament, the Real Presence found only in the Catholic Church. A priest told me about this several yrs ago, tho i was raised Catholic.. it's amazing how much important info is kept from us Catholics by our own priests, but some are really good ones and this one was probably the best i've ever known... gave me the greatest Gift known to man... There is a lot to being in Christ that people do not know about becuase they do not spend time with Him in that way... When i'm there, i think things and feel things i can't think or feel (experince) anywhere else... can't put words on it..

but its very personal... and also not so personal... in the sense that ... well, when i think of various persons in my world... He shows me things about them... and about how i relate to them... can't put it into words... and of course, it would be different for everyone becasue everyone's difrerent... has differnt issues, etc... but if everyone spent more time with Him insted of in front of their TVs... this world would be a different place...

 

[coulter4president]

For much of my adult life after becoming a Christian at age 19 I thought of God as being rather hard-nosed and tended to be that way myself. No surprise there, I suppose. But as I mature I see God as less concerned about the things we get all wrapped up about and more inclusivistic. I rationalize the "hard nosedness" we see in the OT as not God being different as some see him but simply God dealing with man according to how man was - primitive. Primitive people are dealt with accordingly until such time as God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of men changing them into His image from glory to glory. That said, I do believe the Old Testament, on average, raised the Israelites to a level of humanity they wouldn't have known otherwise, legalism and religiosity notwithstanding. It is only in this New Covenant that God can treat men as he would like and show his merciful and compassionate side more fully and leave off the "harsher" treatments of man. I know I have a long way to go but I do believe God is building the same mercy and compassion in my inward parts as He conforms me to the image of Christ.

actually, in a sense, you wre right when at 19 you thought of God as "hardnosed"... but it seems to me (for whatever my opinion is worth and i admit its just an opinion...based on expereince, etc...but it seems to me ) that He is both hardnosed AND perfect LOVE...

He is hardnosed because He hates sin... and He knows better (far better) than we do how deeply sin hurts us.. so of course he is hardnosed... as it were... and even when we give up serious sin and follow Jesus... well, it then SEEMS as tho he is still hardnosed becasue... well, becaue we are frail little humans so inclined to sin... even when we have given up sin... which is why Jesus needed to come to Earth and do 4 us what we could never do 4 ourselves... in a million yrs..

when i am in the Real Presence of Christ ... especially when i am there a LONG Time (although no amt of time is even ENOUGH much less a lONG time...) i see and feel ... uh... hmmm... How to word this?? it is very hard to put ... God in a box, as it were... meaning hard to put words on such holy and wonderful things... so i always feel like not bothering to try... which may be the HS telling me to not try... hope so... But anyway...

i just wish people woiuld go to the Real Presence (usually available 9-5 in most parishes) and find out for themselves... Then i wouldn't have to always feel the need to explain the Unexplainable...

i go There and sit in total silence... it takes awhile for the worldly cobwebs to recede from my ... attention... but... well, again, words fail me..

i do know that if ppl spend time w/ Jesus on a regular basis like this, the world would become a different place..

As it is in Heaven, so let it be on Earth (paraphrase of the words of the Our Father )

 

[coulter4president]

hey Kristo...

where are you at???

hopefully with Jesus... (?)