God is My Superpower

[DBT]

God is watching you,

Yeah. What a freaky belief. I cannot grasp what that belief feels like, to the adherents. If they truly swallow the God stuff, in the conventional Christian sense, then they think God is in their head, monitoring every thought, whim, impulse, desire. And he's also inhabiting the heads of 8,200,000,000 other humans. (I guess -- I don't know if they have scriptures that spell that out.) The ultra-KGB of deities. (Although why the Christian god would want to be inside the head of a Muslim or Hindu or any other religionist is anyone's guess.) But that would truly make him omnipotent, because just the sampling of brainless shit I hear people yakking into their smart phones would drive me crazy, if I had to hear it all day. Or imagine God having to listen in on the simperings of some 7th grader with issues about not being invited to Courtney's birthday party. Am I getting close to the reason he decided to drown almost everyone, in the seventh chapter of his love book? Not that we were evil, but that we were boring AF. "Hey, I brought you out of the dust, I gave you brains and the power of speech, and you spend all day on utter bullshit. Signing off on this meaningless drivel. GOD OUT!!" Whooosh with the rain.

You put some effort into your post, expressing your personal thoughts. Cheers for the contribution.

As I mentioned in the previous post to DBT...
...No one's bothered with God watching them. Don't you watch the news?

Some believers behave precisely as though they don't believe in God, perhaps their faith is just an insurance policy, eternal life, repent and be forgiven, just in case. Some may believe that they are doing Gods work, that they are blessed by God, etc.

 

[ideologyhunter]

God has intervened many times as shown in the bible.

The Bible was written 420 years ago. Has God done anything in the last four centuries?

1604? By Shakespeare??? (Or, excuse me, anti-Stratfordians...by Ben friggin Jonson?)

 

[southernhybrid]

I tried to post something about how far back caring for others goes yesterday but it wouldn't post, so I found a different link to see if it would let me post it.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180313130443.htm

They have an unwarranted image as brutish and uncaring, but new research has revealed just how knowledgeable and effective Neanderthal healthcare was.

The study, by the University of York, reveals that Neanderthal healthcare was uncalculated and highly effective -- challenging our notions that they were brutish compared to modern humans.

The researchers argue that the care provided was widespread and should be seen as a "compassionate and knowledgeable response to injury and illness."

It is well known that Neanderthals sometimes provided care for the injured, but new analysis by the team at York suggest they were genuinely caring of their peers, regardless of the level of illness or injury, rather than helping others out of self-interest.

Lead author, Dr Penny Spikins, senior lecturer in the Archaeology of Human Origin at the University of York, said: "Our findings suggest Neanderthals didn't think in terms of whether others might repay their efforts, they just responded to their feelings about seeing their loved ones suffering."

So even as far back, prior to the evolution of homo sapiens, our ancient relatives cared for each other without any expectation of reimbursement, I just wanted to let Learner know that it wasn't Christians who started the concept of caring for others, helping the sick etc. It's been going on since ancient times.

 

[ideologyhunter]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180313130443.htm

the idea that it wasn't Christians who started the concept of caring for others, helping the sick etc.

When I worked as a counselor at church camp, we had one RM (resident minister; they stayed for a week) who told us that he believed that selfless love did not exist outside of faith in Christ. We teens on staff -- even the believers, as opposed to the vague humanists among us, as I remember -- thought that this was beyond weird. No one challenged his statement, we just came up with dozens of counter-examples as we hashed over what he said. As a closeted atheist at the time, I thought it was both smug and revolting.

 

[southernhybrid]

We seem to live in a world of make believe, religion, politics, ideology, business, advertising seeks to sell us things we don't need or really want....so what's one more in the mix, let's have an invisible magical friend to take care of our needs and wants.

I can agree with the above to some extent.

Christianity (according to Jesus) wants to "sell us" the idea that we should 'love our neighbours and our enemies', feed the poor and hungry, tend to the sick, etc...blah blah blah. It warns of other "rival salesmen" who plagiarize the Christian "sales pitch" creating an altered version, making it their own unique "scam"- lying about themselves being the originators of the idea.

The idea of civilized society and caring for others may precede Christianity.

It did precede Christianity. In fact, as you may know, most of the nicer Christian values are human universals, found in all known past and current societies, Things like sharing food, caring for the sick or your neighbor etc. These have nothing to do with Christianity in and of itself. They are simply moral values practiced in all cultures.

The bible describes this as the 'conscience' within mankind,existing since the dawn of man, where there is potential for the conscience to be allowed without resistance to govern the course of his/her actions.

Too bad, more Christians don't live by these values but instead condemn those who don't believe what they do. I'm primarily referring to the evangelicals, not the more moderate or liberal Christians. The ones who shout, be "saved" or spend eternity being tortured in hell. Such a loving god! /s. That was the most horrific thing I was taught as a child of evangelical parents, who were swept up in that cult in early adulthood.

It seems like you suffered a horrific abuse. Where you able to testify in court for the abuse they did ?

I was taught to believe horrific things, like for example, all my little Catholic friends would burn in hell if I didn't get them to be saved. I don't know if you're a conservative Christian who takes the Bible literally, but those who do are often among the worst, most judgmental people I've ever known.

I didn't mention that my father did beat us until I stood up to him. He sometimes used the Biblical idea of "spare the rod and spoil the child" to justify his behavior. I never hit or spanked my son. I think that's child abuse, regardless of what any holy books say. I forgave my father and we became close. Sadly, he abused one of my sisters into adulthood. He threw her out of the house in the middle of a snow storm, long before we had cell phones. Do you think he was the only Evangelical Christian who treated his kids like that? I don't think so. She suffers from anxiety to this day, imo, from our father's behavior and religion, yet she still clings to most of those beliefs. I don't understand it.

 

[Elixir]

she still clings to most of those beliefs. I don't understand it.

That’s sad, but not uncommon. It has to do with the depth of her investment in such beliefs. A lot of suffering has gone into keeping those beliefs alive.

 

[southernhybrid]

she still clings to most of those beliefs. I don't understand it.

That’s sad, but not uncommon. It has to do with the depth of her investment in such beliefs. A lot of suffering has gone into keeping those beliefs alive.

Yeah. You're probably right. She simply can't let it go. I think part of is that she finds community in religion. She told me she never goes to the Sunday service, but she enjoys the small groups, like the senior Bible study, for example. I once tried to help her understand how religion has harmed her, but in retrospect, that was a mistake on my part. I'm not sure how extreme her beliefs are, but I once asked her if she thought I was going to hell for being an atheist and she said, "I don't know". For the most part, we keep religion out of our conversations. At least we share the same political views.

 

[bilby]

God has intervened many times as shown in the bible.

The Bible was written 420 years ago. Has God done anything in the last four centuries?

1604? By Shakespeare??? (Or, excuse me, anti-Stratfordians...by Ben friggin Jonson?)

Well, by one-and-six Jimmy, or rather, at his command. It took a few years; He commissioned it in 1604, but it wasn't finished until 1611.

 

[pood]

If God is watching, why does He do nothing?

God has intervened many times as shown in the bible.

Evidence? The bible saying so is not evidence.

People still rejected him, as it was rejecting Jesus.

So God got pissed off at this and took his ball and went home, and now won’t intervene at all, like when Hitler and Stalin slaughtered tens of millions of people and God did exactly jack shit to stop them, even though he knows everything and is omnipotent? Yeah, makes sense.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

So God got pissed off at this and took his ball and went home, and now won’t intervene at all, like when Hitler and Stalin slaughtered tens of millions of people and God did exactly jack shit to stop them, even though he knows everything and is omnipotent? Yeah, makes sense.

Learner, for whatever reason, is unable to let go his belief that he has his superpower. His superpower doesn't work but he still thinks he has it. It's an interesting human behavior to say the least.

 

[Learner]

So God got pissed off at this and took his ball and went home, and now won’t intervene at all, like when Hitler and Stalin slaughtered tens of millions of people and God did exactly jack shit to stop them, even though he knows everything and is omnipotent? Yeah, makes sense.

Learner, for whatever reason, is unable to let go his belief that he has his superpower. His superpower doesn't work but he still thinks he has it. It's an interesting human behavior to say the least.

How is the 'superpower' as you put it, supposed to work as you see it in your mind -according to the scriptures? Are we on the same page even, in concept?
The Human behaviours are indeed interesting, the interest is mutual.

 

[Learner]

If God is watching, why does He do nothing?

God has intervened many times as shown in the bible.

Evidence? The bible saying so is not evidence.

That's the concept of the theology (if "interested" in entertaining the idea, hypothetically ). I'm not looking for anyone's agreement or approval on the bible matter.

People still rejected him, as it was rejecting Jesus.

So God got pissed off at this and took his ball and went home, and now won’t intervene at all, like when Hitler and Stalin slaughtered tens of millions of people and God did exactly jack shit to stop them, even though he knows everything and is omnipotent? Yeah, makes sense.

Here at the least, there's some little semblance to 'entertain the idea', 'envisioning' the logic behind the biblical belief, although be it, you have a different, and imo a distorted view of the bible than I.

 

[pood]

If God is watching, why does He do nothing?

God has intervened many times as shown in the bible.

Evidence? The bible saying so is not evidence.

That's the concept of the theology (if "interested" in entertaining the idea, hypothetically ). I'm not looking for anyone's agreement or approval on the bible matter.

You said “God has intervened many times as shown in the bible.”

The bible does not “show” any such thing. It merely asserts it. That is not evidence.

People still rejected him, as it was rejecting Jesus.

So God got pissed off at this and took his ball and went home, and now won’t intervene at all, like when Hitler and Stalin slaughtered tens of millions of people and God did exactly jack shit to stop them, even though he knows everything and is omnipotent? Yeah, makes sense.

Here at the least, there's some little semblance to 'entertain the idea', 'envisioning' the logic behind the biblical belief, although be it, you have a different, and imo a distorted view of the bible than I.

I honestly don’t know what you are trying to say above. I am merely pointing out that according to you, God has intervened many times in human history, and I am asking you, who believes this claim without a shred of evidence to support it, why he does not do so now?

 

[rousseau]

The thought occurred to me today that this is precisely what people are doing when they say they believe in god and go on about it. They're telling me they have a superpower. It's the same thing we did as kids when we pretended to have guns and shoot the bad guys. I'm going to have to use this in the future, casually of course, when someone gives me some god bullshit.

Always gotta know the audience and have an idea of the person's likely reaction. I wouldn't tell a kid who venerates Santa that there isn't one but an adult is different. And some adults are still kids in how they think about these things. I'll have to be careful.

But the fact is that humans love to pretend. We love pretending so much that we actually pay people to pretend for us so we can enjoy watching them pretend. I think this is what is happening with religion primarily, pretending there are answers and getting together with people who like to pretend in the same thing, their shared superpower they call god.

One thought I've had recently that might interest you. The cross, how people wear the cross, or get tattoos of it. I realized that for many of these people it's a literal talisman.

talisman - an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck

 

[Spacetime Inhabitant]

The contents of the Bible are over 1.600 years old, so let's say it records many incidences of divine intervention, but as there is no newer 'Word of God' recording intervention in the past 1,600 years, this presumably means no such divine intervention has occurred during this time. Why is that so? Did God get bored or go on a long holiday?

 

[Elixir]

The contents of the Bible are over 1.600 years old, so let's say it records many incidences of divine intervention, but as there is no newer 'Word of God' recording intervention in the past 1,600 years, this presumably means no such divine intervention has occurred during this time. Why is that so? Did God get bored or go on a long holiday?

1600 years is like five minutes to god. So he took 5 minutes off - can't you give the poor fucker a break?

 

[bilby]

The contents of the Bible are over 1.600 years old, so let's say it records many incidences of divine intervention, but as there is no newer 'Word of God' recording intervention in the past 1,600 years, this presumably means no such divine intervention has occurred during this time. Why is that so? Did God get bored or go on a long holiday?

1600 years is like five minutes to god. So he took 5 minutes off - can't you give the poor fucker a break?

What, he can make literally everything in six days, but can't make a cup of tea in 1,600 years??

 

[Elixir]

What, he can make literally everything in six days, but can't make a cup of tea in 1,600 years??

Hey, that’s when he’s working!
S’matter with you guys that you can’t cut him any slack for five fucking minutes !!?

 

[ideologyhunter]

You guys didn't get the memo? He turned the business over to his son. Period. Yes, he still shows up at the regular time, but he holes himself up in Accounts and Billing (and is known around the place as something of a grouch; I mean, don't get him started on the Midianites.)
The son has a blanket policy, and it's as reliable as Menard's 11% discount. Here goes: "Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it." It's just that simple. Ask it in His name, and He'll do it. I understand from Joel Osteen that this is a promise that's as good as gold. So tell the neighbors. Jesus promises, "Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it." Hope this clears up all the worries about mortgage payments, cancer diagnoses, slow computers, can't find your car keys, no pickle on your Whopper. He Will Do It.

 

[DBT]

If you have enough faith, we are told....if you do have the power of faith, then you can literally move mountains. Mountain begone, and it is gone.