Am I God?

[oyaji]

I realize that there are very few people on this forum capable of appreciating the depth of this question, and doubtless no one capable of answering it, but still there may be those here who have something to gain or offer in regards to this question. So I thought that I would open the topic up for discussion.

Am I God, in the sense that I’m the creator of everything that I see around me?

I realize that the knee-jerk reaction is to regard this question as nothing more than trolling, but I assure you, the question isn’t as farfetched as it might at first appear, and the answer not as self-apparent as you assume.

Am I the creator of all that I see? Am I God?

Ok…I’ll take your word that this is a sincere question and you’re not trolling. So…first of all, learn what God means in the classical sense as describe by the great theistic traditions. Once you do, you’ll have your answer.

 

[Roseeurekacross]

To wax poetic, faith is the means by which one opens a window unto one’s soul. For through faith men justify the kindest of virtues, and the cruelest of inequities. The fact that you have faith tells me very little. But the manner in which you exhibit that faith tells me a great deal. Not about God, but about you.

What I’m wondering is…do you have the courage to admit that God may not exist? For how you answer that question will tell me whether what you have is faith in God, or pride in yourself. For pride comes from he who believes that he cannot be wrong, and faith comes from he who knows that he can.

Get behind me , satan.
Satan is working through you in an attempt to destroy my faith.

We exist, as I said, to do the Will of God, nothing more, nothing less.

I will pray you find God, just as I have.

There is no room in faith for self pride, or any pride. You have much to be illumed on, brother.

 

[EnosJadon]

Ok…I’ll take your word that this is a sincere question and you’re not trolling. So…first of all, learn what God means in the classical sense as describe by the great theistic traditions. Once you do, you’ll have your answer.

The OP isn’t about whether I fit in with religion’s concept of God, or philosophy’s concept of God, it’s about whether consciousness, and in particular my consciousness might be the creator of everything that I see around me. And being the creator of everything, might I not be considered to be God? Now you may reasonably disagree with the idea that consciousness creates reality, but there’s no way for you to disprove it. Therefore it’s entirely possible that I’m God. That I’m the creator of everything.

Now you might presume that this line of reasoning would lead one to be an egotistical, self-centered, narcissist, but is that really the case? What does it really mean, if I’m the creator of everything? If the world exists only in my mind? If the only one here, is me?

Does it mean that I can be cruel, and vindictive, and heartless? I suppose it does if I want to be.

What would you choose to be, if the only one to judge you…was you?

I wonder sometimes, if the soul of a person can most accurately be judged by how they answer that question. By how they live, when there’s no one there to judge them but themselves.

 

[EnosJadon]

Get behind me , satan.
Satan is working through you in an attempt to destroy my faith.

I’m not attempting to destroy your faith. I’m attempting to get you to understand your faith. For people use claims of faith to justify all manner of iniquities. Surely you think that your faith is different than the faith of the ISIS executioner who locks a man in a cage and lights him on fire in the name of his God. Or the Muslim fundamentalist who judges the world to be infidels because they don’t believe what he believes. Surely your faith is different than his. But in what manner is it different than his?

How is your faith different than the executioners faith. Tell me how it’s different. Show me how it’s different. And don’t just tell me that it’s different because your faith is based upon the true word of God, or the spirit of God, or the Son of God, for the Muslim will surely claim similar authority. If your faith is truly different than his faith, then it should act differently than his faith. It should be less judgmental than his faith. It should be more forgiving than his faith. It should be humbler than his faith. And it should be able to accept admonishment such as this with an open mind, and not a closed one.

Oftentimes people’s claims to faith in God are actually arrogance and pride masquerading as faith in God. And you need to be able to tell the difference. Not simply when it comes to understanding the actions of others, but more importantly, when it comes to understanding your own.

So as I say, I’m not trying to destroy your faith. I’m trying to get you to understand your faith, and to better live your faith. How is your faith displayed to others, as arrogance and pride, or as compassion and forgiveness? Do you listen to those who disagree with you, or do you proclaim them to be satan.

We should each have enough humility to at least consider that we might be wrong. Surely you have enough faith to at least do that.

 

[Roseeurekacross]

I’m not attempting to destroy your faith. I’m attempting to get you to understand your faith. For people use claims of faith to justify all manner of iniquities. Surely you think that your faith is different than the faith of the ISIS executioner who locks a man in a cage and lights him on fire in the name of his God. Or the Muslim fundamentalist who judges the world to be infidels because they don’t believe what he believes. Surely your faith is different than his. But in what manner is it different than his?

How is your faith different than the executioners faith. Tell me how it’s different. Show me how it’s different. And don’t just tell me that it’s different because your faith is based upon the true word of God, or the spirit of God, or the Son of God, for the Muslim will surely claim similar authority. If your faith is truly different than his faith, then it should act differently than his faith. It should be less judgmental than his faith. It should be more forgiving than his faith. It should be humbler than his faith. And it should be able to accept admonishment such as this with an open mind, and not a closed one.

Oftentimes people’s claims to faith in God are actually arrogance and pride masquerading as faith in God. And you need to be able to tell the difference. Not simply when it comes to understanding the actions of others, but more importantly, when it comes to understanding your own.

So as I say, I’m not trying to destroy your faith. I’m trying to get you to understand your faith, and to better live your faith. How is your faith displayed to others, as arrogance and pride, or as compassion and forgiveness? Do you listen to those who disagree with you, or do you proclaim them to be satan.

We should each have enough humility to at least consider that we might be wrong. Surely you have enough faith to at least do that.

Firstly, are you the op? If so, why have you switched names? If not, why are you doing this on the ops thread?

Secondly, confounding your juxtapositions on Christian faith and Muslim faith won’t fly. And it’s against CAF rules. And alas, your sensationalism falls flat. If you want to discuss Muslim faith with a Muslim, go find one. We are not here to compare the humility of those who follow either faith.

You really believe you are admonishing me? You , a complete stranger on the internet? Admonishing a chatter who says they know God exists. What is it about the statement

God exists

That is making you this uncomfortable? Why are you so challenged?

Thirdly, you ain’t trying to do anything besides attempt to stretch an intellectual muscle to philosophize the Believer’s Faith.

Fourthly
Get behind me satan. The prince of lies really thinks he can convince me I am wrong about the existence of God. Pretty pathetic ruse.

Fifthly
There are many who believe they are righteous. They say ‘we are righteous men. We follow the law.’ Yet you know what they miss? They miss following the Will of God. They pursue their own will instead. They think it’s better. They know better.

Guess who said those words, brother.

If you feel so strongly about leading others to experience their faith to your standards, then, you are following your own will.

If you are telling people their faith is false and is merely pride and arrogance, I gotta ask, are you a purveyor of peacocks?

I will pray for you.

But do tell, are you the OP

 

[oyaji]

…Therefore it’s entirely possible that I’m God. That I’m the creator of everything…

Well…I guess it’s possible, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re not God.

 

[EnosJadon]

Well…I guess it’s possible, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re not God.

As well you should, because the question isn’t meant to be directed at others, it’s meant to be directed at yourself. Am I God? Is everything around me an illusion? It’s a question that’s easily dismissed, but not easily answered. One could argue that I can’t possibly be God, because if I was God then the world wouldn’t look like this, the world would be wonderful, and peaceful, and perfect. So obviously I can’t be God, at least not the world’s idealized version of God, who’s all-powerful, and all-knowing, and all-loving. But perhaps no such God exists. Perhaps there’s only me. Imperfect, inadequate, and uncertain. Who only hopes, or imagines, or questions if such a God exists. For how else am I to explain what I am, and where I came from? Yet everyone seems so sure, that God is like this or that, or that my existence is just the result of the serendipitous laws of physics and the vagaries of chance. But perhaps it’s not God nor physics that created the world and I, but rather I who created them. Perhaps I really do live in an observer created reality, and this is exactly what such a reality would look like. Not perfect. Not flawless. But subject to the same cognitive dissonance that consciousness itself is subject to.

To be honest I don’t know, but it’s not a pointless question, it’s a profoundly important one. For if there’s no one here to judge me, then the standards by which I choose to live are mine and mine alone. I can choose to be cruel, and indifferent, and vindictive…or I can choose to be compassionate, and understanding, and merciful. The choice is mine. It’s not tempered by the promise of reward nor the threat of punishment. It’s a simple, honest, personal choice, based upon what I want me to be. Not upon what some theist wants me to be, or their God wants me to be, but only upon what I want me to be.

To me there’s something far nobler in choosing to do the right thing, not because you have to, but because you want to. Theists can choose to believe in God and I’m perfectly fine with that, but when one uses there beliefs as a means to judge others, simply because their beliefs are different, then I’m not so sympathetic. We’re all searching for what to believe, and no matter how fervently you believe that you’re right, simple human fallibility dictates that you treat others as if you might be wrong.

Okay, so maybe I’m not God. And maybe it’s a silly idea. I don’t know. But all that I really want, is for others to accept that when it comes to what they believe, they might not know either.