Where is God?
wed...@gmail.com
Where is God?
Now and again human beings are prompted to ask themselves some of life’s truly profound questions. In the quiet darkness of the night, when far off stars twinkle in the vast, majestic sky, or in the cold, hard, light of day when life rushes past like a speeding train, people of all colours, races and creeds wonder about the meaning of their existence. Why are we here? What does this all mean? Is this all there is?
On magnificent days filled with sunshine and iridescent blue skies, people turn their faces towards the sun and contemplate its beauty. In the deepest winter or the wildest storm, they ponder the strength inherent in the forces of nature. Somewhere in the deep recesses of the mind, the concept of God arises. The wonders of creation are a call to the heart and the soul. The gentle touch of a snowflake, the smell of freshly cut lawn, the soft patter of raindrops and fierce wind of a hurricane are all reminders that this world is full of wonder.
When pain and sadness threaten to engulf us, human
beings are again prompted to contemplate the meaning of life. In the midst of
suffering and grief, the concept of God arises. Even those who would consider themselves
far from religion or spiritual belief find themselves looking skywards and
pleading for help. When the heart constricts and fear swamps us, we turn
helplessly towards some sort of higher power. The concept of a God then becomes
real and meaningful.
In the midst of pleading and bargaining, the sheer vastness of the universe is laid bare. The reality of life is filled with awe and wonder. It is a rollercoaster ride. There are moments of great joy, and periods of immense sadness. Life can be long and monotonous or it can be carefree. As God arises and His majesty is clear, more questions begin to take shape. One question that inevitably comes to mind is – where is God?
Around the world and down through the ages people have struggled to come to terms with the question of where God is. The human inclination is to search for God. The ancient Babylonians and Egyptians built lofty towers in their search for God. The Persians looked for Him in fire. Still other, such as the indigenous people of North America and the Celtic people looked for God in the glorious signs of nature around them. Buddhists find God in themselves, and in the Hindu religion, God is believed to be in every place and in everything.
The quest for God can be confusing. When posing the
question where is God, the resulting answers can also be confusing. God is
everywhere. God is in your heart. God is where goodness and beauty exist. What
happens however, when your heart is empty and your surroundings are dismal, dirty,
and ugly? Does God cease to exist? No! Of course not! Amidst this confusion,
the Islamic concept of God is a beacon of light for those stumbling in the
darkness.
What Muslims believe about God is clear-cut and simple. They do not believe that God is everywhere; they believe that God is above the heavens. The human need to turn our faces towards the sky in times of trouble and strife is an inherent answer to the question, where is God? God tells us in the Quran that He is the Most High (Quran 2:255) and that He is above all His Creation.
“He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then rose over the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And God is the All-Seer of what you do.” (Quran 57:4)
Prophet Muhammad was known to point towards the sky when referring to God. When making supplication to God he raised his hands towards the heavens. During his Farewell sermon, Prophet Muhammad asked the people, “Have I not conveyed the message?” and they said, “Yes!” He asked again, “Have I not conveyed the message?” and they said, “Yes!” He asked a third time, “Have I not conveyed the message?” and they said “Yes!” Each time, he said, “O God, bear witness!” - at the same time pointing up to the sky and then at the people.[1]
God is above the heavens, above His creation. This
however does not mean that He is contained by any sort of physical dimensions.
God is close, very close, to those who believe in Him and He answers their
every call. God knows all of our secrets, dreams, and wishes, nothing is
hidden from Him. God is with His creation by His knowledge and power. God is
the Creator and the Sustainer. Nothing comes into existence except by His
will.
When Muslims marvel at the wonders of the universe they
are secure in the knowledge that God, the Most High, is above the heavens, and
comforted by the fact that He is with them in all their affairs. When a Muslim
is struck by loss or grief, he does not question God’s wisdom, or ask the
question, ‘where was God when I was sad, or grieving or suffering?’ Humankind
was created to worship God, (Quran 56:51) and God said many times that
trials and tribulations would be part of our life experience.
“And He it is Who has created the heavens and the earth in six Days ...that He might try you, which of you is the best in deeds.” (Quran 11:7)
In their darkest night, or their darkest hour humankind instinctively looks towards the sky. When their hearts beat heavily and fear threatens to overwhelm them, people turn to God. They raise their hands and beg for mercy, forgiveness, or kindness, and God responds; For He is the Most Merciful, the Most Forgiving and the Most Kind. God is distinct and separate from His creation, and there is nothing like Him. He is All Hearing and All seeing. (Quran 42:11) Hence when we ask the question where is God, the answer is undoubtedly, He is above the heavens and above all His creation. We also say that He is not in need of any of His creation and all of creation needs Him..
Fan of Reason
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1816628-pale-blue-dot-a-vision-of-the-human-future-in-space
Leo E. Alessi
“Those who will not reason are bigots, those who cannot are fools, and those who dare not are slaves.”
--
Disclaimer: This MFA Forum is a public site and does not necessarily express the official opinion of Memphis Freethought Alliance, Inc. or its members. Posters on this forum include MFA members as well as non-members. People are encouraged to give their honest opinion about ideas and critique other people's ideas and not to attack people personally. Please keep posts open, honest, and civil. Please review the the rules and guidelines to this forum: http://www.memphisfreethought.com/DiscussionForum.html (copy and paste the web address into your browser if necessary)
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to memphisfreethoughta...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/de00205e-ee49-4a42-ab10-6121f50f6b31%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Tiffany Lindfield
Orson Zedd
That is beautifully worded. Human beings (and probably other animals) do indeed find themselves searching, and oftentimes stumbling on God/Gods to believe in. I like how you described the endeavors we pursue for meaning. It is almost as if the lines that divide beauty and pain are thin. They both induce a sense of wonder and awe...and the question WHY? Why is there so much suffering in this world? How can this planet be so beautiful? In a desperate search for such answers, some may find that only another mystery is sufficient enough to satisfy their questions. As an atheist I look to reason and science for answers, but even still..even after my mind is given a logical answer/explanation, my heart still cries..WHY? I imagine it always will.
--
Disclaimer: This MFA Forum is a public site and does not necessarily express the official opinion of Memphis Freethought Alliance, Inc. or its members. Posters on this forum include MFA members as well as non-members. People are encouraged to give their honest opinion about ideas and critique other people's ideas and not to attack people personally. Please keep posts open, honest, and civil. Please review the the rules and guidelines to this forum: http://www.memphisfreethought.com/DiscussionForum.html (copy and paste the web address into your browser if necessary)
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to memphisfreethoughta...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/b229a12f-ab1a-411b-885d-bef9ded0b6b1%40googlegroups.com.
Michael Stanfill
Where is God?
From: "wed...@gmail.com" <wed...@gmail.com>
To: Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum <memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 6, 2016 3:18 PM
Subject: Where is God?
--
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to memphisfreethoughta...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.
Fan of Reason
wed wed
I agree with you. In fact – in my religion - Islam does not compel people of other faiths to convert. It has given them complete freedom to retain their own faith and not to be forced to embrace Islam. This freedom is documented in both the Quran and the prophetic teachings known as Sunnah. God addresses the Prophet Muhammad in the Quran:
"If it had been your Lord’s will, they would all have believed – all of who are on earth! Will you then compel humankind, against their will, to believe?" (Quran 10:99)
That is a very poetic layout of your belief system, Wed Wed. Thank you for sharing. Here is one of my favorite, poetic pieces related to free thought. I find similarities in your post and this quote from Sagan.
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1816628-pale-blue-dot-a-vision-of-the-human-future-in-space
--
Disclaimer: This MFA Forum is a public site and does not necessarily express the official opinion of Memphis Freethought Alliance, Inc. or its members. Posters on this forum include MFA members as well as non-members. People are encouraged to give their honest opinion about ideas and critique other people's ideas and not to attack people personally. Please keep posts open, honest, and civil. Please review the the rules and guidelines to this forum: http://www.memphisfreethought.com/DiscussionForum.html (copy and paste the web address into your browser if necessary)
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/memphisfreethoughtalliance/njKy92StIxc/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to memphisfreethoughta...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/2c101332-e06b-4ae3-b1b7-b9ef150bb165%40googlegroups.com.
wed wed
Tiffany Lindfield
I understand your feelings ..
This link might helps you to get the answer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c6O933byac
That is beautifully worded. Human beings (and probably other animals) do indeed find themselves searching, and oftentimes stumbling on God/Gods to believe in. I like how you described the endeavors we pursue for meaning. It is almost as if the lines that divide beauty and pain are thin. They both induce a sense of wonder and awe...and the question WHY? Why is there so much suffering in this world? How can this planet be so beautiful? In a desperate search for such answers, some may find that only another mystery is sufficient enough to satisfy their questions. As an atheist I look to reason and science for answers, but even still..even after my mind is given a logical answer/explanation, my heart still cries..WHY? I imagine it always will.
--
Disclaimer: This MFA Forum is a public site and does not necessarily express the official opinion of Memphis Freethought Alliance, Inc. or its members. Posters on this forum include MFA members as well as non-members. People are encouraged to give their honest opinion about ideas and critique other people's ideas and not to attack people personally. Please keep posts open, honest, and civil. Please review the the rules and guidelines to this forum: http://www.memphisfreethought.com/DiscussionForum.html (copy and paste the web address into your browser if necessary)
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/memphisfreethoughtalliance/njKy92StIxc/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to memphisfreethoughta...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/b229a12f-ab1a-411b-885d-bef9ded0b6b1%40googlegroups.com.
Orson Zedd
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to memphisfreethoughta...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/CAO%3DJ8sU28fRUjAxBjCjRS_9nnGp5Zb5K9uZZoRDUT7sHeAG63A%40mail.gmail.com.
Martin Atkins
Yes, humans frequently make up gods. For every made up god today, there are hundreds or even thousands of gods in the historical dust bins--long forgotten, dead with the last worshipper and final decay of any physical evidence of the stories of that god (books, statures, etc.). Allah, Yahweh, Shiva, and other gods may suffer a similar death.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/CAMSNF4kDFsTfbcGXryg3X2zjwW3cLNwk_Xi3iYNDxRNMGZMBzQ%40mail.gmail.com.
Orson Zedd
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/CAAtn96QBfDm0v-LVvnvXnYQhwZETJej9N4-LsKsqobhYSCW2Qg%40mail.gmail.com.
Martin Atkins
Just as intriguing is how the concept of various gods (Allah, Yahweh, Jesus, Vishnu, etc.) has changed over the centuries.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/CAMSNF4mm%2BKynRNX7gqMWVn4GzUBFH9xNC21dnpBUYo45s5%2BJVw%40mail.gmail.com.
Tiffany Lindfield
As human beings progress, I imagine our Gods will too. As we trudge along our path of existence, we will carry our Gods along with us for comfort, stopping here and there to carve up a new one, or redefine an old one, but with us they will remain.
wed wed
The vast majority of human beings have always believed in God. From the most ancient civilizations to the most primitive of modern societies, religions with God at their center have formed the foundation of human culture. In fact, the denial of God’s existence (atheism) throughout history was limited to a few individuals until the rise of communism in the 20th century. Even today, in the secular societies of the West, where modern social scientists armed with Darwinian theories have argued that God is merely a figment of the human collective imagination, the overwhelming majority of citizens, laymen and even scientists, hold steadfast to their belief in God.
Consequently, the overwhelming body of archeological data in support of God’s existence has led some anthropologists to conclude that belief in God (deism) must be inborn and not learnt. Although the vast majority of social scientists proposed otherwise, recent scientific discoveries appear to support the minority view that deism is innate. In an article entitled “God Spot is found in the Brain,” Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran of the University of Ca lifornia at San Diego said that the phenomenon of religious belief in God is hardwired into the brain.
Despite growing evidence that man is hardwired with a “physical facility for belief,” the fact that the concept of God has varied greatly among human societies still leads some thinkers, even those who believe in God, to conclude that religions must be manmade. However, thorough research reveals a common theological thread linking the various religions. That link is the belief in a Supreme Being among the various gods, a monotheistic foundation that can be found in even the most externally pantheistic of religious systems. For example, the concept of God in Hinduism exists as a single example among many religions, which supports the view that human beings were originally monotheistic and through various degenerative processes became polytheistic. In spite of its many gods and idols, Hinduism has a single Supreme God above all, Brahman.
Traditionally, most anthropologists have concluded that religion devolved from various stages of polytheism to monotheism, beginning with early man’s deification of the forces of nature, then, eventually, devolving into ditheism to consolidate all of the supernatural powers into two main gods (a god of good and a god of evil), and, finally, simplifying into a belief in one god, monotheism.
Thus, religion, according to anthropologists and social scientists, has no divine origin; it is merely a byproduct of the evolution of early man’s superstitions, based on his lack of scientific knowledge. Hence, these same theoreticians believe that science will eventually unlock all of the secrets of nature, resulting in the disuse of religion to explain natural phenomena, and, the consequential extinction of religion altogether.
Man’s innate belief in a Supreme Being, however, seems to support the opposite view, proposing instead that man began as a monotheist, but in time, strayed into various forms of polytheism. This view is further supported by fact that all of the so-called primitive tribes, which have been “discovered,” have been found to hold a belief in a Supreme Being. No matter what their evolutionary stage of religious development is found to have been at the time of “discovery,” most were found to believe in a Supreme God over all other gods and spirits. As such, the concept of a single Supreme Being remains in most of the religion’s as evidence that the masses strayed away from monotheism by giving some of God’s attributes to other aspects of creation, which eventually came to be regarded as lesser gods in some cases and as intercessors in others. Nevertheless, a Supreme God, in whatever form He takes, is at the core of most religions.That is intriguing as it sheds light on the journey humanity makes. Another interesting concept is how have our Gods remained unchanged or in what ways are they similar? I have always enjoyed reading creation myths. It is amazing the many narratives that have existed throughout human history to explain our Earth, it's inhabitants, and our presence.
As human beings progress, I imagine our Gods will too. As we trudge along our path of existence, we will carry our Gods along with us for comfort, stopping here and there to carve up a new one, or redefine an old one, but with us they will remain.
--
Disclaimer: This MFA Forum is a public site and does not necessarily express the official opinion of Memphis Freethought Alliance, Inc. or its members. Posters on this forum include MFA members as well as non-members. People are encouraged to give their honest opinion about ideas and critique other people's ideas and not to attack people personally. Please keep posts open, honest, and civil. Please review the the rules and guidelines to this forum: http://www.memphisfreethought.com/DiscussionForum.html (copy and paste the web address into your browser if necessary)
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/memphisfreethoughtalliance/njKy92StIxc/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to memphisfreethoughta...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/memphisfreethoughtalliance/a063efb9-9f8b-4b6a-b58c-c136ed876e58%40googlegroups.com.
Michael Stanfill
From: wed wed <wed...@gmail.com>
To: memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 12:47 PM
Subject: Re: Where is God?
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.
Michael Stanfill
"Disbelieve it or not, ancient history suggests that atheism is as natural to humans as religion"
From: wed wed <wed...@gmail.com>
To: memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 12:47 PM
Subject: Re: Where is God?
To post to this group, send email to memphisfreeth...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance.