Meanings of “God” in some scriptures

[jimhabegger]

Here’s how I’m thinking of it now: What Christian scriptures and some other scriptures say about God is sometimes about a few of the human characters in the stories (“Manifestations of God” in Baha’i terminology), sometimes about some kind of power and influence that helps people learn to live better lives (“Holy Spirit” more or less in Christian terminology and “divine assistance” more or less in Baha’i terminology), and sometimes as the first creator in considering the world figuratively or metaphorically as being created by someone or something (“God in His Essence” in Baha’i terminology). It looks to me like, in Christian scriptures and some other scriptures, “God” can mean any of those, or any combination of them.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Here’s how I’m thinking of it now: What Christian scriptures and some other scriptures say about God is sometimes about a few of the human characters in the stories (“Manifestations of God” in Baha’i terminology), sometimes about some kind of power and influence that helps people learn to live better lives (“Holy Spirit” more or less in Christian terminology and “divine assistance” more or less in Baha’i terminology), and sometimes as the first creator in considering the world figuratively or metaphorically as being created by someone or something (“God in His Essence” in Baha’i terminology). It looks to me like, in Christian scriptures and some other scriptures, “God” can mean any of those, or any combination of them.

The Bible doesn't help people to live better lives.  It only teaches complete obedience and loyalty to the Boss.

[Angrboda]

Here’s how I’m thinking of it now: What Christian scriptures and some other scriptures say about God is sometimes about a few of the human characters in the stories (“Manifestations of God” in Baha’i terminology), sometimes about some kind of power and influence that helps people learn to live better lives (“Holy Spirit” more or less in Christian terminology and “divine assistance” more or less in Baha’i terminology), and sometimes as the first creator in considering the world figuratively or metaphorically as being created by someone or something (“God in His Essence” in Baha’i terminology). It looks to me like, in Christian scriptures and some other scriptures, “God” can mean any of those, or any combination of them.

What's your point?

[jimhabegger]

Here’s how I’m thinking of it now: What Christian scriptures and some other scriptures say about God is sometimes about a few of the human characters in the stories (“Manifestations of God” in Baha’i terminology), sometimes about some kind of power and influence that helps people learn to live better lives (“Holy Spirit” more or less in Christian terminology and “divine assistance” more or less in Baha’i terminology), and sometimes as the first creator in considering the world figuratively or metaphorically as being created by someone or something (“God in His Essence” in Baha’i terminology). It looks to me like, in Christian scriptures and some other scriptures, “God” can mean any of those, or any combination of them.

What's your point?

I’m curious to see what other people think about it.

[robvalue]

I think it's a meaningless word that theists mutate to mean whatever they want in different circumstances.

Here, I think you're giving the scriptures too much credit. The writers were just talking about this superhuman who supposedly made everything and then interfered with people for a while.

[jimhabegger]

I think it's a meaningless word that theists mutate to mean whatever they want in different circumstances.

Here, I think you're giving the scriptures too much credit. The writers were just talking about this superhuman who supposedly made everything and then interfered with people for a while.

Thank you. That’s what I was hoping for, for people to just say whatever they think about my idea of what “God” means in Christian scriptures.

[robvalue]

I think it's a meaningless word that theists mutate to mean whatever they want in different circumstances.

Here, I think you're giving the scriptures too much credit. The writers were just talking about this superhuman who supposedly made everything and then interfered with people for a while.

Thank you. That’s what I was hoping for, for people to just say whatever they think about my idea of what “God” means in Christian scriptures.

You're welcome

It is of course impossible to determine exactly what the intended meaning was behind various parts of the bible. It's a huge mixture of potential allegory, previous mythology, attempted "scientific" explanations of the time, health and safety, personal agenda, sanitizing history, and more. We don't know much about many of the authors, or often who they were at all.

I think it's too easy to grant too much credit, and to assume some sort of extreme widsom, retrofitting what we know onto the texts. It's such a vague and contradictory mess in its entirety that you can make it appear to support virtually any viewpoint (moral or theological) if you join together certain parts in the right way.

[jimhabegger]

It is of course impossible to determine exactly what the intended meaning was behind various parts of the bible.

There is also the question of whose intentions we’re trying to determine. God’s intentions? The intentions of the authors, whoever we think they might be? The intentions of whoever put it all together in its current form? Other?

It's a huge mixture of potential allegory, previous mythology, attempted "scientific" explanations of the time, health and safety, personal agenda, sanitizing history, and more. We don't know much about many of the authors, or often who they were at all.

Agreed.

I think it's too easy to grant too much credit, and to assume some sort of extreme widsom, retrofitting what we know onto the texts. It's such a vague and contradictory mess in its entirety that you can make it appear to support virtually any viewpoint (moral or theological) if you join together certain parts in the right way.

Agreed, if that’s what a person is trying to do.

What if a person is actually trying to learn from it, and get ideas, inspiration, encouragement and strength from it, to learn to be a better person?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

What rob said.  Words need to have a generally agreed-upon meaning or communication becomes impossible.  Suppose that instead of saying, 'I put on my best suit, got in my car and drove to the interview', I told you, 'I put on my best Thursday, got in my Germany and coffee cup to the delightful', you'd have no idea what I was going on about.

Similarly, if you use the word 'God' to mean something other than, 'The supranatural being who created and sustains the physical universe as a home for human beings', you're left with the choices of either people looking at you as if you're some new species of wombat or getting bogged down in explaining your new definitions and never getting round to the point.

That being said, you seem like a very nice person.

Boru

[purplepurpose]

The most popular phrase in religion is  - "Bend your knees before God or prepare for Judgment day". That's very unique type of madness.