What Christians get /sorta/ Wrong, with Atheists' Encouragement: Thinking They can identify their God
@mythociate (21432)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
March 28, 2022 6:13am CST
I've pretty-much stuck to 'the original name he gave himself' ~ https://bythesewords.blogspot.com/2020/09/watchalan-know-that-your-devotion-to.html ~ 'The Existing'
Oh, I was raised with the 'picture' of him as The Father--with Jesus The Son, 'begotten by The Spirit' (which means something slightly different than "conceived" ... which is the reason why we can call 'The Existing' "Our Father")--the image further imprinted on our young minds by classic artwork.
But now I know (as most Christians know subconsciously) that 'the Father-Son-construct' was mostly just "to teach us how the world works" (like when they call shoelaces "bunny-ears" or when they say 'The Tooth Fairy takes your baby-teeth' ... i.e. just so you don't have to worry about 'what isn't the lesson you're being taught at the moment').
Yahweh exists today as The Holy Spirit---which I guess is a mix of 'how things continue to exist now' and 'people's approval of the way things are going.'
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2 responses
@innertalks (22093)
• Australia
29 Mar 22
"The Existing," sounds like a good name, as it describes what we find; things exist, there is not nothing.
This perhaps is because, as God told Moses:
"Only l am l, and you am l, but in l, like your foot cannot believe that it is just a part of you, but it is."
"You are a part of me."
I think he more directly said, "I am who I am," but not many people check these things these days, and my rendition of what he said is as good as any.
@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
29 Mar 22
You're right that 'His self-introduction' was "I am." https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/3-14.htm I guess that was more 'a beginning point' for me than 'something I stuck to.' What I really go by is "the Tetragrammaton" (the four-character sigil that people were thinking of when they mentioned 'his name')---transliterated 'YHWH,' the base for Yahweh.'
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@innertalks (22093)
• Australia
29 Mar 22
@mythociate Yes, that is composed of four Hebrew consonants, and is still used for the name of God, in Judaism. This name was also revealed to Moses, by God.
And God spoke to Moses, and he said to him, "I am Yahweh."
Exodus, chapter 6, verse 2.
Verse 3 confirms this name:
"And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Shaddai, but by my name Yahweh, I was not known to them."
@bird123 (10643)
• United States
31 Mar 22
Names are a creation of mankind. Mankind creates names in order to have a frame of reference.
In reality, Neither God nor any of us have a name. Everyone already knows who everyone is. Since everyone already knows who everyone is, there is no need of reference.
I would really question all holy books for they are creations of mankind. They reflect mankind more than anything else.
I have found no religion or holy book that really understands God at all. On the other hand, there are bits of the puzzle in all of them.
All the secrets of the universe stare us all in the face. God is hiding nothing. On the other hand, how much do people choose to see?
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@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
31 Mar 22
Exactly as much as they need to.
reminds me of the Christian teaching (that's probably not Biblical) that 'Our Father never gives us more trouble than we can handle (alone, or possibly with help we can ask for).'
https://faithit.com/9-unbiblical-statements-christians-believe-shane-pruitt/
