USA Today: View of God can predict values, politics
An interesting article and study, but I think the idea behind the study was more interesting than the idea itself. I do agree that how we see God shapes how we see the world, each other and ourselves, but I don’t agree with the neat cubbyholing of American religion. Some of us (including myself) do not fit very neatly into any of their 4 beliefs about God. I would argue that a key distinction should have been whether you see God as seperate from creation or whether you see God and creation intertwined with each other (I fall into the later camp, as do a lot of folks from Eastern religions, and Christians from some paths, particularly the Celtic tradition). This distinction I think is extremely important and meaningful.
Someone is always trying to fit everyone else into little boxes. Perhaps it is important and
meaningful. I haven’t myself considered the distinction nor have I considered the fact that there
are those who believe God as seperate from creation. It is a new idea to me.
Duh, I made the previous comment assuming that there is a belief in God. Sorry.
Well actually I would say that most folks see God and creation as seperate. This idea emphasizes the other-ness of God and the idea that God and humanity are seperate from each other. Certainly folks of this persuasion believe that God and humanity can connect with each other (through prayer, worship, etc.) but they still tend to emphasize the fact that we are for the most part very seperate.
For folks who see that God and creation are intertwined or even the same thing, I think the emphasis is placed on the idea that humans are made in the image of God (to use the Judeo/Christian concept) or that humans and the rest of creation are part of God (more the Buddhist/Hindu concept).
The practical implication of these two perspectives is that I think that folks of the first perspective tend to see the world as an evil place and tend to see fellow human beings are irrepairably flawed, while folks of the second perspective tend to see the world as a good place and their fellow human beings as fundamentally good.
Obviously though, there is both good and evil in the world, and even nature itself does good and bad things (i.e. tornadoes, hurricaines, earthquakes, etc.), but both perspective interpret it differently. The first perspective tends to believe that people are fundamentally sinful and can only do good through God’s intervention, and also tend to see the earth itself as being disposable since it’s all going to be destroyed anyway.
Folks of the second perpective though, see the evil of human beings as being an abberation and not the norm, since all human beings are capable of good because they are part of God.
Anyway I went on longer than I meant to about this.
Thanks for going into detail. So what do you believe, that we are made in his image, or that we
Thanks for going into detail. So what do you believe, that we are made in his image, or that we are all a part of God?
I’m not sure. I think it is a mystery that we can’t really completely understand, but I lean towards the idea that in some sense we all are part of God and God is part of us, but at the same time we do maintain our own personality and a seperateness too.
I know that sounds like an evasive answer but I’m really just not sure.
I understand. I feel similarly. Thanks for your answers.