I wonder how can you know who God is? or if he is?

My therapist is really into this quantum physics spirituality (my own words to describe it), but its very interesting and appealing in ways.

I grew up Christian though. Hard core - Trinity believers who would have none of the stuff my T believes in.

Then there is agnostics who believe in no God.

How can I really know? Inside honestly, i feel like its all man's way of explaining its existance, its pain, and to bring hope for himself. Thats where i've been in the last 6 months. Because my beliefs are all over the place, I know at some point ive been wrong and it all confuses me. I always feel like God is mad at me. Why can't i figure out who he is? I pray all the time for him to speak to me (yes i know he speaks in quiet whispers or so i've grown up being told). I'm really struggling with this one.

[clskrock]

Who do you want God to be?
Dennis

you sound like my therapist lol.

um. You know. I'm not s ure i want him to exist b/c i dont think he can justify the suffering, lonliness, and pain. All the justifications ppl give me seem like excuses. But if there was a god, he'd be caring, forgiving, understanding, a defender, comforting, open to all people without rules, and be a spirit in each of us permeating the world.

[SeptemberMorn]

Maybe your expectations are wrong?

plz. delete my post/thread.

[nita1103]

God is not mad at u hun. if u really believe he will be right there with u. i promise ok hun!

[nowheretorun]

imho God wears any faces.... Esther, if you want to see God as kind and giving, caring and loving, good.... i;m sure God would think it good that you were thing about it.... trying to find is ok with God....

when you want to, or when you're ready, you can explore the other faces of God...

((((((((esthersvirtue ))))))))
I agree with nowheretorun
God is everywhere

[Abby]

I think this is a good question. Personally i think it is impossible to know exactly who God is. In the Islamic faith there are 99 names for God - he is that versitile and all-encompasing!

I think we all 'lose' God at times, especially when we are dealing with so much pain. Ironically this is when we need God the most! The strange things is...sometimes 'losing' God may actually be a path to finding Him. I gave up on God for several years as i would literally scream for help and not hear any answer - i felt God was punishing me too and i remember asking people what i should do to make it up to Him. The strange thing is that i now realise that God was there all along....i now realise without the depression i wouldn't have searched for Him so much.

I think the phrase 'God moves in mysterious way' is an understatment! I believe God is everything you need right now, but the hardest part is that He may not be giving it in the way you think He should be. lol a lot of athiests would love that last line, and i've gotta hand it to them, it doesn't make much sense....but we're not looking for a logical sensible God are we?

I think as long as your heart is open to the possibility of there being a God, God is always with you.

[clskrock]

The best description of who God is..........is written in his holy word the Bible.
Dennis

[altonwoodsdrphil]

What a profound question! I'll take a shot at giving you an appropriate answer... God is our heavenly Father! we are his rebellious children whom he loves...(but you know all of this) I think the question you're asking has to do with feeling him in your heart, and seeing his works in your life, and knowing him/ believing ON him to the extent that our lives are changed. Many people have no issue with trusting God with their eternal souls, but the next five minutes? sorry...I'm still the one in control here (trust) or...if I really believed that a car was coming down the road would I step out in front of it? (obey) Gods word says that if you seek to be closer to him he will "draw" closer to you (seek) and the most important thing? Spending time in his presence in an atmosphere of worship/praise, where his Spirit can move upon you and basicly "love on you"...no one comes away from that wondering how to know God. Find a church where the holy spirit is welcome and you'll see what I'm talking about! On my best day,my best attempts would fall far short of being able to really explain this...but indulge me this last bit, On the cross Jesus gave up his light for our darkness, when we claim that light (the blood) we have access to the power over sickness and even death...and yet we've only scratched the surface of "who he is"

[Perna]

I think the only way you can know who God is for yourself is to start a conversation with Him. "Yo, God, you there?" :-) He will show up for you or He won't but I'll bet on Will. It can feel silly, feel like you are talking to the air or space inside your head or something but your thoughts and feelings and the situations around you will coalesce into a Person that has meaning for You. You'll pick up books that speak of Him, think of Him at odd occasions where you wouldn't have before and feel like there's a "method to the madness" around you.

Nothing at all to lose trying it out. Start an honest conversation.

esthersvirtue
If you can pull all your believes together into one let that grow . I grew up going to church. Spent alot of time there. Just because someone has a bumper sticker saying they believe does not mean they do for real.imo Its in their actions.....and how they treat other ppl.....God in my eyes wants us to care for each other....
"I do not mean that to you" God imo is everywhere, the mountains , the ocean, in animals. In your heart....In ppl you meet on the street. Does not have to always have to be in a church.
There are bits and pieces of him everywhere. A strong force. A guiding force, a kind force, a forgiving one. God is not mad at you.
I believe god loves us all and wants the best for us.
I think god gives us god breezes. So to speak. They may be a few words said by someone or a message he sends. Listening can be hard, as I know. Sometimes you have to stand real still and listen.
I have always said to myself when something goes wrong or i am confused "god are you sure this is my life and this is what you want" a small little voice comes back to me yup this is what i want...
It may take awhile but the answer comes.
So if you can believe me and know god is not mad at you.........You will find your way down the path he wants you to go.
Hope this helps.....
just the sheep's thoughts

[chaotic13]

I've read the Bible. I'll admit I don't really get all the...parables. I really have trouble with all the different meanings given to stuff like .. water...the lamb.
Because of this I have trouble trusting my interpretation of what I read and my next statement may seem very rudimentary to most of you. It seems to me like there are two God's described in the Bible. Maybe His is Bipolar. Personally I like the one who gave us the concepts of Grace and Love. I don't know about the one who allowed the torture of Joab, or who killed the Egyptian 1st born or who decided to flood the earth. I know these stories end well for some people but, man... this God can be rough.

Sorry if my comments seem childish, have trouble comprehending the big picture of God. I tend to only look at the Bible and for God when I am missing someone.

I'm sorry I was away for a bit.. I needed to take a break. I appreciate all the supportive posts. I means allot to have people who support me. I think I've taken many things away from your posts, but that I can see God around me, to know he will seek for me, and that to find peace even when he doesnt feel near. Many of you express confusion or that you have had similar questiosn. I appreciate that.
Thank you,
ev

[SeptemberMorn]

If I chose to, I suppose I could take your statement "I think the posts of those who are dogmatic or never questioned" personally and even get angry about it, but I chose not to.

I agree with this statement: "God imo is everywhere, the mountains , the ocean, in animals. In your heart....In ppl you meet on the street. Does not have to always have to be in a church. There are bits and pieces of him everywhere. A strong force. A guiding force, a kind force, a forgiving one." Why, because it's been proven to me over and over. Too many of my prayers and those of my good friends have been answered in the affirmative for me to have a moment's doubt.

Going back to nature... it's way too intricate for me to believe that it all happened by accident. The stars in the Heavens, the setting and rising of the sun, the development and birth of any living thing, not to mention the birth of my own children and grandchildren.

When I listen to the hymn "How Great Thou Art";
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

I'm not attached to any dogma. I'm not even attached to a particular denomination nor attend worship services in any building. I just know that God is LOVE and that He is everywhere!

[youOme]

Your God is whoever you want and need him to be...God is versatile, that's why God takes many forms to many people.

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SeptemberMorn said:
If I chose to, I suppose I could take your statement "I think the posts of those who are dogmatic or never questioned" personally and even get angry about it, but I chose not to.

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What I wrote was not directed at anyone, and your post was so brief (one sentence) that it would be hard to classify it anyway. HOWEVER, I will have my post editted by the mods. It is not my intention to offend anyone. As I started my post off, I am thankful for the support of the posts.

I wont address here how I judge any individual's response by name including yours since I think its against psychcentral. What I do know that it is unreasonable for me to think I will love everyone's responses and that everyone will love mine. Its unreasonable for me to expect that eveyone will support my spiritual search also, and I'm learning to not stand in judgement of those who don't. I'm trying to anyway.

Again though, I will ask the mods to edit my message. Feel free to pm me if you have futher concerns.

ev

(((((((((esthersvirtue)))))))))))))))))
You have offened no one
not me at all
your thoughts are very important

[Fuzzybear]

((((((((( esthersvirtue ))))))))))

I think you handled this conflict very maturely and wisely. I wish I had had half your wisdom a few years ago ....

Please note, I'm not taking sides here. This is "my stuff" ....

[chaotic13]

Does anyone have an image, metaphor, or analogy that represents God? Mine changes all the time. Sometimes I think of God as a force (not a being) that influences the universe. Today, I'm imagining myself as being part of God. Like a single cell of a much larger complex organism. I perform a single microscopic function, exert and influence on surrounding cells, but never knowing what I am really part of.

[nowheretorun]

sounds like you're describing Jungs collective unconscious in ways.... Jung claims we are all connected thru stories going all the way back in time... memories and common 'characters' bind us together....

in Cosmic Humanism, we are all interconnected... as in 'my psychology impacts your psychology'...

going one step further... if ppl are spiritual in nature, we are connected thru common stories of God and beliefs... making us a part of the greater whole of all....

describing yourself as one cell is saying you are one organism in the larger body called 'us' which is made up of all the organisms together... a good point of view in my opinion....

it creates a togetherness.. a connectedness.. a brother and sisterhood of man... just what we need in order to effectively voice our selves and be heard as a group, rather than pawns in someone elses game of chess...

Thank you all. Mckell.

I'm reading a book that talks of God very similar to your cell analogy. I think of the great spirit that is the sum of all our spirits. That isnt an analogy though, but like you I think of the wind in my backyard being apart of the total atmosphere/cosmos. The same wind that brushes my check. Its all united.

[Rapunzel]

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um. You know. I'm not sure i want him to exist b/c i dont think he can justify the suffering, lonliness, and pain. All the justifications ppl give me seem like excuses. But if there was a god, he'd be caring, forgiving, understanding, a defender, comforting, open to all people without rules, and be a spirit in each of us permeating the world.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

EV, your statement describes the God that I believe in, with the exception of one thing and it might be that I am not clear on how you mean that one thing. Because I believe that God is open to all people. He loves every single one of us. But He has rules, or laws, and He must follow those laws. Still, we have agency and can each choose what we do. If we follow the laws, we can return to our Father in Heaven and continue to progress, but if we choose a different law or no laws, then we will be accountable for our choices.

Much of the pain and suffering that you refer to is the consequence of someone's choice to reject or disregard God's laws or commandments. I'm not saying that it is all fair or that people who hurt deserve it or anything like that. Sometimes someone else makes a choice that hurts someone, directly or indirectly. And some pain happens for reasons that we don't understand and is not anybody's fault, but changing the way that we perceive pain and deal with it, and allowing God to carry us and take that pain from us, goes a long way towards lessening pain, no matter the cause of it. The thing that God can not do and will not do is take away our agency, and that means that people will make choices that sometimes result in joy, but other times result in pain.

I hope this helps.

Love,
Rap

[clskrock]

Esthersvirtue, If I said something to offend you I'm sorry. I,m trying to make friends here not enemies. I hope you do find out who God is by whatever source you wish.
Dennis