Thou art God.

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"Thou art God."

- Michael Valentine, from Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land"


This resonated with me from the moment I read it; there is nothing in it that I can find that is incompatible with the tenets of the other faiths I am familiar with (while to deify one's self would be)... yet often I find that it gets a strong reaction. Any response?


M.

I Grok

My Response: You are not yet learned.

Your response is vague, and a little superior/assertive in bearing based on context... would you care to elaborate a little more about what exactly that leads you to that comment? My question related reactions to a quote; I'm at a loss where an evaluation of myself became involved. Please, if you're going to respond then take the time to elucidate your thoughts instead of a terse and unremarkable single line without identifiable target.


M.

I doubt if he has read this book

While I agree, his reply still leaves me a bit confused.


M.

he's trolling on other threads

GOD'S WHEEL ~by Shel Silverstein(R.I.P.)



God says to me with a kind of a smile
"'ey! How would YOU like to be God a while, and steer the world?"
'O-Kay!' says I 'I'll give it a try!'
'Where do I sit? How much do I get?'
'What time is lunch?' and 'When do I quit?'
"Hey gimme back that wheel!" says God
"I dont think you're quite read yet"

Well, let us see.






There are far much more material you need to read before you accept that quote as truth. In my belief it is a bit premature to acknowledge that statement without realizing a bigger picture (or a more condensed/inward one).












Your accusations are baseless. I do not troll. It is not my fault, neither my problem if people are against my views.

Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn't there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything.
Robert A. Heinlein

Ramen... the fount of truth strikes again.


Oscuria - your reply is still vague, and makes a presumption as to my own level of reading and exploration of religious faiths. If you ascribe to the notion that beliefs that do not mirror your own are 'wrong', then we probably don't have much to discuss... that's not a tenable position for conversation, only a fulcrum for argumentation. However, I will say that to consider that statement on only a single scale is to have not spent enough time in consideration; I find it a beautiful and eloquent concept, showing the dichotomy of self-importance in the world and one's perception of it. My question centered on one's own reaction to the statement, as that was the condition I described originally, so I remain confused where I became the subject of evaluation when my only comments were that it A) resonated with me, and B) got a reaction from others. So again, I invite your further explanation and elaboration; thus far, I have only gotten an impression that you find the idea disdainful and ignorant without providing any reasoning or specifics while selectively responding to something not addressed in the original post. Frustrating.


M.

it's one of the metaphorical ideas that i took away from satanism that i agree with...the idea that you are your own god. your own god in the sense of being able to affect change much more effectively than, say, praying does. very self-motivating.

I'm pointing out that.

Unless the quote that began this thread is understood correctly it will lead to nothing but arrogance (Satanism).

You asked for a response. I gave a response.

Oscuria your being an annoying little puke, you don't have views, you just rant and don't seem to make sense. I have seen your other threads and you come off as a troll who really should be keeping his mouth shut, because your so off topic on this thread. If you have anything worth saying, it will be after you have read the book we were talking about, until then, disappear!

Last edited by spudnik on 21 May 2008, 7:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I like that quote

There was a concrete response; progress made.

Why do you presume such a statement would lead to Satanism? Various Christian faiths teach that the body is sacred, a creation of a divine being and therefore sacrosanct - therefore, the concept of inclusion does not automatically make such a tenet tantamount to Satanism. Other faiths do not always exclude a focus on primacy of self. Similarly, you presume an adverse reaction to such a belief structure... in, as what might be described as a system of philosophic Taoism, there is an attempt made by myself to make no such judgment as to the systems of others, their own tao or way. Whose interpretation of the quote is the correct understanding? My own is merely that - my own, and my curiosity lies in how it makes others react. To me, the quote shows the inherent divinity within all things - not postulates of a godhead created as a coping mechanism for things beyond initial comprehension. I have no knowledge of a divine being; that man would choose to label such a being, to limit it with the trappings of limited experience, is a shallow and sad thought to me. If such a thing exists, such existence lies beyond our own scope... to me, it makes more sense to honour it intact in it's potential than to find deception in a fractured facet. So, please explain more about these flawed interpretations, and the dangers you believe contained therein.


M.