Lee, if by ‘message’ you mean some linguistic directive or informative event, the notion of such commentary by a deity transcending culture is a strange one, no? Perhaps you mean things like “Don’t kill.” “Treat others like you want to be treated” etc. I’m not sure. Perhaps you could expand upon your premise here some, OK?
Beyond revealed ‘truths’ (something I don’t embrace), perhaps we should include the notion that life itself includes a divine spark… shall we? If so, all sorts of results are possible. The issue here as I see it is inherent in the meaning of ‘theist’ itself. . . one who believes in the existence of a god or gods. Linguistically, the term ‘believes in’ has been interpreted in almost countless different ways…each suited to support the sensibilities of the interpreter. So, as interesting as analysis is, for such things, few can find actual clarity. So, how does intuition fit into this? So far, there seems to be a general consensus here that we all have this ability. My guess is that even using intuition, core belief systems can and do easily overshadow any direct application of such a rarefied methodology. So, again, for me…it appears that one must clarify all core beliefs first. Find out how/when/why they were formed…transcend any blind beliefs with more informed ones…etc. How else do we have any hope for knowing anything for sure? Yet, even here, difficulties abound as we know. Returning to your theme here, your main issue seems to be “…how to seperate the message of God from that of man.” A quick analysis here may be of interest. What exactly is the difference? Do theists find god something separate from themselves, thus requiring some sort of objective qualifier of any ‘messages’ therefrom? One would have to address the very nature of god here to have a chance at arriving at a satisfactory answer it would seem. And, here again, we run into the issue of confused beliefs that humans can come up with. So, what if we assume that all thoughts…rational or not are to be considered? Is this of any use? I’m sure not for some, yet it is an interesting question, no? In such an epistemological pursuit, the subjective nature of all concepts and language becomes readily apparent. So, back to your question. Perhaps you wish to *know* on some deep level that which you (or anyone) should follow as being divine will, is that more of the issue for you? On Feb 23, 3:19 am, Lee <[email protected]> wrote: > So you Atheists can of course get involded in this one, I really don't > know why you should or what the interest for you would be, but do feel > free. > > I was thinking the other day about religion and culture. I'm somewhat > worried about how to seperate the message of God from that of man. > > So it suddenly struck me that any message that truely comes from God > must trancend culture. > > Thoughts? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en.
