God is you and you are God

[Awolf26]

Sorry to bombard you with videos, but American Atheists posted this one yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j8ZMMuu7MU&feature=player_embedded

I thought it was a pretty good idea. In fact, there has been (seemingly obvious) evidence to suggest (have to find the citation again) that each persons' view of god matches their personality. Therefore, they are god, because they create the god they believe in. Therefore, if you think their idea of god is foolish, you are perceived as thinking their "self" is foolish. I find it fascinating in it's simplicity. TO THE LAB!

[MinnesotaMike]

That was one of the first thoughts I had on my step towards atheism. I believe it's the same reason man creates gods in their image; they are putting themselves up on a pedestal.

[Stevil]

That was one of the first thoughts I had on my step towards atheism. I believe it's the same reason man creates gods in their image; they are putting themselves up on a pedestal.

Or maybe they like the idea of being good and rightous, so they go and define what good and rightous means. Obviously these definitions are subjective and personal but are also influenced by their religion and church.
It is interesting to me to think about how a person goes about choosing a religion and/or church given there is no proof to suggest any one of them is more right than the others. It seems they pick the one that best fits them, their own morals, their own beliefs, rather than picking the one they believe to be true.
If they were honest to themselves and were really looking for the truth then they would pick the one that was the truth regardless on whether it clashed with their own thoughts of morality, they would then be forced to give up their own moralities and instead let their religion/church define this for them.

[Sweetdeath]

That's pretty intertesting.   So technically god is a mary/gary sue? XD

[Melmoth]

Yeah. When people talk about God they are only talking about themselves. There are secular versions of the same thing that work just as well. "People" is a good one, come to that.

You shouldn't say things like that to people. You'll alienate people and make them upset.

translates to:

You shouldn't say that to me. You'll alienate me and make me upset.

It's a good way of bigging up the ego, and protecting it at the same time.

[xSilverPhinx]

Sort of like the other day when one guy said "god hates freaks and so do I." It would be amusing if it weren't so disgusting. It really is amazing (and at the same time, not surprising) how people's idea of their personal god is an amplification and validation of themselves. I guess if you really want to get to know someone, ask them about their god.

No wonder few people want to worship the idea of some gods put out there...

Strange version of a multiple personality, perhaps?

[Sweetdeath]

^   Well yeah, people say stuff like "god hates gays"  all the time to try to justify their own extreme homophobia.

So far I haven't beem struck down by a lightning bolt, so they need to stfu and keep their opinions to themselves

[xSilverPhinx]

^   Well yeah, people say stuff like "god hates gays"  all the time to try to justify their own extreme homophobia.

So far I haven't beem struck down by a lightning bolt, so they need to stfu and keep their opinions to themselves

Luckily their opinions have less and less bearing on anything. Just vestiges of a primitive tribal past where churches and religious congregations acted as rather extreme retardants. 

[Munchkin Goddess]

Come to think of it, that would explain why there are so many religions and so many sects within one religion. That would also explain why even a theist declares they are following a particular religion, they don't believe everything in that religion and would state that "god" doesn't view things the way the "religion" states it does.

If that makes sense...

[Tristan Jay]

The thread title made me think of a song by the Beatles..."I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together..."   

Seriously, though, a very interesting video; I ended up looking up many of his other videos as well.  Were did the day go!?

[Medusa]

Well as a LaVeyan Satanist, we believe we create our own god and are our own god. We steer our own moral compass without any outside will or force or manipulation.
A great explanation of this phenomenon amongst Atheistic Satanists can be found here:
http://www.dpjs.co.uk/worship.html#Intro

[Munchkin Goddess]

Well as a LaVeyan Satanist, we believe we create our own god and are our own god. We steer our own moral compass without any outside will or force or manipulation.
A great explanation of this phenomenon amongst Atheistic Satanists can be found here:
http://www.dpjs.co.uk/worship.html#Intro

Wow, that is incredibly interesting! I knew that Satanist do not actually worship Satan, but themselves. I will admit that I never took the time to actually researched it; therefore, never read something that stated what Satanist is in that manner.

[xSilverPhinx]

Well as a LaVeyan Satanist, we believe we create our own god and are our own god. We steer our own moral compass without any outside will or force or manipulation.
A great explanation of this phenomenon amongst Atheistic Satanists can be found here:
http://www.dpjs.co.uk/worship.html#Intro

That is interesting, and I think they have a clearer view of the world...

[Evilbeagle]

Exactly as Medusa said, LaVey said we should divest ourselves of hypocrisy and recognise ourselves for who & what we are.

There are a lot of good articles on Vexen Crabtree's site discussing LaVey's concept of Satan.

[penfold]

Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872), the young Hegelian and huge influence on Marx and Engels; proposed that God is nothing more than 'a projection of our own being'.

Wilhelm Riech (1897-1957) the communist and convicted fraudster, talked of God as a fetish of the ego.

So this idea is hardly new.

Of course all Gods contain personal content. How could it be otherwise? These ways of looking at things are fun, but I am always wary of simple explanations of religious belief and God, people are complex.


As for Satanism, it always seemed a bit too kitsch for my taste, but hell, to each their own.