Author Topic: God of little things

The Glue Man

  • Guest
God of little things
« on: March 21, 2006 »
There's an undeniable thread on this board and as a theist I'm bound to speak up.
Okay my God looks like the Archbishop of Canterbury with a personal trainer in a Ray Harryhausen movie but yon Godless also like:

computers,
photography
and high tech bike parts.

Not wishing to take the fun out of rationalist fundamentalism but it can look like a narrow church sometimes. What other things do people fill their god-shaped gap with?

alexjrice

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2006 »
I don't have a 'god shaped gap', but I do appreciate beauty in the world around me and in my relationships with others.

bardsandwarriors

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2006 »
I suspect only the ex-godfearing folk have a god-shaped gap. They grew up with a god-shaped virtual organ, and when it was taken away it left a virtual hole. Which includes me; and in mine I have put -

- a general sense of spirituality, and a kind of playful polytheism for any reasonable belief, without seriously believing in any of them.

- 6th senses and a connection to the Mendi which nearly makes me my own god. But I'm never quite whether I made that bit up, or whether I really do have 'special' senses ;). Sadly, I think it runs in the family. My dad, for a number of years, believed he had a personal one-to-one connection with his god, and insisted that I believed in his god aswell.

- that church stuff probably helped to create a community-spirit-shaped gap aswell, with all that singing and listening to sermons and trying to act for the greater good; and there I have a void which I partially fill right here, and other places like this one. But in RL it is still a hole.

- creative talents like music, writing, poetry, art, architecture, design, inventions, etc; some of which directly lift up society; and others of which I hope one day to make good use of, to leave a positive mark on this terrible little world. I generally aim for that in everything I do, although that is without achieving much in the meantime. But if I get inspired, look out world.

ok, I admit it, I'm not Bad. Being Bad was a phase, and I wasn't Bad even then. I'm a disenchanted but hopeful son of a preacher man, with a god-shaped hole and a sense of adventure. Enter the bicycle, that zen-like appliance which, amongst other things, gives me direct contact with the many gods of Nature*, the ether in my hair, and a chance to reach a higher state of one-ness a few times a week :)

* Due homage to the p* faeries, who are without a doubt the mightiest of them all.

philmalcolm

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2006 »
Beauty of agnosticism (if that's the word) i don't know if i have a gap or not.

monstadog

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2006 »
Fortunately I have no need to fill my God shaped space with anything other than that which is already there.

Frenchie

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2006 »
Science, nature, education, everyday pleasures... but these are not really a gap; for me god would probably be the "perturbating" element.

pcolbeck

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2006 »
The music of the spheres  !

Abandoning the notion of god doesn't leave a hole it removes a blindfold and lets you see the awesome beauty and scale of the universe.

monstadog

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2006 »
The music of the spheres  !

Abandoning the notion of god doesn't leave a hole it removes a blindfold and lets you see the awesome beauty and scale of the universe.


Why would beleiving in God be a blindfold to the beauty and grandeur of the universe?

pcolbeck

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2006 »
Because it removes the unknown, the mystery of chance and the granduer of the infinite, if you belive in any of the three major relegions your world view is esentially narrowed down to "it's Gods plan and he designed it that way and eventually it will all end and there will be a judgement". Even supporting Darwinism as the Catholic Church  does now just moves the explanation back one remove (it's now God who sparked the big bang and set the rules of physics up so things would pan out like they have). 

monstadog

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2006 »
I agree that in some way it removes the mystery of chance, but that is only relevant if you can comprehend the wonder of the universe in totality, which I cant. I have no real grasp which is why the world, the universe, life, everything is a wonder, whether there by plan or accident.

 
And believing in God doesnt necessarilly mean you follow or agree with organised religion.

The Glue Man

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2006 »
I reckon we all have our Gods. It may be carbon fibre or a Leitz Noctilux f1.0 lens or some Jimmy Choos or a Doris Troy 45 or a hefty salary or the ballet. Personal altars keep us going.

An overarching spirit does me fine and the fact that grumpy bachelors in white collars roughly agree shouldn't counter my suspicions.
I am very much anti-scientism, the Dawkinian Torqemada that tries to shut the lid on the bulging trunk of past conceits as though they were children's toys. I'm rather big on toys.

Mal Volio

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2006 »
....the Dawkinian Torqemada that tries to shut the lid on the bulging trunk of past conceits as though they were the children's toys.

Sorry, too clever for me. 

Conceits ?

What did you mean ?

The Glue Man

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #12 on: March 21, 2006 »
Scientism takes a testable hypothesis (science) and turns it into a rallying cry.

There's something of the inquisition about Prof Dawkins, a glint in the eye. He reminds me of a priest. Or a salesman.

Multiple universes kind of smell right though, if any lab coats are selling those still I'd take a couple.

Mal Volio

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2006 »
I'm sorry, still don't get what you are saying.

Rallying cry ?


Frenchie

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2006 »
Must be too late for me... I am lost.

I don't take science as a rallying cry... I just like the framework and rigour it offers... as well as the models of nature it provides which I can rationally understand.

Going back to the original question, whenever I feel a "gap" either my partner or my "thoughts" provide me comfort; as does cycling!

Mal Volio

  • Guest
Re: God of little things
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2006 »
And how does a rallying cry relate to past conceits ?


Sorry, I feel I'm missing something.