Profits, religion and politics

Good quote in a prayer [Paul] context
''You call it luck but what I call it is a small sample''-John Henry

 

Can you explain to pagans (like myself) how something that is all powerful can have a "will" or a "want"? I'm still missing that whole concept.

Once again, I don't think God cares if you're a Pope or a porn star.

 

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That would be my guess as well, but how much of that crossover is the result of the desire of the Christian and Islamic faiths' to expand, where as the Eastern religions just don't really care about expansion?

And along those same lines, another interesting question I think would be are more people converting to a "western religion" from agnosticism and atheism, or the other way around. Simply asked, are more people gaining spiritual Faith or losing it?

Hmmm, that is interesting. My guess would be the fastest growing population would be people like myself that don't embrace any particular faith, but likewise don't consider themselves agnostic either (of course that is my bias).

Along those lines, I question if the United States in 20 years will mimic the Europe of Today (meaning very few traditional Christians and a lot of gray area)?
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fyi: I don't doubt your prediction about American, but
that is not representative of the rest of the globe.
The fastest growing religion on
the planet is not secular humanism, agnosticism or Deism.

Prediction: in 100 years Mainland China, Asia and Latin America
will lead the globe. Not coincidentally, that
is where Christianity is exploding. There are
more by far more Christians in Mainland China
now than in America and many countries in Latin America and Southern Africa are 10-50% Christian.

Christianity is no longer a "white man's religion" - quite the opposite - and it is quickly consuming the planet just
as you would expect if there really was a Creator
and He was actually in charge.

 

Is it consuming the planet or is it being fed to the planet?

 

matt,

I wish I knew the answer for sure that would clear it up about will and want. I am trying to think how you might be looking at it that raises that question.... maybe I am on the right track with this thought. You will know immediately whether I am or not.

The Lord's will and want is similar to the will and want of a parent, and not a child. For the sake of discussion, let's just say an all-powerful entity, so as not to bias the idea too much.

Having said that, I will go on a bit at the risk of overstating what you probably see is my point. A parent wants a child to do something. The parent has a sovereign will over the child. We as parents say, "I want you to take out the trash." It is not a wish or a desire that is up to another to fulfill. That child is going to take out the trash. Period. By the same token you might say I want to go outside and it is my will to go outside. Again, you are capable of doing so without the aid or permission of another.

We also might say I want world peace, I want to play scratch golf, I want to win the lottery. I cannot immediately, or perhaps ever, satisfy any one of those wants. Maybe with a lot more work I can play scratch golf... maybe.

Those are the wants that an all-powerful entity does not have. An all-powerful entity wants for nothing in the sense that it needs someone or something to provide it. We cannot provide all we might want.

Am I on the right track with your question?

 

Ok, I guess I’ll play along for a little bit. What you are saying in a nutshell is that there are different kinds of “want” much like there are different kinds of love

Example

Agape Love – is unconditional love that is only attainable by God.

Amore Love – is the general attractive love that we humans feel for one another.

Philos Love – is the love of a friend.

So per your example we have something called “want” (which I’ll call HumanWant) and something else that I will call “GodlyWant” to avoid confusion.

HumanWant – is the quest to satisfy a void.


GodlyWant- Now GodlyWant is a totally different animal. It can’t involve a quest, it can’t involve satisfaction, and it can’t involve a void, because all those things would make God less than all-powerful. So GodlyWant can only be one thing. Nonexistent.


Admittedly we are bound by the written word in this medium (which is another huge problem I have with the Bible, but that’s for another day), and words can only convey small, generalized understandings of the realities in which we the members of this forum live. Regardless, the word “want” has a very distinctive meaning in the English language, and my guess is that you will never be able to apply it to God and maintain your definition of God as all-powerful.

God doesn't want.

 

And you called yourself a pagan?

That was fantastic. I should be asking you my questions matt.!!!

LOL. Okay, so any other questions I can answer for you? Sheesh! I send you chopsticks, you send back a concerto.

What is really on your mind?

And btw, what movie is your signature from? It's on the tip of my tongue. Give me a hint.


Edit: I couldn't resist. I got it. But I won't spoil the fun for others.

 

Yea, tell which way the market is going tomorrow?

 

It's from the beginning of The Graduate.

A friend of Ben's parents takes him outside (during his graduation party) and tells him to think about one word "Plastics". As if "Plastics" are the end all be all of the world and the Ben needs to get into the plastics industry.


It's kind of a joke about our endless search for the Holy Grail in which we try to boil everything down to one simple theme that's going to allow us to rule the trading world.

 

I just realize that I will usually lose money whenever I come here to talk anything regarding IB. Okay, let me stop talking about it.

Am I becoming religious now? Well, although that is a good question, I am not yet and will not ever be bound to a specific religion (as slave perhaps).