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Similitude
Registered Member

Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 4968

Posted 10/7/2010 8:13 AM (GMT -6)

I'd be interested in your take on the article. I'm in a hurry but would like to say a bit myself when I get a moment after completely finishing the article.

One Love
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888

Posted 10/7/2010 2:45 PM (GMT -6)

Here.

Interesting stats...

*AMERICA'S FOUR GODS*

Percentage of Americans who identify with these types of Gods: By Anne Godlasky, USA TODAY Source: Paul Froese and Christopher Bader based on a 2008 survey of 1,648 U.S. adults

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I went ahead and took the test...here are the results..

****************************************************

The God Test: http://www.thearda.com/whoisyourgod/thegodtest/index.asp

I went ahead and took the test...here are the results..

Based on your answers, you view God as being benevolent.

A benevolent God is one who is engaged in the world, yet non-judgmental.

19.6% of the people who have taken this survey responded with a God type of benevolent.

Distant 30.7% Of the people who have taken this survey and responded with a God type of benevolent:

13.2% are male.
7.0% are ages 36 to 55.
12.0% are college graduates.
9.1% are Protestant.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Post Edited (One Love) : 10/7/2010 3:07:10 PM (GMT-5)

One Love
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888

Posted 10/7/2010 3:23 PM (GMT -6)

I couldn't help thinking about something...

All 4 views seem based on a solid TWO-STOREY VIEW of reality. One can easily see that there is the idea of some form of "distance" between Divine Presence and Creation, such that it can be seen as POSSIBLE that God can have absolutely "no role" in a given natural disaster.

How divergent any of the 4 views from the following beliefs:
1) Creation itself a universal theophany of God Himself working for Creation.
2) God is personally inside of every human being.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

One Love
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888

Posted 10/7/2010 4:02 PM (GMT -6)

Very interesting chart here. There's doesn't seem to be much Eastern Orthodox at all in America, comparatively speaking. And all the historically black churches are clustered predictably in the South, South-East, and East Coast (Think DC area!)

So you can guess how many Black EO churches there are out there. Ha! rotfl

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

One Love
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888

Posted 10/7/2010 11:14 PM (GMT -6)

Had a good thought and a not-so-good thought.

Good thought:
According to the surveys, there seems to be an overwhelming majority of the surveyed people who PRAY in some way (particularly at least a few times a week). When I say overwhelming, I mean it. Take a look. Assuming prayer here means some form of communication with God...I guess this is something good to see. Evidence of that "nous" working, maybe? Something good to build on, regardless. The fullness of humanity is to become living prayer anyways.

Bad thought:
According to the surveys, the prevailing view of American religious perspective seems to be two-storey view, positing that God is actually separate from Creation on an ontological level. This is an implicit view that Creation is actively autonomous and self-sufficient...such that it is NOT utterly and absolutely dependent upon the Creator's personal Presence at all times. Basically, many believers give Creation some form of aseity in their minds. That's NOT a good thing. It also makes it that much harder for a person to believe that 1) the Creator is ALWAYS working on our behalf literally and 2) the Creator's personal presence is IMMUTABLY within them as Grace-gift.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Post Edited (One Love) : 10/7/2010 11:30:10 PM (GMT-5)

Similitude
Registered Member

Date Joined Apr 2004
Total Posts : 4968

Posted 10/10/2010 11:19 AM (GMT -6)

Finally back in the saddle.

I find it hard to believe that anyone consistently (temporally and logically) thinks of God in terms of the over-simplified categories the author uses. He quoted Ben Franklin as basically claiming that a perfect God couldn't possibly care about mere humans, and yet consider the other quotes of Ben Franklin we're familiar with. Was Franklin being consistent in the sense that he was denying that God is perfect, or what? I just can't make sense of the categorization. I have no doubt that humans think over-simplistically, but I doubt we're anywhere near as consistent in those over-simplifications as would validate the categorization.

Post Edited (Similitude) : 10/11/2010 6:48:35 AM (GMT-5)

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