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| Is God Democratic? |
| Yes |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| No |
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73% |
[ 14 ] |
| Undecided |
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5% |
[ 1 ] |
| Other |
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21% |
[ 4 ] |
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| Total Votes : 19 |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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 Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 3:43 am Post subject: Is God democratic? |
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Is God democratic?
| Roger Scruton wrote: |
| God is an autocrat who demands obedience to his law - such is the received wisdom of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. However, Christianity adds a more gentle note. The doctrine of the Trinity tells us that God exists in three persons, three equal partners, and that God was prepared, in the person of Christ, to suffer the worst that human beings can inflict on one another, in order to rescue us from our own self-centred ways. If by democracy we mean a sense of the equal value of all people, so that all are worthy to be saved, I would count this as a clear proof of God's democratic credentials, or at least of his recognition that humility is a supreme virtue, more important than any ostentatious obedience to the law. |
| Marina Warner wrote: |
It depends which one. Going back a little, Zeus makes an attempt at consulting his colleagues on Olympus, listens (sometimes) to their representations on behalf of their constituents (Aphrodite pleading for Helen, Paris, and Troy), but ultimately he's a Big Daddy Don, and the other gods and goddesses the first crime family.
Jehovah? Doesn't grasp the principles of inclusiveness, consultation, or racial and gender equality.
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| Bettany Hughes wrote: |
| All false gods are tyrannical. If God is the sublime totality of everything then he is changeable - as is true democracy, so yes God is democratic. The innate democratic nature of God is witnessed by the fact that mankind, for the last 5000 years, has felt the need to create hierarchies, literally "sacred ruler systems" and dogmas; pecking orders that mean only the favoured few can appear to be close to God or comprehend him. |
| DBC Pierre wrote: |
| Possibly, but his spokespeople are dictators. A good example of the benefits of dictatorship, in that you know precisely who you have to worship, and what you have to do to remain safe. This might be a type of freedom we shouldn't underestimate - once upon a time we lived knowing we were in step with the whole culture around us. Now any belief you hold will only see you admitted to a relatively small group, and myriad other groups will bitterly oppose you. We ever-shrinking units now spend much of our time conceiving immune systems for nominal individual ways of life. |
To read more, click on link at the top of this post.
Disclaimer: This is not meant as an attack on religion - I merely thought it might make a good thread. |
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laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:12 am Post subject: |
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Of course not. If you believe in God, I will assume you believe he is perfect. So, if he is perfect, everything he says or does is also perfect, thereby negating any need for democracy, which would actually make things less perfect (with the assumption God is perfect).
Democracy is not the perfect either, which also negates the overall meaning of the question. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:19 am Post subject: |
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| chui wrote: |
| In the US at present he is the megalomaniac, compulsive-obsessive sociopath, with his own divine religious mandate, malignant narcissists, chronic scape goater, uncorrectable grab bagger, decider in chief, the so called leader of the free world, who sacrifices others with coercion, reckless abandon and impunity to promote his own, outwards/hypocrite self image of good and perfection. |
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Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:14 am Post subject: |
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God is the Supreme Autocrat.
When incarnated as Lord Rama, He ruled his kingdom perfectly and all citizens - including animals and trees - were happy.
Democracy - and systems with checks and balences on power - are necessary when there is corruption - and no perfect incarnation of God available to fill the post of leader.
Since everything is totally dependent on God for its existence and maintenance, it's natural that divine government be totalitarian... |
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JMO
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:34 am Post subject: |
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| I voted other as in God is like a representative of the monster raving loonie party, ie...irrelevant. |
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arjuna
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:27 am Post subject: |
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| When you graduate from democracy, God will ask you to dance with It. |
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:37 am Post subject: |
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| arjuna wrote: |
| When you graduate from democracy, God will ask you to dance with It. |
Um, a very part of democracy is dancing. |
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arjuna
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:45 am Post subject: |
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| The Bobster wrote: |
| arjuna wrote: |
| When you graduate from democracy, God will ask you to dance with It. |
Um, a very part of democracy is dancing. |
Don't mind me. Let's just get democracy right first. |
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crusher_of_heads
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Location: kimbop and kimchi for kimberly!!!!
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Do you consider forgiveness to be democratic? |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Rteacher wrote: |
God is the Supreme Autocrat.
When incarnated as Lord Rama, He ruled his kingdom perfectly and all citizens - including animals and trees - were happy.
Democracy - and systems with checks and balences on power - are necessary when there is corruption - and no perfect incarnation of God available to fill the post of leader.
Since everything is totally dependent on God for its existence and maintenance, it's natural that divine government be totalitarian... |
Rteacher. I have a question about the happy trees. If trees have feelings, is it not okay to eat from them or cut them down? Or was it not okay at that time? Just curious. I understand how vegetarianism fits in with some religious beliefs, but if some plants have feelings too, then what? |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| God is not democratic. God is not subject to law, and we can't vote for a new one (even if we can say some dude who lived 2000 years ago is god and make up a third character). If we don't like the way something is done, we can't put it to a vote. God decided e=mc^2 and if it's more convenient for us that e=mc, we're stuck. |
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Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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To give a very brief answer to "flakfizer" (before I have to go to class) every living entity is a spirit-soul. Normally the consciousness in lower forms of life like trees is very dim, but the original God consciousness that was present before we misused our minute independence and fell from the spiritual world is still there in a dormant state throughout the individual soul's sojourn through the evolutionary cycle of different species.
Since God is the all-attractive source of all living beings, when He appears in personal form, every soul fortunate enough to make contact , including animals, trees, and every blade of grass that He steps on, is awakened to spiritual consciousness (according to particular transcendental pastimes enacted to serve countless purposes at once...)
... OK - now that it's lunchtime I've reviewed "flakfizer's" post and I see that I didn't really answer his question (but what I wrote is good stuff anyway...)
It's true that plants have some consciousness, but the violence entailed in killing them is minimal compared with what goes on in slaughterhouses.
Nonetheless, there still is some sinful reaction to killing vegetables that can only be averted by first offering any food that we eat as a sacrifice to God. If God were a carnivore, we'd offer Him meat, but Krishna states in Bhagavat-gita that He'll accept "water, a leaf, fruit ..." (i.e. lacto-vegetarian foods in the mode of goodness) when offered with pure devotion.
God eats the food by glancing at the offering plate or by simply hearing the sincere prayers, and it becomes transformed into "spiritual food" with no sinful reactions... |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Rteacher wrote: |
Since God is the all-attractive source of all living beings, when He appears in personal form, every soul fortunate enough to make contact , including animals, trees, and every blade of grass that He steps on, is awakened to spiritual consciousness (according to particular transcendental pastimes enacted to serve countless purposes at once...)
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I strongly concur. One of these days maybe it'll happen. |
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canuckistan
Mod Team
Joined: 17 Jun 2003
Location: Training future GS competitors.....
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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The only word I can think of concerning any "god" (if "god" is your wont) is "capricious."
Nothing democratic about the murdered 2-yr old police found in Denver this week. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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| canuckistan wrote: |
The only word I can think of concerning any "god" (if "god" is your wont) is "capricious."
Nothing democratic about the murdered 2-yr old police found in Denver this week. |
Hey, God didn't murder that kid. He told the father to do it. |
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