Do you believe in God?

Should a brain surgeon have had to have undergone brain surgery?

Yes, people may expect that all priests, vicars (etc.) would be believers in the god(s) of their church, but in truth, what is it their job to do? They are there to provide the teachings of the church and allow people to find their own connection to 'god'. The teachings themselves of most religious texts don't require an actual belief in some god or other, they are typically moral teachings about living life in the way that the perceived god would wish, and about cultivating a mind set to live the best one can live.

I would say that I don't believe in 'God' in the typical christian sense, as in there being some other supreme entity out there looking down on me, so typically I would call myself an Atheist. That doesn't mean that I haven't studied religious and philosophilcal texts of various religions and philosophies, and I can see a) a large crossover and commonality between the various ones, and b) that many of the teachings are illustrative of a way of living a 'good life' and c) they teach a way of understanding one's Self, which in some people's eyes is referred to as becoming Enlightened, or finding 'God' within.

A priest/vicar etc. isn't someone who is going to give God to people, and they cannot impart Enlightenment on people, they can only provide the teachings and wisdom from their own experience and knowledge of the texts, and allow people to find God themselves, whatever that may mean to them. The churches are properly intended to be a common place where people seeking the same wisdom can congregate.

Commonly, in churches, we do see where power and ego has taken over, and people are expected to blindly believe in what they are told by the church authority, and in some cases to actually 'fear' god as if it is some other entity that will punish them. This is not what I would consider to be the truth behind religious and philosophical texts, or how they were intended to be passed to others, but rather has been corrupted purely for the ego, power and control it can give... no better than skilled advertisers or salespeople getting you to buy something you don't need, as it's purely for their own benefit.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Should a brain surgeon have had to have undergone brain surgery?

Yes, people may expect that all priests, vicars (etc.) would be believers in the god(s) of their church, but in truth, what is it their job to do? They are there to provide the teachings of the church and allow people to find their own connection to 'god'. The teachings themselves of most religious texts don't require an actual belief in some god or other, they are typically moral teachings about living life in the way that the perceived god would wish, and about cultivating a mind set to live the best one can live.

I would say that I don't believe in 'God' in the typical christian sense, as in there being some other supreme entity out there looking down on me, so typically I would call myself an Atheist. That doesn't mean that I haven't studied religious and philosophilcal texts of various religions and philosophies, and I can see a) a large crossover and commonality between the various ones, and b) that many of the teachings are illustrative of a way of living a 'good life' and c) they teach a way of understanding one's Self, which in some people's eyes is referred to as becoming Enlightened, or finding 'God' within.

A priest/vicar etc. isn't someone who is going to give God to people, and they cannot impart Enlightenment on people, they can only provide the teachings and wisdom from their own experience and knowledge of the texts, and allow people to find God themselves, whatever that may mean to them. The churches are properly intended to be a common place where people seeking the same wisdom can congregate.

Commonly, in churches, we do see where power and ego has taken over, and people are expected to blindly believe in what they are told by the church authority, and in some cases to actually 'fear' god as if it is some other entity that will punish them. This is not what I would consider to be the truth behind religious and philosophical texts, or how they were intended to be passed to others, but rather has been corrupted purely for the ego, power and control it can give... no better than skilled advertisers or salespeople getting you to buy something you don't need, as it's purely for their own benefit.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Hi
and thank you for replying
I'd probably agree with you that churches are really more to teach how to live morally, and love their neighbor.

I suppose I just fall in with the old belief, that a priest would automatically believe in God, or else he wouldn't be there, churches priest and God, go together in my mind..
.you say you would probably class yourself as an atheist, and that you don't fall in to the Christian sense of belief ( I believe this is). Good!

I do not believe that they teach all the truth as God intended, in fact I know they don't.
I agree that they should teach that we should live together in harmony, and not benefit from someone else's downfall.
It is said "Love thy neighbor as thyself"if we follow these words I believe we are pleasing to God, whether you believe in Him or not.

You say where people can congregate, I believe that this is the attraction of Homogeneous species, one of the laws of Creation, such as drinkers to drinkers, smokers have fellow feelings etc.
you say you have studied a great deal, which is good, but I believe that many of the churches, and of the Inquisition, put a lot of people of from seeking for something beyond the Earth because of the fear they've put into people, having people murdered in the name of God, praying out loud to drown the screans of people that were screaming in pain from being tortured..

I also believe that the majority of people that attend churches are suppose to believe in blind faith, which I also believe to be wrong, as God wants free thinkers not church slaves..
you also say (but rather has been corrupted purely for the ego, power and control it can give) this I agree, even at the time of Jesus they had him murdered, because he didn't fall in with their teaching and interfered with in their power and money making little else.

Peace and light
Peter.

God wants free thinkers not church slaves..

What is your evidence?

Hello Peter - welcome to HP!

I more than "believe" in God, I am as sure of the existence of Goodness, of Love, of Life, of Truth, of Spirit, of the one divine Mind he Source of all intellegence, as I am of my own existence - in fact, could we have sunbeams without the sun?

I have had countless healings through prayer all through my life, plus protection, guidance, supply, companionship etc. all through an understanding of what God is and what our relationship to Him/her is.

Recently I was told of a priest that came on television and was I believe retiring, but he never believed in God it was just a job.
I was amazed that a person could take on such a position and not to believe in God.

How could a person do a job without believing in what he did or preached, to people that may of came to him for enlightenment of the Creator.

surely he should not have been in the position he was in!

It must have been the same man I heard on the radio. I too thought it was very strange!

Blessings,

Judy