Gaelic Polytheist

[Nearly Sane]

What does the statement 'he is existence itself' mean?

[ad_orientem]

What does the statement 'he is existence itself' mean?

That nothing exists apart from God.

[Rhiannon]

If God is existence that sounds like you are heading towards pantheism.

[ad_orientem]

If God is existence that sounds like you are heading towards pantheism.

No. That would confuse the creator with the created thing.

[Nearly Sane]

What does the statement 'he is existence itself' mean?

That nothing exists apart from God.

This seems to be a very specific use of the words exists and existence, could you explain?

[ad_orientem]

What does the statement 'he is existence itself' mean?

That nothing exists apart from God.

This seems to be a very specific use of the words exists and existence, could you explain?

God exists by himself and nothing else can exist except that God himself wills it to exist.

[Shaker]

Not a theist (neither are scads of pagans, come to that), I'm sympathetic to the concept of a religion which takes as its basis the real and the true - nature - about which I said more in a post or two on the 'Seasons' thread.

Oh yeah, because it makes so much more sense paying homage to gods one doesn't even believe exist in any real sense.

Some pagans think gods exist, others don't. The point is, nature as a focus of spiritual practice definitely does.

[Shaker]

What does the statement 'he is existence itself' mean?

Not very much.

[Rhiannon]

Not a theist (neither are scads of pagans, come to that), I'm sympathetic to the concept of a religion which takes as its basis the real and the true - nature - about which I said more in a post or two on the 'Seasons' thread.

Oh yeah, because it makes so much more sense paying homage to gods one doesn't even believe exist in any real sense.

Some pagans think gods exist, others don't. The point is, nature as a focus of spiritual practice definitely does.

Yes.

[Rhiannon]

What does the statement 'he is existence itself' mean?

That nothing exists apart from God.

This seems to be a very specific use of the words exists and existence, could you explain?

God exists by himself and nothing else can exist except that God himself wills it to exist.

So are God and existence the same thing or separate?

[ad_orientem]

What does the statement 'he is existence itself' mean?

That nothing exists apart from God.

This seems to be a very specific use of the words exists and existence, could you explain?

God exists by himself and nothing else can exist except that God himself wills it to exist.

So are God and existence the same thing or separate?

You're trying to lead into the answer you want but I've already given you the answer. Creation and creator are not to be confused yet nothing exists except that God himself will it to exist for nothing exists apart from God. You need to make the distinction between essence and energies.


http://tinyurl.com/otajuqf

Moderator: Long URL changed into smaller one to avoid page distortion.

[Owlswing]

What does the statement 'he is existence itself' mean?

That nothing exists apart from God.

This seems to be a very specific use of the words exists and existence, could you explain?

God exists by himself and nothing else can exist except that God himself wills it to exist.

So are God and existence the same thing or separate?

You're trying to lead into the answer you want but I've already given you the answer. Creation and creator are not to be confused yet nothing exists except that God himself will it to exist for nothing exists apart from God. You need to make the distinction between essence and energies.

http://tinyurl.com/otajuqf

SO YOU SAY!

For some pagans, myself included, the deities, gods and goddesses, are present in everything around us that is natural or made by man of natural materials.

They are as real to me as your Johnny-come-lately is to you!

[Rhiannon]

I'm not trying to lead you into anything, ad-o, I'm just trying to understand. As a former Christian myself I would have said that God and the created are separate but that he is the creative energy that runs through all things. Is that what you are saying here? (not looked at your link yet)

[Rhiannon]

The grammar in your link is atrocious, ad-o.

[Owlswing]

The grammar in your link is atrocious, ad-o.

It only works if you want to believe in that separation.

I don't - I believe that the deity is immanent! 

[Rhiannon]

The grammar in your link is atrocious, ad-o.

It only works if you want to believe in that separation.

I don't - I believe that the deity is immanent!

That sounds like you managed to get it to make sense, Owlswing.

[Owlswing]

The grammar in your link is atrocious, ad-o.

It only works if you want to believe in that separation.

I don't - I believe that the deity is immanent!

That sounds like you managed to get it to make sense, Owlswing.

No - it didn't! But ad_o would not have posted the link if it did not support the details that he posted!

It reminded me of a post by Vlad - lots of long words that are supposed to baffle the reader into thinking that the person who wrote it knows what they are talking about when, in fact, the oppposite is the case.

[Rhiannon]

Exactly my thought as well - grandiosity that is devoid of any meaning.

Only this lot has bad grammar to boot.

[Nearly Sane]

That's the finest grade mince I've seen in a while.

[ad_orientem]

It's really quite simple. I assume you understand the distinction that is being made between essence and energies? The distinction is necessary in order not to confuse creation with the creator. God is both transcendent and immanent.

[Rhiannon]

Explain it in your own words, ad-o.

[ad_orientem]

I just have.

[Shaker]

No you didn't; you threw in 'essence' and 'energies' (framed as a question at that) without definition or explanation.

[Rhiannon]

Yeah, we need to know how you understand 'energies' and 'essences', ad-o.

[Owlswing]

Yeah, we need to know how you understand 'energies' and 'essences', ad-o.

He probably doesn't - he probably, like Sassy and Hope, reads it in the book and swallows it whole without any real understanding of what it means.

This is the problem with a spoon-fed impersonal belief system like Christianity. regardless of whose version you are looking at!