“God is light.” —- says the Bible.
What if God really IS light … in some sort of way humans simply can’t understand?
Yeah … I know … “whatever”. Anyway, I just love these spectacular images, and the message.
Switching from the spectacular universe to the glorious earth. Lovely song and beautiful pictures from Yusuf Islam ….. formerly known as Cat Stevens.
Where are the scenes of heads lying in the sand – isn’t that mandatory Mr. Islam?
kokoda
Mr. Islam at one point also endorsed the fatwa to kill Salman Rushdie. But, that was 25 years ago. Saw an interview of him taken recently …. he’s mellowed quite a bit … regrets his previous harsh beliefs when he was young and impressionable. If there really is such a thing as a “moderate” mooslim, he’s it.
Now …. you COULD have commented on how awesome that universe video is … or, how beautiful the earth is ….. or, even an opinion on what it means that “God IS light” ………. but, no, you just had to go and be a fucking dick.
I would extend this idea slightly.
‘Light’ is the result of photons, the ‘force carriers’ of the electromagnetic (EM) field.
The EM field is everywhere, in everything (even very strong insulators carry a weak EM field)
All thoughts (chemical reactions) occur due to EM interactions.
If all chemical reactions are the result of EM interactions between atoms/molecules then all life is necessarily born out of the EM field.
The gravitational field is not required for chemical reactions to take place, but is required for the formation of the universe as we see it.
The weak nuclear force is involved in nuclear decay, without it the sun wouldn’t burn, life could not exist.
The strong nuclear force is responsible for binding protons and neutrons in the nucleus of atoms, allowing matter to exist as we know it.
It has been theorized that all forces are derived from one ‘fundamental force’ (Plank Epoch – 0-(10^-43) seconds of the universe). Gravity split off first as a ‘separate’ force as energy levels dropped, leaving EM, Strong, Weak as one force (grand unified epoch from (10^-43)-(10^-36) seconds). The strong splits off next (10^-36 to 10^-32 seconds) in the Electroweak epoch. The universe as we observe it didn’t really begin to form until the Inflationary Epoch – with the weak and EM forces breaking apart later during the quark epoch (10^-12 to 10^-6 seconds). (I’ll leave it to someone else to interpret this in terms of Genesis)
By carrying this through to conclusion – the Divine in the fundamental force, the unification of all forces that have shaped our existence. This may not be a new way of looking at ‘God’, but at least shows some of the poetry involved in physics (at least that’s how I see it).
God is a lot of things we describe as love, light, righteousness, mercy, divine healing, judgement, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent etc. Jesus was murdered by the Romans and rose from dead (the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo mirror the Gospels and are proof), He appears to people of all faiths especially in NDE, and can heal anything. Why can’t Jews understand Isaiah 53 and 61:1, Zec 12:10 and 13:6 etc?; or Muslims understand that their hero died, did not ride Al-Burāq or Barack from Mt Zion to paradise (any proof?), and couldn’t heal a flea in his own day much less now. Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21 and Rom 10:13 say: “Whosoever shall call on the name of The Lord shall be saved”.
Stucky…mr. dick here….
I didn’t even watch any video……the Muzzie name just turned me off.
So, go fuck yourself.
You made my morning – I feel great.
Wow, BigStupid beat me to the Fundamental Forces. I have often though about God in terms of the Fundamental Forces (which are as above: Gravity, Electromagnetic Force, Weak Force, Strong Force). It has been discovered that the Weak Force is the same as the Electromagnetic Force, but that doesn’t really have bearing on this discussion.
The key is this, the Fundamental Forces, in their exact forms, are what allows all matter and energy to exist. Max Plank said this:
“All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together.”
How close does that sound in cocnept to this:
“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
John 1:3.
The other thing I will bring up is Time. Time is so fundamental to our lives and yet I know of no good physics explanation for it. Special and General Relativity have a lot to say about time, of course, but not where it comes from, why it exists and why it moves inexorably forward (which of course is just our definition of its direction). In general terms, however, the laws of physics would work just as well if time moved in the opposite (mathematically speaking) direction.
It often seems to me that Time has more in common with the fundamental forces that with Space (which is a whole different kettle of fish in its own right).
DRUD
Treating time as an extension of space is difficult to reconcile. The standard physics models (at least 4-dimsional – not going into string theory) get pretty wonky when you try to visualize ‘time’ as a spacial coordinate. Look at it this way: We observe a 3d world in a 4d space.
Pulling back a dimension:
A plane exists as a 2-dimensional object in a (2+n) dimensional space, something ‘living’ in the plane-space needs only 2 coordinates to describe any other point in the plane-space, has no use for a 3rd coordinate. The 2 coordinate system cannot describe movement – only position in the 2d space. So we will consider a 2-d plane in a 3-d space.
If we consider the x-y plane at z=0 as our observed universe. Draw a line at the origin given by (Cz,0,z) so each increment of ‘z’ increase our position from the origin (in 2d) by C units. We can then describe the system over the entire 3-d space as a line through the origin with slope C in the y-z plane, but in our 2-d space, only a point. If we observe only the plane and increment z through some range we get the perception of movement along the x-axis. We can also use a parametric representation of the 2 coordinates to then describe the movement – (x(z),y(z))=(Cz,0). Call z coordinate ‘t’ and we have the standard equation for Newtonian movement from the origin at speed C along the x-axis.
Should have said:
“something ‘living’ in the plane-space needs only 2 coordinates to describe any other point in the plane-space, has no perception of a 3rd spatial coordinate.”
Ah, my favorite topic!
Drud and Big S: there is no such entity as God, quit trying to reconcile physics with what is when all is said and done the One Mind (see Huang Po, Hui Neng, etc.). The One Mind IS! The individuated human material energy-phase cannot EVER comprehend by “science” the simultaneous nature of IS (awareness, not “consciousness”) and what we cognitively perceive as “existence” without taking into account that the latter is transitory while the former simply IS. There is no “conscious” and volitional principle that governs the flux; the flux arises from the ground of IS and is simultaneous with it. Experience the simultaneity and hold on to that realization and when the moment of your physical death and conscious dis-aggregation occurs, if you are adequately prepared, you can drop individuation and fuse into total awareness that is beyond space and time. Word!
Montefrío:
I agree with you. God is a personification of the Divine – in your case the One Mind is your perception of the Divine without personification.
From a philosophical standpoint: I argue that it is not possible for the human mind to develop anything beyond a superficial understanding of the Divine any more than it is possible to explain to someone born blind the concept of ‘green’ or ‘red’.
BigStupid – I was not speaking of time as the fourth dimension (a very flawed model IMHO) or Spacetime as suggested by General Relativity, but rather questioning the most basic assumptions of physics?
Is time tied to the Fundamental Forces? How could it not be? Yet, we define “epochs” of the Big Bang in terms of “seconds” a unit derived from our very tiny perspective of how time flows. Did time even exist during these “epochs?” How could it? Also, the Big Bang was a supposedly “punctual” event…meaning it occurred at a single point in space and time…yet, how to reconcile this with our knowledge that both time and space can vary greatly depending upon one’s perspective.
I understand the spacial dimensions ideas you are expressing and can occasionally even visualize them (like the warping of spacetime), though only for an instant. But, again, since it is just for my own understanding, I want to question the most basic assumptions. For instance, what if–as espoused by some in Quantum Relativity–instead of Tiny Strings or Membranes or just “Quanta” that create matter and energy and EXIST in space and time, they actually CREATE space and time?
How does this change the model of the universe in our minds and imaginations? Radically.
Instead of being impossibly vast and ancient, could it not now seem a tiny part of a truly unimaginable whole?
Ah, Monte, I knew you would show up..and welcome.
To me, God vs. One Mind is purely a matter of semantics. As Schopenhauer espoused, ALL debate, philosophy, perhaps even thought can be distilled down to an semantic exercise. As far as our existence being transitory and awareness just BEING, well, that lines up with my questioning of the very basis and nature of time.
“Experience the simultaneity and hold on to that realization and when the moment of your physical death and conscious dis-aggregation occurs, if you are adequately prepared, you can drop individuation and fuse into total awareness that is beyond space and time.”
You seem to express some level of control is possible…to me control at even micro levels is an illusion and completely so at Cosmic levels. And yet, we can (and do) imagine such things. What a wonder that alone is.
Are our Big Brains (has a different meaning if one has read Vonnegut’s Galapagos) deluding us about a purely imagined spiritual plane…or is our Meat (another Vonnegut term) getting in the way of being one with everything as is our true nature?
Fuck if I know.
Word!
“I didn’t even watch any video……” ———– kokoda
I post video ….. you don’t watch it …. but, you feel qualified to comment. “kokoda” must mean dumb-shit in Japanese.
“We can also use a parametric representation of the 2 coordinates to then describe the movement – (x(z),y(z))=(Cz,0)” —————– Big Stupid
Yeah, baby!! THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about. I just got my second unscheduled ejaculation of the day reading that.
Stucky……………………’kokoda’ relates to Burma (Myanmar), from WWII. You can research the reference.
Thanks, Drud. Here we go: yes, some degree of “control” IS possible! For most, I know I’ll sound like a certifiable nut-job (maybe they’re right), but to use Zen terminology, I’ve experienced (and experience daily) what’s known as satori, which I choose to label as “simultaneity”, and am entirely convinced that it is not a product of “imagination” but rather an experience grounded in a reality that transcends the cognitive. Westerners (I’m one) have a tendency to insist that all must be grounded in empirical evidence, but I maintain that this is short-sighted: intuitive (experiential) “knowledge” is also valid. I wish I could explain (and I’m trying to do so in a book, but…) in our very limited linguistic format what it is I’ve experienced and experienced, but sadly, it just can’t be done to my satisfaction, and that results in many readers calling it quits, but what else can I try to do? I’ve been at this for more than fifty years, it’s been the focus of my life outside of raising my children, and I’m very content with how it’s gone up to now. Believe me, bro’, once you have the experience and experience it again and again… There’s a good description of it in Philip Kapleau’s “Three Pillars of Zen”, 25th anniversary edition, pages 279-80. While you’re at it (Big S, you too), read if you haven’t already David Bohm’s “Wholeness and the Implicate Order” for a little “scientific” support.
Stuck: just remember that the scalpels go on the left with the pitchforks and it’ll all become clear.
A six-year-old boy is dead after copfuks shot him multiple times while pursuing his father for a warrant Tuesday night in Louisiana.
[img
[/img]
http://www.fromthetrenchesworldreport.com/louisiana-cops-kill-6-year-old-boy-during-pursuit-of-father/145853
They used to be called juvenile delinquents. But not any more.
The new term is “justice-involved youth,” a non-disparaging, government-speak phrase that fits with the Obama administration’s recent push to give people with criminal convictions a second chance to become productive citizens.
“The Department of Justice is committed to giving justice-involved youth the tools they need to become productive members of society,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a news release on Monday.
Lynch said the Justice Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are launching a $1.7-million initiative to help Public Housing Authorities and legal assistance groups “reduce barriers for justice-involved youth.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/juvenile-delinquents-are-now-justice-involved-youth
I disagree with the statement “there is no such entity thing as God”, since it’s an improvable statement. Only because it is. We have no evidence for it or against it. Will we ever know?…
Spin: your point is well taken and you are correct in stating that my statement is not provable; I overreached. Nevertheless, my own experiences have led me to conclude that an anthropomorphized Creator God is not the “First Cause”. But you are correct: I cannot claim that with certainty.
Some of you may know I’m a NDE experiencer and from the short time I was on the “other side” what I can share with you is that the concept we think of as “God” is love. Yes, LOVE is the manifestation of God. It’s what we’re here on Earth to learn. Apparently the universe is lacking in it.