Why God should not have attributes

[editec]

I was gonna be a buddhist but there's two problems for me with that.

1. I don't look good in orange, and

2. I'm not a big fan of word problems (koans)

On a more serious note, I suspect I'm a closet Buddhist who arrived at my current theological POV, via my Christian upbringing.

The similarities between the RED PRINT in the new testament and the teachings of the Buddha are pretty obvious once you reject most of the Old Testament.

 

[AVG-JOE]

I see the average minds here would rather discuss rhetorical nonsense

I just found this one!

 

[The Irish Ram]

I was gonna be a buddhist but there's two problems for me with that.

1. I don't look good in orange, and

2. I'm not a big fan of word problems (koans)

On a more serious note, I suspect I'm a closet Buddhist who arrived at my current theological POV, via my Christian upbringing.

The similarities between the RED PRINT in the new testament and the teachings of the Buddha are pretty obvious once you reject most of the Old Testament.

I'm curious edit, upon rejecting the Old Testament, why reject the Red Print in favor of Buddha? What was the draw?

 

[Uncensored2008]

First and foremost I give thanks to Moses Maimonides and Ibn-Rushd for their contribution to philosophy. With respect to the OP, I have to say after reading (Or finished reading) "The Guide for the perplexed," I am confident in my agnostic-theism.

According to Maimonides, or also known as RAMBAM, God is one essence. Not complex nor is there any multiplicity within God, nor is God anthropromorphic. According to Maimonides, humans being finite in capacity, can only ascribe to God what is humanly possible, but it renders truth flawed because our notion of God is based on the human capacity to understand the world.

For Maimonides, in his book, to say God is wise, is to ascribe to God a human attribute because we can comprehend wisdom. Or to say "God is All-Loving" is to ascribe a trait that which humans understand with respect to emotion. For Maimonides all efforts to praise God are merely indirect ways for humans to understand God. For Maimonides, God is not "All-Loving" or good, because these are finite truths based on human understanding of the world, a sort of Neo-Platonism.

Maimonides believed the highest praise we give to God is silence, because words whether it is to praise or demean God has no basis on the actual essence of God.

What idiocy.

God is playdough - mold him as you please....

 

[emilynghiem]

I was gonna be a buddhist but there's two problems for me with that.

1. I don't look good in orange, and

2. I'm not a big fan of word problems (koans)

On a more serious note, I suspect I'm a closet Buddhist who arrived at my current theological POV, via my Christian upbringing.

The similarities between the RED PRINT in the new testament and the teachings of the Buddha are pretty obvious once you reject most of the Old Testament.

aha no wonder we get along!

one friend of mine described Christian prayer as talking to God and
Buddhist meditation as sitting quiet and letting God answer.

I personally believe the spirit of truth/justice/peace that God/Christ/Holyspirit
represent
fulfills the Dharma in Buddhism and aligns with the refuges of Buddha/Dharma/Sangha.

Jesus rejoining man and God, human and divine, earth and heaven in harmony
means fulfilling both scriptural laws of the jews and secular/natural laws of the gentiles.
so both church and state laws are in harmony not discord.

the two main tenets in Buddhism from which all other teachings are based
are developing Wisdom and
developing Compassion
so these align with the two great commandments in the Bible
love of God
love of neighbor
where again Jesus fulfills and joins these two as one.

So the spirit of univeral truth and love, wisdom and compassion
is ONE while it is expressed in diverse ways through the two folds
of the flock, the jews under sacred law and the gentiles under natural law.
Jesus as perfect justice with mercy fulfills all the laws, so in that spirit
we are joined as one and there is no more division between male/female
jew/gentile etc. the differences remain but they are no longer an issue to get in the way.

so this is the vision that MLK had for humanity as well.
I would like to see it fulfilled, and form teams with Christians and Buddhists,
Jews and Muslims, around Dr. King's and Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings whom Dr. King nominated for peace prize, and fulfill the shared dreams and visions as a team.

 

[Aristotle]

I see the average minds here would rather discuss rhetorical nonsense

I just found this one!

Sorry Joe