Nothing Shaped God

[OhHelloInternet]

Are you familiar with the Kabbalahistic concept of Tzimtzum? I was reminded of it by this post. The Rabbi Isaac Luria taught that God began the process of creation by "contraction," forming the finite and seemingly independent space of all of (phenomenal) creation. In this "space," which is actually our presence,

[OhHelloInternet]

free will and the known world exist, seamlessly connected to all that is God. Olam, the Hebrew word for "world" or Universe, is derived from a root word which means "concealment".

[OhHelloInternet]

I'd say Tzimtzum in turn is actually similar to the notion of Maya found in Hinduism and Sikhism, in which the Universe is the concealment of God.. god.

Also, I wonder how that idea would connect with Derrida's method of deconstruction, and his concepts of diachronic processes and différance.

Is meaning forever

[OhHelloInternet]

"deferred" or postponed through, to quote Merleau-Ponty here, the "closely woven fabric" of the "real"? And how would Merleau-Ponty's notion of the Visible and the Invisible relate to this matter?

Is this a pretentious youtube comment? I think there's a rule somewhere about putting real in quotation marks.

I think that your channel is great.

[HybridD91]

Religion teachs life comes from nothing. If god was the only thing in existence and nothing else existed but him, what did he created everything from? Nothing. Who created god? Did he create himself from nothing? If god was never created? How does he exist?

[milkeddowncocobrown]

i think too many people r quick to put a label on everything so its easier to put into perspective. God doesnt have to be bound by space and time to exist. What if god is just a lay out of what will happen in the future. And if u could tap into that to change it or understand it. wouldnt that mean a higher power? like god? Im just saying u cant put god in a box and label it one thing cuz we really cant fully understand god or disprove god by marking stuff not god

[milkeddowncocobrown]

ok not enoughball i think your wrong. you cant take a statement like "god is love" and say or think that someone is a atheist cuz they dont come to a single conclusion about their belief. Like love is god can mean that what we understand god and experience it in this form by love. and love can mean many things but thats not to say there isnt a deeper meaning behind it or even a over all connection with one and another to form a higher power. or there could be a god not bound by space and time

[vfIskullangel]

I used to be an atheist then I became a theist.

You don't come off as an atheist to me you sound like someone who's sitting on the fence looking at both sides.

[NeverEnoughBall]

atheism says nothing of ur beliefs. if someone asks if you believe in god and the answer is anything but yes it's "i'm an atheist". you can believe in absolutely anything and be an atheist, just not a god. people who say "god is love and i beleive in god" are atheists, they just dont know wtf they're talking about.

[vgfmak]

Dhorpatan also touched upon this subject in his "ultimate refutation of all ontological arguments" video.

[conferencereport]

Thanks for the heads up, I'll go and look at it now.

Fred

[tiptiptapable]

If there is nothing then there is no universe. Worship the universe, it is something that you know exists. I wouldn't go as far as pantheism, and I wouldn't use the word worship if there was a better word.. I mean worship science, the universe, etc.

[Howboutthinking]

You shouldn't worry yourself though, its not of any real tangibility to begin with nor is the idea of god. As long as your healthy and happy, i find my self so be an apathetist lol ive keyed my own, i could really care less other than the logical underpinnings of Aquinas and Anselm, but god bless even if you dont care for the physical being that is represented by the word, its the same as saying peace be with you

[milkeddowncocobrown]

i think as animals we try to think of things in generaly a basic manner so its easier to digest. I can tell u dont, but most religous people do to try to make it simpler by just putting it with a certain doctrine. instead of asking and looking for them selves. And too many places of worship allow this understanding to go on due to the nature of their need to hold a possition of authority. I think its bad and bring people to their lowest state of understanding and perspective. The animalistic one

[milkeddowncocobrown]

i think your quest for personal understanding is truly great, but is sadly one that not too many people share. i have gone between belief and non belief for a the larger part of my life. And i always come back to an understanding that our ability to change and shape the world around us is something like a power of god. So even if its just us i have to wonder or think that maybe life its self is some how god. Or is at least connected in a strong degree. Why cant love and life be a part of god?

[milkeddowncocobrown]

i think your quest for personal understanding is truly great, but is sadly one that not too many people share. i have gone between belief and non belief for a the larger part of my life. And i always come back to an understanding that our ability to change and shape the world around us is something like a power of god. So even he its just us i have to wonder or think that maybe life its self is some who god. Or is at least connected in a strong degree. Why cant love and life be a part of god?

[axlman5]

well, i believe that the "nothing" thats out there is actually an advanced society who create universes for research purposes and then keep them on file to monitor.

we are universe number 42.

[adidado]

I suppose you could label yourself religionless

[kwokydow2]

sounds kinda like your an agnostic.

[Miscskies]

Two years ago, Nica Lalli wrote a book titled "Nothing: Something to Believe In", kind of a personal memoir. I read about it in an issue of Free Inquiry but then forgot about it. The reviews are quite good, so I guess I have to catch up on it.

[HowDaWorldTwerks]

The only reason I believe anyone has to call themselves a theist, atheist or agnostic, is because of an idea created by someone at some point in the past. It wasn't because god, a god, or gods presented themselves to the world to show their existence. When it becomes something more than just fun to think about, it can be a waste, because our belief or disbelief doesn't seem to effect whether this "god" exists or if he interacts with the world. Now THATS incoherent rambling.

[2bsirius]

I needed a good dose of ConferenceReport to start my Sunday...

Your summary of your atheism is very much like mine.

The Beckett quote was an exactly what makes me uncomfortable about the whole discussion.

I wanted to recommend a book about how the ancient Greek saw nothingness....But can't find it right now...

Very interesting as usual.

[conferencereport]

Probably not the one you mean but 'Zero' by Charles Seife has some great accounts of the way nothingness has featured within different histories

[2bsirius]

Yes, not the one I'm looking for, but it was good on this too...

If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to hire a librarian to organize my books so that I can find them...

I was SO intrigued by the book that I'm searching for and yet I CAN'T find it...I'll look again later.

Again, thanks for making me think again!