Prince wrote:Sorry for moving the thread back and away from the topic, but couldn't resist......
Don't worry...I'll put it back at its rightful place.
Prince wrote:Man's response to 'God' has broadly been on the following:
0) There is no concept of a God
That's atheism.
Prince wrote:1) God is dangerous and evil. If you don't worship/ appease him, he will destroy you.
This is a fallacy arising from misinterpretation of religios texts. No text says thus.
Prince wrote:2) God need not be feared. He will be good to you if you worship him, but he will be evil to you if you don't
True...God need not be feared. But who said he will be good to you if you worship him and evil otherwise? God is never evil. Having said that, let me also tell you that its our Karma that results in good or bad reactions. And the reactions from our Karma are not God's actions. They are some laws of nature at play.
Prince wrote:3) God is a good being. He will be good to you if you worship him, but you are his child and even if you don't believe in him, he cares for you and will forgive you.
Refer to Point 2
Prince wrote:4) God is the compassionate being. He will be good to you irrespective of whether you believe in him or not
Again refer to Point 2
Prince wrote:5) There is no such thing as god (becomes sort of redundant when I don't need to fear/ appease/ pray to him/her)
Just because you don't look at something or take an interest in it, you cannot deny its existence.
Prince wrote:If you notice, Hinduism has elements of all these at the same time.. Most would not agree with this, but probably the heighest form of hinduism is actually atheism when you actually start thinking that god is in you. My very brief exposure to some Islamic discussions also point out to, in essence, (3) or (4) above. I could be mistaken and hence apologise.
The beauty of Sanatana Dharma (not hinduism as is colloquially said) is that its a very democratic religion. People are not tightly bound by severe rules and regulations. Followers can choose their path to God (There are 9 different ways described to attain God described in our scriptures). And I don't understand your point about believing that God is in you being the same as Atheism. An atheist ignores the very existence of God (as put up by you in points 1 & 5).
Prince wrote:Sorry, I am almost irreligious, but there were some interesting discussions going on..
Do join in. Your inputs are appreciated.