We've had a couple of discussions on this blog of late about the Word of God, and how it can be defined.
From my background in the LDS Church, the Word of God can be any number of things. The Bible, Book of Mormon and the other sacred literary works. It can also be applied to words of counsel issued by various leaders within the faith.
For traditional Christians, obviously the Bible is it.
For those of the Jewish peruasion, we have the Old Testament, although do they call it that, since the New Testament has yet to begin for them. Wouldn't it just be a Testament?
And then for Muslims you again have what is regarded by Christians as the Old Testament, supplemented by the Qur'an
There is also the Bhagavad Gita for Hindus and a whole host of other holy and religiously based scripts regarded by various groups as "The Word of God".
Where I get stuck, is... With so many conflicting sources, all claiming to be the Word of God, what is one to believe.
I have the question as well of... Is there actually a single supreme being who oversees our world - In effect God, and even if there is, does his word really matter to me?
Here's what I came up with though, as Mrs Koda and I drove out to see Santa Claus come and visit my kid's preschool class yesterday.
The Word of God is any phrase which speaks to you as a person. That is to say, it's relative to the person hearing it.
For myself, I hear the Word of God in nature. My most spiritual experiences have been while trail running or hiking, listening to the birds and animals, seeing the trees, bushes, rock formations and other great bounty of nature and being in awe of it all.
I hear the word of God in books too, whether religious or secular. Things from both the Bible and His Dark Materials have struck me with significant spiritual force as I continue on my quest for eternal truths.
I hear the word of God in the words of friends, colleagues and those with whom I may not agree at times. It comes through my loving wife, my beautiful children and in movies, poems and music.
I can't really define the Word of God for you, and likewise you can't define it for me. It's deeply personal and can only be experienced on an individual level.
Well said sir. I think see the divine through nature and the cosmos. My most moving experiences that you could label as spiritual have been in the forests and mountains.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that the most sacred site was the one crafted by God, (however you interpret he/she/it to be) therefore all the earth is a temple, so long as we haven't ravaged it with a strip mall. I tried to convey this to my parents once. They said that nature was "nice", but that god really walks in the temple. So what prevents him from walking on the rest of his creation?
Well... For one thing, the rest of his creation doesn't require an entrance fee of 10% of your annual income!!
ReplyDeleteOne of the most overlooked and ignored verses in the entire LDS canon, Alma 29:8: "For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yeah, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true."
ReplyDeleteInteresting Alan! Thanks for sharing. I interpret that to mean that each nation and/or culture will receive their own version of God's Word, from their own sources. Could that mean that the Jews and Muslims are right, based on their place in the world?
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