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The reality analogy

37818

Well-Known Member
Reality is analogous to God in being omnipresent.

God is invisible and omnipresent.

Acts of the Apostles 17:28, ". . . For in him we live, and move, and have our being; . . ."

We as genuine believers in Christ know God, Romans 8:16, ". . . The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: . . ."
 

Alan Gross

Well-Known Member
Reality is analogous to God in being omnipresent.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT ALL THAT.

So, I resorted to my training and c&ped, JUST FOR KICKS:

from: Systematic Theology A Compendium and Commonplace-Book
Designed For The Use Of Theological Students

By Augustus Hopkins Strong, D.D., LL.D.
Volume 1 The Doctrine of God.

“OPEN THOU MINE EYES, THAT I MAY BEHOLD WONDROUS THINGS
OUT OF THY LAW.”
Psalm 119:18.

“FOR WITH THEE IS THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE:
IN THY LIGHT SHALL WE SEE LIGHT.”
Psalm 36:9.

“FOR WE KNOW IN PART, AND WE PROPHESY IN PART;
BUT WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT IS COME,
THAT WHICH IS IN PART SHALL BE DONE AWAY.”
1 Cor. 13:9, 10.

I highlighted sample things that might be of interest, below, in red.

It gets to these, from your O.P., in Part IV:
Second Division.—Attributes having relation to Creation.
1. Omnipresence.
2. Omniscience.
3. Omnipotence.


from:
Chapter I. Idea Of Theology.
I. Definition of Theology.

Theology is the science of God
and the relations between God and the universe.


2. Man's capacity for the knowledge of God.

For example, in this section
at Chapter I.,
I. Definition of Theology.,
2. Man's capacity for the knowledge of God.

part F., this shows how "he talks to your head".

I think you'll like perusing it a little bit.


"F. Because to know is to limit or define.

Hence the Absolute as unlimited, and the Infinite as undefined,
cannot be known.

"We answer: (a) God is absolute, not as existing in no relation,
but as existing in no necessary relation;

"and (b) God is infinite, not as excluding all coexistence of the finite
with himself, but as being the ground of the finite,
and so unfettered by it.

"(c) God is actually limited by the unchangeableness
of his own attributes
and personal distinctions,
as well as by his self-chosen relations to the universe
he has created and to humanity in the person of Christ.

"God is therefore limited and defined in such a sense
as to render knowledge of him possible."


The outline that follows
is just a very short portion of the whole outline, in the book,
at: https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/strong/Systematic Theology - Augustus Hopkins Strong.pdf

Contents Preface
Part I. Prolegomena.

Chapter I. Idea Of Theology.
I. Definition of Theology.


II. Aim of Theology.

III. Possibility of Theology.
1. The existence of a God.
2. Man's capacity for the knowledge of God
3. God's revelation of himself to man.

IV. Necessity of Theology.

V. Relation of Theology to Religion.
1. Derivation.
2. False Conceptions.
3. Essential Idea.
4. Inferences.

Chapter II. Material of Theology.

I. Sources of Theology.
1. Scripture and Nature.
2. Scripture and Rationalism.
3. Scripture and Mysticism.
4. Scripture and Romanism.


II. Limitations of Theology.

III. Relations of Material to Progress in Theology.

Chapter III. Method Of Theology.
I. Requisites to the study of Theology.

II. Divisions of Theology.

III. History of Systematic Theology.

IV. Order of Treatment in Systematic Theology.

V. Text-Books in Theology.

Part II. The Existence Of God. Chapter I.
Origin Of Our Idea Of God's Existence.

I. First Truths in General.
II. The Existence of God the first truth.
1. Its universality.
2. Its necessity.
3. Its logical independence and priority.

III. Other Supposed Sources of our Idea of God's Existence.

IV. Contents of this Intuition.

Chapter II. Corroborative Evidences Of God's Existence.
I. The Cosmological Argument,
or Argument from Change in Nature.
II. The Teleological Argument,
or Argument from Order and Useful Collocation in Nature.
III. The Anthropological Argument,
or Argument from Man's Mental and Moral Nature.
IV. The Ontological Argument,
or Argument from our Abstract and Necessary Ideas.


Chapter III. Erroneous Explanations, And Conclusion.
I. Materialism.
II. Materialistic Idealism.
III. Idealistic Pantheism.
IV. Ethical Monism.

Part III. The Scriptures A Revelation From God.
Chapter I. Preliminary Considerations.

I. Reasons a priori for expecting a Revelation from God.

II. Marks of the Revelation man may expect.

III. Miracles, as attesting a Divine Revelation.
1. Definition of Miracle.
2. Possibility of Miracle.
3. Probability of Miracles.
4. Amount of Testimony necessary to prove a Miracle.
5. Evidential force of Miracles.
6. Counterfeit Miracles.


IV. Prophecy as Attesting a Divine Revelation.

V. Principles of Historical Evidence
applicable to the Proof of a Divine Revelation.
1. As to documentary evidence.
2. As to testimony in general.


Chapter II. Positive Proofs That The Scriptures Are A Divine Revelation.

I. Genuineness of the Christian Documents.

1. Genuineness of the Books of the New Testament.

1st. The Myth-theory of Strauss (1808-1874).
2nd. The Tendency-theory of Baur (1792-1860).
3d. The Romance-theory of Renan (1823-1892).
4th. The Development-theory of Harnack (born 1851).

2. Genuineness of the Books of the Old Testament.

II. Credibility of the Writers of the Scriptures.

III. The Supernatural Character of the Scripture Teaching.
1. Scripture teaching in general.
2. Moral System of the New Testament.
3. The person and character of Christ.
4. The testimony of Christ to himself—
as being a messenger from God and as being one with God.

IV. The Historical Results of the Propagation of Scripture Doctrine.

Chapter III. Inspiration Of The Scriptures.

I. Definition of Inspiration.
II. Proof of Inspiration.
III. Theories of Inspiration.

1. The Intuition-theory.
2. The Illumination Theory.
3. The Dictation-theory.
4. The Dynamical Theory.

IV. The Union of the Divine and Human Elements in Inspiration.

V. Objections to the Doctrine of Inspiration.

1. Errors in matters of Science.
2. Errors in matters of History.
3. Errors in Morality.
4. Errors of Reasoning.
5. Errors in quoting or interpreting the Old Testament.
6. Errors in Prophecy.
7. Certain books unworthy of a place in inspired Scripture.
8. Portions of the Scripture books written by others
than the persons to whom they are ascribed.
9. Sceptical or fictitious Narratives.
10. Acknowledgment of the non-inspiration of Scripture teachers
and their writings.

Part IV. The Nature, Decrees, And Works Of God.

Chapter I. The Attributes Of God.
I. Definition of the term Attributes.
II. Relation of the divine Attributes to the divine Essence.
III. Methods of determining the divine Attributes.
IV. Classification of the Attributes.
V. Absolute or Immanent Attributes.

First division.—Spirituality, and attributes therein involved.
1. Life.
2. Personality.

Second Division.—Infinity, and attributes therein involved.
1. Self-existence.
2. Immutability.
3. Unity.

Third Division.—Perfection, and attributes therein involved.
1. Truth.
2. Love.
3. Holiness.

VI. Relative or Transitive Attributes.

First Division.—Attributes having relation to Time and Space.
1. Eternity.
2. Immensity.


Second Division.—Attributes having relation to Creation.
1. Omnipresence.
2. Omniscience.
3. Omnipotence.


Third Division.—Attributes having relation to Moral Beings.
1. Veracity and Faithfulness, or Transitive Truth.
2. Mercy and Goodness, or Transitive Love.
3. Justice and Righteousness, or Transitive Holiness.


VII. Rank and Relations of the several Attributes.
1. Holiness the fundamental attribute in God.
2. The holiness of God the ground of moral obligation...
etc., etc., etc.

and these go on and on and on and on and on......
 

Van

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Do you suppose copy and pasting large amounts of verbiage is thought to be edifying or known to be obfuscation?

Returning to the OP:

God can be invisible or God can manifest Himself as something visible.

Take Jesus, please...

Reality refers not only to all God has created (the Heavens and the Earth) but also to the invisible spiritual realm, such as "the third heaven" or our "spirit" being within Christ's spiritual body, thus we are "in Christ" and "indwelt" thus Christ is in us spiritually.
 

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
Reality is analogous to God in being omnipresent.

God is invisible and omnipresent.

Acts of the Apostles 17:28, ". . . For in him we live, and move, and have our being; . . ."

We as genuine believers in Christ know God, Romans 8:16, ". . . The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: . . ."
So (for my little brain) basically without God's presence nothing exists?
 

tyndale1946

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Ahh..

Well, at least you got something out of all that.

I was reading somewhere, where in the great city of Athens, that when The Apostle Paul confronted the Stoics an Epicureans on Mars hill that the statues of the of the different gods they worshiped in that city, out numbered the people:eek:... Someone was surely over superstitious... So to make sure they covered all gods and didn't offend any they had an inscription TO THE UNKNOWN GOD... Brother Glen:)

Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
 

Alan Gross

Well-Known Member
I was reading somewhere, where in the great city of Athens, that when The Apostle Paul confronted the Stoics an Epicureans on Mars hill that the statues of the of the different gods they worshiped in that city, out numbered the people:eek:...

Very nice, indeed!
 

Alan Gross

Well-Known Member
Are Stoics generally religious

Yeah, "religious without God".

If this means anything to you,
where these folks are trying to say they "believed" something.

Seems goofy to me. Overly vague and simplistic to the max.

Just "about virtuous behavior and living according to nature"?

from: Epicureanism and Stoicism: Lessons, Similarities and Differences

The Stoics philosophies were founded in Athens around 300 B.C as the lives of both Zeno and Epicurus, ... overlapped. They ... counseled that we should avoid excessive pleasure and desires.

The Stoics cared about virtuous behavior and living according to nature.

The Stoics sought to live in accordance with nature—emphasizing living in agreement with what happens, rather than rebelling against and lamenting what we cannot change. As the Stoic philosopher Epictetus said,

“We are like a little appendage of Zeus, and who is an appendage to question the plans of the whole body?”

Stoics believe that all pain stems from our perceptions and that we have the ability to not suffer when things typically considered bad happen to us. Epictetus again:

“Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them.”

The Stoics teach that one can be happy no matter what obstacles or tragedies they might face. By accepting all that happens to us in life and understanding that we are never harmed unless we believe we are, we can avoid suffering and live a joyful life.

The Stoic way of life does not involve withdrawing from society at all, however, and it is considered unvirtuous to do so. The Stoics understand that we have obligations to each other and that public life depends on participation. A Stoic is supposed to fulfill his/her role in society and accept it even if it is a humble or stressful position. Failing to be a good citizen violates one of the four core Stoic virtues, justice.

Remember, the Stoics value virtue above all else, to the point that they believed that virtue was all one needed to be happy and all else should be viewed with equanimity. In other words, virtue gives meaning to life.

or in the case of the Greeks overly religious?

Yeah, the Greeks just had tons more man-made philosophies
and being overly "religious without God".
 
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