Posted by TF on January 1, 2004, at 15:56:12
In reply to God and depression, posted by Susan J on January 1, 2004, at 13:28:42
Please don't take my advice or insights too seriously, as they're full of self evidence and observations that I've made over the years. It may or may not apply to other people.
I think a major reason that people get depressed is that they feel isolated somehow, or that they feel as though they've been separated from something important that they either owned, interacted with religiously, or had an abstract connection with, which was never validated. It comes naturally that when we tie ourselves to things, which are impermanent, that we eventually feel or anticipate the loss of said things. This can result in depression if we don't know how to cope or just don't have the capacity to do so.
It's my opinion that God is impermanent. That he's a cosmic force that transcends every time, place, person and emotion. He isn't a thing, nor even an entity or person. To me, He's a connection to every other living and non-living thing in the universe. The means by which we, and everything inbetween, interact(s) with the world.
This may sound arrogant, but I believe that many people classified him as an entity so he could fit into their narrow perception of the world. It was their way of spoon-feeding the idea of God to less evolved people so that they could get across the important moral messages that they had discovered. There's nothing wrong with doing this, since the truth is there irregardless of the specifics. It doesn't matter whether or not you consider God to be one entity or not. One way or the other is fine. The implication that he is a cosmic force was and is always there, and that's all anyone really needs. If they want to ponder the nature of God and push their understanding to the next level, that their perogative.
Errr... I got off on a tangent there, didn't I?
Basically, my thoughts on God in relation to depression are a bit confused... I can't really do them justice in words. I just don't have much talent for explaining myself, but I'll try. I subscribe to the belief that the devil is in ourselves, or actually is a cosmic representation of our selves. God is the connection between each being and object, the way they interact and so forth. I think that when we become tied up in the illusion of the self and thus pride along with all of the things we attribute to ourselves, we become the devil's personal punching bag and are left completely vulnerable to 'his' negativity and our own self-judgement.
As for a way to avoid this fate, I'm still looking. If someone has further insights or criticisms/corrections to my beliefs I'd welcome them.
Heheh, as for your reluctance to procreate, I can totally relate. I'm constantly questioning the quality of my genes and thus the importance of having children to pass on those genes. I look at myself and my family and think 'Oh God, are you trying to tell me something?'. Not to say that my family is a complete waste of oxygen. There are just a few bad apples that might make it worth my while to withold our genetic code (especially including myself).
poster:TF
thread:295384
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20030908/msgs/295446.html