on the Pilgrimage

Ok.  I won't pretend I have this all worked out. In fact, as time goes on, I'll likely change my beliefs along the way. That's growth. If I do, I'll revisit and link to the thread along this path. And maybe make a note of an updated thought.  So, let's start. Humour me for a bit - come with me on this mental journey. Not complete, but definitely, these were some of the stepping stones along the way: Let's start here: Is there something we call 'God'? Well, I do believe that from a purely rational perspective, the world around us cannot be some 'lucky mud'. It can't be by random chance that this world was created and we have arrived where we are. I once remember going to listen to a message once given by Pastor Tom Morris and some guests. (To note, this was given in the early 2000s; I suspect more has been learned since. How much of the detailed knowledge on this has changed since then?) In this message, the following was said:  Back in 1905, ...

I know there’s a thought out there that *we* shouldn’t do anything to get God angry. We shouldn’t sin or get to the point where we deliberately go against what we believe is God’s nature or intention for us. We shouldn't swear or lie or have sex out of marriage or kill ... But here’s the thing: since *we* are not God, how can we be sure that we truly know what God’s nature or intention for us really is? The best we can do is akin to a form of psychological ‘transference’ or the shifting of emotions or beliefs from us to someone else, and concluding that the ‘us’ is the same as the other. Or, whatever we end up ‘transferring’ from us to God is as we say it is. But the thing is, this is not about God then … this becomes about what we transfer to and on God. This is about us. So, when it comes to what makes God angry, it’s about what we think makes God angry (or maybe what we feel guilty about?), not what actually makes God "angry", if God does indeed feel a human emotion...