J.L. Schellenberg - New Visions of the Divine?

Western religions have a specific image of the divine. For example, God is not only a person but also seems to have gender—and it is always masculine. Some are now challenging this traditional notion of God as male. What insights can be learned from feminine theology?



J.L. Schellenberg is a Canadian philosopher known both for his atheism and for his defense of a broader skepticism compatible with atheism -- a form of skepticism which, as it happens, opens a path to a new evolutionary brand of religion.


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[RolandHuettmann]

All belief systems restrict the human creature from being open to all possibilities. The huge miracle, and I do not need any other, is, that we exist and have a sense of knowing it. We do not need VR. We are already living in a big one if only we open our eyes.

[michaelshortland]

I find it hard to believe in freewill in a deterministic universe unless there is a choosing body, "Call it a soul or spirit if you will.". And the Brain interprets physical reality for it, Presenting it with the choices, and it chooses for the brain.

[quantumkath]

Now that's what I'm talking about: good old fashioned "Original" ideas...simple, stimulating! J.L. Schellenberg proves that fresh ideas are out there "ultimately" getting "Closer to Truth". Thank you!

[akn]

You really started off with a whopper Laurence, stating the DIVINE is the ultimate foundation of reality! What does the "divine" and religion have to do with reality? Religion and faith "firm belief in something for which there is not proof" have nothing to do with ultimate reality outside of a personal belief system. A deity and the divine have to be proven before it can be asserted that they have anything to do with reality.

[jamesnordblom]

If there is a God, then by definition It is beyond my understanding and/or description. If I understood, I would be God.

[gordonsirek]

Visions of the divine are similar to visions of sugar plums dancing in children's heads waiting for Santa Claus the night before Christmas.

[catherinehartmann]

It all boils down to the acceptance that spririuality is a descriptive phenomenon rather than prescriptive.

[haroonaverroes]

in humanity you can find all you need (be a real human), then later you can hallucinate as much as you can.

[patmat.]

I knew the first 30 sec that the guy was a phylosopher, covering trivial ideas with unnecessary jargon.

[brazenzebra]

Excellent! Got me thinking. The search for ultimate reality? Is that the search for ultimate scientific knowledge? But, we should be lovingly humble humans, not coldly arrogant robots in search of ultimate knowledge. Oedipus learned the hard way that wisdom trumps knowledge and truth. Wisdom also trumps right and wrong. Love and be humble. The pursuit of infinity is a fool's errand.

[greenspeed]

We need to stop using the word divine. It carries too much religious baggage. Let's find a more accurate word or phrase.

[williamburts]

Robert said, " If I seek the divine the ultimate foundation of reality but I am uncomfortable with traditional religion what can I do? " Answer: by understanding that nothing can transcend consciousness since such an existence would depend on our consciousness for it to be known thus making it content within consciousness so nothing can be known to transcend consciousness thus it is absolute, ultimate, existence.

You need not seek the divine, you just need to understand how consciousness is divine.

[MrSanford]

The ultimate, the divine whatever you call it is that which doesn’t change, that which everything moves towards. So I would think that the experience of the divine, the ultimate thing that is fixed -is human awareness experienced not for the sake of any individual thing, but for its own sake…..

[MegaCrash]

Duly noted: We are at the veeery early stage of our evolution!

[afawux]

The real question is how did such a setting come to be chosen for these interviews. So unconventional, how intresting

[deanodebo]

It’s peculiar to me that anyone thinks they can autonomously come up with what is ultimate. It must be revealed

[Diamondmind]

I think the word faith is a bad word for this. Having complete trust or belief without proof is Faith. You are just replacing the word belief with faith.

Instead you should be teaching that beliefs should not be solid or written in stone. No one should have beliefs or faith because we need to leave room for learning. A man that knows for sure cant learn because he already knows.

One thing thats being suppressed is that energy came before matter. Matter is just frozen light. We are that embodied energy. Knowing this would change everything but the oligarchy does not want that.

We need to remain skeptical but open minded. No conclusions no faith no belief just theorys and thoughts.

[LuisSantiago-owmu]

These kinds of interviews show how hard Robert tries to find arguments that reaffirm his theism.

[danbeckham]

This video is outlining the conclusion that I reached relatively recently - that all that exists, whether known or unknown to us, is a Single Unity composed of perhaps infinite (or almost infinite) individual things. The human body is one thing composed of trillions of cells of different types performing different functions. It is so with the Universe and that which is beyond our comprehension or discovery. “God” is merely a word symbol universally used to describe an Entity far beyond human comprehension in power, ability, and all other attributes. Traditional theists describe this as an Entity separate from universal existence, much as a painter is separate from that which is created on a canvas. But such an Entity would not be possessed of All Things if it were separated into dualistic This and That. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that It is not separated from the Universe that we observe, but that the Universe is incorporated into, and is a part of, the Total Oneness of Reality. There is only “God” and nothing else, but the idea that It is an “old bearded man in the sky” is a limitation of human understanding. Theism is a relatively primitive conception of Reality. There is only Oneness everywhere, even if there are aspects and realms of It forever hidden from the extremely simple minds of individual humans.

[haroonaverroes]

to be a real human instead of being semi-humans is the first requirement ! to concise: be human first of all .