The Ego and God

[Norsefire]

This isn't a topic on whether or not gods exist, but rather the philosophical premise and consequences of gods


We are all individuals; we all have separate consciousness. We have our own desires, our own will. And this is our ego: the self. Self-interest and selfishness, in fact, are virtues if anything. The self matters most, more than anything else; and one can take this to the extreme stance that the self ultimately desires more....for the growth of the self. More power, more wealth, more pleasure...but ultimately, what the self, the psyche of every conscious being, desires most is recognition and acceptance...and further, exaltation

This is simply an idea I am throwing out there; yes, very individualist, but we humans by nature are very selfish and carnal.


What does the concept of a god do to the self? It weakens it...it destroys the ego and strips man of his confidence and, perhaps, even arrogance. It humbles him to the point that man trembles in weakness and pettiness, unable to take one up for himself.

This is not a good thing. The ego is the first thing for every individual to develop: the sense of self, and self importance, as well as commitment and action to pursue one's own will.

This is hampered by the concept of a god. Why must men bow to any authority other than their own will?

Individualism and religion are not compatible (at least, Abrahamic religion). And it is through individualism that we improve (that doesn't mean we can't co operate for mutual benefit, of course)


I say, play god. I say, become god. Replace God, if indeed he exists, with your own self. This ought to be the ultimate goal of any conscious being, philosophically speaking: the goal of reaching a state of supreme perfection, power, and pleasure

 

[lightgigantic]

This isn't a topic on whether or not gods exist, but rather the philosophical premise and consequences of gods


We are all individuals; we all have separate consciousness. We have our own desires, our own will. And this is our ego: the self. Self-interest and selfishness, in fact, are virtues if anything. The self matters most, more than anything else; and one can take this to the extreme stance that the self ultimately desires more....for the growth of the self. More power, more wealth, more pleasure...

or as an alternative to meglomania, more humility, more ability to properly give and receive love etc etc

but ultimately, what the self, the psyche of every conscious being, desires most is recognition and acceptance...and further, exaltation

This is simply an idea I am throwing out there; yes, very individualist, but we humans by nature are very selfish and carnal.

It only becomes "selfish" when it becomes "carnal"

What does the concept of a god do to the self? It weakens it...it destroys the ego and strips man of his confidence and, perhaps, even arrogance. It humbles him to the point that man trembles in weakness and pettiness, unable to take one up for himself.

On the contrary, what can compare with being recognized and accepted by god?

This is not a good thing. The ego is the first thing for every individual to develop: the sense of self, and self importance, as well as commitment and action to pursue one's own will.

This is hampered by the concept of a god. Why must men bow to any authority other than their own will?

Even without bringing god into the picture, its simply an imagination to think you can have a society capable of anything other than anarchy unless there is some sort of central authority capable of generating at least respect.

Individualism and religion are not compatible (at least, Abrahamic religion). And it is through individualism that we improve (that doesn't mean we can't co operate for mutual benefit, of course)

On the contrary, a healthy portion of individualism is understanding how one individual relates to another - not just in terms of models of political authority but also social authority. If you want to live like a lone tiger in the woods, fine, but we won't be expecting any great cultural contributions from you.

I say, play god. I say, become god. Replace God, if indeed he exists, with your own self.

hehe

the problem is that even though we have a "self" and god has a "self" they are quantitatively different.

A key indicator is the quantitative difference of independence - namely that god possesses it in full and we never, either in a conditioned of liberated state, are ever in a fully independent state.

This ought to be the ultimate goal of any conscious being, philosophically speaking: the goal of reaching a state of supreme perfection, power, and pleasure

sure

this is the popular ideology of conditioned life

Whats remarkable is that it still musters a strong following despite a clear track record of failure in 10 out of 10 cases since time immemorial.

Tends to indicate that it flourishes in an environment fertile with illusion.

 

[-ND-]

I think balance is key to achieving maximum goal.

 

[WillNever]

Overall, those ideologieshurt humanity, not help it. It does help people on an individual basis, but it holds us back collectively. Granting semi-divine status to either a fake sky-daddy *OR* ourselves is not productive.

 

[scifes]

norse;
i'd say you're a 100% correct, and i'd agree with you fully...
...if god doesn't exist.

that is crucial to what you're saying, why hinder ourselves and our potential by creating boundaries and limitations to ourselves when we can head towards infinity? but it is also part of our ego to recognize our capabilities, know our limitations, our preposition in relation to other things, and act based on them..

 

[jayleew]

The important thing religion teaches is altruism. That is what separates us from beasts. Where or how else can we learn this concept? Is brainwashing the best way? Is religion any good at teaching this concept?