What is your short story or one sentence, Why Do You love God?

I am Thankful to God, for the wonderful design of the human body and all it can do!

Look, a man who doesn't know death, old age, illness...

Hmm since I question the existence of gods in general and the god implied by the OP very much more so... So I don't. You can't love something you are almost certain does not exist.

I suppose you might love him if you're a masochist who likes being absolutely ignored.

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Originally Posted by mishkin

I suppose you might love him if you're a masochist who likes being absolutely ignored.

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Always a possibility father was one of those guys - stoic guys so I can't help but do the I am not cold/hurt/bleeding/uncomfortable and no the horse did not break my ribs its just a bruise(*) etc thing... A god who ignores me would fit in fine

* not my horse but yes ribs broken and my Mustang the one in profile went bat :wub: pissed and kicked and bit the horse that did it (a boarded horse) all that did all the way down our acreage and back. Funny story but only way I got out of the pasture was when she came back and I pulled myself up my her tail and she walked me to the gate.

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Originally Posted by mishkin

I suppose you might love him if you're a masochist who likes being absolutely ignored.

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God never ignores anyone. You just have to open your heart to Him.

I exist; therefore I love Him

Because God gave us life and created us for worshiping Him

Newborns dying in agony, people being brutally raped before being brutally murdered, mentally ill people suffering throughout their lives, that's why I love God.

Sunrise and the new morning.

endless mystery

"I say I'm an anti-theist because I think it would be rather awful if it was true. If there was a permanent, total, around-the-clock, divine supervision...an invigilation of everything you did...you would never have a waking or sleeping moment where you weren't being watched and controlled and supervised by some celestial entity, from the moment of conception til...well not even to your death, because it's only after death that the real fun begins, isn't it? It would be like living in North Korea." - Christopher Hitchens

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Originally Posted by Calypze

"I say I'm an anti-theist because I think it would be rather awful if it was true. If there was a permanent, total, around-the-clock, divine supervision...an invigilation of everything you did...you would never have a waking or sleeping moment where you weren't being watched and controlled and supervised by some celestial entity, from the moment of conception til...well not even to your death, because it's only after death that the real fun begins, isn't it? It would be like living in North Korea." - Christopher Hitchens

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Existance of God =/= What is the Nature of God

Do you mean your specific conception of god? Or do you allow for our own interpretations, our own theologies, our own experiences? If not the latter, then you're narrowing the field unnecessarily.

In any case, I love and appreciate the gods, most especially Zeus and Dionysos.
The former delivered me through a very difficult situation and, along with many others, vouchsafed justice and protected my boy from harm in the midst of a tumultuous legal battle.
The latter, through varied mystic experiences, helped buoy me through a string of emotional difficulties, and prepared me for the Mysteries. It is by this that I have reacquainted myself with philosophy I had previously dismissed, and opened my mind to their value.

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Originally Posted by MaximiIian

In any case, I love and appreciate the gods, most especially Zeus and Dionysos.
The former delivered me through a very difficult situation and, along with many others, vouchsafed justice and protected my boy from harm in the midst of a tumultuous legal battle.
The latter, through varied mystic experiences, helped buoy me through a string of emotional difficulties, and prepared me for the Mysteries. It is by this that I have reacquainted myself with philosophy I had previously dismissed, and opened my mind to their value.

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I'm a complete atheist but I think this is great.

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Originally Posted by MaximiIian

Do you mean your specific conception of god? Or do you allow for our own interpretations, our own theologies, our own experiences? If not the latter, then you're narrowing the field unnecessarily.

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On the existence of the Divine, yes, many different things have turned into belief. There is a widespread consensus on all civilizations and religions and spiritual movements that divinity exists, at least that much of a consensus exists worldwide and across all spiritual/religious systems.
Despite all differences, possibly among biggest worldwide consensus since millenia.

The second part is where belligerency (or excuse for such) starts.

On Nature of Divine, classical discussion is more about issues such as "if God is good then why bad thing X happens" but the "If" here already assumes some divinity or similiar exists. On the West at least.

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Originally Posted by MaximiIian

In any case, I love and appreciate the gods, most especially Zeus and Dionysos.
The former delivered me through a very difficult situation and, along with many others, vouchsafed justice and protected my boy from harm in the midst of a tumultuous legal battle.
The latter, through varied mystic experiences, helped buoy me through a string of emotional difficulties, and prepared me for the Mysteries. It is by this that I have reacquainted myself with philosophy I had previously dismissed, and opened my mind to their value.

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Well, while I find such take more as slight sarcasm or at best humour, can't be too sure, it can't be discarded that the most admired Virtous Pagans (Plato, Heraclitus, Aristotle, Socrates, Parmenides, Cicero, Virgil, Trajan, etc.) that still are studied by the Church and Sceptical Seculars alike lived under systems with Zeus and Dyonisius as their divinity reference(s) or at least on societies that looked to such figures for value references. (albeit for Romans there's a name change)
So your sarcasm ironically isn't that sarcastic as it would seem.

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Originally Posted by fkizz

So your sarcasm ironically isn't that sarcastic as it would seem.

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I'm confused by this. Where are you seeing sarcasm? I'm a Hellenistic polytheist; I have been for many years, and I've never been shy about that on here. In fact, I've usually been very up-front about presenting things from a Pagan perspective. I'm honestly baffled by what you mean by this.

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Originally Posted by MaximiIian

I'm confused by this. Where are you seeing sarcasm? I'm a Hellenistic polytheist; I have been for many years, and I've never been shy about that on here. In fact, I've usually been very up-front about presenting things from a Pagan perspective. I'm honestly baffled by what you mean by this.

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Well one has to factor in the basic guidelines to not take everything on the internet at face value by default, plus the typical things such as not knowing the person, neither what the tone of the voice conveyed, among other things.
So more outlier statements all fall under this procedure by default, it's sort of required to filter things.

That said, then there is the issue that many writings of the Virtuous Pagans are still studied and read by Christians/Atheists alike without requiring any worship towards pre-christian movements. Stoicism, Rethoric, Oratory, even Democracy are "products" of such societies that are still used today. So just being very articulate in such teachings doesn't necessarily prove something.
And it's very rare to see such cases as it would involve all confusions in metaphysics and rites of worship which TWC isn't a forum built for, which makes the issue even more uphill.

Then from your profile

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I hesitate to describe it as Eleusinian, as the mysteries died out at the end of Classical Antiquity and it would sacreligious to pretend at recreating them without being initiated; but I am influenced by what is known about Eleusinian theology.

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A lot of classical antiquity syncretism (where values of heroism via belligerence and might makes right evoking triumphalism were seen as more normal than today, at least in theory) having as end game critical theory and social justice seems contradictory.

But after that said you want do go ahead and enlighten a bit more on how/why said rituals have impact on you and your community as opposed to other more mainstream ones (or mainstream atheism), please do go ahead.

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Originally Posted by fkizz

On the existence of the Divine, yes, many different things have turned into belief. There is a widespread consensus on all civilizations and religions and spiritual movements that divinity exists, at least that much of a consensus exists worldwide and across all spiritual/religious systems.
Despite all differences, possibly among biggest worldwide consensus since millenia.

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Which tells us a something about the human condition and nothing about the existence of divinity.

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Originally Posted by fkizz

And it's very rare to see such cases...

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I guess, man. It's not like Modern Paganism is that uncommon these days. And I've been pretty openly Pagan on this very site for a decade and a half.

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Then from your profile

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I mean...ancient philosophy is my starting point, not the end of wisdom. Modern philosophy developed in response to modern concerns, and it's not unwise to bring that into synthesis with my starting principles. I don't see how any of that is inconsistent with being a Pagan in modern times.

And as far as my profile, I think my explanation of how I get from ancient principles of hospitality and care for others, to modern principles of opposing institutions of power and abuse, is fairy direct. Not to mention, the "heroic" ethic you're describing was critiqued pretty earlier in Homeric poetry. And the kind of courage or heroism present in Platonic and Stoic virtue ethics has less to do with violence and might, and more about moral courage to do the right thing.

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Originally Posted by Muizer

Which tells us a something about the human condition and nothing about the existence of divinity.

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Sure tells us more about the human condition to adapt divinity to their local customs; but on Divinity, how can you be sure if it tells something or not? Unless you empirically know how divinity chooses to express itself, not sure what is the benchmark.

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Originally Posted by MaximiIian

I guess, man. It's not like Modern Paganism is that uncommon these days. And I've been pretty openly Pagan on this very site for a decade and a half.

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Well there's some rare celtic groups (and others), there's the question of how much Classical Antiquity role models simply you prefer as reference/role models as opposed to actual cult being done; and if so would it be in the most similiar possible to old ways, or adapted to XXI century?

Plus polytheism, one can prefer Artemis over Dionysus and vice versa, prefer Mars to Jupiter and vice versa, be critical or give praise to protagonists in the Illiad and it all would count as being "Pagan", so it's still a very broad umbrella for one to know why one would prefer one reference over another Pagan figure. Things would remain too uncertain and misty.

Regardless, this is possibly outside my reach, but I can't see how Plato's/Stoicism "do what is right" is linked to Critical Theory and Social Justice; given Social Justice often involves a type of emotional charge that Stoicism would consider lack of restraint, and Critical Theory is too linked to Post-Modernism Ideology for the average enthusiast to admire/defend Ancient Wisdom, maybe misnomers or the political charge creates confusion?