Comment on The Faith Dilemma by sonatime

sonatime · 12/23/2025, 10:01:51 PM · permalink

https://soj.ooo/p/offensive/post/5dd13b603262769752e9e963ce672deb/comment/100141  
@braven   
  
It feels you decided to provide me with more than breadcrumbs:) That helps me to narrow my usual overthinking and lets me focus on what you’ve presented, which is always substantial for my poorly working mind:) I appreciate the openness and I’ll do my best to respond meaningfully to the different parts.  
  
*"I don't suggest any one craft a god of any kind.  They do that themselves...not up to us.*
*We might get an opportunity to communicate with them...and then perhaps explain that to others.  Or not."*
  
This part clears up some of my earlier speculations that your view of “gods” was purely an intellectual or philosophical construction.  That said, I still can’t fully wrap my mind around it, because it’s not an experience we share. The idea of actual, independent beings that can initiate communication is outside my direct experience, but over the years I’ve read and watched enough accounts to form my own limited perspective on such things.  For me, the anchor remains the traditional biblical revelation of a God who loves us, is always available, and never waits for the right moment to initiate contact. He knows what we need, seeks a relation with us, and even disciplines us as a father disciplines a child (Hebrews 12:5–6; Proverbs 3:11–12). I often think our personal lives mirror Israel’s story in the Old Testament: the discipline frequently comes through the negative consequences we invite, consciously or unconsciously, and through Him allowing us to feel those consequences so that we can find our way back to Him.   
   
*"The risk is believing what a god tells you is true.  Gods tell lies all the time.  The Bible is full of lies.  People wrote the Bible...not a god or God."*  
  
I think I could push back here with what I understand of the Bible but it would be more meaningful if you can share some of these experiences and observations and to talk about such.   
When you say gods tell lies all the time, are you speaking from communications you’ve personally had, or is that a general conclusion from patterns you’ve seen?   
Has any being you’ve communicated with specifically addressed the Bible or the biblical God’s claims?   
You mention the risk of believing what a god tells you, what kind of lies have you encountered that make that risk feel real?  
  
*"God did not give free will to anything or anyone.  This is gaslighting...as a pattern.*
*Perhaps we should discuss that in another thread?  Gaslighting in general?*
*The Bible is nothing but gaslighting....stories.  Not truth...and definitely not fact."*  
  
I wish I had a more meaningful response, your statement makes more curious and I would like to understand better.  
You call the Bible’s teaching on free will, and the Bible itself, gaslighting as a pattern. That is a very strong stance. What experiences or insights led you to see it that way? Has something you’ve encountered shown you a different picture of will and choice?  
When you say the idea of God giving free will is gaslighting, and the Bible is full of that pattern, are the beings/communications you’ve mentioned ever spoken about free will or the biblical God directly? I’m trying to understand where that certainty comes from.  
You use gaslighting a few times for the free will teaching and the Bible as a whole. Can you give an examples what feels like gaslighting to you in the scriptures?  
What makes the free will narrative feel like deliberate manipulation rather than just a philosophical disagreement?  
  
*"However, you may feel impervious to the gaslighting?   This is a tricky one.*
*Those with intelligence and strength...assuming others may also have that ability.*
*Very few people have the time, effort or ability to understand the nature of gods and the level of depravity to which they will sink."*  
  
While I await for more insight from you, I will offer some scriptural alternatives.  The Bible doesn’t deny the existence of deceptive, malevolent spiritual powers, Jesus and the apostles confront them directly. But it reveals a God who is utterly different:   
"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5)    
A God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18)    
Who exposes the deceiver rather than being one (John 8:44 about Satan as the father of lies, in contrast to Jesus who is the truth).    
And most importantly, a God who enters the darkness Himself, not to manipulate, but to rescue (Colossians 1:13–14).”  
  
*"God does not seem to understand love or will power.  God seems like a complete dunce if we look at him and his level of communicative patterns.  Literary idiot...no?*
*Free will does not exist.  That you suggest it does....and is a form of love is literally gaslighting.*
*I am not suggesting that you are attempting to gaslight me....but that pattern of communication....suggesting we have free will...is gaslighting."*  
  
While I can't say I agree with your conclusion or observations I can easily understand the frustration, which is probably universal to all. I think it up to the individual to find the meaning behind these experiences. I want to believe that the frustration is an invitation to a genuine relationship with God. God has already provided this path to everyone through the incarnation/resurrection and He communicates love by bearing the consequences. "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  
  
*"That God has a mother....Sophia.  I will leave this for you to do a bit or research.  It might only take a few minutes.  The Gnostics...which Jesus seems to have much in common with...have a good take on this.*
*That gods existed before God should be enough to know that infinite regress is the only pattern God and this metaphysical pattern are capable of."*  
  
I'm curious about the Jesus role, what similarities do you see most strongly? Some texts make him sound more like a secret-code teacher than the relational redeemer I read in the Gospels.  
  
*"The Zoroastrian take on Good...is very good.  Monotheism seems like a good idea....and the Zoroastrians were the first in line with this.  Their god....which I have named as....Good....has a better pattern than God.  Think Good - Speak Good - Do Good."*  
  
I never had an opportunity to dive into Zoroastrianism but the name itself peaked my interest and its history seems interesting.  
  
*"I personally could not dilute God's existence or nonexistence...he does that on his own."*  
  
I have too many flaws to begin to lay blame anywhere else. I think God has and is constantly making himself available. I choose to receive frustration as a reminder to seek a relationship with him, address my free will flaws, and be thankful for His patience and an opportunity to change.   
   
*"I am open to sharing my experiences and pattern integration, but when I discuss gods...they are always metaphysical....I have no experience with a physical god.*
*And so far as I can discern....no other human being on the planet has either....ever.*
*But I am always open to this possibility."* I'm always curious and interested in understanding more, and always enjoy any reason to shift my focus to the spiritual side of life so this is helpful and welcomed. 
  
  
When you describe metaphysical communications, deceptive entities, and the absence of anything truly physical it reminded me of a testimony by Roger Morneau. I listened to his interviews and read very insightful excerpts from his books. I think his first book is called "A Trip Into the Supernatural". If you decide to read it, I will do the same:) I thought perhaps I was going to be done with that topic but since I formed conclusions about his experience and his books I should familiarize myself more.  
Separately, some researchers in the UFO/abduction field (like Joe Jordan and the CE4 group connected to MUFON) have documented hundreds of cases where alleged encounters stopped cold when the person invoked the name of Jesus. I will look for it on youtube when I have more time. To be accurate, Roger did the same and the few times I had sleep paralysis I did too:)  
  
1 John 4 ESV - Test the Spirits  
  
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.  
  
Maranatha  
always lingers with me now - there’s real longing in that word

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braven · 12/29/2025, 5:14:48 PM · permalink

This is an amazing post.  Again, thank you for sharing your energy with us.  
So many insights and intriguing thought patterns.   
I won't be able to address them sufficiently, so again, my apologies from the start.  
    
I just looked at my reply to your last post on the Maranatha thread.  I feel like our replies are well formed, but overly involved for anyone other than the two of us to 'peruse' through....yes?  
Not sure if popularity should be a goal?  If so, I am open to 'writing shorter posts'....when time is available. 🤣  
  
  
"Has any being you’ve communicated with specifically addressed the Bible or the biblical God’s claims?

You mention the risk of believing what a god tells you, what kind of lies have you encountered that make that risk feel real?"  
  
I have taken a few journeys into another realm...what...where ever that is.  
I was shown truth....and God was not part of it...at all.  This was not easy to digest...still now.  
I was shown an existence, our existence in the expanse of 'time'....and went back to the beginning of 'time'.  
I then had to make my way back.  
  
The gift was bringing me there....it took forever at a speed faster than light.  The inertia was overwhelming but my traveling companion....Genesis....Sophia....made it feel 'normal'.   Like I had done that before.  I don't 'see' my companion....I am a speck on the back of infinite dragon...flying back in time.  
My...the quest was getting back.  Again....took forever....but on this side....3 days.  
For some reason...each time required 3 days of recovery....I wake up in my bed three days later.  
  
I talk to 'entities' in my head all the time...they lie to me at the drop of a hat?  Seems like that....always testing me.  
Odd stuff for sure.  
Are they gods.....archetypes....random plasma energy bursts?  
  
One actually spoke....one time...and gave me the name Braven.   
Again...odd stuff.  But powerful.  
At that time, I thought it was Sophia, the mother of God, at that time, I called her Genesis....still do.   
Perhaps they are One and the same.....open to debate even in my own reflections on the matter.   
Most amazing voice(vibration) I have ever experienced.  
More to say...keeping it short.  
  
Maranatha😇

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