It is encouraging to see the diversity among people interested in this discussion. As a sociologist and social psychologist, I was at one time quite sure that my views and observations laid out in academic expressions were correct. I was wrong and even now I am not sure I do the right thing in context of God's plan for me. Yet, I perserve with the hopes of doing what God intended for me
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I was reading Ezekiel 13 and saw my mistakes. It is not wise to prophesy out of my own imagination nor is it wise to follow my own spirit.
For it is He that can do more than we can ever imagine! Eph 3:20
God's imagination is Living as children of Light - this should be our imagination; and it is as long as we believe it is ours.
Let us look at Ephesians 4:17-25
So, I tell you this and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts, having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way; surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor for we are all members of one body - one imagination "God's".
This excerpt is truly for me the direction to be taken in studying the social imagination. For those who read and are of differing opinions, understand this, I recognize diversity in context of differing cultures, histories, politics, economics in a place. The above does not negate any of those. In fact, it stresses that in our differences we are one - living as children of light. We can be different and share differences by being imitators of God - being in the light of the Lord.
And, now assuredly there are readers who find this impossible since there are many religions practiced who do not have the same God, or do they? Don't all religions call for us to leave behind darkness and live in the light of love...
In the social imagination, we connect with like minds more than unlike minds. There is no were in the Bible that says we must connect with unlike minds. It only asks that we move forward in like-mindedness. And it this movement do so as Christ did with love and forgiveness. In any society, speaking as a social psychologist, this is healthy to do toward positive functioning of the society.
But what about other religions, people have different belief systems....how can we move forward? There is no request made in the Bible that demands all people everywhere to conform, fall in line giving up their beliefs and nor does it say that all people should live together in order to move forward 'living as children of the light'
Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhavit the world earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and fin him thouh he is not far from each oin of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.
We live in God's imagination, never let that go and live in another imagination, seek him and do not reach for anyone or anything else.
This is imagining the Holy Spirit
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The greatest benefit of living in God's imagination rather than our own is that there is no limit to what can be imagined or accomplished!
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