you know...could you simplify it for me... please.
2006-07-21 04:06:50 · 22 answers · asked by KaSystemA8 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
I think they were saying to me that nothingness is like clay to God... you know to make things with... like the potter makes something out of clay. I think i get it now... nothingness is actually energy. But, I'll leave it to the vote though.
2006-07-21 04:31:41 · update #1
I see., its a metaphor, and not analogy. Ta.
2006-07-21 04:41:11 · update #2
Yeah... i~i see clearly now., i think it just simply means that... Nothingness is Gods clay. Let me see... Gods there in nothingness, and says... 'This nothingness to me shall be like clay shall be to the potter' Mmm... could be something like that... where 'nothingness to God is but like clay to the potter' sprang from.
2006-07-22 23:10:06 · update #3
God can create anything from nothing.
2006-07-21 04:08:33 · answer #1 · answered by Mommymonster 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm I have never heard this before... I don't think it would be too good an analogy because too many people get hung up on Nothingness is Nothingness and Clay is "something" but If used to try to explain that God can Bring something from nothing... well I guess there really is NO good analogy for That is there. The references are probably some people misquoting Isaiah 29:16 and misunderstanding Romans 9: 20 - 22 .
2006-07-22 11:47:34 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
God created the heavens and the earth out of nothingness. God creating the universe from nothing is like the potter creating a vase out of a lump of clay.
However, i think this is a little off from a good analogy because the potter is starting with something. anyway, that's the gist of it.
2006-07-21 04:11:13 · answer #3 · answered by Sean M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means that God can take nothing and make it into something. It can be applied to life. Someone can feel like they are nothing, that they are worthless, but God has a plan to use everyone in an awesome way, even if you feel like nothing, God can make you into something great just like the potter can make a dull lump of clay into a great sculpture.
2006-07-21 04:11:52 · answer #4 · answered by CAPTAIN CONSERVATIVE 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If pot is the effect, then its cause, that is, material cause is clay and efficient cause is the potter. This is the pattern of explanation. Now when we take the whole world of things and beings as the effect and try to know about its cause, then the details of explanation is different, the pattern of explanation being the same. In the above example, clay (cause) and pot (effect) belong to one class - they both have names and forms. Clay is the cause in relation to pot which is the effect. But it could be the effect in relation to some other thing and pot could be the cause in relation to certain other thing. All these are particular things in parameters of space and time. But the collection of all particular things, that is, the world is not another particular thing in space and time. A particular thing cannot be its cause. That which is its cause must not have name and form and must not spatial or teporal. That which is nameless and formless and non-spatio-temporal is and has to be nothing. It is darkness as the Rg Veda puts it in its Nasadiya Sukta. Again, it is no ordinary darkness that is relative to light. It is all enveloping darkness, darkness in the absolute sense. Be it darkness or nothing, it means that which is devoid of name and form and not in space and time. Take it in the negative sense, confusion results, take it in the positive sense, confusion is less if you appreciate the distinction.
2006-07-21 05:00:08 · answer #5 · answered by das.ganesh 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's just saying that God can take nothing and make it into anything he wants, something beautiful and wonderful. A potter does the same with his clay, it starts out ugly and it's basically nothing, but the potter forms it and sculpts it and forms it into something beautiful and useful.
2006-07-21 04:10:12 · answer #6 · answered by mtngrl7500 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Clay in essence is dirt and water. In essence nothing special.
The potter can take a piece of this clay and be it by hand or wheel, turns it into something that is functional, beautiful--or something that has meaning.
So if God is the potter, we are his pottery, his art. He gives us shape, fires us, paints us, fires us again--and into the world we bring function and meaning.
That is what this metaphor means.
2006-07-21 04:24:11 · answer #7 · answered by adieu 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God creates something from nothing, much like the potter creates pots from clay.
2006-07-21 04:08:33 · answer #8 · answered by Dan w 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God can take nothing and create something. A potter takes clay and creates something.
2006-07-21 04:09:03 · answer #9 · answered by rastus7742 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i see these other answers, and i dont think they are correct...
God can create something from nothing, and a potter can make something of clay... well, clay is something rather than nothing. as to the answer, i would go with 'nothing'.
2006-07-21 04:13:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
like God used dust, which is basically nothing significant. Formed it into something use full. We were all made out of dust our self and see how pretty we are and how use full. God shape and mold us put us through the test of fire to see if we will be able to stand the heat. This is not always very pleasant but this is what we all are going through. He shapes us into what he knows is best. Bless you
2006-07-21 04:43:44 · answer #11 · answered by cry 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋