What is "God"?

[arensb]

Does space have an end? If it does--if there is a brick wall at the end of space that reads "The End," I want to know what's behind the brick wall. By faith you and I are forced to believe that no matter in which direction we set off, space will never end. It just goes on and on and on--forever. It has no beginning or end. It hurts the brain to think about such a state, but we have no choice but to accept that fact by faith.

No, we don't. We can observe space and try to see whether there's an end to it. We can come up with theories about the size and shape of space that can tell us where to look for an edge to space.

God also has no beginning and no end.

Neither does a circle, or a Celtic knot, or the surface of a sphere or of a doughnut.

Time is a dimension that God has created and it is to this dimension that mankind is subjected. We have to wait for time to pass. We can't jump ahead even one second in time. We are enslaved in its power. It is because we are in time that reason demands a beginning and an end. It hurts the brain to think of any other dimension.
God is not subject to the dimension of time. He dwells in eternity. The Bible tells us that a day to the Lord is as a thousand years to us (see Psalm 90:4 & 2 Peter 3:8). God can flick through time as you and I flick through the pages of a history book.

What do you mean by "dwells in eternity"? I assume you don't mean that God does not experience any dimension of time, because would make him incapable of any change over time, including movement, thought, learning, etc.

So presumably you mean that God's time axis is not the same as ours, perhaps perpendicular to ours (whatever that means in a relativistic universe); or perhaps God is rotated 90 degrees with respect to us, so that one of our spacelike dimensions is God's time dimension, and our time dimension is one of God's spacelike dimension.

I imagine mathematicians and physicists could have a field day working out the details of this model (to say nothing of SF writers like Robert Heinlein or Greg Egan). Has any work been done on this?

 

[arensb]

Jesus said God is Spirit.

Go to a mirror and look into your eyes as you look at your face, the part looking at you in that mirror is your spirit, see that will start to explain to you about the Spirit part.

I just looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. I can see the whites of my eyes, the irises, and reflections of the bathroom light off the corneas. I checked, but I couldn't see my retinas.

If that's not what you meant, then please explain.

 

[arensb]

3) This first mover is the Unmoved Mover, called God.

Leaving aside the faulty logic in this argument, how would I recognize a first mover if I saw one?

4) Therefore, ther must be an uncaused first cause called God.

This is the same argument as before, so how would I recognize an uncaused cause if I saw one?

3) There must exist a being which is necessary to cause contingent beings.

4) This necessary being is God.

Ignoring the argument for a moment, how would I recognize a necessary being if I saw one?

Fourth Way: The Agrument From Degrees And Perfection

St. Thomas formulated this Way from a very interesting observation about the qualities of things. For example one may say that of two marble scultures one is more beautiful than the other. So for these two objects, one has a greater degree of beauty than the next. This is referred to as degrees or gradation of a quality. From this fact Aquinas concluded that for any given quality (e.g. goodness, beauty, knowledge) there must be an perfect standard by which all such qualities are measured. These perfections are contained in God.

This seems to boil down to simply "God is perfect in every possible way". How do you reconcile this with the statements of other commenters in this thread, who have said that God is as described in the Bible, i.e., far from perfect?

Fifth Way: The Agrument From Intelligent Design

The final Way that St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of has to do with the observable universe and the order of nature. Aquinas states that common sense tells us that the universe works in such a way, that one can conclude that is was designed by an intelligent designer, God. In other words, all physical laws and the order of nature and life were designed and ordered by God, the intellgent designer.

How would I recognize this intelligent designer if I met him/her/it?

Read more about the Existence of God here:

But I'm not asking about the existence of any gods. I'm asking for a description.

 

[arensb]

"What is God? ‘God,’ as the Lord says, ‘is a spirit.’ Now spirit is properly substance, incorporeal, and uncircumscribed. And that is incorporeal which does not consist of a body, or whose existence is not according to breadth, length, and depth. And that is uncircumscribed which has no place, which is wholly in all, and in each entire, and the same in itself" (ibid.).

"No one can rightly express him wholly. For on account of his greatness he is ranked as the All, and is the Father of the universe. Nor are any parts to be predicated of him. For the One is indivisible; wherefore also it is infinite, not considered with reference to inscrutability, but with reference to its being without dimensions, and not having a limit. And therefore it is without form" (Miscellanies 5:12 [A.D. 208]).
http://www.catholic.com/library/God_Has_No_Body.asp

As far as I can make out, this description applies to mathematics: it has no body, no breadth, no length, no depth, is unbounded (in infinitely many directions), and is the same everywhere. Although one can study different areas of mathematics, they are all connected in the totality of math. And, of course, everything is an expression of mathematics.

So is God math, or something like that?

 

[arensb]

God is the only being in existence, the reason for whose existence is in himself

I don't understand what this means. And more importantly, how would I recognize a being "the reason for whose existence is in himself" if I saw one?

How can we who are locked in time and space ever talk in terms that transcend time and space?

Rather easily, in my experience. We use terms like "infinite" and "multiverse". Of course, your mileage may vary.

 

[arensb]

He has one essence yet 3 persons (usually labelled 'Father', 'Son', and 'Holy Spirit') existing in perfect relationship.

Can you please explain what you mean by "essence" and "person", here?

 

[ebia]

Can you please explain what you mean by "essence" and "person", here?

Probably not to your satisfaction,...

 

[DArceri]

The vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe, as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.

William von Braun, the father of space science

The professing atheist is what is commonly known as an "agnostic"--one who claims he "doesn't know" if God exists. It is interesting to note that the Latin equivalent for the Greek word is "ignoramus." The Bible tells us that this ignorance is "willful" (Psalm 10:4). It's not that a person can't find God, but that he won't. It has been rightly said that the "atheist" can't find God for the same reason a thief can't find a policeman. He knows that if he admits that there is a God, he is admitting that he is ultimately responsible to Him. This is not a pleasant thought for some.

 

[DArceri]

Sounds like you refuse to acknowlege anything.

You just want to counter everything..... But lets start with what your theory of creation is. You never answered my question before. Are you in the "big bang" camp? If not, what is your thought on creation? If there is no God, enlighten me on creation.

 

[revmalone]

I just looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. I can see the whites of my eyes, the irises, and reflections of the bathroom light off the corneas. I checked, but I couldn't see my retinas.

If that's not what you meant, then please explain.

Greetings
When your looking into the mirror what is looking out of your face, to see that reflection. That is your eternal spirit that see's this world.

Without that spirit in you keeping that body alive, you'd be dead, right.

your body is like a shell holding your soul character(spirit) with in you, all your emotions,learning,senses,action come from the shaping of your spirit.

If you doing things that are evil, your spirit will be evil and by the daily practice of things they become part of our whole spirit.

Jesus explained this in Matthew 6:21-23
21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

In the Scriptures it says life is this simple, there are 3 types of sins in this world,
1.the lust or (desire) of the eyes
2.the lust of the flesh
3.Pride of life

All those start in your eyes, transfered to your flesh as a desire to have, and when you really want it nobody, not even God would stop you from getting it.

Pride is then set up in your spirit. Have you ever seen someone who looks down on people who don't have as much as them, that is another form of the Pride of life.

It's in your eyes that a evil seed is planted, grows in your mind, produces actions in your flesh. What ever you feed on will shape that part of you looking at your face.

Your looking from within -out of your face, right. That is what the scriptures call our spirit(Called sometimes soul).

Jesus said allot about they eyes, that is why he spoke things in parables, it is things meant for the spirit(soul) to be understood.

Read the way Jesus describes it, when talking to those who didn't understand the things he was saying.
Matthew 13:13-16
13. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

You have a soul, Jesus says to all of us must be forgiven of the evil , sinful acts we have done in our lifes. He is the forgiver sent by God to forgive and pay your price for your sins as well as for the whole world.

Jesus says if we follow him, we will be saved and go to heaven when we die,but if we choose to go our evil acting ways and ignore him.

Matthew 16:24-26
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Were would you like that spirit of yours to go?

Something to consider my friend
Rev Malone

There is no sin that does not fit into these groups.

 

[Veinor]

It' s WHOM is GOD . . .

Actually, 'whom is god' would be totally incorrect grammatically, as 'whom' is used only in place of the object of a verb, preposition, etc. 'Who' is used as the subject, and in 'Who is God', 'Who' is the subject.

 

[BuzWeaver]

I don't understand what this means. And more importantly, how would I recognize a being "the reason for whose existence is in himself" if I saw one?

If we entirely understood God then there wouldn't be any need for this conversation, we'd already understand him. You wouldn't need to see God to know of his existence, unless you know some way to produce an infinite, omnipotent being.

Rather easily, in my experience. We use terms like "infinite" and "multiverse". Of course, your mileage may vary.

Can you demonstrate infinity?

 

[StTherese]

Leaving aside the faulty logic in this argument, how would I recognize a first mover if I saw one?

You need to look on a deeper level...can you describe what Love looks like? Can you hold it in your hand? Can you see it in its entirety?...You could see love in the actions of others, you could feel love...but can you truly know love as a thing of itself?

This is the same argument as before, so how would I recognize an uncaused cause if I saw one?

Take the Big bang theory for example...it is very likely that that is exactly how the universe was formed...but only one problem, what caused it to happen? Where did all the gases and other natural compounds come from? Something had to put it all in motion. We live in a world that is constantly changing and evolving. To go back in history as far as we know it, things have evolved from something else. How do you get something from nothing?

This seems to boil down to simply "God is perfect in every possible way". How do you reconcile this with the statements of other commenters in this thread, who have said that God is as described in the Bible, i.e., far from perfect?

People can say lots of things, it doesn't necessarily make it Truth. Why should you believe me just because I tell you something? How do you know what Truth is? Despite all the different theories and suggestions of what reality is...the fact remains that there truly is one Truth.


I've never seen anywhere in the Bible that describes God as less than perfect.

But I'm not asking about the existence of any gods. I'm asking for a description.

A description of God is Existence.