If God wrote a book, what would it look like?

[Davian]

[emoji6] The rules allow virtually no discussion about God whatsoever.

Actually, the rules seem focused more on the religion of Christianity, and the subject of gods in general is fairly open, based on my experience.

It's unfortunate, as there's really no other place to debate anti theists on these forums.

Not really.

Personally, however, I don't really see what's wrong with this topic. We're asking a general question, it doesn't necessarily have to be about the Bible.

But that was your sole intent, was it not?

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

This question is for both those who believe the Bible is the word of God and those that don't: if the Creator of the universe wrote a book, what would it look like? What are your criteria? I'll name five:

1) Clothing is irrelevant

• Since the Creator can see through everyone's clothing, somewhere in the book it will be indicated that clothing is irrelevant and that the Creator doesn't care whether or not you wear clothing

2) Family is irrelevant

• Since the Creator created everyone and values everyone equally the book will indicate that family, at least as understood by natural human beings, is an irrelevant and, indeed, evil, concept.

3) Fulfilled prophecy

• In this book there will be predictions of events that will pass many years after they have been written. These predictions will be extremely accurate and all of them will come true

4) Literary complexity

• Since the book was written by the most intelligent being in existence, it will display a great literary complexity and artistry that will make itself known to those who diligently study it. This literary complexity could involve the use of numbers or it could involve complex literary devices

5) Radical concept of morality

• Since the Creator created everything and everyone and can see things that no-one else can (i.e., through clothing), the book will suggest a concept of morality that is far different from the morality that a natural human being is familiar with. The reason for this is because the Creator obviously has a radically different perspective than a natural human being

I would strongly suggest that the Bible fulfills all five of these criteria and that this is powerful evidence that indeed it is the word of God.

Thoughts?

What you seem to have done is look at peculiarities of the Bible and try to view reasons for them in the sense of appealing to God. One could argue against many of your points though: is clothing unimportant to the bible? A lot of attention is paid to the priestly garments in Exodus... One could make any and every argument concerning the possibility of a topology of a deity's book: Would an immaterial, omniscient, omnipresent, timeless deity even care about writing a book? If it did would it include stories about incest? rape? murder? genital mutilation?

 

[Achilles6129]

The point about clothing is that somewhere it will be indicated as unimportant. It doesn't necessarily have to be throughout, as priestly garments, etc., are obviously symbolic in nature. One should also note that if man didn't fall everyone would still be naked, as God commanded them to multiply/spread out while still naked.

So it's indicated somewhere that clothing is unimportant - exactly what you'd expect from the Creator of the universe.

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

The point about clothing is that somewhere it will be indicated as unimportant. It doesn't necessarily have to be throughout, as priestly garments, etc., are obviously symbolic in nature. One should also note that if man didn't fall everyone would still be naked, as God commanded them to multiply/spread out while still naked.

So it's indicated somewhere that clothing is unimportant - exactly what you'd expect from the Creator of the universe.

If God wrote a book do you think God would include a story about David killing a hundred people and then cutting off their penises in order so that he could marry a king's daughter?

 

[Achilles6129]

If God wrote a book do you think God would include a story about David killing a hundred people and then cutting off their penises in order so that he could marry a king's daughter?

Possibly. Didn't I say that the Creator would have a radically different morality?

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

Possibly. Didn't I say that the Creator would have a radically different morality?

So the sort of morality where people can kill each other and then cut off their penises and present those penises to kings in exchange for wives...?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan and something about this just screams HBO possibilities to me...

 

[Achilles6129]

So the sort of morality where people can kill each other and then cut off their penises and present those penises to kings in exchange for wives...?

? Didn't I say radically different? God also commands children to be put to death for cursing parents, etc.

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

? Didn't I say radically different? God also commands children to be put to death for cursing parents, etc.

And I think this would also look good on HBO...

Don't get me wrong, I like the Bible. I think it's Scripture I just don't think God wrote it or that it's inerrant.

 

[Achilles6129]

And I think this would also look good on HBO...

Don't get me wrong, I like the Bible. I think it's Scripture I just don't think God wrote it or that it's inerrant.

So what would you expect from a book written by God?

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

So what would you expect from a book written by God?

Well, the God of Christianity is the incarnate God revealed in Christ. Christ wrote nothing, except some dirt in the sand one day. One may poetically say that God did the same thing, wrote some dirt in the sand one day...

 

[whois]

if the Creator of the universe wrote a book, what would it look like?
Thoughts?

it would consist of 2 sentences:
i did it, and you'll never figure out how or why.
you will continually stub your toes trying to.
-your friendly supernatural being

so far, it's going to plan.

 

[ViaCrucis]

In your view, do you think some Christians have turned the Bible into an idol?

Oh, absolutely. Often I think it is an implicit idolatry, but I've seen explicit idolatry as well.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Achilles6129]

it would consist of 2 sentences:
i did it, and you'll never figure out how or why.
you will continually stub your toes trying to.
-your friendly supernatural being

so far, it's going to plan.

Not very good criteria.

 

[Achilles6129]

Oh, absolutely. Often I think it is an implicit idolatry, but I've seen explicit idolatry as well.

-CryptoLutheran

The Bible itself tells you to take it more seriously than anything else in life, in many places.

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

The Bible itself tells you to take it more seriously than anything else in life, in many places.

I don't get why Protestants are so obsessed with the Bible. Sure it's a great collection of stories but the Bible doesn't exist in a vacuum, the very idea of it developed alongside most of the other traditions of the Church including high Mariology, high developments in Sacramental theology, especially those of the Eucharistic sort, and the early Creeds of the Church which even most Protestants use to interpret Scripture. It strikes me as completely odd how contemporary people can make such arbitrary distinctions between accepting a particular biblical canon on the one hand from one early Christian and calling his high Marian devotion and Eucharistic views heretical on the other.

 

[AlexDTX]

This question is for both those who believe the Bible is the word of God and those that don't: if the Creator of the universe wrote a book, what would it look like? What are your criteria? I'll name five:

1) Clothing is irrelevant

• Since the Creator can see through everyone's clothing, somewhere in the book it will be indicated that clothing is irrelevant and that the Creator doesn't care whether or not you wear clothing

2) Family is irrelevant

• Since the Creator created everyone and values everyone equally the book will indicate that family, at least as understood by natural human beings, is an irrelevant and, indeed, evil, concept.

3) Fulfilled prophecy

• In this book there will be predictions of events that will pass many years after they have been written. These predictions will be extremely accurate and all of them will come true

4) Literary complexity

• Since the book was written by the most intelligent being in existence, it will display a great literary complexity and artistry that will make itself known to those who diligently study it. This literary complexity could involve the use of numbers or it could involve complex literary devices

5) Radical concept of morality

• Since the Creator created everything and everyone and can see things that no-one else can (i.e., through clothing), the book will suggest a concept of morality that is far different from the morality that a natural human being is familiar with. The reason for this is because the Creator obviously has a radically different perspective than a natural human being

I would strongly suggest that the Bible fulfills all five of these criteria and that this is powerful evidence that indeed it is the word of God.

Thoughts?

Please prove your point.

 

[brinny]

If God wrote a book, what would it look like?

This question is for both those who believe the Bible is the word of God and those that don't: if the Creator of the universe wrote a book, what would it look like? What are your criteria? I'll name five:

1) Clothing is irrelevant

• Since the Creator can see through everyone's clothing, somewhere in the book it will be indicated that clothing is irrelevant and that the Creator doesn't care whether or not you wear clothing

2) Family is irrelevant

• Since the Creator created everyone and values everyone equally the book will indicate that family, at least as understood by natural human beings, is an irrelevant and, indeed, evil, concept.

3) Fulfilled prophecy

• In this book there will be predictions of events that will pass many years after they have been written. These predictions will be extremely accurate and all of them will come true

4) Literary complexity

• Since the book was written by the most intelligent being in existence, it will display a great literary complexity and artistry that will make itself known to those who diligently study it. This literary complexity could involve the use of numbers or it could involve complex literary devices

5) Radical concept of morality

• Since the Creator created everything and everyone and can see things that no-one else can (i.e., through clothing), the book will suggest a concept of morality that is far different from the morality that a natural human being is familiar with. The reason for this is because the Creator obviously has a radically different perspective than a natural human being

I would strongly suggest that the Bible fulfills all five of these criteria and that this is powerful evidence that indeed it is the word of God.

Thoughts?

He already DID. It's called the Bible.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

If God wrote a book, what would it look like?



He already DID. It's called the Bible.

He seems to have made a few errors... or was he writing fiction?

 

[brinny]

He seems to have made a few errors... or was he writing fiction?

i so love it when opinions are shared, such as yours, even if i disagree with what must surely be a well thought-out and researched opinion.

Thank you for sharing an opinion that i respect, yet must decline from agreeing with.

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

He seems to have made a few errors... or was he writing fiction?

Well, an argument can be made here which incorporates biblical inspiration as well as the brute facts of the biblical corpus:

If God inspired scriptures then God would have inspired them in the genre most esteemed at the time of their genesis. This would imply that God would inspire mythical texts.