What is a god ?

[Tynan]

Simple question to those who know.

Can you tell me what a god is, by that I don't want to know what a god means to you or what a god can do or what a god may think of non-believers - just very simply what is this actual thing those who believe in the supernatural worship.

For example is god a physical object, an emotion, an ideology, a force, a word etc etc.

Please do not cut and paste passages from whatever holy book prevails in the area of the world you were brought up in - I am looking for your views.


Cheers

Lee

 

[Solidlyhere]

Gee, Tynan, if it's SUCH a simple question, why do you even bother to ask it? Ego stroking, maybe.

 

[Tynan]

Gee, Tynan, if it's SUCH a simple question, why do you even bother to ask it? Ego stroking, maybe.

Hi Solidlyhere.

I am not sure I understand your answer ? In fact I am not sure you understand my question ! - either way there is some confusion here.

Let me clarify.

You ask: "if it's SUCH a simple question, why do you even bother to ask it" - as I said in my original post - it is a simple question to those that know (as is any question) - the reason I ask is that I do not know the answer.



I thank you for lowering the tone to ad hominem in the very first response but would welcome any theist who could carry the actual body of the question a little further.


Thanks in advance for any input.


Lee

 

[Tynan]

21 views and no takers ?

 

[DailyBlessings]

Simple question to those who know.

Can you tell me what a god is, by that I don't want to know what a god means to you or what a god can do or what a god may think of non-believers - just very simply what is this actual thing those who believe in the supernatural worship.

For example is god a physical object, an emotion, an ideology, a force, a word etc etc.

Please do not cut and paste passages from whatever holy book prevails in the area of the world you were brought up in - I am looking for your views.


Cheers

Lee

The answer is of course that there is no answer to that question- the term god has been applied to a great multitude of concepts from Zeus to the Ituri Forest to the various perceptions of the Abrahamic deity. The only common thread being perhaps the implication of something with greater power than most men. Interested in your use of the term supernatural worship, since many conceptions of God do not include dualism.

If you wanted my own opinion, and I realize that you do not, I think that God is quite outside the power of human language to describe accurately. I can tell you what God is not, but not what he is. This is an aspect of all true things. But this opinion, obviously, is by no means universal.

 

[Philothei]

" I think that God is quite outside the power of human language to describe accurately. I can tell you what God is not, but not what he is. This is an aspect of all true things. But this opinion, obviously, is by no means universal."


Right on what I do believe What is God? We cannot fathom what God is but rather apophatically we can tell you what He is not. For one he is not human and he is not the trees the air ..etc.

Now if you are asking "what is a god" then I would not be able to tell you because I do not believe in "a god" since I am Christian I know about God and I do not believe in gods...

God bless,
philothei

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

Simple question to those who know.

Can you tell me what a god is, by that I don't want to know what a god means to you or what a god can do or what a god may think of non-believers - just very simply what is this actual thing those who believe in the supernatural worship.

For example is god a physical object, an emotion, an ideology, a force, a word etc etc.

Please do not cut and paste passages from whatever holy book prevails in the area of the world you were brought up in - I am looking for your views.


Cheers

Lee

What do you mean by a 'god'?

Do you mean 'god' in the pagan sense of beings more powerful than humans living within creation, or a 'god' in the sense of ancient philosophy and existing outside creation?

 

[Tynan]

The answer is of course that there is no answer to that question- the term god has been applied to a great multitude of concepts from Zeus to the Ituri Forest to the various perceptions of the Abrahamic deity. The only common thread being perhaps the implication of something with greater power than most men.

Thanks for the reply.

I should have been clearer in my stating of the question, I mean to ask the question at those who believe in the existence of the Judeo-Christian god.

Interested in your use of the term supernatural worship, since many conceptions of God do not include dualism.

Again I should have pointed out that it is the Judeo-Christian god I am asking about, so dualism would be a part of the conversation.

If you wanted my own opinion, and I realize that you do not, I think that God is quite outside the power of human language to describe accurately. I can tell you what God is not, but not what he is. This is an aspect of all true things. But this opinion, obviously, is by no means universal.

Thanks nonetheless.

 

[Tynan]

What do you mean by a 'god'?

Do you mean 'god' in the pagan sense of beings more powerful than humans living within creation, or a 'god' in the sense of ancient philosophy and existing outside creation?

The Judeo-Christian god.

What is it.

A physical object, an emotion, a word, a force etc ?

 

[Solidlyhere]

OK, Tynan, not a god ... but THE GOD.

Well, whatever God is, He is NOT composed of any of the elements of the Earth.
One day, God decided to "invent" this Earth (and more).

So, according to the definition of a physical object, God ain't one.
An emotion? Sure. God has emotions. The Bible mentions God's emotions many times.
A Word? THE Word! When God said: "Let there be Light" . . . Poof! There was Light.
A force? Hmm.
Certainly God contains energy; God contains thinking; God contains creation.

So, what IS God?
Everything that is NOT part of this Universe is part of the Spiritual World.
Part of that Spiritual World is God.
The rest of the Spiritual World is Heaven, other non-Earthly living places, and Spiritual creatures
. . . And then there is God. The eternal I AM.

Then there is MY version of WHAT IS GOD (and, my relationship to God):
God began as God.
Then God made Heaven ... so Heaven is (part of) God.
Then God made the Angels ... they are part of God.
Then God created the Universe ... so we are all a tiny piece of God.
The entire Human race is available to realize that they are a piece of God.
That's where Communion comes in: I am allowed to eat the Body of Christ.
I become Divine, until I forget that I am (or, I'm aware of being part of that Ultimate Divinity, called God).

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

The Judeo-Christian god.

What is it.

A physical object, an emotion, a word, a force etc ?

According to the Platonistic/Aristotilian worldview, God would be a substance outside the cosmos.

 

[redmartian89]

Any supernatural being, that means it is not a part of nature.

A god has to be the consciousness thats precedes existence. (which ends up being logically impossible anyway )

 

[Stinker]

The Judeo-Christian god.

What is it.

A physical object, an emotion, a word, a force etc ?

An unmeasurable, personable intelligent force.

 

[ArchaicTruth]

all understanding

 

[Jig]

God is of some form of pure and universal substance (probably a form of light energy), not merely some non-material idea or emotion. This is because existence must be sustained by something with an actual location, even if that location is infinite in size. With a location (which is mandated by God's property of omnipresence), God, is maintained within existence by His presence. In fact being omnipresent, God is that which makes up existence in its totality.

If God was the First Cause (Creator of all), that would mean He was at one point in the past, the only substance that made up existence. This means His nature can be determined by observing the nature of exitence (which we are in and able to sense). Both natures would mimic each other.

Existence is, by the definition and through basic logical and rational thought, is eternal and infinitely vast. If these attributs are given to the First Cause, one can conclude that God is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, and causer of all.

As for omnibenivolence, this First Cause would have nothing to compare itself too nor would it be able to destory it self. If judged by the morality standard of the ten commandments, it could not break one of them. One can not steal, covet, or dishonor itself if it is the only thing in existence and is infinitely everywhere. It can not kill, have jeolousy or lie to itself (being omniscient). Interesting....maybe alturism is rooted in the image of this God and its own perfection (which can be defined by its infinite being).

 

[Tynan]

Jig, thanks for the comprehensive answer.


Where did you get your information about god being a 'light energy' ? And could you expand on this ?

Lee

 

[DailyBlessings]

I should have been clearer in my stating of the question, I mean to ask the question at those who believe in the existence of the Judeo-Christian god.

As indeed I do.

Again I should have pointed out that it is the Judeo-Christian god I am asking about, so dualism would be a part of the conversation.

Tell that to the Catholics, either east or west- Strict dualism or any other means of putting God into a cosmological box is bad theology, at least according to doctrine. Holdover of gnosticism.

Just what do you think the Judeo-Christian God is, according to tradition? The Newtonian version that fundamentalists uphold and atheist philosophers prefer to vent against? If you know Christianity well enough to reject Philothei's and my answer as "wrong", you must already have some notion in mind?

 

[Im_A]

Simple question to those who know.

Can you tell me what a god is, by that I don't want to know what a god means to you or what a god can do or what a god may think of non-believers - just very simply what is this actual thing those who believe in the supernatural worship.

For example is god a physical object, an emotion, an ideology, a force, a word etc etc.

Please do not cut and paste passages from whatever holy book prevails in the area of the world you were brought up in - I am looking for your views.


Cheers

Lee

i like this question.

i imagine God to be some kind being, force, the power of being itself(borrowed from Paul Tillich.) that is outside of existence in its entirity...assuming that God is real and that there is no way a human mind can describe what "God" is.

any descriptions are finite expressions, expressing the infinite. human expressions, express how we believe we experience God. but is that the sole definition? no. i don't believe there is a sole definition that is outside of how human believe they experience the Divine whether they disbelieve, or believe.

 

[Forest]

What is a god ? Simple question to those who know.

Simple answer, you are asking the wrong question. It's not what is a god. But who is God. The answer is Jesus.

 

[uberd00b]

It's not what is a god. But who is God. The answer is Jesus.

Ok, what is Jesus?