What is God?

[dysert]

God is the first cause for reality. Beyond that, speculation.

I agree with the first half of this. But we need not speculate because God has revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible. I know; here come the rhetorical questions, but I had to put that out there in case anyone really wants to know God with a minimum of speculation.

 

[Davian]

I agree with the first half of this. But we need not speculate because God has revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible. I know; here come the rhetorical questions, but I had to put that out there in case anyone really wants to know God with a minimum of speculation.

A minimum of speculation?

Speculation that ranges from pantheism/panentheism to Christian atheists?

Christian atheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Do you have something else to work with?

 

[dysert]

A minimum of speculation?

Speculation that ranges from pantheism/panentheism to Christian atheists?

Christian atheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Do you have something else to work with?

First of all, there's no such thing as a Christian atheist, regardless of what Wikipedia says. Secondly, pantheism and panentheism are ruled out by the Bible. There will of necessity be some amount of speculation when we mere humans consider an infinite, eternal God.

Something else to work with? Do you mean besides the Bible? Nope.

 

[Davian]

First of all, there's no such thing as a Christian atheist, regardless of what Wikipedia says.

I will take wiki over your opinion, thanks.

Secondly, pantheism and panentheism are ruled out by the Bible.

There are self-identified panetheistic Christians participating in these forums that would beg to differ.

There will of necessity be some amount of speculation when we mere humans consider an infinite, eternal God.

Particularly gods that, by every external, objective measure to date, are indistinguishable from nothing.

Something else to work with? Do you mean besides the Bible? Nope.

Hence my continuing disbelief.

 

[DogmaHunter]

Depends on how you define "god". If you're inferring that I mean Yahweh, then you are correct. However, I'm not.

Kind of the whole point of this thread...
Then define this "god". I'm not a mindreader.

However, I'm pretty sure in advance that however you define it, it will be an arbitrary definition.

If the first cause is still in existence, then it is a part of the something that exists which we call reality.

I've heared a gazillion variations of the "first cause" argument and not a single one ever impressed me. All of them smell like an argument from ignorance.

And when I start asking questions about that "first" cause, all of them ended up in special pleading.

 

[DogmaHunter]

I agree with the first half of this. But we need not speculate because God has revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible

Hundreds of rivaling religions disagree.

I know; here come the rhetorical questions, but I had to put that out there in case anyone really wants to know God with a minimum of speculation.

And again, hundreds of rivaling religions disagree.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

When I believe its like this. Belief makes me feel different, than the "apprehension" of "God" has an effect on my feelings and cognition. SO I infer that God is causing those changes, and my "eyes of faith" are valid. Poeple say this is the same for fairy tales etc, if the same reasoning is applied. But I believe that at least there are different areas of that brain used for faitry tale apprehension and "theistic awareness". So the two systems are not 100% equivalent as they may appear.

 

[DogmaHunter]

When I believe its like this. Belief makes me feel different, than the "apprehension" of "God" has an effect on my feelings and cognition.

That is true for any believer of anything.
From theistic beliefs to astrology.
It's a psychology thing.

SO I infer that God is causing those changes, and my "eyes of faith" are valid.

Which is a type 1 error: the false positive.

Poeple say this is the same for fairy tales etc, if the same reasoning is applied

And that demonstrably is correct.

But I believe that at least there are different areas of that brain used for faitry tale apprehension and "theistic awareness".

You're wrong about that. You can "believe" whatever you wish, but it won't change the fact that we can actually put people under a brain scanner and see what the facts are.

I remember an article when they did this with Apple fanboys. They put them under a scanner and showed those people symbols. Every time an Apple symbol was shown, the fanboy's brain lid up like a muslim's brain when hearing verses from the koran, or a christian's brain when seeing a crucifix.

The lighting up of brain regions however, says nothing about the truth value of what the person is thinking of. It only says something about how the brain works. You can't derive truth of a statement by watching the brain regions used when a person thinks about said statement.

So the two systems are not 100% equivalent as they may appear.

The facts suggest otherwise.

 

[BL2KTN]

I said, the intellectual equivalent of a toaster oven. How smart did this creator need to be?

My bad - I misread that one. Yeah, the first cause could be intelligent or non-intelligent, could be sentient or non-sentient, or might be some adjective that is beyond our comprehension. We literally have no idea what the first cause might be.

If a creator is needed.

A first cause is necessary, and the first cause started reality...

And the FSM.

On the other hand, perhaps what we know as reality was inevitable. Was it possible for there to be nothing?

Yes. Work on constants required for the universe show that absolute nothing is a possibility. That there is something is much more difficult to reconcile.

Good questions.

God being the first cause for reality is also speculation... there's no proof a God did it.

You misunderstand. The first cause is God by virtue of what it is. What else can God be?

I agree with the first half of this. But we need not speculate because God has revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible. I know; here come the rhetorical questions, but I had to put that out there in case anyone really wants to know God with a minimum of speculation.

Please click the first link in my signature. I did a debate with a highly respected Christian apologist about whether the bible is the divinely inspired word of God. I won conclusively. And it wasn't me that caused the win, it was the information. The bible is not the inspired word of God, and it does not describe God - instead it describes an infanticidal, genocidal, misogynistic, bloodlusting, slavery-advocating Yahweh. It is a terribly flawed narrative.

 

[Paradoxum]

You misunderstand. The first cause is God by virtue of what it is. What else can God be?

I wouldn't say a first cause that isn't in some sense a 'being' (conscious) is a God. If the first cause is physics, not a being, then it's wrong to call it God.

 

[JGG]

My bad - I misread that one. Yeah, the first cause could be intelligent or non-intelligent, could be sentient or non-sentient, or might be some adjective that is beyond our comprehension. We literally have no idea what the first cause might be.

Does it make sense to call it "god" then. Couldn't it be called "first cause" instead?

 

[Colter]

To address the question in the thread title: God is the one who raised Jesus from the dead.

Jesus raised a likeness of his former mortal body from the dead just as he said he would.

 

[Colter]

Does it make sense to call it "god" then. Couldn't it be called "first cause" instead?

Yes, or "first source and center" or any name reflective of ones concepts.

 

[BL2KTN]

I wouldn't say a first cause that isn't in some sense a 'being' (conscious) is a God. If the first cause is physics, not a being, then it's wrong to call it God.

Neither of us know if the first cause is a being of some kind or not. I call whatever caused all of this reality, "God." If it is physics, then I join Einstein in accepting the God of Spinoza.

Does it make sense to call it "god" then. Couldn't it be called "first cause" instead?

God, the first cause, the alpha, the creator, the maker, etc, etc... all the same thing. Whatever started all this deserves those titles, whether it is intelligent, unintelligent, sentient, or non-sentient. If the thing that started all this isn't God then I have no idea what God could be.

 

[Paradoxum]

Neither of us know if the first cause is a being of some kind or not. I call whatever caused all of this reality, "God." If it is physics, then I join Einstein in accepting the God of Spinoza.

If it's physics then it's not right to call it God. A 'God' is a being. Don't you think it's a bit obsessive (about the term 'God') to say that physics is God?

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

Neither of us know if the first cause is a being of some kind or not. I call whatever caused all of this reality, "God." If it is physics, then I join Einstein in accepting the God of Spinoza.

But this is precisely the problem that I brought up in the OP:

"I'm finding that the word "God" can always be replaced with something else that is more descriptive"

Why would you use this word "God" when you could just use "physics"? Language and words are only symbolic representations of real things, so if the word "G-o-d" is equivalent with the word "p-h-y-s-i-c-s", then why not just say "physics" and get rid of a whole bunch of confusion?

God, the first cause, the alpha, the creator, the maker, etc, etc... all the same thing. Whatever started all this deserves those titles, whether it is intelligent, unintelligent, sentient, or non-sentient. If the thing that started all this isn't God then I have no idea what God could be.

Precisely...

 

[Emmy]

Dear leftrightleftrightleft. God is our Heavenly Father, and without God, what are we? God Loves us and God wants our very best, Jesus died for us, and now we can return to God. What does God want from us? Jesus tells us in Matthew 22: 35-40: " The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. The second is like it:
Love our neighbour as we love ourselves." (neighbour is all we know, and all we meet, friend and not friend) Matthew 7: 7-10: tells us: ask and you shall receive, ask for Love and Joy, then thank God and share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. Keep asking God and thanking God, then share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. God our Heavenly Father will approve and bless us. Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us, JESUS IS THE WAY.
The Bible tells us: " Repent and be Born Again," shed all our selfish thoughts and deeds, and change into the son or daughter which God wants you to become. Jesus paid our debt to God`s Holy Law, and now we can return once again to God our Heavenly Father. We might stumble and forget at times,
but then we ask God to forgive us, and carry on loving and caring.
God is our Heavenly Father, and Jesus is God-Son. God the Holy Spirit is with us on Earth to help and guide us all the way back to God-Father and God-Son.
God is Love and God wants us back again, Jesus is with God pleading our prayers. What is God? God is our Father waiting to receive us.
I say this with love, leftrightleftrighleft. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[Eight Foot Manchild]

What is God?

An anthropomorphized imagination.

 

[lost999]

An anthropomorphized imagination.

This almost convinced me that God doesn't exist.

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

Dear leftrightleftrightleft. God is our Heavenly Father,

Does that description give any greater information? I ask what is God and you say "Our Heavenly Father". But isn't that just another name for God? I could just as easily ask, "What is our Heavenly Father?"

and without God, what are we? God Loves us and God wants our very best, Jesus died for us, and now we can return to God. What does God want from us? Jesus tells us in Matthew 22: 35-40: " The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds.

The second is like it:
Love our neighbour as we love ourselves." (neighbour is all we know, and all we meet, friend and not friend) Matthew 7: 7-10: tells us: ask and you shall receive, ask for Love and Joy, then thank God and share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. Keep asking God and thanking God, then share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. God our Heavenly Father will approve and bless us. Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us, JESUS IS THE WAY.
The Bible tells us: " Repent and be Born Again," shed all our selfish thoughts and deeds, and change into the son or daughter which God wants you to become. Jesus paid our debt to God`s Holy Law, and now we can return once again to God our Heavenly Father. We might stumble and forget at times,
but then we ask God to forgive us, and carry on loving and caring.
God is our Heavenly Father, and Jesus is God-Son. God the Holy Spirit is with us on Earth to help and guide us all the way back to God-Father and God-Son.

You are several steps ahead in this discussion. None of this tells me what God is.

God is Love

Why not just call love "love"? It might lead to less confusion.

What is God? God is our Father waiting to receive us.

Can you see why this description of God isn't really useful? What Father? I didn't know we were related because as far as I know, my dad only has 2 children

I say this with love, leftrightleftrighleft. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

Thanks for the reply.