ThePainefulTruth
Romantic-Cynic
If so, what would make God smile, so to speak, or laugh?
If not, does that mean God is just a cold fish or fancy computer program?
If not, does that mean God is just a cold fish or fancy computer program?
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If God exists, would It have a sense of humor?
- Thread starter ThePainefulTruth
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ThePainefulTruth
Romantic-Cynic
As a bare minimum, an omnipotent creator God would have to be some sort of conscious will. All I'm asking is if that God does exist, is It capable of humor. It's an aspect of a deeper question, being, what motivates God? And if we're made in God's spiritual image, at least, that means we should have some similar characteristics of thought with which to work. The answer to the question, Why did God make us? can't be dismissed with a casual, How can we know what God's thinking? If we're God's children, I'd consider it absurd to think that our thoughts have nothing in common with God's. Even the revealed religionists would have to agree with that, otherwise, how could God even communicate with us. I'm a deist who doesn't believe that God interacts with us, but I wonder at the universe, whichspeaks volumes.
ThePainefulTruth
Romantic-Cynic
A big yesIf God is capable of love, he is capable of humour
And beyond that, how would God go about having something to love, or to laugh with?
Much humor is based on surprise. How can an omniscient being be surprised?
Much other humor is based on forcing us to look at ourselves. The discomfort produces laughter. How does this work with a perfect being?
On the other hand, perhaps the universe is just a great big joke and God is laughing at it continually.
Much other humor is based on forcing us to look at ourselves. The discomfort produces laughter. How does this work with a perfect being?
On the other hand, perhaps the universe is just a great big joke and God is laughing at it continually.
Tumah
Veteran Member
I don't think there is a bare minimum of things that we should be able to understand about something that is infinitely different than us. The thing about something that's beyond our conception is that its beyond our conception. Its foolish to say, "well at least this much should be true". There is simply nothing we can know about G-d (barring some revelation on His part). You assume that G-d needs a personality in order to have motivation to create. But that's only because you were created to work that way. Can G-d have created you in such a way as to be lacking motive or personality but still have conscious will? If G-d is omnipotent, I would assume the answer is yes. If that's the case, then there's nothing forcing you to say that G-d works has motivation, character or personality, but can still have conscious will. Or perhaps doesn't even need to have conscious will, but can still do what He does out of choice.
Exactly!
No.
God is the Supreme actor
With caution to avoid anthropomorphic view of God. The attributes of our natural existence and humanity are attributes of God, and yes 'God loves laughter.'
again ...
if God. then
for every attribute A
God != A
God in Hinduism is eternally joyful and It does what it does out of pleasure and play. So I believe humor will be in there.
ThePainefulTruth
Romantic-Cynic
Bingo! God could only be surprised by independent creatures with free will.
Since we can't even know if God exists, satire could well extend from the fact that we were created by a God who then necessarily hides from us.
That would be endless material for laughing at all the made up pretentious deities.
If It is infinitely different from us, then there would be nothing we could be made in the image of.
Why would God's motivation for creating us be beyond our conception.
That's a huge exception. Claiming that there is nothing we can know about God is in fact an exception to your claim. It would be a claim to knowing something. And where does you knowledge come from? Does the Bible say there's nothing we can know about God, except what God tells us?
I do suppose that God has a personality of sorts, stemming from It's own wants and desires, but one isn't necessary, only the desire is.
One could say that contradiction is pretty humorous itself. Choice requires conscious will by definition.
Exactly!
It must create beings with free will.
"God must more approve the homage of reason than of blindfolded (faith)." Why would God need a gender?
I imagine that a god would be much like Slartibartfast.
ThePainefulTruth
Romantic-Cynic
OK, but not because Hinduism says so, or because I suggest it, but because we can't imagine a conscious will, divine or mortal, that would not desire surprise and delight.
I can well imagine a mortal conscious being who will not desire surprise and delight. A psychopath.
Tumah
Veteran Member
That's right.
Because the existence of G-d's motivation is beyond our conception. It may not exist.
It is a claim to know nothing. It is a claim about myself (that I can't know G-d). G-d is presumably knowable to Himself. I'm not making any claims about G-d.
I don't have any knowledge of G-d, so it comes from nowhere.
First it needs to be proved that G-d needs to have desire in order to act in a non-mechanical manner. That is a feature of the creation, what proof do you have that it is a feature of the Creator?
The contradiction only exists in a dimension in which it works that way. All I'm saying is, you can't derive any essential traits about the Creator from the Creation.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
name another source if God is not the creator of humor
and He had better be lighthearted.....
or we are in biiiiiiiiiiig trouble