Is God Amoral?

[Sunstone]

Is God amoral? Is God beyond morality? Or, does God embrace every morality? Or, only some moralities?

If you believe God is moral, then how is it that God's creation, nature, is amoral?

If you believe God does not embrace all moralities, then how is it that people, God's creations, embrace a huge diversity of moralities?

If you believe that God does not embrace all moralities, how do you reconcile that with a belief that God is infinite? Wouldn't saying that God is limited to only certain moralities imply that God was in some sense finite?

Is it necessary for God to be moral for you to be moral? Would you hold to your morality even if you discovered that God was amoral or held a different morality than yours?

 

[YmirGF]

It might prove interesting if you answered some of your own questions for a change Phil.

 

[Sunstone]

It might prove interesting if you answered some of your own questions for a change Phil.

Perhaps, but I already know what I think about these things, so consequently I'm bored with my own answers. Besides which, I don't want to risk skewing what anyone else might say. I'm more curious about other's views than I am about my own.

 

[YmirGF]

Is God amoral?

Yes!

Is God beyond morality?

Yes!

Or, does God embrace every morality?

Yes!

Or, only some moralities?

Um, no.

If you believe God is moral, then how is it that God's creation, nature, is amoral?

Not for me to answer apparently!

If you believe God does not embrace all moralities, then how is it that people, God's creations, embrace a huge diversity of moralities?

Not for me to answer.

If you believe that God does not embrace all moralities, how do you reconcile that with a belief that God is infinite? Wouldn't saying that God is limited to only certain moralities imply that God was in some sense finite?

Not for me to answer!

Is it necessary for God to be moral for you to be moral? Would you hold to your morality even if you discovered that God was amoral or held a different morality than yours?

I believe that "god" lives vicariously through me/us therefore the question is a bit odd in that context.

 

[Kay]

Amorality makes the most sense to me.

• Amor·al : being neither moral nor immoral; specifically : lying outside the sphere to which moral judgments apply.

 

[Cynic]

Is God amoral? Is God beyond morality?

If God is nature, or something objective (i.e. what created the big bang), then yes.

Or, does God embrace every morality? Or, only some moralities?

I think that if there was a God, and assuming that it is infinite, morality would not apply. That would be applying anthropomorphic characteristics (something finite), to something infinite.

Wouldn't saying that God is limited to only certain moralities imply that God was in some sense finite?

Yes

Is it necessary for God to be moral for you to be moral?

No. Morality is a subjective thing, and is applied to us because of certain circumstances. Assuming that God is infinite and not human, why do human things have to apply?

Would you hold to your morality even if you discovered that God was amoral or held a different morality than yours?

Yes

 

[Halcyon]

I believe God is all things, therefore i believe that in Its entirety God embraces all moral standpoints.
But in Its form as a single human It embraces only some moral standpoints.
And in its form as a rock It embraces no moral standpoints.

 

[michel]

Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
Um, no.

Not for me to answer apparently!

Not for me to answer.

Not for me to answer!

I believe that "god" lives vicariously through me/us therefore the question is a bit odd in that context.

Paul, it's uncanny how you always seem to mirror my thoughts!

And, I agree, we want to hear Phil's thoughts on these deep meaningful questions he is always asking everyone else!!! Out with it Sunstone!!!

 

[Ozzie]

Is God amoral? Is God beyond morality? Or, does God embrace every morality? Or, only some moralities?

If you believe God is moral, then how is it that God's creation, nature, is amoral?

If you believe God does not embrace all moralities, then how is it that people, God's creations, embrace a huge diversity of moralities?

If you believe that God does not embrace all moralities, how do you reconcile that with a belief that God is infinite? Wouldn't saying that God is limited to only certain moralities imply that God was in some sense finite?

Is it necessary for God to be moral for you to be moral? Would you hold to your morality even if you discovered that God was amoral or held a different morality than yours?

I prefer to think of God as amoral, being beyond morality, having characteristics we might identify as pragmatic. Such a god would demonstrate evenhandedness in dealing with the variety of modes of life producing the diversity of human moralities we see. An amoral God would not use morality to judge us, being aware that this is how humans judge eachother in competition.

 

[Random]

I think morality provides a context for how we emulate God, not a framework for His emulation of US. He is a moral being or entity for this reason.

 

[Sunstone]

And, I agree, we want to hear Phil's thoughts on these deep meaningful questions he is always asking everyone else!!! Out with it Sunstone!!!

I think that if there is a deity, then that deity is everything and everything is that deity. So we are all God. And if we and everything else are God, then God is both moral and amoral. Amoral because nature (for the most part) is amoral. And moral because we humans (who are part of nature) are moral.

Hope that makes some sense without me having to drink more coffee and rewrite it.

 

[Willamena]

Is God amoral? Is God beyond morality? Or, does God embrace every morality? Or, only some moralities?

Can't know.

If you believe God is moral, then how is it that God's creation, nature, is amoral?

God is not god's creation.

If you believe God does not embrace all moralities, then how is it that people, God's creations, embrace a huge diversity of moralities?

I don't believe that morality is a product of god, but of thinking.

If you believe that God does not embrace all moralities, how do you reconcile that with a belief that God is infinite? Wouldn't saying that God is limited to only certain moralities imply that God was in some sense finite?

Infinity of god-spirit is here, now, in this moment of time. Begining with my spirit, as only I can, it encompasses all things in all directions, including me. Morality is one of those things --moralities are too.

As to the latter question: yes, which is another reason why I would never say that.

Is it necessary for God to be moral for you to be moral? Would you hold to your morality even if you discovered that God was amoral or held a different morality than yours?

Good question, the first.

It is necessary for god to be because I am; therein, I am stymied. There's the rub, as Shakespear might (not) say: if I am something, anything, that I attribute to spirit does that mean god is too? If god is spirit, and spirit is a certain thing, am I that also? I don't know. I think a lot of what the Image of God becomes is because of this attributing process, in addition to mythic images drawn from subconscious areas of the mind. As to god's nature, though, I'll have to fall back on the old agnostic's "I can't say."

 

[michel]

I think that if there is a deity, then that deity is everything and everything is that deity. So we are all God. And if we and everything else are God, then God is both moral and amoral. Amoral because nature (for the most part) is amoral. And moral because we humans (who are part of nature) are moral.

Hope that makes some sense without me having to drink more coffee and rewrite it.

Actually, that makes perfect sense (to me); maybe I therefore need more coffee.............your

that deity is everything and everything is that deity

slots in with my ideas perfectly.

 

[Kay]

I think that if there is a deity, then that deity is everything and everything is that deity. So we are all God. And if we and everything else are God, then God is both moral and amoral. Amoral because nature (for the most part) is amoral. And moral because we humans (who are part of nature) are moral.

Hope that makes some sense without me having to drink more coffee and rewrite it.

Makes perfect sense to me too.

Although, thinking it over last night, it did raise a question in my mind: Are humans moral?

We seem to have equal parts morality and immorality within us. If we are on that fine line between the two, (in essence "neutral"), with free will to choose between any given set of actions, wouldn't that make us, by definition, amoral as well?

Just thinking out loud here.

 

[YmirGF]

I think that if there is a deity, then that deity is everything and everything is that deity. So we are all God. And if we and everything else are God, then God is both moral and amoral. Amoral because nature (for the most part) is amoral. And moral because we humans (who are part of nature) are moral.

Hope that makes some sense without me having to drink more coffee and rewrite it.

Hehe, I don't drink coffee, but that still makes quite a bit of sense to me Phil. My own two cents is that we have never been "externalized" and that the "whole enchilada of creation" is still within "god".

Due to the big bang, we are all made of "god stuff", as is everthing, as there is no way to separate the object from the basic building blocks that form it. In the words of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, "We are stardust. We are golden." I certainly could be wrong, but I do not see how.

 

[Sunstone]

We seem to have equal parts morality and immorality within us. If we are on that fine line between the two, (in essence "neutral"), with free will to choose between any given set of actions, wouldn't that make us, by definition, amoral as well?

Just thinking out loud here.

In calling people "moral" I meant to imply that people are concerned about morality in ways that, say, a spider or fly are not. But your point that people can be immoral is certainly valid.

 

[Kay]

In calling people "moral" I meant to imply that people are concerned about morality in ways that, say, a spider or fly are not. But your point that people can be immoral is certainly valid.

Actually, what you're saying makes more sense. I'm stretching the definition of amorality to use it the way I have here.

Lately I've been pondering the idea of ethics, and what the idea of ethics even means coming from a nondualist perspective. :help:

 

[Sunstone]

Lately I've been pondering the idea of ethics, and what the idea of ethics even means coming from a nondualist perspective. :help:

Wow! That sounds like it would make an interesting thread! Care to start one?

 

[Kay]

Care to start the introductory thread for me? You write very well.