What is a God?

[Soapy]

The Christian scriptures declares a God as an all powerful entity (a Deity) whom is held in the highest reverential regard by its worshippers.

But, in contrast to other religious beliefs (called ‘Pagan’ and ‘Heathen’), the Christian belief is that there is only one such almighty deity whom is to be served and worshipped as their God.

Other beliefs claim many such deities as their Gods and each such God is not all powerful in regard that they each serve different functions are are of differing power and authority within a remit of a ‘head’ God. The Greek God, Zeus, for instance, though being the head God, often is overruled by other ‘lesser’ Gods.

The Christian God is, however, split between a combination of beliefs which, no matter which way it is seen, claims:

• THREE PERSONS as the one and only God.
• A different viewpoint of the same TRINITY God is that it is ONE God who is THREE persons at different times.
• And another is that, subtlety, the ONE GOD is THREE PERSONS at all times… (yes, there is a difference!)

My take is that the ONE GOD of the scriptures is a single Deity, a single God, an ONLY God, who is all powerful over all aspects of everything. To me, it makes no sense to have multiple Gods (Rulers) nor, even worse, to have multiple Deities as an only God, nor a God who is multiple persons.

To me, only, one, and monotheism, means just that. Monotheism, being the belief in one and only one ruling entity, one ruling Deity, cannot mean three ruling entities, nor one ruling God as three different entities.

And to my reading of the Christian scriptures (Old and New Testaments) it give no indications that there ever was anything other than one and one only ruling deity: One God, One Ruler.

Just to add: This single deity (Title: ultimate Ruler, God) who gave us his name as ‘YHWH’ is a spirit (non-corporeal) His creation of a corporeal realm, a physical realm, was to mimic the spirit realm, and He desired that there should be a physical RULER over that realm just as He is a Spirit ruler over the Spirit realm. This contrasts with the trinity claim that ONE of the PERSONS whom is the one God should become a ruler over the physical realm …which this one out of three created for himself … which is an contradiction of the trinity belief … an unjustifiable absurdity.

Your comments please.

 

[Audie]

The Christian scriptures declares a God as an all powerful entity (a Deity) whom is held in the highest reverential regard by its worshippers.

But, in contrast to other religious beliefs (called ‘Pagan’ and ‘Heathen’), the Christian belief is that there is only one such almighty deity whom is to be served and worshipped as their God.

Other beliefs claim many such deities as their Gods and each such God is not all powerful in regard that they each serve different functions are are of differing power and authority within a remit of a ‘head’ God. The Greek God, Zeus, for instance, though being the head God, often is overruled by other ‘lesser’ Gods.

The Christian God is, however, split between a combination of beliefs which, no matter which way it is seen, claims:

• THREE PERSONS as the one and only God.
• A different viewpoint of the same TRINITY God is that it is ONE God who is THREE persons at different times.
• And another is that, subtlety, the ONE GOD is THREE PERSONS at all times… (yes, there is a difference!)

My take is that the ONE GOD of the scriptures is a single Deity, a single God, an ONLY God, who is all powerful over all aspects of everything. To me, it makes no sense to have multiple Gods (Rulers) nor, even worse, to have multiple Deities as an only God, nor a God who is multiple persons.

To me, only, one, and monotheism, means just that. Monotheism, being the belief in one and only one ruling entity, one ruling Deity, cannot mean three ruling entities, nor one ruling God as three different entities.

And to my reading of the Christian scriptures (Old and New Testaments) it give no indications that there ever was anything other than one and one only ruling deity: One God, One Ruler.

Just to add: This single deity (Title: ultimate Ruler, God) who gave us his name as ‘YHWH’ is a spirit (non-corporeal) His creation of a corporeal realm, a physical realm, was to mimic the spirit realm, and He desired that there should be a physical RULER over that realm just as He is a Spirit ruler over the Spirit realm. This contrasts with the trinity claim that ONE of the PERSONS whom is the one God should become a ruler over the physical realm …which this one out of three created for himself … which is an contradiction of the trinity belief … an unjustifiable absurdity.

Your comments please.

Comments?

Use fewer words?

I have a representaton of the Kitchen God
in my kitchen. He is not very likeable, and has
liitle actual power. His role is really that of
a tattletale.

Regardless, he is am immortal, supernatural
being, a god, in our folk religion.

In Christianity there are all manner of immortal
supernatural beings. Gods.

Calling it monotheistic is just weird.

 

[ChristineM]

The Christian scriptures declares a God as an all powerful entity (a Deity) whom is held in the highest reverential regard by its worshippers.

But, in contrast to other religious beliefs (called ‘Pagan’ and ‘Heathen’), the Christian belief is that there is only one such almighty deity whom is to be served and worshipped as their God.

Other beliefs claim many such deities as their Gods and each such God is not all powerful in regard that they each serve different functions are are of differing power and authority within a remit of a ‘head’ God. The Greek God, Zeus, for instance, though being the head God, often is overruled by other ‘lesser’ Gods.

The Christian God is, however, split between a combination of beliefs which, no matter which way it is seen, claims:

• THREE PERSONS as the one and only God.
• A different viewpoint of the same TRINITY God is that it is ONE God who is THREE persons at different times.
• And another is that, subtlety, the ONE GOD is THREE PERSONS at all times… (yes, there is a difference!)

My take is that the ONE GOD of the scriptures is a single Deity, a single God, an ONLY God, who is all powerful over all aspects of everything. To me, it makes no sense to have multiple Gods (Rulers) nor, even worse, to have multiple Deities as an only God, nor a God who is multiple persons.

To me, only, one, and monotheism, means just that. Monotheism, being the belief in one and only one ruling entity, one ruling Deity, cannot mean three ruling entities, nor one ruling God as three different entities.

And to my reading of the Christian scriptures (Old and New Testaments) it give no indications that there ever was anything other than one and one only ruling deity: One God, One Ruler.

Just to add: This single deity (Title: ultimate Ruler, God) who gave us his name as ‘YHWH’ is a spirit (non-corporeal) His creation of a corporeal realm, a physical realm, was to mimic the spirit realm, and He desired that there should be a physical RULER over that realm just as He is a Spirit ruler over the Spirit realm. This contrasts with the trinity claim that ONE of the PERSONS whom is the one God should become a ruler over the physical realm …which this one out of three created for himself … which is an contradiction of the trinity belief … an unjustifiable absurdity.

Your comments please.

Excluding Hinduism there have been various religions that have worshipped over 4200 different gods. Of those 4200+ there have been over 3800 omnipotent, creator, one gods. Not sure how that works but you cannot/could not tell any of their worshipers that, "no, no, no" they are all the same god, the one i worship"

 

[Soapy]

Comments?

Use fewer words?

I have a representaton of the Kitchen God
in my kitchen. He is not very likeable, and has
liitle actual power. His role is really that of
a tattletale.

Regardless, he is am immortal, supernatural
being, a god, in our folk religion.

In Christianity there are all manner of immortal
supernatural beings. Gods.

Calling it monotheistic is just weird.

Sorry, could you define what you suggest as ‘Trinitarian’ Christianity.

Christianity means ‘Follower of Christ’, which I am. But the term ‘Christianity’ has been hijacked by those who believe that Jesus IS the GOD whom he came to reveal despite he, Jesus, doing everything IN THE NAME of the God, YHWH, that SENT HIM.

If you understand what has just been said then you will understand that, though we cannot remove the term ‘Christianity’ from the belief system of Trinitarians, we can differentiate them from the true Christians by emphasising the absurdities of their claim (Use ‘Trinitarian’ or ‘Trinitarian Christian’ for their belief)

A True Christian believes that Jesus is ‘The Christ’, the one whom THE GOD, the ruler over all things, as the same scriptures Trinitarians read, SENT to reveal HIM, the God of the Israelites. Why would Jesus, being the very god sent by himself as trinity claims, reveal someone ELSE if he was the God who was revealed?

I hear what you say about a Kitchen God, but there are more places in the physical and spiritual world than a kitchen.

Who, in your belief is the God over the house (of which the kitchen is only a small part), the God is the street (of which your house is only one of many), the God of your neighbourhood (of which there are many neighbourhoods), the God of your town (of which there are many towns), the God of your country (of which there are many countries), the God of your planet (of which there are many planets - admitted not many are inhabited), the God of the visible world (of which there is only one): and finally, your GOD OF ALL GODS?

 

[ChristineM]

Comments?

Use fewer words?

I have a representaton of the Kitchen God
in my kitchen. He is not very likeable, and has
liitle actual power. His role is really that of
a tattletale.

Regardless, he is am immortal, supernatural
being, a god, in our folk religion.

In Christianity there are all manner of immortal
supernatural beings. Gods.

Calling it monotheistic is just weird.

This made me think of the goddess Anoia
Anoia - Discworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki
A goddess who i respect and call out to on occasion.

 

[Soapy]

Excluding Hinduism there have been various religions that have worshipped over 4200 different gods. Of those 4200+ there have been over 3800 omnipotent, creator, one gods. Not sure how that works but you cannot/could not tell any of their worshipers that, "no, no, no" they are all the same god, the one i worship"

I don’t think that was my argument. I’m not a believer in multiple Gods nor that they are one same God. I used the TRINITARIAN Christian belief as a prod to its absurdity. I’m asking how it could come about that anyone should believe in an absurdity and have it become such an established world-wide (CATHOLIC!!!) doctrinal system.

I think I outlined my belief quote succinctly and nowhere did it advocate a belief in multiple persons as one God or any permutations of such.

 

[ChristineM]

I don’t think that was my argument. I’m not a believer in multiple Gods nor that they are one same God. I used the TRINITARIAN Christian belief as a prod to its absurdity. I’m asking how it could come about that anyone should believe in an absurdity and have it become such an established world-wide (CATHOLIC!!!) doctrinal system.

I think I outlined my belief quote succinctly and nowhere did it advocate a belief in multiple persons as one God or any permutations of such.

Each as absurd as the other. My point was that you have you belief, others do and have had different beliefs.

 

[Aupmanyav]

.. as a prod to its absurdity.

I wish you were aware of your own absurdity.

 

[Redemptionsong]

The Christian scriptures declares a God as an all powerful entity (a Deity) whom is held in the highest reverential regard by its worshippers.

But, in contrast to other religious beliefs (called ‘Pagan’ and ‘Heathen’), the Christian belief is that there is only one such almighty deity whom is to be served and worshipped as their God.

Other beliefs claim many such deities as their Gods and each such God is not all powerful in regard that they each serve different functions are are of differing power and authority within a remit of a ‘head’ God. The Greek God, Zeus, for instance, though being the head God, often is overruled by other ‘lesser’ Gods.

The Christian God is, however, split between a combination of beliefs which, no matter which way it is seen, claims:

• THREE PERSONS as the one and only God.
• A different viewpoint of the same TRINITY God is that it is ONE God who is THREE persons at different times.
• And another is that, subtlety, the ONE GOD is THREE PERSONS at all times… (yes, there is a difference!)

My take is that the ONE GOD of the scriptures is a single Deity, a single God, an ONLY God, who is all powerful over all aspects of everything. To me, it makes no sense to have multiple Gods (Rulers) nor, even worse, to have multiple Deities as an only God, nor a God who is multiple persons.

To me, only, one, and monotheism, means just that. Monotheism, being the belief in one and only one ruling entity, one ruling Deity, cannot mean three ruling entities, nor one ruling God as three different entities.

And to my reading of the Christian scriptures (Old and New Testaments) it give no indications that there ever was anything other than one and one only ruling deity: One God, One Ruler.

Just to add: This single deity (Title: ultimate Ruler, God) who gave us his name as ‘YHWH’ is a spirit (non-corporeal) His creation of a corporeal realm, a physical realm, was to mimic the spirit realm, and He desired that there should be a physical RULER over that realm just as He is a Spirit ruler over the Spirit realm. This contrasts with the trinity claim that ONE of the PERSONS whom is the one God should become a ruler over the physical realm …which this one out of three created for himself … which is an contradiction of the trinity belief … an unjustifiable absurdity.

Your comments please.

The 'Shema', which begins in Deuteronomy 6:4, is as clear a statement of the oneness of God as you'll find.

In Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus says to a Jewish teacher of the law, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment'.

So, Jesus encourages his audience to love the one God. He repeats words found in the 'Shema'.

The question that puzzles you, is the same question that puzzled Solomon. Is it possible for the one God of heaven to come to earth to dwell as a man?

This is only possible if God creates himself a human vessel, and then takes up residence in that vessel. You then have the Spirit of God dwelling on earth as a man.

At the moment, you are claiming to believe in one God whilst rejecting the idea that there is only one Saviour. God is our only Saviour [lsaiah 43:11], and if Jesus is not God then Jesus is not our Saviour. Yet, you claim that Jesus is your Saviour!

 

[Soapy]

Each as absurd as the other. My point was that you have you belief, others do and have had different beliefs.

I understand that there are many belief systems in the world. I picked one to discuss. That does not deny that other people believe other things.

My request was to discuss the absurdity of one particular and explicit set of beliefs.

 

[Soapy]

I wish you were aware of your own absurdity.

Please, I am happy for you to point out my ‘absurdity’ as I am unaware of it.

 

[Nakosis]

The Christian scriptures declares a God as an all powerful entity (a Deity) whom is held in the highest reverential regard by its worshippers.

But, in contrast to other religious beliefs (called ‘Pagan’ and ‘Heathen’), the Christian belief is that there is only one such almighty deity whom is to be served and worshipped as their God.

Other beliefs claim many such deities as their Gods and each such God is not all powerful in regard that they each serve different functions are are of differing power and authority within a remit of a ‘head’ God. The Greek God, Zeus, for instance, though being the head God, often is overruled by other ‘lesser’ Gods.

The Christian God is, however, split between a combination of beliefs which, no matter which way it is seen, claims:

• THREE PERSONS as the one and only God.
• A different viewpoint of the same TRINITY God is that it is ONE God who is THREE persons at different times.
• And another is that, subtlety, the ONE GOD is THREE PERSONS at all times… (yes, there is a difference!)

My take is that the ONE GOD of the scriptures is a single Deity, a single God, an ONLY God, who is all powerful over all aspects of everything. To me, it makes no sense to have multiple Gods (Rulers) nor, even worse, to have multiple Deities as an only God, nor a God who is multiple persons.

To me, only, one, and monotheism, means just that. Monotheism, being the belief in one and only one ruling entity, one ruling Deity, cannot mean three ruling entities, nor one ruling God as three different entities.

And to my reading of the Christian scriptures (Old and New Testaments) it give no indications that there ever was anything other than one and one only ruling deity: One God, One Ruler.

Just to add: This single deity (Title: ultimate Ruler, God) who gave us his name as ‘YHWH’ is a spirit (non-corporeal) His creation of a corporeal realm, a physical realm, was to mimic the spirit realm, and He desired that there should be a physical RULER over that realm just as He is a Spirit ruler over the Spirit realm. This contrasts with the trinity claim that ONE of the PERSONS whom is the one God should become a ruler over the physical realm …which this one out of three created for himself … which is an contradiction of the trinity belief … an unjustifiable absurdity.

Your comments please.

A God usually is an incorporeal entity believed to possess supernatural abilities that is worshiped by some.

 

[sun rise]

I’m asking how it could come about that anyone should believe in an absurdity

That's a history question

But the limited human mind cannot experience the truth that is the Divine so we wind up with the Blind Men and the Elephant where various religions and sects fasten on a particular, limited view and hold it to be truth.

From my perspective, God is "unlimited and unfathomable, beyond imagination and conception" and is the One and only reality (advaita) with the world we experience an illusion.

 

[ChristineM]

I understand that there are many belief systems in the world. I picked one to discuss. That does not deny that other people believe other things.

My request was to discuss the absurdity of one particular and explicit set of beliefs.

The multiple gods and multiple beliefs make the one god idea absurd.

 

[Soapy]

The 'Shema', which begins in Deuteronomy 6:4, is as clear a statement of the oneness of God as you'll find.

In Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus says to a Jewish teacher of the law, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment'.

So, Jesus encourages his audience to love the one God. He repeats words found in the 'Shema'.

The question that puzzles you, is the same question that puzzled Solomon. Is it possible for the one God of heaven to come to earth to dwell as a man?

This is only possible if God creates himself a human vessel, and then takes up residence in that vessel. You then have the Spirit of God dwelling on earth as a man.

At the moment, you are claiming to believe in one God whilst rejecting the idea that there is only one Saviour. God is our only Saviour [lsaiah 43:11], and if Jesus is not God then Jesus is not our Saviour. Yet, you claim that Jesus is your Saviour!

I’m not sure at all that I said that Jesus was not my saviour. In fact I don’t remember mentioning anything about saviour-ship.

Im my belief, God SENT Jesus to save mankind.

Jesus cannot be God if God sent Jesus.

But consider: A ship full of people is floundering at sea because the captain turn out to have been asleep during a storm. The crew are in despair and some call upon their own experiences which is lacking in coordination with others (that’s why they aren’t captains!). The ships owner says, ‘I will save my ship’… He dispatches a new fully awake captain in a launch boat. This new captain takes charge, marshals some of the crew who believe he CAN save the floundering ship, and quickly trains them in what to do. But there is an extreme situation that only he can deal with and which means he will lose his life - but if the crew continue to do as he taught them then Rd ship and the people on board will be saved. He must dive under the ship to block up a hole but it is a sure thing he will not make it back on board. He sacrifices himself for the salvation of those on board. This captain will be commemorated for eternity in the annals of captainship greatness.

Who SAVED the ship?

Are there TWO saviours? If so, Are they the SAME person?

Did the ship owner die to save his ship - or was it the saviour he dispatched to do it.

GOD sent Jesus to die as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. God, …did not die for the sins of mankind… GOD cannot die!

 

[Soapy]

That's a history question

But the limited human mind cannot experience the truth that is the Divine so we wind up with the Blind Men and the Elephant where various religions and sects fasten on a particular, limited view and hold it to be truth.

From my perspective, God is "unlimited and unfathomable, beyond imagination and conception" and is the One and only reality (advaita) with the world we experience an illusion.

I agree that God is unlimited and unfathomable.

That’s exactly why I dispute that doctrine of the trinity that this question is concerning.

The doctrine of the trinity has one of the persons whom it claim is that unlimited and unfathomable god, DYING for mankind… not only that but this same unlimited and unfathomable god did not know things that any unlimited and unfathomable god should know!

I’m not sure why you appear to be disagreeing with what I’m saying…!

 

[Soapy]

The multiple gods and multiple beliefs make the one god idea absurd.

Multiple gods is absurd but Multiple beliefs is not absurd.

If multiple beliefs were absurd then this would mean that ALL BELIEFS are absurd. And yes, even the belief that multiple gods is absurd would then be itself absurd…

I think you didn’t really think too hard about what you were writing!

 

[Audie]

Sorry, could you define what you suggest as ‘Trinitarian’ Christianity.

Christianity means ‘Follower of Christ’, which I am. But the term ‘Christianity’ has been hijacked by those who believe that Jesus IS the GOD whom he came to reveal despite he, Jesus, doing everything IN THE NAME of the God, YHWH, that SENT HIM.

If you understand what has just been said then you will understand that, though we cannot remove the term ‘Christianity’ from the belief system of Trinitarians, we can differentiate them from the true Christians by emphasising the absurdities of their claim (Use ‘Trinitarian’ or ‘Trinitarian Christian’ for their belief)

A True Christian believes that Jesus is ‘The Christ’, the one whom THE GOD, the ruler over all things, as the same scriptures Trinitarians read, SENT to reveal HIM, the God of the Israelites. Why would Jesus, being the very god sent by himself as trinity claims, reveal someone ELSE if he was the God who was revealed?

I hear what you say about a Kitchen God, but there are more places in the physical and spiritual world than a kitchen.

Who, in your belief is the God over the house (of which the kitchen is only a small part), the God is the street (of which your house is only one of many), the God of your neighbourhood (of which there are many neighbourhoods), the God of your town (of which there are many towns), the God of your country (of which there are many countries), the God of your planet (of which there are many planets - admitted not many are inhabited), the God of the visible world (of which there is only one): and finally, your GOD OF ALL GODS?

Ok youve preached your opinion.

 

[Audie]

Multiple gods is absurd but Multiple beliefs is not absurd.

If multiple beliefs were absurd then this would mean that ALL BELIEFS are absurd. And yes, even the belief that multiple gods is absurd would then be itself absurd…

I think you didn’t really think too hard about what you were writing!

That last line would apply with more reason and less calumny to its author.

 

[Soapy]

“What is a God?”

I don’t mean for you to define what YOUR GOD is, but rather, what it means to be a God.

Who, or What, can be classed as a GOD.

In trinity Christianity it is three persons of unknown origin who are claimed to be all equal and all powerful beings….

But who are RANKED according to lessening abilities - How they are all equally powerful but yet have different ranked abilities is surely absurd!

Only one all powerful is required to do all things in my mind!