What is God?

[RomCat]

God is the Supreme Being, infinitely perfect, who
made all things and keeps them in existence.
God is self-existing. He does not owe his existence
to any other being.
God is infinitely perfect. That is He has all perfections
without limit.
God is all-holy, all-merciful and all-just.
God is Three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Yet, there is only One God!

 

[Sunstone]

God is an emergent property of the universe that came into existence 12 nanoseconds into the big bang.

 

[ManTimeForgot]

God is an emergent property of the universe that came into existence 12 nanoseconds into the big bang.

So God is just a really powerful and intelligent ET whose nature is incorporeal then?

MTF

 

[KarlVonMox]

"God" is consummate perfection. This has the effect of rendering "God" beyond all scrutiny since consummate perfection is contained entirely within the realm of the logically indeterminate. The only way to ensure that no limits can act upon a thing is to render its qualities completely unknowable.

We are able to discern that which is limited. There are set rules that govern qualitative behavior of anything. But when all rules are voided because something is unlimited in every extent, then nothing makes sense anymore.


"God" cannot be said to be anything useful because anything said about "God" is not exactly truth. It is both existing and not existing. It is both beginning and not beginning. It is both end point and not end point.

The point is that such a thing is "useful" only in as much as it can be used to explain the "origination" of the totality of a cosmology. Either the totality of the cosmos (not just the universe mind) is eternal or it has a beginning. If reality has a beginning, then something which is not precisely real, but still has "existence" is needed to be able to allow for reality to "spring into being." Take an eternal and infinite in extent cosmological totality and suddenly you are trying to describe something not unlike consummate perfection...

MTF

This is only a restatement of the agnostic theist position. How can something be "unlimited in every extent?" How can something be BOTH "existing and not existing?" How can something be BOTH "beginning and not beginning?" Because by your own admission you are unable to answer these questions, the entire concept becomes vacuous, nonsensical, and unworthy of any consideration (much like the blark I mentioned earlier).

If believing in something undefinable works for people, then fine. But to me...its intellectually dishonest.

Of course you do have a point but the difference between 'blark' and 'God' is that we do have some ideas about what God is. We do not have much understanding or knowledge, but we do have some limited conception. The other important fact here is that 'God' represents the 'how' and 'why' of our existence, which is something that most humans strive to know of. 'Blark' on the other hand has yet no significance.

Ah, this I can get. I just have a beef with placing such important questions such as a "how" or "why" on some undefinable, elusive concept. Its far better for me embrace the universe as it really is and tackle these questions without relying on something like that.

 

[zenzero]

Friends,

Just a THOUGHT[as everything is]
*god is everything including BS?*

hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love & rgds

 

[ManTimeForgot]

This is only a restatement of the agnostic theist position. How can something be "unlimited in every extent?" How can something be BOTH "existing and not existing?" How can something be BOTH "beginning and not beginning?" Because by your own admission you are unable to answer these questions, the entire concept becomes vacuous, nonsensical, and unworthy of any consideration (much like the blark I mentioned earlier).

If believing in something undefinable works for people, then fine. But to me...its intellectually dishonest.



Ah, this I can get. I just have a beef with placing such important questions such as a "how" or "why" on some undefinable, elusive concept. Its far better for me embrace the universe as it really is and tackle these questions without relying on something like that.

I don't believe in, per say, something undefinable; I am certain that it is a logical necessity. This isn't intellectual dishonesty, nor is it faith. I, based upon my limited selection of experiences and my study of logic, have come to the conclusion that something like this "God" (though I do not call it that any more due to other people's association of the term "God" with some personal being that answers phone calls) must exist.

How? I can't answer that. It is beyond human conception. But that makes it vacuous? No. You must be able to explain how if REALITY (not the universe mind you) has a beginning that it can actually get started. If you can come up with a mechanism whereby Reality itself can be created without invoking such a "thing" then I am all ears. On the flipside of things if, again, REALITY is eternal and infinite in extent, then the totality of Reality is in fact Unity (an all encompassing transcendentally probabilistic "thing") in which case here again we have consummate perfection.


I think what isn't clear to you is that infinities cannot exist in a vacuum. No true infinity exists in nature. Qualities are limited in extent. As such they are unable to contain something which needs no limit. The problem arises once you factor in the completely interconnected natural systems. Cause and Effect is inviolate. You can hide your variables, mechanisms, or even the universe of discourse, but you cannot create something with nothing. What this means is that as soon as you introduce one infinity all other infinities which are related the initial quality must also be infinite. Causality breaks down otherwise.


And as far as "the universe as it is" is concerned: When did I ever indicate that one should treat the universe differently other than "as it is?" Cosmology is bigger than our piddly "little" universe. We are a drop in a vast universal ocean which is itself a mere drop in an even bigger cosmic ocean. Practically speaking what does "God" have to do with our day to day lives? Not a damn thing. There is no such thing as a personal "God." That's a contradiction in terms. A personal "god" (little g) is just a really cool ET that feels like it should meddle in the affairs of other races. But then what does "God" have to do with anything? That's what you have to contend with once you start considering the "ultimate" portions of reality.

MTF

 

[Mr Cheese]

(the best description of God)

 

[Mr Cheese]

Can anyone say anything about God that a non-theist would likely find meaningful?

It is possible to know God
But it is impossible to fully conceptualize God
Although we can make partial attempts
Any attempt will always fall short

A bit like science really, its all models....

the map is not the territory

 

[Mr Cheese]

I am in everything, I bear the skies, I am the foundation, I support the earth, I am the Light that shines forth, that gives joy to the souls.

I am the life of the world: I am the milk that is in all trees: I am the sweet water that is beneath the sons of matter.

–Manichaean Psalm Book

 

[KarlVonMox]

How? I can't answer that. It is beyond human conception. But that makes it vacuous? No. You must be able to explain how if REALITY (not the universe mind you) has a beginning that it can actually get started. If you can come up with a mechanism whereby Reality itself can be created without invoking such a "thing" then I am all ears. On the flipside of things if, again, REALITY is eternal and infinite in extent, then the totality of Reality is in fact Unity (an all encompassing transcendentally probabilistic "thing") in which case here again we have consummate perfection.

It is far better to for me to say that reality is infinite and eternal, rather than assign that quality to an unknowable and undefinable creator. This avoids the infinite regression "who created God?" problem, and we are able to know and define reality as we see it.

But really, when it comes to much about the nature of the universe I am very much agnostic. There is much us humans do not understand, and the extent of how infinite or eternal the universe is, and its true nature, is very much an open question.

However, this is no reason to throw in the elusive "God" concept to explain things. It is far better to remain agnostic, Im my mind, unless there is evidence to believe in something. This is my worldview.

So, I will continue saying that the concept is vacuous because simply saying its beyond human conception and leaving it at that is not enough. You must have reason to say this. You must define and explain how something can be beyond human conception. Otherwise, you are simply dealing with empty words and empty explanations.

Practically speaking what does "God" have to do with our day to day lives? Not a damn thing. There is no such thing as a personal "God." That's a contradiction in terms. A personal "god" (little g) is just a really cool ET that feels like it should meddle in the affairs of other races.

You and I very much agree on this, but I know of many many theists who are on the other side of this. They are very deep in the "agnostic theist" hole.

 

[jaareshiah]

Anything that is worshiped can be termed a god, inasmuch as the worshiper attributes to it might greater than his own and venerates it. A person can even let his belly be a god. (Rom 16:18; Php 3:18, 19) The Bible makes mention of many gods (Ps 86:8; 1Cor 8:5, 6), but it shows that the gods of the nations are valueless gods, for Psalms 96:5 says: "For all the gods of the peoples are valueless gods; but as for Jehovah, he has made the very heavens."

 

[imaginaryme]

Feedback.

The microphone of the finite and mortal to the speaker of the infinite.

 

[nonebeliver]

God is everything: The Creator and the Created.

so who created god

 

[ManTimeForgot]

God (without qualification) is the human construct of cosmic overseer that planned, created, and manages the entirety of the cosmos.

"God" (as a placeholder for a concept for which we really have no name) is a perfect entity/thing which ultimately does nothing and is everything (including the doing of things). All that are are "God." All that are not are "God." All that is possible is "God." Long story short: This is a collection of infinities, negative or absence included, (each of which alone are impossible to completely grasp by human standards... or anything else which is limited in faculty) which necessitate by fiat (the mere fact that "It" is so consequences) the very being of reality.

But the above "being" is I think only necessary if we assume that reality has a beginning (that there ever was a time when there was no reality) because then a "being" which is not precisely "real" is necessary to satisfy the condition of creating reality. Hence I think I am leaning more towards an infinite "reality" (if a name it has then Unity suffices as all things are "Unity") which always has been and is the sum of all things which are, are not, and can be without needing to encompass non-real conditions. Transcending logic entirely also leads me to question why there is logic at all; whereas in the case of a substantially Real (with a capital R) Unity that necessitates logic because reality would be undermined were it not so, then I can clearly see how logic "comes to be" (it always has been true).

MTF

 

[katiafish]

God (without qualification) is the human construct of cosmic overseer that planned, created, and manages the entirety of the cosmos.

"God" (as a placeholder for a concept for which we really have no name) is a perfect entity/thing which ultimately does nothing and is everything (including the doing of things). All that are are "God." All that are not are "God." All that is possible is "God." Long story short: This is a collection of infinities, negative or absence included, (each of which alone are impossible to completely grasp by human standards... or anything else which is limited in faculty) which necessitate by fiat (the mere fact that "It" is so consequences) the very being of reality.

But the above "being" is I think only necessary if we assume that reality has a beginning (that there ever was a time when there was no reality) because then a "being" which is not precisely "real" is necessary to satisfy the condition of creating reality. Hence I think I am leaning more towards an infinite "reality" (if a name it has then Unity suffices as all things are "Unity") which always has been and is the sum of all things which are, are not, and can be without needing to encompass non-real conditions. Transcending logic entirely also leads me to question why there is logic at all; whereas in the case of a substantially Real (with a capital R) Unity that necessitates logic because reality would be undermined were it not so, then I can clearly see how logic "comes to be" (it always has been true).

MTF

A Unity, an infinite "body" made up of infinite number of finite parts.

 

[ruhnafsoul]

hmm.. what is GOD..?

As a GOD believer, I'm in the opinion of .."GOD is what you are thinking of HIM"
And I believed of what ever HE had made me to believe.. because I believe that the "believe" that I have, does not come out or appear in me / in my thinking, just like that.. It must come from somewhere.. and I believe it comes from GOD, the Creator of Everything..

And the same goes to the opinion, or the sense, or the feel of "disbelieve" that I have.. it doesn't come out or appear inside me or inside of my thinking, just like that..

Till now,I believed that I 'm being guided by my GOD.. in everything, in every doing.. in every moment.. coz I don't know what I had planned / think of in the next moment to come, can be accomplished or not.. (always it can.. in most of the time)

But always that I come to realize things when it turns out to be.. not as what I had planned it to be.. so, who had planned it to me, things that are different to what I had planned it before..?.. hmm.. that is GOD.. I believe

 

[Sunstone]

God is neither wave nor particle. God is an emergent property of the universe that came into existence approximately 12 nanoseconds into the Big Bang that created the universe.

 

[ruhnafsoul]

hmm.. what is BIG BANG..?.. it creates the world..?.. hmm.. the BIG BANG is GOD then..
I believed that .. BIG BANG is created to deny the existence of GOD.. by people who cannot accept the existence of GOD

 

[Sunstone]

hmm.. what is BIG BANG..?.. it creates the world..?.. hmm.. the BIG BANG is GOD then..
I believed that .. BIG BANG is created to deny the existence of GOD.. by people who cannot accept the existence of GOD

People who live in savage lands believe that the Big Bang was created to deny the existence of god. Those of us who live in sivilized lands, however, know god was created to explain the importance and meaning of the Big Bang to us.

 

[Caladan]

This is an extension of the other thread "Who is God?"

I ask not who, but what.

Please give a definition of "God".

There are as many definitions as there are personalities.