Why did god create a material world

[Chisti]

Instead of a spiritual one?

This question is only for theists who believe that god created the world. Why would god, being spirit, create a material world? Could he not have created a spiritual world? I can understand a material entity making material things, but god being spirit ... why would he bother creating anything other than spiritual entities?

 

[Sleeppy]

Hard to say.. I think it has to do with variety. Giving creation an identity.

 

[jasonwill2]

Instead of a spiritual one?

This question is only for theists who believe that god created the world. Why would god, being spirit, create a material world? Could he not have created a spiritual world? I can understand a material entity making material things, but god being spirit ... why would he bother creating anything other than spiritual entities?

In all honesty, I think that he couldn't create other beings in his previous state. As a single consciousness making himself into the material world was the only way to go, as to let physical life spring up, or otherwise be alone. Also a physical world might be more interesting to him.

 

[Polarbear]

Instead of a spiritual one?

This question is only for theists who believe that god created the world. Why would god, being spirit, create a material world? Could he not have created a spiritual world? I can understand a material entity making material things, but god being spirit ... why would he bother creating anything other than spiritual entities?

My take on this is that everything spiritual is god and that god is immutable. If "he" created anything spiritual he would have to change himself and hence wouldn't be immutable. Therefore he had to create something separate from himself, i.e material.

 

[Sir Doom]

Instead of a spiritual one?

This question is only for theists who believe that god created the world. Why would god, being spirit, create a material world? Could he not have created a spiritual world? I can understand a material entity making material things, but god being spirit ... why would he bother creating anything other than spiritual entities?

Why does god have to be spirit?

 

[idav]

It is when you throw in the word creation that something separate becomes a requirement. If god didn't actually create something then he would have just used what was already in existence, himself. Making god a separate substance isn't necessary though, god should be all encompassing regardless.

 

[jasonwill2]

Why does god have to be spirit?

That's a good point. I think of god primarily as a force that permeates the universe, but more accurately he is the universe, but he also has some more "spirit-like" manifestations.

Perhaps it's not impossible that god is physical, or that spiritual/physical is made of the same stuff essentially, but when I think of this in terms of physics it doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless fundamental particles are really something comppletely different then what we think.

 

[1137]

Why do you think there is even matter / spirit duality?

 

[jasonwill2]

Why do you think there is even matter / spirit duality?

I'm tempted to call it creation/uncreation and just say it's all made of god anyway. seems like a solution to me! God is already the physical universe, why not call teh "spiritual" bits uncreation and the material bits creation?

 

[BSM1]

Instead of a spiritual one?

This question is only for theists who believe that god created the world. Why would god, being spirit, create a material world? Could he not have created a spiritual world? I can understand a material entity making material things, but god being spirit ... why would he bother creating anything other than spiritual entities?

I believe "God" wanted to experience itself as something other than god. This would have been impossible because, of course, everything is god. So "God" took a very tiny piece of Herself and created something that was the illusion of "not God" just to get an opposite. What we call material is just that illusion, and after we pass from this existence we return spiritually to the reality.

 

[1137]

I'm tempted to call it creation/uncreation and just say it's all made of god anyway. seems like a solution to me! God is already the physical universe, why not call teh "spiritual" bits uncreation and the material bits creation?

My thoughts exactly. God cannot be all if He isn't literally all.

 

[idav]

I'm tempted to call it creation/uncreation and just say it's all made of god anyway. seems like a solution to me! God is already the physical universe, why not call teh "spiritual" bits uncreation and the material bits creation?

When I think of uncreation I think anti-matter.

 

[jasonwill2]

When I think of uncreation I think anti-matter.

Nah, I don't think that would work, as that is made during nuclear fusion in stars. But it's a similar idea. Anti-matter just reverses the quantum spin and electric charge of the matter basically.

 

[idav]

Nah, I don't think that would work, as that is made during nuclear fusion in stars. But it's a similar idea. Anti-matter just reverses the quantum spin and electric charge of the matter basically.

As the theory goes we are all the sum of zero. Antimatter and matter collided in the beginning without completely annihilating itself as matter somehow won out and gave us what we see today. The antithesis to something is nothing.

 

[jasonwill2]

As the theory goes we are all the sum of zero. Antimatter and matter collided in the beginning without completely annihilating itself as matter somehow won out and gave us what we see today. The antithesis to something is nothing.

And the synthesis?

 

[idav]

And the synthesis?

Not sure what your asking, I think if it all came together it would uncreate itself. Though I'm not entirely sure the sum is exactly zero I'd think something just above that.

 

[jasonwill2]

Not sure what your asking, I think if it all came together it would uncreate itself. Though I'm not entirely sure the sum is exactly zero I'd think something just above that.

No, if you have a thesis, everything, and the antithesis, nothing, what would the combination of those two be?

Also anti-matter still has mass, and a Universe of anti-matter would work perfectly fine and could even have life. It's only when it touches the other part of the matter-antimatter pare that it converts to energy.

I don't see any special spiritual significance of anti-matter though. I was originally refering to uncreation as a more metaphysical-like substance.

 

[idav]

I don't see any special spiritual significance of anti-matter though. I was originally refering to uncreation as a more metaphysical-like substance.

Its the yin to the yang, the real balance. As one it is all connected. You talked of the spirit matter dichotomy but to me it is more about either having something or being left with nothing. Though if you took out all of matter you would still be left with space-time but it is materialistic.

 

[Chisti]

Why does god have to be spirit?

In all major religions, he is. Whether you agree/disagree is not the point of this thread. So let's not digress.

 

[dust1n]

Why does god have to be spirit?

Because he sure isn't material.