Define God?!...........

[Tonington]

Whenever I use the word God myself, I am referring to the universe as a whole. I don't use it in the sense that there is an omnipresent entity watching my life with interest, more of an all encompassing idea of how small I am in the bigger picture. It's very much the same as any theistic definition, hard to wrap your head around the large scale, and does have limits much like other apparitions of God. Like for instance, neither the universe, nor God, can create the logically absurd. As Sanctus says and I agree, it is beyond our realm of understanding.

 

[sanctus]

Whenever I use the word God myself, I am referring to the universe as a whole. I don't use it in the sense that there is an omnipresent entity watching my life with interest, more of an all encompassing idea of how small I am in the bigger picture. It's very much the same as any theistic definition, hard to wrap your head around the large scale, and does have limits much like other apparitions of God. Like for instance, neither the universe, nor God, can create the logically absurd. As Sanctus says and I agree, it is beyond our realm of understanding.

Exactly. It seems to me that if we decide we can define God, we have already limited our understanding by trying to put such an abstract concept into a box. If there is a God, and if indeed He is all that there is, any attempts to define Him will be a failure. Our minds simple cannot possibly define what is so vast and mysterious to us, anymore than we can truly understand the width and depth of the universe as being limitless.

 

[TenPenny]

Exactly. It seems to me that if we decide we can define God, we have already limited our understanding by trying to put such an abstract concept into a box. If there is a God, and if indeed He is all that there is, any attempts to define Him will be a failure. Our minds simple cannot possibly define what is so vast and mysterious to us, anymore than we can truly understand the width and depth of the universe as being limitless.

By using "He" and "Him", are you not defining God?

 

[ottawabill]

It is not God that needs defining, it is us that do....

God is explained in everything..we just seem to have a hard time seeing it....Like a Baby in the womb..he could here about the outside world but it's too much for his mind to handle until he actually gets there.

God is everywhere..God is everything...He steers us constantly , he's the most creative artist ever..he's my father, he opens my eyes when they have been closed, he makes me get up when I want to hide..He is always and forever...

 

[Tonington]

Technically when I call the universe God, I am also defining the universe, which is by no means a definite answer. These are the driving questions. The answers are by no means concrete and I don't believe it possible that they ever will. Unfortunately for me I can only learn as much as I can while I'm here, while Sanctus will have an afterlife to ponder these things.

 

[sanctus]

It is not God that needs defining, it is us that do....

God is explained in everything..we just seem to have a hard time seeing it....Like a Baby in the womb..he could here about the outside world but it's too much for his mind to handle until he actually gets there.

God is everywhere..God is everything...He steers us constantly , he's the most creative artist ever..he's my father, he opens my eyes when they have been closed, he makes me get up when I want to hide..He is always and forever...

This is a very good post!! Your words reflect a truth most of us do not want to face. Most of us want god to suit our taste, our perception. We rarely think, it is "I" who need defining, for God "is".

 

[sanctus]

By using "He" and "Him", are you not defining God?

Indeed!!! Good point....

 

[selfactivated]

Indeed!!! Good point....

Good point but is it correct? In my world there is a god AND goddess. Perfection in duality. How can you have one without the other? In nature and humanity we have male AND female to make creation. If we are created in its image then there is Male AND female in diety

 

[sanctus]

Good point but is it correct? In my world there is a god AND goddess. Perfection in duality. How can you have one without the other? In nature and humanity we have male AND female to make creation. If we are created in its image then there is Male AND female in diety

It is not correct for me, or the Church. That is as far as I'll go. I'm not making this decision for you. I go by what Jesus taught us.

 

[selfactivated]

Thats why Im a Pagan. The church ineptly manages to explain anything. Nice stories but hardly realistic. In my world at least we call it Faery tales straight up

 

[Daz_Hockey]

Thats why Im a Pagan. The church ineptly manages to explain anything. Nice stories but hardly realistic. In my world at least we call it Faery tales straight up

Now you know all the term "pagan" means is a "person of the land" effectively a yokel, a serp, a country bumpkin right?.

But I've got one word which consists of two letters to explain god....

ME

It's all good, and it's all true....

Don't be giving me no witch-hazel or smelling salts, I'm not delerious, it's true, god is a manifestation of your own ego, now don't shoot me down in flames for this, but it's a way for egotistical jerks like all those school-boy-molesting preists to gain power and influence over their "flock".

I've just read a Rhoald Dahl book where he describes the beatings he got from the bishop of canterberry (the headmaster of his school), the mn who crowned queen Elizabeth, the head of the Church of England....we all know about Catholism, but their all the same, egotisical the lot of em.

Believe in yourself, thats all you can do, all you can control.

 

[selfactivated]

Now you know all the term "pagan" means is a "person of the land" effectively a yokel, a serp, a country bumpkin right?.

But I've got one word which consists of two letters to explain god....

ME

It's all good, and it's all true....

Don't be giving me no witch-hazel or smelling salts, I'm not delerious, it's true, god is a manifestation of your own ego, now don't shoot me down in flames for this, but it's a way for egotistical jerks like all those school-boy-molesting preists to gain power and influence over their "flock".

I've just read a Rhoald Dahl book where he describes the beatings he got from the bishop of canterberry (the headmaster of his school), the mn who crowned queen Elizabeth, the head of the Church of England....we all know about Catholism, but their all the same, egotisical the lot of em.

Believe in yourself, thats all you can do, all you can control.

LOL Daz I Love You! We posted the same thing in different threads LOL Yes I know and I agree with your definition

 

[Chukcha]

When and how does one know he IS listening?

Lets put it that way, I don't know, you don't know, but I believe it helps to talk it over. One would be in real trouble if someone very sensitive were proven completely wrong, and so it would really be an effect on others too, that I can promise you without any doubt.

 

[temperance]

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
deity: any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force
a man of such superior qualities that he seems like a deity to other people; "he was a god among men"
idol: a material effigy that is worshipped; "thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"; "money was his god"


Whatever you need it(her/ him ) to be
its an individual choice

 

[vinod1975]

Debates and disagreements between atheists and theists tend to center over a single issue: gods, or at least whether or not any gods can or do exist. The is the one thing which differentiates atheists from theists — it isn’t necessarily much of an issue, but it can be magnified by a variety of other philosophical, social, and religious matters. Because of the fundamental importance of this one issue to all general discussions between atheists and theists, it is critical that those who participate in such discussions have a better understanding of just what it is they are talking about and why. After all, what’s the point of debating the possible existence of “God” if no one has tried to come to some sort of agreement as to what they mean by “God”? .When a theist claims that a god exists, one of the first questions atheists should ask is “what do you mean by ‘god’?” Without understanding what the theist means, the atheist simply cannot evaluate the claim. By the same token, unless the theist is very clear about what he means, he cannot adequately explain and defend his beliefs.

 

[Chukcha]

it is critical that those who participate in such discussions have a better understanding of just what it is they are talking about and why.

Yes, really well said, I hope you now have a very clear understanding of what you're actually talking about and why :laughing7:

I remember a story someone told me about, someone really smart and intelligent :read2:
Once there was a question raised: "what would you firstl likely do, if some day they would come up with the definite evidence that there is no mystery, no angels, no afterlife, no reincarnations, nothing at all, just the earth, the galaxy and the universe, just because it happened to be there for no reason at all?" and someone answered: "Well, huh, firstly I would definitely kill some of my enemies, rob a bank and rape their daughters, this is my way of freedom" he said.

After all, what’s the point of debating the possible existence of “God” if no one has tried to come to some sort of agreement as to what they mean by “God”?

After all, there is no reason of "debating" or "questioning" anyone at all in that case, and live happily ever after.:clock:

 

[MikeyDB]

God is a mass delusion.

Please read Richard Dawkin's ---"The God delusion"---its all there.

Reading this book finally gave me the impetus to move from agnostic to athiest--and it feels great.

To think that I feel I can with confidence know the answer to one of life's greatest mysteries.

Welcome to the sphere of the rational.

If you believe in psychokinesis raise my hand....

 

[talloola]

I believe because of the "primitive" thought process, and lack of "invention", a long time ago, man
was overwhelmed by any natural process of the earth, "lightening", "thunder", etc. etc., and began
to become slaves to these processes, and then began to worship them, and decided that something
was making that happen, so they became slaves to those happenings.

If that didn't happen, then, there was the presence of "outerspace" beings who landed on our earth
thousands of years ago, and controlled, and gave instructions to the "earthlings", and became the
"gods" who man worshipped. Wonder what ever happened to them. I don't believe in UFO's now,but I
dont' exclude that people from other planets could have been here a long time ago. The sight of angels and gods in the heavens could have been "outer space real beings,maybe they came from
a planet that has "since" ceased to exist. I believe that any information passed down throughout the
thousands of years past, were vastly exaggerated as time went by, (that happens even now), and
I am not going to live by the thoughts that were written down by people who had very simple
thoughts, were controlled by happenings by nature, and didn't have the intelligence to figure out
much of anything "scientific".

I wonder about many things that happened back then, but none of my thoughts are connected to
any god, that is "fantasy".

So, my answer to this question is, either of the above.

 

[Chukcha]

I would like to hear the answers and REAL evidence from those intelligent and amazingly smart atheists:
1. "...Does anybody know what are we living for???"
2. How did the earth begin life???
3. How was the human initially born? (don't give me the Darwin's theory, it's only a theory, nothing more, and the latest theories suggest that this theory is very fragile, since there is no evidence of the evolution of any animal on this planet).
4. What happens to us when we die (give the definite evidence pls)
5. Why don't we fly and the dinosaurs did?

 

[vinod1975]

Hey Chukcha

Why dont you answer them and let all of us know if know them.....:wave: