Belief in God and Actuality of God

[rojse]

What difference would you see between the widespread belief that God exists and the actuality that God exists?

Share your opinions.

EDIT: It seems I mightn't have been as clear as what I would have liked

If we were to turn the existence of your conceptualisation of God into a dual alternative, we would have the following two options:

Option 1: God exists, and the majority of people believe that God exists in some form or other
Option 2: God does not exist, and the majority of people believe that God exists in some form or other

What would be the difference between the two options?

 

[Kerr]

Belief in God, faith, is based on a belief, strong or weak, of the existence of a deity. It does not mean that God does or does not exist.

 

[rojse]

Belief in God, faith, is based on a belief, strong or weak, of the existence of a deity. It does not mean that God does or does not exist.

Not quite what I was driving at.

If, one one hand, all we had was the belief of God, and the other, we had the actual God, what differences would there be?

 

[Kerr]

Not quite what I was driving at.

If, one one hand, all we had was the belief of God, and the other, we had the actual God, what differences would there be?

Ahh, ok, you mean what the difference between the God we "imagine" and the God that exist would be?

(Sorry, sometimes I have hard understanding things, lol.)

 

[rojse]

Ahh, ok, you mean what the difference between the God we "imagine" and the God that exist would be?

(Sorry, sometimes I have hard understanding things, lol.)

Not as hard a time I have in expressing what I mean.

 

[Kerr]

Not as hard a time I have in expressing what I mean.

No worries.

 

[Dunemeister]

Not as hard a time I have in expressing what I mean.

Your question, I think, expresses your skepticism that there is any such being as God. You're saying that our experience, including the widespread belief in God (and perhaps claims about miracles ancient and contemporary), is compatible with God's non-existence.

 

[rojse]

Your question, I think, expresses your skepticism that there is any such being as God. You're saying that our experience, including the widespread belief in God (and perhaps claims about miracles ancient and contemporary), is compatible with God's non-existence.

If this is so, it is not intended. I try to keep my serious threads either neuteral towards the existence of God, or where required, presupposes that God exists in some manner in order to have people able to answer questions about their beliefs.

 

[rojse]

The belief in God is insane, so I guess if an actual God existed the universe would be as insane as its inhabitants.

One does not follow the other, Dogsgod.

 

[dogsgod]

One does not follow the other, Dogsgod.

Perhaps not, but by all descriptions of God out there, what else are we left with?

 

[rojse]

Perhaps not, but by all descriptions of God out there, what else are we left with?

Your argument is unsound, and I don't care what presumptions you are trying to make in order to make it work.

 

[Dunemeister]

If this is so, it is not intended. I try to keep my serious threads either neuteral towards the existence of God, or where required, presupposes that God exists in some manner in order to have people able to answer questions about their beliefs.

In that case, I have no idea what your question means or where it is going.

 

[rojse]

In that case, I have no idea what your question means or where it is going.

I'll try to put it this way.

What would the difference be if everyone believed God existed, and he did not exist, and if everyone believed God existed, and he did exist?

As to where the question is going... I don't know. It's up to the collective intellect of RF to sort that one out.

 

[MSizer]

I keep thinking I understand your question until you re-word it, and then I think you mean something else LOL. I'd love to answer, but I don't know what you're asking.

 

[Dunemeister]

What would the difference be if everyone believed God existed, and he did not exist, and if everyone believed God existed, and he did exist?

Scenario 1: Everyone believes in God but he does not exist.

Scenario 2: Everyone believes in God but he does exist.

Your question: What is the difference between these scenarios?

Is that right?

As to where the question is going... I don't know. It's up to the collective intellect of RF to sort that one out.

No, it's up to the individual intellect of the poster to craft a question that is reasonably comprehensible. That way, the collective intellect of RF can take it somewhere.

 

[rojse]

Scenario 1: Everyone believes in God but he does not exist.

Scenario 2: Everyone believes in God but he does exist.

Your question: What is the difference between these scenarios?

Is that right?

:yes:

No, it's up to the individual intellect of the poster to craft a question that is reasonably comprehensible. That way, the collective intellect of RF can take it somewhere.

Well, I did try.

Now that I have managed to convey myself so that someone can understand me, where are you going to take it, Dunemeister?

 

[ManTimeForgot]

Scenario 1: "God" exists and people believe/understand that this "God" exists ("God" being equivalent more or less to my understanding/preference for the term to mean). Would virtually eliminate all forms of worship... aside from that I hazard to speculate. I'd like to think that people would aim towards rationality, introspection, amicable debate, etc. But I cannot in good conscience (remain in line with intellectual humility) suppose that that is anything other than wishful thinking.

Scenario 2: "God" does not exist and nothing... There is no reality/existence to support anything else. Now presupposing "cosmology 3" (my term for a limited but eternal cosmos) as true, and then supposing that all of mankind were utterly convinced that this was not the case and "God" must exist... Well not much would change. People would falsely assume that the ultimate nature of reality was something other than what it is, but in the grand scheme of things it would change almost nothing about our way of life or our understanding until we were able to examine the ultimate end of Reality (which might take an inordinate amount of time to accomplish).

MTF

 

[DadBurnett]

What difference would you see between the widespread belief that God exists and the actuality that God exists?

Share your opinions.

EDIT: It seems I mightn't have been as clear as what I would have liked

If we were to turn the existence of your conceptualisation of God into a dual alternative, we would have the following two options:

Option 1: God exists, and the majority of people believe that God exists in some form or other
Option 2: God does not exist, and the majority of people believe that God exists in some form or other

What would be the difference between the two options?

I don't quite grok your options ...
What comes to mind that the existence of God is not dependent on a belief in God, nor does belief prove there is something humans choose to call God.

 

[Dunemeister]

Scenario 1: Everyone believes in God but he does not exist.

Scenario 2: Everyone believes in God but he does exist.

Your question: What is the difference between these scenarios?

Okay, we've got the question. The difference is that in scenario 1, God does not exist. In scenario 2, God exists.

 

[dogsgod]

Your argument is unsound, and I don't care what presumptions you are trying to make in order to make it work.

My presumption is what you asked of us to assume in one of your options, and that is that God exists. If you don't care, then I'm sorry I bothered.