How Do You Define a "God"?

[Willamena]

God is a metaphor.

Of what?

 

[CynthiaCypher]

But what is god to you?

I refuse to point my finger at the moon and say "This is the moon".

 

[Sunstone]

God is a metaphor.

I think that's often the case. But for some mystics, god appears to be more like a placeholder -- like the x in math.

 

[Willamena]

I refuse to point my finger at the moon and say "This is the moon".

So you have something against the moon.

 

[Thief]

This could describe my engineering friend who works out.

No fair.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

So you have something against the moon.

If a person never seen the moon before, they might mistake my finger for the moon.

 

[Willamena]

If a person never seen the moon before, they might mistake my finger for the moon.

Or they might mistake a whale for it.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

Or they might mistake a whale for it.

My whale eats moons for breakfast.

 

[Amechania]

I used to worship the moon. I would stand naked out on the lawn in the light of the full moon and howl. Then the neighbors started to complain and the cops showed up, so I figured the moon didn't want my worship so now I hate the moon. I can only go out at night at new moon, and refuse to eat blue cheese at twilight.

 

[Willamena]

I used to worship the moon. I would stand naked out on the lawn in the light of the full moon and howl. Then the neighbors started to complain and the cops showed up, so I figured the moon didn't want my worship so now I hate the moon. I can only go out at night at new moon, and refuse to eat blue cheese at twilight.

The moon is an analogy, dude. I just think people don't get the whole "finger" thing. (Frubals, when I can.)

 

[Sunstone]

To me, you don't define god, you experience it. That is, god is a certain kind of experience, radically different from all other kinds of experience, that sometimes happens to individuals. It seems to occur when the subject/object division of normal consciousness abruptly ends while some kind of experiencing continues. The effect of an abrupt end of normal, subject/object consciousness is the dissolution of all discreet things into oneness and the abolition of the psychological self.

It seems most likely to me that it's an effect of how the brain sometimes functions.

There seems to be at least one other possible origin for god(s) -- the preternatural Agency Jay mentions in post # 11. So, you might have a mystical origin for some concepts of god in the abrupt end of subject/object perception, and a non-mystical origin for other concepts of deity in a sense of preternatural Agency. Of course, historically, the concepts and definitions we have of god often enough seem to owe something to both sources.

Of course, I am not defining god here, but rather looking at god as a most likely psychological phenomena out of which concepts and definitions of god might arise.

 

[Sunstone]

Almighty.

That is...bigger, faster, stronger, more intelligent and greatly experienced.

Cannot be pushed aside, out maneuvered, subdued, tricked or cheated.

Coupled with the power of creation......God.

It seems to me this almost begs us to go one step further and add a white beard, glowing robe and sandals to the definition.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

But what is god to you?

A mash up of Barney the Dinosaur and Cthulhu.

 

[frangipani]

You need to find out what type of being you are and then you will come to know what is eternal and what is temporary.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

You need to find out what type of being you are and then you will come to know what is eternal and what is temporary.

Thanks sis, I needed that.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

To me, a god is an intelligent entity that is capable of shifting paradigms, creating, destroying, transforming and reforming.

Going by that definition, all humans are gods.

 

[chinu]

So, Big Bang = God?

No,
The one who Banged it, is God.

 

[roger1440]

This is something I've struggled with for awhile. In my experience, I've come across so many different definitions of what makes a deity, that I'm just not sure if there is a single working definition that can be agreed on.

So, what traits, to you, are required for something to be a god or goddess? What criteria must be met? Please explain why, and what something would be if they met some but not all of those traits.

author

 

[Breathe]

I define God as The All-in-all, but also beyond all.
The Breath behind the breath. The Heartbeat behind the heartbeat. The Stage, the actors, the script, the play, and the audience. Parent, child, friend, spouse. Bliss, true Consciousness.
The root, core, trunk of all that exists. The one without a second.

 

[nerox]

God is who created the universe and everything else either direct creation out of nothing or indirect creation out of things that he directly created. He is one, uncreated, everlasting, almighty and most important, having control of everything and anything.