How well defined must our idea of a god or a gods be before we can claim to believe (or disbelieve)

[Tiapan]

God is a gap filler, anything unexplainable or unknown is god. It is not so much that god exists, but as a default position of logic that if we can't explain it, it must be of some unknown higher power ( a very shakey axiom) so the more you don't know about the universe the more valid god appears.
It is good that God/s are shrinking.
Cheers

 

[Revoltingest]

Could that be one reason that atheists are atheists? They can do whatever they want to do and not worry about a God watching over them, and they don't have to do anything for that God... What a life!

I know a great many atheists, & I've discussed how we each came to be such.
Avoiding judgement of a supreme nanny has never been a reason.
The 2 reasons...
- Born that way.
- Realizing the folly of religion.
Instead, I think the fantasy of escaping God's judging eye is
solely the creation of believers who feel unduly constrained.

Life sure would be a lot easier if I could drop God off at that bus depot, but He won't get out of my car...

Lacking religion can pose its own problems for some, eg, lack of meaning.
But for others, it's freedom from requirements to do valueless or wrongful things.

 

[Thief]

If and when that time comes, that question would be irrelevant wouldn't it? I mean if you were literally standing before God, His existence would no longer be in question, right? Do you mean to say ,"Someone will ask..........What 'did' you believe?"

well posted

standing before God and heaven is a pending
so this type of discussion is a form of preparation

what you say unto others.....about God
has consequence

here in this life...the immediate alteration of how the words
will affect the speakers and the listeners

then that hour comes when God and heaven
ask of you whatever your beliefs might be

your response will make all the difference
your declaration will determine where you go......next

 

[Thief]

Could that be one reason that atheists are atheists? They can do whatever they want to do and not worry about a God watching over them, and they don't have to do anything for that God... What a life!
Life sure would be a lot easier if I could drop God off at that bus depot, but He won't get out of my car...

see the movie....Oh God!
starring John Denver and George Burns

 

[Trailblazer]

I know a great many atheists, & I've discussed how we each came to be such.
Avoiding judgement of a supreme nanny has never been a reason.
The 2 reasons...
- Born that way.
- Realizing the folly of religion.

There have been a lot atheists I have posted to on various forums over a period of four years. Almost all of them have told me that they are atheists because of the lack of evidence that any God exists.

Lacking religion can pose its own problems for some, eg, lack of meaning.
But for others, it's freedom from requirements to do valueless or wrongful things.

One can find meaning in many things in life. However, if there is a God that created us that God knows the purpose for which we were created. That only makes logical sense.
That purpose is revealed through the Messenger of God who reveals scriptures and establishes a religion.

I want to fulfill the purpose for which God created me, not make up a purpose in my own head.

True religion does not have requirements to do valueless or wrongful things, but rather teaches us to do valuable and rightful things.

 

[Revoltingest]

There have been a lot atheists I have posted to on various forums over a period of four years. Almost all of them have told me that they are atheists because of the lack of evidence that any God exists.

Aye, that's the folly of belief.

One can find meaning in many things in life. However, if there is a God that created us that God knows the purpose for which we were created. That only makes logical sense.
That purpose is revealed through the Messenger of God who reveals scriptures and establishes a religion.

I want to fulfill the purpose for which God created me, not make up a purpose in my own head.

True religion does not have requirements to do valueless or wrongful things, but rather teaches us to do valuable and rightful things.

"Valuable" & "rightful" are things believed without evidence.
For me those things are simply personal preferences & orientations.
Nothing absolutely true.

 

[David1967]

well posted

standing before God and heaven is a pending
so this type of discussion is a form of preparation

what you say unto others.....about God
has consequence

here in this life...the immediate alteration of how the words
will affect the speakers and the listeners

then that hour comes when God and heaven
ask of you whatever your beliefs might be

your response will make all the difference
your declaration will determine where you go......next

Like the conversation between Jesus and the disciples where they were discussing who people said He was. And then He got personal and asked them, "but who do 'you' say that I am?

 

[Milton Platt]

How well defined must our idea of a god or a gods be before we can claim to believe (or disbelieve) in a god or gods?

Can we have a very vague and fuzzy notion of a god or gods and still claim to believe (or disbelieve) in a god or gods?


Consider this: Is the use to which we might put our belief of key or crucial importance here? To illustrate, imagine a map. On the map is a star. You know the star stands for a house. If all you need to use the map for is to get to the house, then won't the star do?

But suppose you need to use the map to measure the dimensions of the house? Or it's actual shape? In that case, would you not need something better defined than a star?

So, by the same token, should we answer the question, "How well defined must our idea of a god or gods be....", according to what use we are going to put our idea?

Not sure your analogy stands up, but I can't think of a better one, either. If you could put a star on a map and find god and then examine the god like you could the house, that would make it a no-brainer. Unfortunately, there is no map, and the "house" is invisible, provides no evidence of it's existence, and is said to be completely immaterial and unknowable. Even if you has such a map, when you got to the star, you would be unable to find the god.

 

[Sir Doom]

There really is nothing standing in the way of believing anything that we don't put in the way ourselves, as individuals. We decide all of the standards personally, and take outside suggestion whenever it suits us and never when it doesn't. There is no way to enforce any sort of universal standard on what people believe, nor is there any level of understanding one's idea that we can obtain that absolutely prevents any argument or dispute, let alone any sort alterations due to new information. We quite literally get to (and do) believe whatever the hell we want all the time.