Monotheists: why only one god?

[KWED]

A monotheistic God may be considered a fundamental whole, single, infinite and indivisible, a unity beyond time and space, expressed as a multiplicity within it.

There is the whole, there are parts of the whole, but there are no whole parts, for the parts are merely facets of the whole. There are no distinct realities within the whole, there is only the illusion thereof.

Would you like some dressing with that?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

That did not answer the question. I understand why you did not though.

Yes, it did.

If you were looking for something different, you should have asked a better question.

By not answering that question, it is pointless discussing why there can be seen to be only One God, as creation ties back to God, all we can know of creation, ties back to God.

Regards Tony

So the only gods you consider gods are creator-gods?

Since you're late to the thread, you may have missed the earlier discussion about polytheistic belief systems: there are plenty that believe in one creator-god who created not only the universe, but also a pantheon of gods.

 

[KWED]

Um, this country only has one Prime Minister.

Any other ministers.
(You said if there is a prime god, why have any other gods, iirc)

 

[KWED]

For those whose god is a creator, it seems awkward to picture different gods creating different things, IMO.

Many hands make light work.

 

[KWED]

The Roman Empire died out after legalizing Christianity though.

Bloody Christians. What have they ever done for Rome?

 

[KWED]

Your perception is seriously flawed.
First of all, God does not WANT to be worshipped in an egotistic way ..

He created humanity "only so that we would worship him". Sounds pretty needy to me.

He wants us to remember Him and keep from evil .. He wants good for us.

But before he created us, none of that had any meaning. If there was no need to create mankind, why did he do it? The Quran says that it was "only so we would worship him". No one else stood to benefit because there was no one else!

Secondly, there are consequences for everything that we do.

Not if we genuinely repent. Then we get a free pass on all our previous misdeeds.
In fact, Muhammad said that a Muslim simply greeting another Muslim was enough to cause all his sins "to fall like leaves falling from a tree".

God warns us of this, and we ignore it at our own peril.

What about the billions who Allah has decreed will be born and raised in other religions. How can they heed a warning from a god they believe does not exist?

Quoting literal verses of Bible / Quran can be decetful, as God is a spiritual concept and often needs to be understood metaphorically.

So those warnings might not mean what you think they mean.

 

[KWED]

What does science say about the source of creation?

No gods.
That was easy!

 

[KWED]

That did not answer the question. I understand why you did not though.

By not answering that question, it is pointless discussing why there can be seen to be only One God, as creation ties back to God, all we can know of creation, ties back to God.

Regards Tony

If several gods cooperated in the creation of the universe, and then all went to rule their own part of it in the same way your god does here, how would you know?

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Yes, it did.

If you were looking for something different, you should have asked a better question.

Your OP, your question, your motives are shown in your reply.

Regards Tony

 

[KWED]

You don't believe that .. and neither do I.

Of course we don't believe it - for very different reasons.
However, this is not about what I or you believe, it is about what it hypothetically possibly given a certain set of circumstances.
Assuming that gods are possible and do exist, there is no reason what they're can't be more than one.
So your god claims to be the only one. So what? What rational argument or evidence do you have (within your own belief system) that there are not other gods elsewhere in the universe operating in the same way, all in agreement with each other?

Note: repeating dogma is not a reasonable argument. Under my proposal, your god is simply misguiding you. And we know that Allah misguides people. He admits it himself.

 

[Kenny]

But you only have his word for that. He could be taking the credit for someone else's work. Or perhaps it was a group effort and they all agree to claim responsibility in their own domain and keep out of the affairs of the others.

True, but then again, anybody could qualify on that position. IMO, even atheists.

But, as the OP suggests, he is simply asking for our viewpoint. Not that we have to support our viewpoint with outside confirmations.

 

[The Hammer]

Semantics is half or even more, of the battle between truth and falsehood.

Not true. Because Truth has no word to be a semantic of. The truth just IS

 

[KWED]

True, but then again, anybody could qualify on that position. IMO, even atheists.

But, as the OP suggests, he is simply asking for our viewpoint. Not that we have to support our viewpoint with outside confirmations.

Of course this issue can only be speculation - but it does illustrate the fact that there is no logical reason why some religionists claims there can only be one god. It is, again, just speculation.

On the other hand, rejection of the gods of religion is not mere speculation. It has evidence and rational argument to support it.
As the old saying goes... they can't all be right, but they can all be wrong.

 

[Kenny]

Of course this issue can only be speculation - but it does illustrate the fact that there is no logical reason why some religionists claims there can only be one god. It is, again, just speculation.

On the other hand, rejection of the gods of religion is not mere speculation. It has evidence and rational argument to support it.
As the old saying goes... they can't all be right, but they can all be wrong.

Then again, I did say there are many gods. You can be one too,

There is no evidence that there is no gods or God.

I do agree that they all can't be right (if there is a God - as I believe)

 

[muhammad_isa]

On the other hand, rejection of the gods of religion is not mere speculation. It has evidence and rational argument to support it.
As the old saying goes... they can't all be right, but they can all be wrong.

One can believe whatever they like, and construct arguments to support their case,
It is important to note that they CAN all be right .. on a core belief .. while they may be right or wrong in the details [ creed ].

..so your slogan is misleading. Surprise, surprise.

 

[alypius]

So monotheists: what gives? Why not two gods? Why not 10?

What if God is not one being among many (eg. here is the keyboard, there is the screen and over there is God)?

 

[Mark Charles Compton]

What about the billions who Allah has decreed will be born and raised in other religions. How can they heed a warning from a god they believe does not exist?

My maternal grandmother was Seventh Day Adventist Christian. The first day I refuted my membership of that faith was when I asked her, "So, the Buddhist on the other side of the world, who lived his life in devotion to helping those that needed help if he could provide it, avoided placing judgement on others, and lived a benevolent and peaceful life of altruism. Suppose this Buddhist lives in a secluded tiny village, and had no capability of ever hearing the word 'Jesus'. You think he's going to hell because he did not accept someone he never heard of into his heart?"

She responded in the affirmative. I responded that her 'God' was an evil dictator if that was the case, and breaks his own moral codes.

 

[Mark Charles Compton]

@TransmutingSoul, "What does science say about the source of creation?"

@KWED, "No gods.
That was easy! "

There also lacked the environment that is required for the Strong nuclear force, Weak nuclear force, Gravitational force, the Electromagnetic force causing the potentiality that time didn't even exist... As the universe at its beginning was too hot and the curvature of space too grand (infinite according to theoretical mathematics) for anything we recognize to exist...

I'm not sure this is evidence of 'no gods'. I would venture to say it's evidence of nothing, no evidence of evidence even.

P.S. I'm hoping within a year or so JWST will reveal something causing me to further morph my perception of this moment of space-time!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

What if God is not one being among many (eg. here is the keyboard, there is the screen and over there is God)?

Would that preclude other gods that are beings among many?

 

[TransmutingSoul]

@TransmutingSoul, "What does science say about the source of creation?"

@KWED, "No gods.
That was easy! "

There also lacked the environment that is required for the Strong nuclear force, Weak nuclear force, Gravitational force, the Electromagnetic force causing the potentiality that time didn't even exist... As the universe at its beginning was too hot and the curvature of space too grand (infinite according to theoretical mathematics) for anything we recognize to exist...

I'm not sure this is evidence of 'no gods'. I would venture to say it's evidence of nothing, no evidence of evidence even.

P.S. I'm hoping within a year or so JWST will reveal something causing me to further morph my perception of this moment of space-time!

It supports the knowledge that God is outside time and space. From what I currently understand, creation is contained, albeit beyond calculations, and God is uncontained.

It is also possible to traverse time and space easily and swiftly.

"......for any movement animated by love moveth from the periphery to the centre, from space to the Day-Star of the universe. Perchance thou deemest this to be difficult, but I tell thee that such cannot be the case, for when the motivating and guiding power is the divine force of magnetism it is possible, by its aid, to traverse time and space easily and swiftly...." Abdul'baha

Regards Tony