What if YOU were GOD?

[FunctionalAtheist]

What if you were god? What would the rules be? How would you run things?

Let's say you knew all. Let's say you had vast intelligence and were always right. Let's say that you had incredible power to build and destroy. Let's say that you had an unwavering sense of justice and morality and always knew who was right, who was wrong, and what behaviors should be allowed.

But let's say you could not 'make' people do what you wanted. All you can do is preach, teach, judge, etc.

Let's say you wanted to make the world a better place and had unlimited power other than forcing the thoughts or behaviors of others.

What's it all about?

 

[ChristineES]

I don't even want to be the president of the United States, much less being God. I pass.

 

[outhouse]

What if you were god?

I would get on all TV, on every single TV set in the world, and tell people worshipping the mythological gods, just how bad they screwed up reality with false beliefs and faith in things they knew nothing about.

I would set up a centralized knowledge base so that there would be one religion based soley on knowledge, and it would be required.

I would call it school. and faith would not be allowed.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Let's say you knew all. Let's say you had vast intelligence and were always right. Let's say that you had incredible power to build and destroy. Let's say that you had an unwavering sense of justice and morality and always knew who was right, who was wrong, and what behaviors should be allowed.

I'm not sure what you mean by "let's say."

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

I'm not sure what you mean by "let's say."

Let us assume, for argument's sake. I.e. to set the parameters. Feel free to move the line but please indicate where so.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

I would get on all TV, on every single TV set in the world, and tell people worshipping the mythological gods, just how bad they screwed up reality with false beliefs and faith in things they knew nothing about.

I would set up a centralized knowledge base so that there would be one religion based soley on knowledge, and it would be required.

I would call it school. and faith would not be allowed.

I agree that 'faith' is a poor substitution for knowledge. If the truth is known, and not made as crystyl clear as possible, that would be unforgivable. There should be NO DOUBT across the globe that there is only truth.

 

[xkatz]

I would tip my fedora while simultaneously eating doritos, drinking sprite, and praising Richard Dawkins as being the one true prophet of atheism™.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Let us assume, for argument's sake. I.e. to set the parameters. Feel free to move the line but please indicate where so.

I meant, I don't understand why it's necessary to add "let's say" to those scenarios when talking about me.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

An omnipotent, omniscient being would have no reason to do anything, including think about doing something or nothing.

I wouldn't wish such a fate on my worst enemy.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

I meant, I don't understand why it's necessary to add "let's say" to those scenarios when talking about me.

So that we don't have to argue whether we are speaking of you or me.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

An omnipotent, omniscient being would have no reason to do anything, including think about doing something or nothing.

I wouldn't wish such a fate on my worst enemy.

Not omnipotent. Can't force other's thoughts or actions. But has motiviation. Wants to make the world as good as it can be.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

Who is to say we aren't?

 

[Altfish]

I'd ban religions and worship

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Not omnipotent. Can't force other's thoughts or actions. But has motivation. Wants to make the world as good as it can be.

How subjective. How do we know such a being would consider good something equivalent to what we consider it?

For example, what if good is defined by the lack of evil, and therefore all living beings should be eliminated, to remove the risk of sin? And then all matter would have to be removed to prevent the further formation of life.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

I'd ban religions and worship

Yes, a waste of time. In fact I'd kill anyone who preached my name. Takes away from my name. Makes it seem like I can't speak and do for myself.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

How subjective. How do we know such a being would consider good something equivalent to what we consider it?

For example, what if good is defined by the lack of evil, and therefore all living beings should be eliminated, to remove the risk of sin? And then all matter would have to be removed to prevent the further formation of life.

Subjective? Yes ok I'll give you that. But it's subject to you; an all-knowing always right, morally superior being with immense power.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Subjective? Yes ok I'll give you that. But it's subject to you; an all-knowing always right, morally superior being with immense power.

This becomes a problem when you realize an omniscient being knows there is no such thing as moral fact.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

This becomes a problem when you realize an omniscient being knows there is no such thing as moral fact.

As an inferior being I tend to agree. But as an inerent deity does it matter if you believe my judgements to be subjective?

 

[Parsimony]

I've thought at length about things like this before. I'll give it a shot, but I'd like to point out that if I was an omniscient being, I may very well make different decisions than those I'm going to posit now (given I would have knowledge that I do not currently have).

-I would not require any worship of myself nor would I care if some of my creations did not love me.
-I'd be directly involved in my creation on a day-to-day basis and would let them know for certain that I existed. Heck, I might even live as a physical person in the world I created so I could mingle with the population just like everyone else.
-There would be no pain, no injuries and no death. If everyone's immortal then I might not make reproduction a thing either. I'd just fill the world with the appropriate number of people and let things stay that way.
-All animals would be vegetarians and would never hurt or attack each other. Same thing for humans, but I'd make a wide variety of plants and fungi that can be eaten (including some that taste like meat).
-I'd set their minds up so that they would feel as repulsed by the idea of committing any form of evil as any normal person would be by the thought of killing their best friend. That is, they could technically choose to do evil, but never would because they would have no desire to.

I don't know much more about the details. I might even make there be more than one sapient species alongside humans. Oh, I'd definitely create aliens to. I'd also make provisions for people and aliens to travel readily and easily across the Universe. Don't know if I'd make the Universe finite or infinite or not.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

I've thought at length about things like this before. I'll give it a shot, but I'd like to point out that if I was an omniscient being, I may very well make different decisions than those I'm going to posit now (given I would have knowledge that I do not currently have).

-I would not require any worship of myself nor would I care if some of my creations did not love me.
-I'd be directly involved in my creation on a day-to-day basis and would let them know for certain that I existed. Heck, I might even live as a physical person in the world I created so I could mingle with the population just like everyone else.
-There would be no pain, no injuries and no death. If everyone's immortal then I might not make reproduction a thing either. I'd just fill the world with the appropriate number of people and let things stay that way.
-All animals would be vegetarians and would never hurt or attack each other. Same thing for humans, but I'd make a wide variety of plants and fungi that can be eaten (including some that taste like meat).
-I'd set their minds up so that they would feel as repulsed by the idea of committing any form of evil as any normal person would be by the thought of killing their best friend. That is, they could technically choose to do evil, but never would because they would have no desire to.

I don't know much more about the details. I might even make there be more than one sapient species alongside humans. Oh, I'd definitely create aliens to. I'd also make provisions for people and aliens to travel readily and easily across the Universe. Don't know if I'd make the Universe finite or infinite or not.

That's a good answer. I think what the few thoughtful replies share is the theme that there would be no doubt there was a god and what the truth was.