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What Makes A God?
- Thread starter Storm
- Start date
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
I'm not expecting a single answer, only individual perspectives.
I'll offer my own beliefs up for inspection.
For those unfamiliar, I believe in what has been called a "living Godiverse." I believe that the universe as we know it is a living, sapient organism. It has three basic elements: matter, consciousness, and "life force". It is a juvenile, and life as we know it is the process of God's maturation. It was Created by another, mature Godiverse.
Do you consider this a God? Why or why not?
I'll offer my own beliefs up for inspection.
For those unfamiliar, I believe in what has been called a "living Godiverse." I believe that the universe as we know it is a living, sapient organism. It has three basic elements: matter, consciousness, and "life force". It is a juvenile, and life as we know it is the process of God's maturation. It was Created by another, mature Godiverse.
Do you consider this a God? Why or why not?
The Voice of Reason
Doctor of Thinkology
What makes a God?
Short answer: A man.
As for your "Godivers", I think it is a unique view of our existence. I can see how you would hold this as a "God", but I would put it to the same test that I would the Abrahamic God.
What do you see as evidence of the existence of God, within the disparate pieces of the universe?
Short answer: A man.
As for your "Godivers", I think it is a unique view of our existence. I can see how you would hold this as a "God", but I would put it to the same test that I would the Abrahamic God.
What do you see as evidence of the existence of God, within the disparate pieces of the universe?
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
A fair question. The foundation of my belief in God - any God - is an intense and transformative theophany I had at a very young age, which left me obsessed with the question "What the bleep was THAT?!" In my search for the answer, I have drawn upon science, philosophy, ethics, mythology, and further personal experiences. The particulars of my theology are my current best guess, no more. Now that I seem to have settled on a concept, I find supporting evidence everywhere I look, but I'm afraid that's completely subjective. I have no evidence that is exclusive to my concept of God, and I don't claim to.
That said, while I'm happy to discuss the topic to inform you better, you didn't really answer my question. Would you consider my concept a God?
P.S. Don't anybody worry about offending me, my skin is quite thick in this regard.
The Voice of Reason
Doctor of Thinkology
I don't see that it is possible for another person to invalidate your concept a God. I mean that quite literally.
If you embrace a "Godiverse", it is not for anyone else to refute.
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
Well, of course not, silly! Nor can anyone validate it. I'm just looking for conversation.
Let me try another angle: Pretend for the sake of discussion that my beliefs were proven factual. Scientists manage to contact the Godiverse that Created ours (which I quite irreverently call Big Mama) and She lays it all out for us. Would you consider our universe God? Or just another organism? Why? What about Big Mama? Would you consider Her God? She is our Creator, after all.
C'mon, just play!
The Voice of Reason
Doctor of Thinkology
Well, of course not, silly! Nor can anyone validate it. I'm just looking for conversation.
Let me try another angle: Pretend for the sake of discussion that my beliefs were proven factual. Scientists manage to contact the Godiverse that Created ours (which I quite irreverently call Big Mama) and She lays it all out for us. Would you consider our universe God? Or just another organism? Why? What about Big Mama? Would you consider Her God? She is our Creator, after all.
C'mon, just play!
Okay - I'm game.
If science could provide evidence of the existence of Big Mama, I would have to say that I would be an instant convert. Heck, I'd probably ask if there were any openings in the administrative branch.
I'd probably have to have some personal experience that supported the scientific findings, but you know that I would be the first to support the high priestess (Storm).
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
So you would consider Big Mama God, or both Big Mama and our Godiverse?
(I get to be High Priestess? Cool!
)Rolling_Stone
Well-Known Member
The Voice of Reason
Doctor of Thinkology
You and I have quite different opinions about what's fair, Storm.
You know, a guy could get a complex when his post is quoted, but he isn't given credit for the quote.
I realize that this means that I am almost certainly on a certain person's "Ignore List", but dang it, MBall and Father Heathen at least got a notice that they were being punished.
What's a high ranking official in the First Church of Big Mama to do?
doppelganger
Through the Looking Glass
Worship defines a "god." It could be ideas purportedly extracted from the Bible, a golden statue, a crystal phallus or a trash can lid. Worshiping it makes it a god.
doppelganger
Through the Looking Glass
If you call it a "god" then you worship it. If you don't call it a "god," then it's not a god. The point is, something is a "god" solely by virtue of grammatical association, which will necessarily vary from person to person.
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
Howso? I do not pray to it, submit to it (I wouldn't know how if I were willing), or consider it perfect. I merely acknowledge it. If that's worship to you... well, ok, but I don't get it.doppelgänger;1180072 said:
As a matter of fact, "God" isn't even my preferred term, "roth" is. "God" is just a shorthand.
lilithu
The Devil's Advocate
Transcendence and Benevolence.
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
What does Transcendance mean to you?
lilithu
The Devil's Advocate
As the dictionary says, "above and beyond this physical universe."
My question to you would be when you use this shorthand term God does it serve your purpose? Does it convey your intended meaning to whoever you are communicating with, or does it confuse the issue? I suspect in your case the results are mixed, but if you find the term communicates more often than it confuses then that is the word you should use.
I would say that the concept you describe does fall into the God concept. For me the term denotes a wide variety of concepts, but that also makes it as less effective, or at least a less precise term.
My personal view of the universe has some factors in common with what you describe, I view it as a single unified entity that inspires awe and reverence (but not worship). But for me it is not sapient and so I would not call what I believe in God. If I were to do so (and I have in the past) it would tend to confuse more than communicate. So although I dont want to oversimplify, I would say this is seems to be a good place to draw the line.