NationStates Jolt Archive

I found in a recent thread on atheism here that people tend to have very different views of what God or a god is. If someone were to ask you "What is God/a god?" and you wanted to answer what you think people see God or a god as, how would you answer?

I'm not completely sure, but I don't see god as a man or woman, or a human being at all.

Well, it kind of depends on their religion, but ultimately a god or God is: 1. God a. A being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions. b. The force, effect, or a manifestation or aspect of this being. 2. A being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by a people, especially a male deity thought to control some part of nature or reality. 3. An image of a supernatural being; an idol. 4. One that is worshiped, idealized, or followed: Money was their god. 5. A very handsome man. 6. A powerful ruler or despot.
I love smarterchild.
I would define it best as the bold-ified section.

none

I was baptised as a child and told about God and Jesus and basic Bible type stuff. I only went to church on Christmas Eve and I never read the Bible or anything. I grew up thinking that everyone believed in God and that everything I had been told was true.

Around when I was about 13-14 I began to think for myself and I realized that there might not be a God and that I had basically had opinions shoved down my throat without having time to think or decide for myself.

Now as a 17 year old I totally am against all religion and I want nothing to do with the church. About a God, for the most part I doubt there is a superior being but at the same time I am not sure, so I guess I am agnostic.

Quite simple really.
The idea of gods are that they are representations of laws of nature and physics, described in a way so that we can pay respect and homage to them, since even Atheists can agree these laws govern our entire universe.
And thus, the idea of only a single god is the idea of the "Unidief Feidl Theory", the single theory that is supposed to make all laws of physics work together, since not every law will work in every situation.
If this is true, then you have to accecpt that those peoples before us had a greater understanding of Physics then we may want to believe, although history has proven that they did.

So there, Science has proven the existance of gods, just not one single god yet, and not as a being.

I think God/a god is a couple of different things. Secondarily, it is a symbol that represents something greater than Man that is abstracted into the world as a being of force or light or idea, complete with mythological stories and laws and actions, for the purpose of having something with which Man can relate. To build a relationship with this higher ideal or thing as a symbol abstracted apart from the person is religion. First and foremost, though, God/a god is the thing that is being abstracted: a combination of psychological need for good and love and peace, a feeling or emotion of same in empathy, and an intellectual concept of the transcendance of being. This is the "god experience." This is the part that is subjectively real, that is evidenced by an individual for himself as he experiences it. This is the part that is personal, unique for each individual, infinite in scope and unknowable by others, and that convinces them of the validity of godhood.

Something like that.

God is the friend you pray for when you hear breathing behind you, or when you see sharp teeth in the darkness.

God is the the friend that will never let you hunger, that will never let you hurt, that will always bear part of your burden.

God is your advocate when you were wrong, and your reward when you were right.

No idea.

Presumably I'd know if I ever met a god, which I haven't therefore, I conclude there is no god.

No idea.

Presumably I'd know if I ever met a god, which I haven't therefore, I conclude there is no god.
Cool! I've never met a kangaroo.

I've never seen god on TV.

I've never seen god on TV.
I've never seen you on TV either

I'm never seen you on TV either

You might have done.

Point is you're meant to be aware of god's presence, at least occaisionally, which has never happened to me, so I don't reckon there's a god.

God is the friend you pray for when you hear breathing behind you, or when you see sharp teeth in the darkness.

God is the the friend that will never let you hunger, that will never let you hurt, that will always bear part of your burden.

God is your advocate when you were wrong, and your reward when you were right.

God is the breathing behind you or sharp teeth in the darkness when you pray for your friends

God is the foe that will expose you to hunger, that will entice you to hurt, and that will burden you unto the thousandth generation.

God is your fate when you are wrong, and your prosecutor when you are right.

Long live Satan!

Just as another thought: the problem with the whole "I haven't seen God" argument is that he's supposed to be invisible. Seeing God would be better proof of his nonexistence. Remeber the babel fish.

First off I'd like to point out that I'm pagan and my view of the divine grew out of looking into religions, contemplation and, introspection.

Now, I view the divine on many different levels. First as the essence of all things that is both dark and light, male and female. It manifests itself through its male and female aspects which manifest themselves as the different gods and goddesses which serve as guardians for different aspects of reality which are at the same time the manifestations of that which they are guardians of(at the same time one and sepreate). I believe that the divine is bound by its own laws and prefers not to meddle in the affairs of man and nature. I also don't believe the divine is all good and omnipotent. It like all things is dual, the divine has a darker and a lighter side neither being purely that extreme. The light having some darkness and the dark having some light.

You might have done.

Point is you're meant to be aware of god's presence, at least occaisionally, which has never happened to me, so I don't reckon there's a god.

This presents a good question. Is everyone meant to be aware of god presence> And if someone doesn't, are they right to deny it?

If you're a God, you're definitely aware of your presence. If not, then you might not. In any case, the question is more what a god is. At its most basic, a god is a supernatural being with worshippers. By contrast, a spirit, angel, demon, oni, whatever, is not or should not be worshipped. Especially a whatever. Too many people worship them, and its got to stop.

Random message to the pagan: if its in equal portions, why are there so more bumper stickers/t-shirts/etc. that refer to the goddess than that refer to the dying and rising god? Why don't pagan guys have enough Baals (sorry about the pun, ah cuud naat reeseeste) to have t-shirts about themselves? Seriously?

Non-existant BS. That's my view.

This presents a good question. Is everyone meant to be aware of god presence> And if someone doesn't, are they right to deny it?
Is anyone right to deny something simply because they have heard about it from others but not yet experienced it themselves?