NationStates Jolt Archive

That is to say, what do you imagine when you imagine God? Personally, I imagine a sympathetic observer with the power to intervene in peoples' lives when they demonstrate genuine humility and need. This doesn't wash too well with my current acceptance of hard determinism, but I can't really help what I imagine when I think "God."

As for my poll, here's what I mean by "Participant" and "Observer." Interpretation of this definitions is up to you.

A participant God is actively involved with Creation, and is actively intervening in every human being's life. That is, His plan requires him to continually intervene and is not 'automatic.'

An observer God is not actively involved with Creation, and rarely intervenes in humans' lives, if ever. That is, His plan will occur 'by itself' with little intervention on God's part after it began.



So, what do you guys imagine? In addition to Christians, I particularly invite responses from adherents to other religions. This may be biased towards monotheistic religions, but any perspective (Hindu, Pagan, Roman, whatever!) would be greatly welcomed!

Remember, no one can be proven right or wrong, so arguing to these conclusions is pointless and destructive.

I feel that "god" planned out the creation of all things, and set that into motion, and then delegated its divine powers out to lesser beings, and then pushed the play button., siting back and watching, and when it feels the need, intervenes by sending one of its aides.

MY God could kick your God's ass!

MY God could kick your God's ass!
oh yeah, well mine has a +5 vs all other gods magical ring, and so there!

My god is so powerful, he could make a boulder so large that even he couldn't lift it.

My god is so powerful, he could make a boulder so large that even he couldn't lift it.
Oh yeah? MY god could lift that rock. Nya.

Definitely a participant God I think.


'Every night God speaks to me and tells me to go out and kill women; which I do. Then he rewards me with coloured lights and music in my head'

c.Viz circa 1993

A void. I've never spoken to anyone claiming to be a god who wasn't stoned.

That is to say, what do you imagine when you imagine God? Personally, I imagine a sympathetic observer with the power to intervene in peoples' lives when they demonstrate genuine humility and need. This doesn't wash too well with my current acceptance of hard determinism, but I can't really help what I imagine when I think "God."

As for my poll, here's what I mean by "Participant" and "Observer." Interpretation of this definitions is up to you.

A participant God is actively involved with Creation, and is actively intervening in every human being's life. That is, His plan requires him to continually intervene and is not 'automatic.'

An observer God is not actively involved with Creation, and rarely intervenes in humans' lives, if ever. That is, His plan will occur 'by itself' with little intervention on God's part after it began.



So, what do you guys imagine? In addition to Christians, I particularly invite responses from adherents to other religions. This may be biased towards monotheistic religions, but a Hindu perspective would be greatly welcomed!

Remember, no one can be proven right or wrong, so arguing to these conclusions is pointless and destructive.


Ok I'm going to response to your question, not like the others. I don't think god exists, any of them, but i could accept that there are some beings we cannot normally see, the "live" like us, with no sense. The y have no responsability about the existence, even if we were a creation of him/her/it, what I don't believe, because he/her/it would ask *self "who am I?", "Why?",etc. If there're greater being/s they'd have bigger questions.

And thaks for the respect that your question has, it's lack to me too many times here in these forums.

Woot, my God is the only different kind so far. ^^

God is a participant in, but is also a subordinate to, existence. His presence influences individuals within it, but ultimately he too is governed by natural laws.

Woot, my God is the only different kind so far. ^^

God is a participant in, but is also a subordinate to, existence. His presence influences individuals within it, but ultimately he too is governed by natural laws.
Yeah, but that makes me scratch my head. If God created the universe, and time is a dimension IN the universe, how can there have been any creating going on? Without time, there can be only one state. How can anything think if it's fundamentally stuck in a single state?

And thaks for the respect that your question has, it's lack to me too many times here in these forums.
You're welcome. In my time posting in General, I've seen too many threads turn to pointless debates. I mean, debates can have points if they're arguing something with valuable evidence, but in most spiritual discussions, opinions are all you can have. Of course, it would be cool if there was scripture that would give religious people something to go with.

Yeah, but that makes me scratch my head. If God created the universe, and time is a dimension IN the universe, how can there have been any creating going on? Without time, there can be only one state. How can anything think if it's fundamentally stuck in a single state?
Created? Nah, God didn't do that. The universe happened some other way. But the second it did, God in some form came into existence thanks to the all-pervading power of Semantics. =)

Edit: Actually, since the universe could have been created by an amount of energy propelled through the space-time fabric, and God is ultimately an evolution of that energy, it's entirely possible for "God" to have created the universe. Just not by conscious decision.

My God is unified field theory with attitude.

I'm talking the essential oneness of all things here, but with a level of transcdental super-hyper-ultra intelligence that simultaneously includes, commands and serves all things.

Plus, God is beyond any explanation that can be provided. Like the horizon. So I imagine God as being the benevolent loving old dude with a beard, I know that that 'God' as a facet of something much greater and I comprehend that this 'greater something' is an infinitely minuscule element of something even bigger, better and more loving.

I don't believe that a "God", as defined by the major religions, truly exists or ever existed. I believe it's a convenient foil of mankind to point anything he doesn't understand (and thus, is a bit fearful of) or anything that he cannot control (and thus, is a bit fearful of) toward some greater power. Then declaring ultimate trust in this greater power gives people some sense of order, justice and continuity in the universe.

That, IMO, is the seed of religious belives. An inherent need to explain things that we do not understand so that we can be less fearful of the universe around us. It has manifested in many ways over the centuries, but it usually orients around things that we cannot explain - Apollo (because we didn't know why the sun rose and fell) is a perfect example. We now know that the sun appears to rise and fall because the earth rotates about its axis. So, we dismiss Apollo. There were also Gods of fire, the sea, beauty, knowledge and even Gods of Gods.

We've disproven the need for a God in many of these cases and now see them as historical curiosities founded in the ignorance of previous societies. I believe this to be what will happen to the Gods believed in by our current societies - it will be proven that they are unnecessary to explain what we see in the universe and the notion of God will ultimately be dismissed as a curiosity born of ignorance.


Now, that's what I think of the more mainstream definitions of God. Realistically, one could think of any type of significantly more powerful being to be a God. I'm sure that Neanderthals would see us as Gods because we are much more powerful - we've chariots that can move through the air while producing thunder, we can entire destroy cities, we can single out a person and kill them at a great distance, we can inflict disease and suffering, we can yield divine pleasures, we can heal the wounded and seemingly bring the dead back to life we can touch the lights in the night sky and we posess amazing knowledge.

So, if one were to define a God as simply a much more powerful/knowledgable being...then I think one (or more) may exist. They may have had contact with us. They may be watching us at all times. They may love us. They may punish us when we do wrong.

A Big Potato....oh damn I'm going to hell!

I don't believe that a "God", as defined by the major religions, truly exists or ever existed. I believe it's a convenient foil of mankind to point anything he doesn't understand (and thus, is a bit fearful of) or anything that he cannot control (and thus, is a bit fearful of) toward some greater power. Then declaring ultimate trust in this greater power gives people some sense of order, justice and continuity in the universe.

That, IMO, is the seed of religious belives. An inherent need to explain things that we do not understand so that we can be less fearful of the universe around us. It has manifested in many ways over the centuries, but it usually orients around things that we cannot explain - Apollo (because we didn't know why the sun rose and fell) is a perfect example. We now know that the sun appears to rise and fall because the earth rotates about its axis. So, we dismiss Apollo. There were also Gods of fire, the sea, beauty, knowledge and even Gods of Gods.

We've disproven the need for a God in many of these cases and now see them as historical curiosities founded in the ignorance of previous societies. I believe this to be what will happen to the Gods believed in by our current societies - it will be proven that they are unnecessary to explain what we see in the universe and the notion of God will ultimately be dismissed as a curiosity born of ignorance.


Now, that's what I think of the more mainstream definitions of God. Realistically, one could think of any type of significantly more powerful being to be a God. I'm sure that Neanderthals would see us as Gods because we are much more powerful - we've chariots that can move through the air while producing thunder, we can entire destroy cities, we can single out a person and kill them at a great distance, we can inflict disease and suffering, we can yield divine pleasures, we can heal the wounded and seemingly bring the dead back to life we can touch the lights in the night sky and we posess amazing knowledge.

So, if one were to define a God as simply a much more powerful/knowledgable being...then I think one (or more) may exist. They may have had contact with us. They may be watching us at all times. They may love us. They may punish us when we do wrong.
That is interesting as all fuck. Usually I don't read long (OK, maybe this isn't long, but it's longer than the brand I'm used to :P) posts, but this really does put the situation with humans and gods in a new light. I have one question, though. Assuming that gods are supposed to explain away things about the universe that we don't understand, and that they become obsolete when their influence on the universe is explained in scientific terms, what do the gods of monotheistic religions represent? Do you think it's possible that they could ever become obsolete like the Roman and Greek pantheons?

That is to say, what do you imagine when you imagine God?
Fairies, goblins, mermaids, George W's brain and other figments of the imagination :)

Fairies, goblins, mermaids, George W's brain and other figments of the imagination :)
Fairies, goblins, and mermaids, sure. All imaginary. But I'm pretty sure President Bush has a brain. If he didn't, he wouldn't have gotten very far in life.

Fairies, goblins, and mermaids, sure. All imaginary. But I'm pretty sure President Bush has a brain. If he didn't, he wouldn't have gotten very far in life.

yah...you must have heard him use his brain every time he makes a speach, like when he misspronounces words etc! In saying that, don't pay out Bush, he's done more for u yanks than u may realise. Terrorism is a global threat and Bush is only trying to protect the US, however he may have tactically improved his position by not being so cocky and including other world forces in negotiations for America's anti-terrorism stance!

there should be a poll option for i dont believe in god

there should be a poll option for i dont believe in god
If you don't have a conceptualization of God, then your old man holds pencils :P

My concept of god is of something that I participate in; I am the principle participant, not he. I am creation when I participate in god; god is creation. I am righteous when I participate in god; god is righteousness. I am the whole when I participate in god; god is the whole.

While I'm on the subject, I love how on American Dad, when the guy got shot by the Police of Vice and Virtue in Saudi Arabia for dancing (his "third offense"), Stanley described Riyadh as "the Footloose town times a million."

I don't believe that a "God", as defined by the major religions, truly exists or ever existed. I believe it's a convenient foil of mankind to point anything he doesn't understand (and thus, is a bit fearful of) or anything that he cannot control (and thus, is a bit fearful of) toward some greater power. Then declaring ultimate trust in this greater power gives people some sense of order, justice and continuity in the universe.

That, IMO, is the seed of religious belives. An inherent need to explain things that we do not understand so that we can be less fearful of the universe around us. It has manifested in many ways over the centuries, but it usually orients around things that we cannot explain - Apollo (because we didn't know why the sun rose and fell) is a perfect example. We now know that the sun appears to rise and fall because the earth rotates about its axis. So, we dismiss Apollo. There were also Gods of fire, the sea, beauty, knowledge and even Gods of Gods.

We've disproven the need for a God in many of these cases and now see them as historical curiosities founded in the ignorance of previous societies. I believe this to be what will happen to the Gods believed in by our current societies - it will be proven that they are unnecessary to explain what we see in the universe and the notion of God will ultimately be dismissed as a curiosity born of ignorance.

Same here

When I think of the divine, I imagine all sorts of images, from the ancient Greek renditions of their varied and colourful gods, to the Horned One of old pagan Europe, to the traditional image of Christ so popular in Christian churches. Human belief is filled with many wonderful and inspiring images of the divine, and many frightening and terrible images. The diversity of spiritual belief is, in my opinion, one of the most wonderful things about it.

Personally, I believe that any and all gods exist or don't exist depending on your point of view. If you tell me that your god exists, I'll agree with you. If you tell me that no gods exist, I'll agree with you. If you tell me that the vast universe is itself divine, I'll agree with you. Many people dislike contradictions, but I think contradiction and mystery are the very essence of spirituality. We should embrace the spiritual mystery and contradiction, not shy away from it.

IMHO, god is an observer god. This is like one big reality show for him (a good reality show). He has fun watching us humans do silly things. He only interveins (in a big way) when things get really bad.

IMHO, of course.

If I could pick my God, then he would be an observer with rare particapation. Basically, people are allowed to screw around, but when humanity starts getting to off course we all get bitch-slapped straight back into our collective places.
Sort of like YHWH.

My conceptualization of God is a happy dude on a hammock wearing a tie-dye shirt and sipping a margarita. Every so often he peeks down on Earth and shakes his head.

My God is a Flying Spaghetti Monster, of course.

http://www.subgenius.com/bigfist/pics2/logoart/dobbs3x45.GIF

He's participating in 2007.

Let's get this straight: It's cold. It's wet. And I'm bored. See y'all...

My God is a Flying Spaghetti Monster, of course.
So your God is an unimaginative and cliched rip-off of a good joke? Must suck to be you then.

So your God is an unimaginative and cliched rip-off of a good joke? Must suck to be you then.

Whoah! Our Locations are pretty similar! Come to think of it, I may have copied yours a few months back...

I envision sort of a benevolent putz, kibbutzing its way about the Universe and trying to do nice things.

It could be said that god is.."the unknowable essense".