What is God?

[SSanf]

When everything that exists or ever did exist is broken down to the finest most minute component; when the universal building block without which there would be nothing but a void is found would you consider that god?

When the sum total of all that ever was or ever will be from the smallest to the greatest component is found would you consider that totality god?

What would you consider to be God?

[David19]

I'm going to answer what I think a god is (whether or not there is a "creater" God, I don't know), but to me, a god is a very, very powerful supernatural being. They have greater influence than us on the world, the universe, probably even time, but they are not all powerful (maybe to us, they would seem like it, though, as ants probably see us as "all powerful" too).

Some gods may have once been human (for example, Dumuzi in the Sumerian pantheon, Antinous, a gay god (deified lover of Hadrian), the Loa (but then, they may not be really gods, as Voudou practicioners seem to say they are very powerful spirits), etc).

Also, to me, most gods are immortal (or at the least, "death" for them is not the same as death for us, as gods that do "die" seem to have more freedom than mortals and isn't a one-time deal - they can come back and still have greater influence than dead humans on the mortal plane).

Anyway, that's what I think a god is.

BTW, SSanf, cool thread :).

[Shanti]

IMO a deity is something that has a consciousness and is more powerful than other consciousnesses.

The something that is everything, IMO, has no consciousness at all thus could not be considered a deity.

To me that something is Tao. It has no consciousness. It is everything and nothing. It just is.

[Philosophia]

To me, a deity (regardless of gender) is a representation or a symbol of the energy that surrounds, connects, and within us.

[cheddarsox]

I don't use the term God, because in my language and culture it implys a "being" and I don't believe in supernatural beings.

I use the term Divine, or simply What Is, when I talk about this with others.

I consider the Universe to be the Divine, in that it fills those roles assigned by theists to their deities.

It is my creator, the thing that has the "last say", that which limits me, that which takes me back when I die. But I don't assign human traits to it, I relate to it as it is, as it presents itself, which is not like a big person at all.

The universe is "God", the entire universe and all that happens in it. When I worship, pray, honor, I honor the whole, not pieces of the whole.

cheddar

[Rudas Starblaze]

What would you consider to be God?

here, i got a picture of him.....

[Trithemius]

To me, a god is a supernatural entity with its own consciousness and will, that has the ability to interact with, influence, and manipulate the natural world. If it doesn't have consciousness and will, it isn't a god.

[SSanf]

To me, a god is a supernatural entity with its own consciousness and will, that has the ability to interact with, influence, and manipulate the natural world. If it doesn't have consciousness and will, it isn't a god.
Would your concept of God be all powerful and all knowing?

[Trithemius]

Would your concept of God be all powerful and all knowing?

No, I don't think those are conditions required for "godhood." The Greek myths certainly show that their gods weren't all-knowing and all-powerful. The gods played tricks on each other quite frequently, and there are sone myths that have Zeus getting tricked by mortal men. In addition, Chiron, the Centaur, is occasionally seen as wiser than the gods. That wouldn't be possible if the gods were all-knowing. And Pan is said to have died, along with the first incarnation of Dionysos (killed by the Titans). Death is hardly an indicator of an all-powerful god.

[plumedsnake]

If I said God was supernatural that wouldn't mean anything to someone who doesn't believe that supernature is possible.

If I said God is divine that would mean nothing to someone thinks that all the world and it's contents are all divine.

If I said that God was a consciousness then I would have to explain what I mean to all those thinkers who haven't been able to come up with a defination or an explanation of consciousness. If I define god as something that I don't understand then obviously I don't know what I'm talking about.

Not knowing what I'm talking about is cool when it comes to God, because I feel that the ineffability of God is central to my understanding (or misunderstanding).

God is everything but he is not. I know what I feel when I feel close to God, but I couldn't explain that to you. I know what I feel when I feel distant from him, lacking that sense of numinosity, but I couldn't convey that to you either.

God that can be spoken of is not God. Well it won't be after I've picked and criticised the concept to death. Call me a God slayer. I do it all the time. Or rather, a Concept-of -God slayer.

I don't see why an atheist has to be any less Godly than a person who claims to believe in God. Those theist only believe in an idea of God. That is not to say that God isn't in the idea of God. But that is not to say that God is in the idea of God either.

I believe that there are natural forces in the world that can be communicated with and appealed to for help in life. They are powerful each within a context. By communicating with them that suggests that they are capable of understanding. And they can communicate back. So they are not 'mechanical' forces.

I would call God Mystery, but only if you promise me that you have no preconception of what a Mystery is.