What is the Nature of God?

[Eran of Arcadia]

This thread exists not to ask what your religion is. There are enough threads about that already. The question is, how do you perceive God? Who is He/She/It/They? What is His relationship to any other forces in the universe? What is His relationship to humans? What can He do or not do, and why?

If you don't believe in God but consider His existence a possibility, what aspects or characteristics of God do you think are more plausible or likely than others, and why?

If you don't believe in God at all, why do you think the idea is such a common one among humans? What is the psychological basis for the concept?

As for me: I believe God to be a personal being, with both a spiritual and physical body. I don't consider Him to be anthropomorphic but humans to be theomorphic. We are made in His image and have the potential to one day become like Him.

He is omnibenevolent - His love for us is infinite. However, His powers are limited. There are fundamental laws of the universe that He could not violate without ceasing to be God. Among these are justice - He cannot violate justice, He must seek another way to satisfy it. He also cannot, merely by desiring it, turn humans into divine beings. It has to be done the hard way. He can do anything that can be done in the universe, but He is not omnipotent.

He is self-existing, ie was not created from nothing; on the other hand, the physical universe itself is also self-existing. When He created it, He organized it from pre-existing materials. I believe that modern cosmology, geology, and evolutionary biology describe the processes He used as well as we are able to understand.

He is a separate being from Christ, who I believe to be divine as well and His son in a way that most humans are not; they, as well as the Holy Ghost, work together to bring about God's greatest work: the salvation and perfection of mankind. Doing this will elevate both humanity and its Creator.

He has an influence on humans; He will sometimes intervene in our lives, although usually it is in a way that is not externally obvious. Thus miracles do not defy the laws of nature but may sometimes defy the laws of probability.

So what does everyone else think? If nothing else, this should show that not all theists, even all Christians, believe in the traditional Christian concept of God.

 

[bathsheba666]

Here are some people who were keen to experience Him more closely:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5105946.stm

 

[Mise]

Either God is a "being", like an animal or alien, that obeys known laws of nature but has complete technical control over them (i.e. like a super-advanced alien with a definite date of birth etc), or God is an entity with no physical extent, and is like another "law" in the universe in itself, which tends to address moral issues (in the same way that gravity tends to pull things down to Earth). That's how I see him/her/it.

 

[ComradeDavo]

If you don't believe in God at all, why do you think the idea is such a common one among humans? What is the psychological basis for the concept?

I think the modern idea of a singular god, especially in the Christian/Islamic world, was largely spread as a method of rule and one that proved rather effective, hence becoming 'common'. What I mean is in the past autocratic rulers had a large say over what went and what didn't when it came to religion, and the idea of 'being appointed by God' came quite popular and made ruling easier. Also religion gave people 'morals' and rules, which then helped to bring law and order to the land.

Of course, there are other reaosns why it is a 'common thing', from trying to explain things that people could not comprehend and so forth. Obviously these days science is getting better at doing this, hence why religion is on the decline in the west.

To an extent, Islam itself was certainally spread by the sword, and Christianity also has a history of forcefull conversion. Violence has played quite a role in spreading thse 2 major religion's around the globe, and also in conflict between them. Conflict and a sense of a common purpose of course plays a large role in the spread of religion and belief in a singular god, historically it was an effective way of uniting people together.

There are also some people who totally envelop themselves in religion, where it becomes their life and they are mortified at any thoguhts otherwise. This could be for a variety of reasons, but I would hazard a guess at to for alot it in effect makes their life 'simpler' as it avoids questions about moral rights and wrongs and human existence and whatnot.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

That may be true, but the concept of God is much older and more widespread than just the Abrahamic religions. It seems that almost all societies we know have some concept of God in some form. Is this satisfying a deep-rooted psychological need of some sort?

 

[ComradeDavo]

That may be true, but the concept of God is much older and more widespread than just the Abrahamic religions. It seems that almost all societies we know have some concept of God in some form. Is this satisfying a deep-rooted psychological need of some sort?

I would say all humans have a deep-rooted psychological need to try and 'understand'. So in the past, this has often come about about as belief in all powerfull beings, what we know call 'gods'. For example worship of the sun seems to have been quite common in the past, which is understandable as we depend on it, but now science can explain the concept of stars and planets and we know that there are many 'suns' and they are big balls of fire rather than an actual being.

 

[Samson]

This si a very interesting question, and one I have pondered when I am bored. I do not think it is that important ot how I live my life, but an interesting topic none the less.

I am christian.

I have 2 ideas that are somewhat far from the normal view.

One is that god is soemthing like the culture from the Iain M. Banks books, and they have calculated that an galactic war will pass this way some time soon, and a "christian" world will survive, with the immortalisty that comes with being a part of the culture. Hell would be being under the domination of the Idiran empire.

Another is that we are in a simulated universe, or one artifically created in a 5 dimentional black hole. We do however have a function (perhaps similar to a learning computer) that is helped by being "christian".

I am not saying I belive either of them, but I think they would be consistant with my belif in God and my desire to live a good life.

 

[Sidhe]

That may be true, but the concept of God is much older and more widespread than just the Abrahamic religions. It seems that almost all societies we know have some concept of God in some form. Is this satisfying a deep-rooted psychological need of some sort?

There is some tentative but scientific evidence that it is a genetic need, everyone appears to be spiritual to some extent or another and in fact you can show this without resorting to god, all you need is a lab. I can't provide links but I have seen the experiments, few people felt nothing "spiritual" with some being overwhelmed with a sense of something else being present, peace and contentment. I know I've mentioned it several times before but it's relevant, I just wish I could find the studies, unfortuantely there locked up in academia methinks. Or on documetnary programs. Again make of that what you will, is God inherent in us or did God make himself inherent in us?

I haven't thought how I see God since a child so I'd have to think on, too much ifing and buting atm though.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

He is omnibenevolent - His love for us is infinite.

You believe God has the same emotions humans do?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

You believe God has the same emotions humans do?

I believe that He can experience some things as we do. But "love" is not always an emotion. I can love someone without feeling anything in particular towards them. God loves us as we are His creations, but it is a force as much as an emotion.

 

[warpus]

If you don't believe in God at all, why do you think the idea is such a common one among humans? What is the psychological basis for the concept?

An all-powerful creator makes everything make sense; Without God the Universe is a big mystery.

People are comforted in the thought that something larger than them exists; and that they know what it is.

 

[Veritass]

"The nature of God is that of a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." -- Empedocles

God is the infinite power that created the universe, the infinite intelligence that created it in such as way that it works in harmony, and the infinite love that created it to work for the ultimate highest expression of all forms within it.

To say that God is loving or powerful or alive is to slight God. God is love; God is power; God is life itself.

 

[Sidhe]

To say that God is loving or powerful or alive is to slight God. God is love; God is power; God is life itself.

According to Nietszche so am I. Who do I believe?

God is made in mans image.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

I believe that He can experience some things as we do. But "love" is not always an emotion. I can love someone without feeling anything in particular towards them. God loves us as we are His creations, but it is a force as much as an emotion.

I dont claim to know one way or another what if any emotions God experiences. However since our emotions are in large part determined by chemical interactions in our brains, Id say that the chances of God experiencing similar emotions must be nil.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I dont claim to know one way or another what if any emotions God experiences. However since our emotions are in large part determined by chemical interactions in our brains, Id say that the chances of God experiencing similar emotions must be nil.

Emotions are, in part, the result of our brain chemistry. I should know, as I have depression, which is caused by a chemical imbalance, and I have a hard time feeling emotions. But one can have grief, or joy, or anger and it is not entirely a chemical reaction. More importantly, love is not just an emotion but a way of interacting with others. When I say "love" I mean that He seeks our best interests.

 

[Elrohir]

I believe God is a Truine Being; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I believe He is equally in, and of, all three of these beings, and all three are equally, and totally Him. I believe God created the physical universe, but does not exist inside of it. As the Originator of it, He is too great for it, and therefore exists outside of our universe of space and time.

I believe God is Love. I believe He loves everyone, whether they are Christians or not. I believe He is Just, and Fair, and All Powerful as well. In that, I mean that God can do anything that He wishes to, but if He did certain things, then He would no longer be who He is. (IE, He could lie if He wanted to, but then He would no longer be the perfect God that He is. I think this is best shown by the fact that Christ was tempted while on Earth - if there is no capacity or chance of sin, it's not really temptation, is it?) I believe God is infinite in His knowledge and power.

I believe Christ was born in a physical body, died in it, and rose again in it. I believe He was fully God, and fully man, and it is only through His atoning sacrifice that we may receive salvation.

So yeah, that's it.

 

[MobBoss]

Faithfulness.

 

[Masquerouge]

I think there's no god.

I think that a lot of people believe in god just by tradition. Your parents do it, your coutrymen do it, so you take the easy way and do it too.

I also think people started using gods to explain what they did not understand, death, meteological matters, that kind of stuff. Since every civilization on Earth had to face the same problems with the same intellectual abilities, I think that's why religion is so common. That's also why most, if not all, gods are anthropomorphized.

 

[Sidhe]

Emotions are, in part, the result of our brain chemistry. I should know, as I have depression, which is caused by a chemical imbalance, and I have a hard time feeling emotions. But one can have grief, or joy, or anger and it is not entirely a chemical reaction. More importantly, love is not just an emotion but a way of interacting with others. When I say "love" I mean that He seeks our best interests.

He means the greek word karitas=the love of your fellow man(human being)

We get Charity from this word.

It's philosophical love, the want to do well for mankind. Not a truly emotional loving your familly type of love.

 

[PrincepsAmerica]

You believe God has the same emotions humans do?

I would suggest rather that humans have a shadowy facisimile of the love God does.