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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 4:44 am
(August 7, 2015 at 7:37 pm)Chad32 Wrote: (August 7, 2015 at 6:24 pm)pool Wrote: Frankly,i don't see much distinction between "I don't know" and "Because god.",both imply a lack of knowledge through different means.
So i can believe in a deistic god and not be a theist? Just to be clear,a deistic god is used to explain what cannot be explained,right?
If yes,what are the people that believe in a deistic god called?
Finally,a person believing in a deistic god would respond with a "Because god." argument to explain what cannot be explained,am i right?
Edit: Sorry,one more doubt,Am i not a theist if i believe in the islamic god?
They're called deists. The difference between saying "I don't know", and "Because god", is that usually the ones who say "because god" expect you to respond by worshiping that god. And might threaten to harm you if you don't, or if you try to use science to find the real reason.
The islamic god is a theistic god, so you would still be a theist.
Hmm. "I don't know" seems far more better than "Because God".
If i respond "I don't know" to whether i believe in a God or not,what does that make me?
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 4:46 am
I think God is like salt.
What is the taste of salt? Salty.
Anyway,i'm going to ask some of my Theistic friends about what they think God is.
I have a feeling that the definition of a God of an Atheist would very much vary from that of a Theist.
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 5:07 am
A god is a human-like mind which created everything. I think. I don't know. Theists have never be clear as to what all that means.
It is very important not to mistake hemlock for parsley, but to believe or not believe in God is not important at all. - Denis Diderot
We are the United States of Amnesia, we learn nothing because we remember nothing. - Gore Vidal
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 8:45 am
(August 8, 2015 at 4:44 am)pool Wrote: (August 7, 2015 at 7:37 pm)Chad32 Wrote: They're called deists. The difference between saying "I don't know", and "Because god", is that usually the ones who say "because god" expect you to respond by worshiping that god. And might threaten to harm you if you don't, or if you try to use science to find the real reason.
The islamic god is a theistic god, so you would still be a theist.
Hmm. "I don't know" seems far more better than "Because God".
If i respond "I don't know" to whether i believe in a God or not,what does that make me?
I don't really know where you're trying to go with this. You're asking things that should have simple obvious answers.
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 8:58 am
(This post was last modified: August 8, 2015 at 9:00 am by Mr.wizard.)
(August 8, 2015 at 4:44 am)pool Wrote: (August 7, 2015 at 7:37 pm)Chad32 Wrote: They're called deists. The difference between saying "I don't know", and "Because god", is that usually the ones who say "because god" expect you to respond by worshiping that god. And might threaten to harm you if you don't, or if you try to use science to find the real reason.
The islamic god is a theistic god, so you would still be a theist.
Hmm. "I don't know" seems far more better than "Because God".
If i respond "I don't know" to whether i believe in a God or not,what does that make me?
You would be an atheist, if you have not accepted the claim that a god exists. The certainty of your belief has little to do with it, because not accepting the claim "god exists" is not the same as making the claim "god doesn't exist". If someone makes the claim to you "god exists" and you say "I don't know about that, can you prove it?" then they have not met the burden of proof for their claim in order to convince you to believe, and you are an atheist.
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 10:18 am
(August 8, 2015 at 8:45 am)Chad32 Wrote: (August 8, 2015 at 4:44 am)pool Wrote: Hmm. "I don't know" seems far more better than "Because God".
If i respond "I don't know" to whether i believe in a God or not,what does that make me?
I don't really know where you're trying to go with this. You're asking things that should have simple obvious answers.
I'm sorry,i meant "i don't know" as a response to whether i know what a god is or not.
Implying that i don't know whether i believe in a God or not.
As in,i don't even know what a God is to choose whether i believe in it or not.Is there a thing for that?
(August 8, 2015 at 8:58 am)Mr.wizard Wrote: (August 8, 2015 at 4:44 am)pool Wrote: Hmm. "I don't know" seems far more better than "Because God".
If i respond "I don't know" to whether i believe in a God or not,what does that make me?
You would be an atheist, if you have not accepted the claim that a god exists. The certainty of your belief has little to do with it, because not accepting the claim "god exists" is not the same as making the claim "god doesn't exist". If someone makes the claim to you "god exists" and you say "I don't know about that, can you prove it?" then they have not met the burden of proof for their claim in order to convince you to believe, and you are an atheist.
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 10:46 am
(August 8, 2015 at 10:18 am)pool Wrote: (August 8, 2015 at 8:45 am)Chad32 Wrote: I don't really know where you're trying to go with this. You're asking things that should have simple obvious answers.
I'm sorry,i meant "i don't know" as a response to whether i know what a god is or not.
Implying that i don't know whether i believe in a God or not.
As in,i don't even know what a God is to choose whether i believe in it or not.Is there a thing for that?
(August 8, 2015 at 8:58 am)Mr.wizard Wrote: You would be an atheist, if you have not accepted the claim that a god exists. The certainty of your belief has little to do with it, because not accepting the claim "god exists" is not the same as making the claim "god doesn't exist". If someone makes the claim to you "god exists" and you say "I don't know about that, can you prove it?" then they have not met the burden of proof for their claim in order to convince you to believe, and you are an atheist.
Yes its called "atheist" if you do not believe in gods your an atheist, the reasons you don't believe do not matter.
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 11:30 am
What is a god?
It certainly would not be the 'bible god'. To think that a god would belittle itself to the petty actions of the 'bible god' is at best ridiculously ignorant.
You make people miserable and there's nothing they can do about it, just like god.
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 11:40 am
(August 8, 2015 at 8:45 am)Chad32 Wrote: (August 8, 2015 at 4:44 am)pool Wrote: Hmm. "I don't know" seems far more better than "Because God".
If i respond "I don't know" to whether i believe in a God or not,what does that make me?
I don't really know where you're trying to go with this. You're asking things that should have simple obvious answers.
I will tell you where he is trying to go, the same place he tried to go in another thread he had on this forum. His idea is that we can't be atheists because we do not know what god is, so we can't not believe in it. Which of course is completely absurd but he can not seem to understand why.
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RE: What is God?
August 8, 2015 at 11:54 am
(August 8, 2015 at 4:46 am)pool Wrote: I think God is like salt.
What is the taste of salt? Salty.
Anyway,i'm going to ask some of my Theistic friends about what they think God is.
I have a feeling that the definition of a God of an Atheist would very much vary from that of a Theist.
It makes sense that an atheist and theist might define god differently. A theist will define god in the same manner which their particular religion does but they will discount other religions's definition. An atheist will try to define god as a concept of many different cultures and ideas. The Hindu idea of god might differ from the Christian idea of god.
Your comparison of god to salt doesn't really work well. You can define salt and even write a chemical formula for it.
I found a definition of salt that most people will agree is a good one. It is harder to define 'god' because people use that word to describe many things.
Quote:any chemical compound formed from the reaction of an acid with a base, with all or part of the hydrogen of the acid replaced by a metal or other cation.
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