Ethnographic Research (Help please!)

[downbeatplumb]

I think they really, really want to know (beyond the "I am what I am" answer).  But unless they suspect they've been taken I can't see why they'd want to ask an atheist that question.

But stretch, if you'd like to give us your definition that is something I'd really like to know too.  If possible, consider how you'd define a light bulb, or romantic love or the internal combustion machine and be as specific as possible.

This is admittedly a tough one to answer, since most definitions of this kind are found inadequate when examined closely enough. That said, here's my take:

God is the eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being who existed prior to the cosmos, brought the cosmos into existence, and rules as its undisputed Ruler (cf. Col 1:17). He possesses a will, intellect, and emotions; He transcends all natural conceptions of physical reality yet is also immanent within physical reality. His essence and nature preclude the possibility of understanding Him fully, but He reveals many of His attributes by means of the created universe and His Word.

If god existed somewhere before the cosmos, where was it?
if god is eternal what was it doing until 13.7 billion years ago when it "made" the universe?
What was god made of?
Where did god get the stuff to make the cosmos?
What procedure did god use to get create this stuff?
How does god set the rules?
Can the rules be broken if they are just rules?
Could they have been different rules?
How exactly is this revealing of attributes thing working coz I don't see it?

If you posit a god it just begs many many questions, only some of which I list here.