(December 29, 2018 at 7:35 pm)T0 Th3 M4X Wrote: If you're arguing that there's no coherent definition at all, then I would direct you to dictionaries, encyclopedias, journals, the Bible (if you're talking about the Judeo-Christian God, etc...) Because those things define the subject(s).
Yes, I think there are two ways that someone might believe in God or gods, even though a consistent world-wide definition is lacking.
First, the person might select a given definition from among the many available. Such a person could believe in, say, the God of Spinoza but reject the claims made by Martin Luther.
Or a person might believe despite not having a coherent definition. This is a well-established view among theologians, especially the Cappadocian Fathers and other apophatics. There is an analogy here with some terms from science. Physicists can tell us with great precision what gravity does, but not what gravity is. Apophatic theologians think they have reason to see some of what God does even without knowing what he is exactly.
(And I'm aware this is an analogy and like all analogies imperfect. Also we can rewrite the sentence with a small g if that seems less misleading. Also I am not saying that I personally agree with any of these arguments, only that this is what I have read concerning definitions of god, or the lack thereof.)
