RE: If I met Him...
January 12, 2021 at 1:16 pm
(This post was last modified: January 12, 2021 at 2:59 pm by John 6IX Breezy.)
(January 12, 2021 at 10:01 am)Five Wrote: 1. Why call it/him God, then? If it could just be an extraterrestrial, then we don't need to elevate it to this status that implies divinity. If it is a real world, super-powered being, or using technology too advanced for our understanding, it isn't a God.
2. I am wondering what your standard for divinity is, if you'll indulge me. I know there's been some discussion going on in this thread; I apologize, I'm still reading and catching up.
3. Creator is difficult though. Because I agree, that is something worship worthy. Or at least owed reverence. However I think it ties back to proving he exists again and describing the parameters of that creation. How do I know he even wants to be worshipped or not?
1. From what I've observed, the Bible never describes what the word "God" means. Instead it seems to use it to describe a concept people were already familiar with. It borrows a template that people understand, much like Shepherd, without necessarily constricting him to it. Divine seems to mean anything "proceeding from God;" so the term appears rather synonymous with God.
2. As for my standards, I tend to reject the philosophical omnis- (omnipotence, etc.). At least insofar as they describe infinity in any way. I do so for two reasons: First, because our brains are not equipped to comprehend infinity; we make a mess of it. There's a large number of philosophical paradoxes, such as Zeno's arrow, which at the root of them seem to struggle with infinity. Secondly, because our brains are not constrained to reality. We can imagine ourselves walking through walls and other seeming impossibilities. So when you use terms like omnipotence, people expect God to create a square circle otherwise he doesn't exist. Or they want him to create a rock so heavy that he can't move, otherwise he's not omnipotent. To me these are not failures of God but failures of our mind to adhere to reality. Rather than infinite I prefer the term ultimate. Ultimate constrains our minds to the finite and makes it manageable. We can comprehend what it means for God to be the most powerful, even if the actual boundaries of that power are far beyond comprehension.
3. I think at the root of your issues is worship. And to be fair, there is a discussion to be had about what the term means. In Christianity, we don't tend to worship God is any specific or recognizable way. Worship seems to occur indirectly through other activities, like prayer, reverence, church attendance, many if which are not obligatory.
