What is a 'god'? A poll for anyone with an opinion about what all the fuss is about.

[Violet]

Most interpretations hold that gods and spirits are *intangible*. Such could not be physically defined... *because they are not physical beings.*

this is ur claim... u believe in something with no evidence..

Isn't that life, though? Maybe I'm right to take people's statements at face value... maybe I'm foolish. I can know all I like, but hell if I can prove it to another.

Every evidence is taken on faith, every belief is just that: belief.

---

But consider the source. Figures I'd be more familiar with the varieties of atheist thought. Oh well it is a start. I'm not satisfied with the options either.

Your next iteration will be better I don't see an option for me, hence 'other'.

[truthBtold]

Most interpretations hold that gods and spirits are *intangible*. Such could not be physically defined... *because they are not physical beings.*

this is ur claim... u believe in something with no evidence..

Isn't that life, though? Maybe I'm right to take people's statements at face value... maybe I'm foolish. I can know all I like, but hell if I can prove it to another.

Every evidence is taken on faith, every belief is just that: belief.

---

But consider the source. Figures I'd be more familiar with the varieties of atheist thought. Oh well it is a start. I'm not satisfied with the options either.

Your next iteration will be better I don't see an option for me, hence 'other'.

U said "Every evidence is taken on faith"? My child u need to be schooled.

[Violet]

U said "Every evidence is taken on faith"? My child u need to be schooled.

I did. I also happen to be right.

I disagree: if there's anything I need? It's a fine elephant burger.

Never got a chance in life to taste it

[truthBtold]

U said "Every evidence is taken on faith"? My child u need to be schooled.

I did. I also happen to be right.

I disagree: if there's anything I need? It's a fine elephant burger.

Never got a chance in life to taste it

Maybe u will one day.. let me know how that goes..

[Violet]

Maybe u will one day.. let me know how that goes..

I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, friend.

[Rayaan]

An intriguing question that I think about a lot as well.

First of all, I think it's obvious that God can be defined only in terms of possessing very abstract and subjective qualities (things like consciousness, emotions, beauty, perfection, glory, etc.), as opposed to quantitative notions like length, width, size, dimension, time, location, and so on. We can never understand nor speak of God using the latter perspective.

From an Islamic point of view, the idea that is most strongly emphasized about God is that He is simply one and unique. God is not feminine, masculine, solid, liquid, gas, matter, antimatter, energy, nor anything that we know of from our experiences. There is nothing imaginable by us that is even comparable to Him. "He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none like unto Him" [Quran 112:3-4]. God is the one that is running and sustaining everything, but He himself doesn't need to depend on anything for His existence. God is infinite, and all of His creations are finite, and it is those finite creations that need to depend on the infinite, not the other way around. "And rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die, and celebrate His praise" [Quran 25:58]. There are many other ways to describe God by using such abstract/subjective terms, but still we cannot actually understand His primary nature because He is beyond our limited comprehension.

As for the poll, I chose 1 and 2 because there is no contradiction between those options. God is aware of everything and He also created a propensity to believe in Him in our innermost psyches.

"We will show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth." [Quran 42:52]

[fr0d0]

God is infinite, and all of His creations are finite

Wassup Ray

Did Allah not create angels and demons? I'm not saying that they could or should be the same as him/ her/ he/ she/ it, just possibly share this attribute. And how can you know that he didn't create anything infinite? Seems a bold statement. Just genuinely interested in your expression of faith.

[Rayaan]

Wassup Ray

Did Allah not create angels and demons? I'm not saying that they could or should be the same as him/ her/ he/ she/ it, just possibly share this attribute. And how can you know that he didn't create anything infinite? Seems a bold statement. Just genuinely interested in your expression of faith.

S'all good, fr0d0. Alhamdulillah.

But now coming to your question, I think that angels, demons, Heaven Hell, the afterlife, souls, etc. ... these things are not infinite because they had a beginning. Having a beginning conveys the idea that it did not exist at some point, which means that its length of time for existence is not infinite. But something absolutely infinite/eternal cannot be thought to not exist at some point because it is always there, it is present at all times (not just into the future but into the past as well).

Therefore God is the only one who is actually infinite. He has no beginning and no end.

[fr0d0]

Thank you Ray

To split hairs/ this isn't serious... Infinite from any point or infinite with no starting point are the same right? We agree that God came first. Infinity doesn't cover that. I win. Take a few hail Mary's

[Whateverist]

Are "infinite" and "eternal" the same thing where "God/Allah" are concerned?