What is god?

[Welsh cake]

Great question. I'm really interested in how religion originated. People recognised sacred and profane, and were motivated to foster the sacred which was realised as positive and ordered in opposition to the profane which embodied the opposite effects.

At least as far back as when human civilization first emerged. Its possible that Hinduism may well be the oldest originating religion, since the Vedic scriptures themselves are thousands of years old, though there are "urreligions" even older still such as Australian aboriginal beliefs in the Rainbow Serpent giving birth to all life and this one seems to predate all other god-concepts or faith-based systems since Aborigines have inhabited the continent of Australia for at least 40,000 years.

[fr0d0]

Aboriginal and American Indian beliefs are my favourites

[Paul the Human]

The question itself, 'What is god?', presupposes the existence of god. Strangely, I cannot recall ever being asked to define god before. I have asked others to do so, but I have never tried to do it myself. So... here is my answer to that question.

God (or 'gods' in most of the original mythoi) is a concept created by the fear and imagination of primitive peoples to explain the mysteries of their world and to provide comfort about what happens 'after death'. Organized religion grew around these superstitions as the first form of government and 'god's law' became a way to control the masses, while offering false hope and the threat of divine retribution. The carrot and the stick, as it were.

Now, thousands of years later, science has been able to explain many of those mysteries and the concept of 'god' has changed for many believers. Many self-styled believers seem to believe in the Einsteinian God, except that they project human emotion and motives onto it, as if it were an actual being. I see no reason to believe that personally. I believe that lifelong indoctrination and peer pressure are the primary reasons people still believe in god.

As a matter of fact, I think that a lot of so-called believers never really give it any thought at all. When asked, 'Do you believe in God?', they reply automatically with, 'Yes, of course.' Do they really? A lot of them probably do not, but they haven't actually thought about it, so they aren't aware of their own disbelief. They may think they are theists, but they are actually 'apatheists'. Admitting that you do not believe is a lot harder than going with the flow. It's the 'sheeple' syndrome in action.

[Minimalist]

Great question. I'm really interested in how religion originated.

All religion has, at its heart, this basic discussion, Frodo.


One guy says to another guy.



"Psst, hey buddy. Listen up. God told me to tell you that he wants you to do what I tell you because God told me what you should do. Oh. and God also said for you to give me some money so I can tell others about him."


And its been all downhill from there.

[LEDO]

Religion started as astro-religion.

[downbeatplumb]

Religion started
1: because some bullshitter wanted to pretend he knew how things began
2: as a way of influencng things that seemed uncontrolable.
3: as a way of placating grieving children 'grannies gone to a better place'

God or gods controlling all the above make a handy one explaination fits all solution.

[tavarish]

What is god?

Baby don't hurt me...

Don't hurt me...

No more.

Am I doing this right?