(April 17, 2010 at 10:26 pm)Immaculte Wrote: Often times a familiar question is posed to me and other people. It is a question with no definitive answer, what is god?
God is a mental concept like the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. An abstract idea inferred to as really existing in your imagination that you assign attributes or qualities to. Just like with an imaginary friend, a deity is a concept whose personal experiences with are those you have to simulate. Such simulations are almost always pleasurable to give you comfort and/or support, but more so because you now need to advertise its positive influence upon others. You want this concept to be so much more than just an imaginary friend.
A concept you'll believe wholeheartedly is demonstrably real, despite having no good reason to think that it's real. You will demand others accept your concept based on your own personal testimony that you had a supernatural encounter with such a being, yet obviously cannot convince those without a similar belief such a being is actually real; you realise you maybe justified in believing this idea, but no one else is justified, much to your frustration.
When others refuse to believe your subjectively true concept you will automatically deem them as ignorant, or somehow intellectually inferior, and possibly worse, in that they're somehow "undeserving of life" your "god-concept created". You will usually attempt social control whenever exchanging words with such people, forcing them to submit to your ideals, and convince them through idol threats that non-belief in the concept will spell certain danger for them. For some odd reason people don't take too kindly to your threats, but you ignore this. In seeking to prove its existence you'll make your god-concept so specific that the flaws in your unjustifiable attributes are clearer to identify. Often when shunning non-believers fails, cognitive dissonance will overtake you when confronted by counterarguments that are irresolvable, causing you to have outbursts or rages that normally result in you getting ignored in face-to-face conversations and/or banned from many Internet forums.
God is a concept you'll defend whenever empirical evidence says otherwise and hide it outside reality, beyond scrutiny. You'll make it so vague it'll cease to have any kind of practical relevance. If scientists find out what's "outside" the "known universe" and it's not your abstract idea, you'll no choice but to automatically assign your god-concept outside that plane of reality as well, you'll repeat this process of denial should any scientific breakthrough conflict with your belief.
God is a concept that after a good study of reality you have varying degrees of certainty about, but none of these are absolute anymore, doubt is your beliefs' worst enemy. Questioning your own beliefs and looking for new ways of thinking often results further cognitive dissonance, so in desperation you seek help from professional apologists who provide the constant spin on concepts you lack. After accepting their take on your imaginary concept and made enough excuses for it, you've refilled your bullshit tanks and you're ready to face the cold cruel world of scrutiny again.
Repeat process until you realise the concept is all in your head.
