Define God

Spreader wrote,

They are not "religion" by any sense of the word. Religion is based solely on "faith" and not much else. The others you listed are based on observable facts and evidence. If no observable facts or evidence is provided, they are not "religious" by any sense of that word.

Go back to your English dictionary and study all the words you listed. You are one confused dude!

Sorry to come in late on this 'Define God' thread but I just got here..
When people said to Jesus "Show us God", he replied "You've seen me, so you've seen God", and he went on to say "I say nothing on my own account; I only say and do what God tells me".
He was therefore an 'ambassador' through whom God spoke to the human race..

RF, I would have preferred that Jesus said "You've seen God when you see me and I see God when I see you." Also, I would have preferred that he said
"I say nothing on account of my small self, my ego; I speak on account of my large Self, the God in me/us."

I tried to say the above in a spirit similar to the beautiful non-dualist pronouncement by Meister Eckart: I see God with the same eye that God sees me."

Jesus said he and God are only in his followers. ("Then we will come to him and make our home with him")

How do we quote which posts we're replying to in this forum?
For example a guy said "religion is based solely on faith" but the fact is Christianity WORKS or Christians would soon ditch it..

It is true that “no man has seen God at any time” and that “God is a Spirit.” (John 1:18; 4:24) But this does not mean that he is without any type of body or form. The Bible tells us: “If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one.” (1 Corinthians 15:44) and the human brain has been described as “the most marvelous and mysterious object in the whole universe.” No amount of knowledge in the fields of physics and chemistry can in itself produce adequate explanations for the human capacity for abstract thought and our widespread search for purpose in life, and the Bible say Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need.......(Matt 5:3)

You,

But god-Jesus is dead. Since humans are created in the image of god, and all humans die, it follows that there is no "spiritual one." All dead bodies deteriorate - especially the innards.

Follow the logic.

Your funny...how do you know its is true ?
You chose to believe so, very well, but why do you think you have to impose your beliefs on others I wonder...
..."God is a spirit"...You don't even know how to intelligibly describe what a spirit is let alone a God...amusing, all you have is a Neolithic conception of an Anthropomorphized pseudo God...by the way what is "matter" eh ?

If you want to debate on a Philosophy forum you have to be willing to debate the concepts rationally...

God
Something that most people are born to believe in as a person who has complete power over us.
Who can control our life paths.
Who can lead us in the "right direction"
Everything.
Guides us in making the right decisions.
But how?
We only CHOOSE to believe that he existed at one point in time.
So maybe society is right. We all ARE individual. God is the reason why everything happens. He's our own illusion. Our own morality. He's to blame. He's our hero at the same time. Says some of the people I know.
This is only something that I heard. A philosophy from someone that, in complicated ways, has a good point.

//Your funny...how do you know its is true //

Well the modern times man is surrounded by the latest inventions of intelligent men. Nations have reached great heights in their achievements. The spirit of nationalism instills in the minds of people the idea that the scientists and the engineers of their nation are the best. Credit for these works goes to men. In fact, so strong is this influence that, as time goes on, human creatures find it more difficult to believe that God actually caused the many miracles and awesome works described in the Bible.

This same influence can dominate one to the extent that he will be found in the description given at 2 Peter 3:3, 4: “For you know this first, that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: ‘Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.’” However, not all have followed this course; some have readily recognized God as the force behind his Word, the Bible. You read of these at 1 Corinthians 2:12, 13: “We received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been kindly given us by God. Yes funny to none believer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoBYYElyP4c

Great catch all clause that ...."anything you think you know is in the gift of the Almighty". It's in the well established tradition of that playground game "No it aint/Tis so".

Spreader,

And that includes all the tyrannical leaders who have killed milllions of people. As that meme goes, "god is love."

Yes my God is, Seeing what God has done in fulfilling prophecies in the Scriptures,and sending his only-begotten Son into the world to help man to understand and become acquainted with the Creator, certainly we must say that God is love. From the way Jesus taught us and the way the inspired Holy Scriptures teach us we can realize that God is Love. But what a difference there is when it comes to the things that men teach us today about God! In view of such teachings of men and seeing that God has done so much with our eternal blessing in mind.

You are led to ask: If God is love, how could there be went he has he allowed so many terrible things to happen to people all through history? If he really cares about us, why does he permit wickedness and suffering to continue?

Thinking people ask those questions. And with good reason, because for centuries the human family has suffered so much from horrible wars, food shortages, poverty, crime and disease. Injustice and oppression have caused a great amount of grief too. So have calamities such as floods and earthquakes. Quite often, innocent people suffer through no fault of their own. Is all of this proof that God does not care about what happens to us? Is there any genuine hope for a better world, a world where we can really enjoy life on earth to the full, free from all these troubles?

So looking to humans for answers will never be satisfying, and to say that God does not exist only makes the problem worse. Believing that this earth and its marvelous forms of life just happened is to ignore the facts. (Proverbs 28:26)

It's not only about natural disasters; it's about the contradictions and omissions in the bible. You're trying very hard to "rationalize" what is obviously based on your personal bias, because you're afraid to admit the facts. If god is love, how is it that innocent men, women and children are killed without cause?

God is love and gives life, but can take it away at birth? That's a contradiction.

I agree, C.I.: It's amazing to me that some people (theologians included) spend a lifetime trying to soften the contradiction between God's omnipotence and benevolence and the suffering of innocent believers while ignoring the liklihood that the contradiction suggests His non-existence.

Yet again I moved to comment that the origin of the word "fact" is the Latin facere (to construct). The "God" construction has certainly been a useful palliative for the "meek" and also a useful social construction for the regulation of some societies. But like all palliatives, it can be addictive, and like all regulatory structures it can and has been hijacked by despots. So I suggest your view of "making it worse" is a head in the sand view.

The intelligent men of the world had become sick of palliatives for the bold, determined, headstrong and impertinent I think.

I presume you wouldn't be seen dead being thought meek fresco.

Another thought about the christian right and god's love. If abortion is so wrong, why does god kill innocent men, women, and children. Isn't each "life" precious? Another contradiction.

Where's the outrage against god?