Can You define God?

I'll have a go at defining "god".The term god refers to a supernatural conscious being that is responsible for the creation or overseeing of some aspect of reality. Something like the following dictionary definition: 1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) a supernatural being, who is worshipped as the controller of some part of the universe or some aspect of life in the world or is the personification of some force Related adj divineThus things like Thor and Apollo readily qualify as gods. As does the more deistic and ambiguous notion of a supernatural "creator of all that is seen and unseen".The only real difference between the largely abandoned gods and those that more sophisticated theists advocate these days is the degree of ambiguity attached to the concept in question.

OK. So e are trying to define the Judeo-Christian God specifically. Right?Well if you take the Old Testament literally then God is the "petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, genocidal, capriciously malevolent bully" that Dawkins talks about.If you don't take the OT literally then I guess you can pick and choose which type of God you want. Based on the New Testament you could argue a relatively positive God. This God will probably be:1) The father of Christ (who is himself God)
2) Forgiving
3) Compassionate
4) The source of love
5) The source of all things good (the source of badness and hate is who...?)
6) Whatever the more enlightened members of the Christian faith decideOr something like that...

Can I ask you a question Phat?Assuming that God does exist are you happy with the god you've got? Or would you hope for something better from a supreme being?

So what attributes do all of these conceptual entities share such that they are recognisably godly?Taking the numerous definitions of god mankind has conceived and finding the common factors would seem as good a way as working out what we mean by "god" as any other.On this basis the term god refers to a supernatural conscious being that is responsible for the creation or overseeing of some aspect of reality. Something like the following dictionary definition:1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) a supernatural being, who is worshipped as the controller of some part of the universe or some aspect of life in the world or is the personification of some force Related adj divineThus things like Thor and Apollo readily qualify as gods. As does the more deistic and ambiguous notion of a supernatural "creator of all that is seen and unseen".The only real difference between the largely abandoned gods and those that more sophisticated theists advocate these days is the degree of ambiguity attached to the concept in question.

Well if they have nothing in common they wouldn't all, including GOD, fall under the category of gods would they?They are all, including GOD, supernatural beings who control, create or personify some aspect of the world.This GOD you speak of is a god right? Rather than a vegetable or an alcoholic drink or a sport or a type of accounting package or whatever else.If GOD isn't a god then A) I'm not sure why you are mentioning him in this thread and B) You should consider calling him something more appropriate like "CHOCOLATE BAR" or whatever.....

Huh? So As a self proclaimed believer that GOD is ‘the creator of all that is seen an unseen’ you are actually an atheist are you? And if GOD isn’t a god why on earth are you even raising GOD in a thread about defining the term god..?It is just an exercise in definitional nonsensicalness to say that GOD isn’t a god.I’ve provided you with a definition of the term god and whilst this GOD concept you talk about is pretty vague it quite obviously meets the criteria of coming under that label.If you don't like my definition can you provide a different one and explain how this GOD thing you speak of fails to qualify?

Go on then. Provide the definition of "god" you are applying. Then explain to me how GOD isn't a god by this definition.And then explain how you can qualify as a theist without believing in any god(s)I'm intrigued....

Simply repeating your previous post in this thread is not very helpful.Let's start at the beginning - What definition of the term "god" are you applying such that this GOD you speak of doesn't qualify as a god?(that is after all the topic here) I've never yet come across a god that isn't supernatural. In what sense is an unknowable GOD that is 'the creator of all that is seen and unseen' NOT a human construction? I mean if we have absolutely no way of knowing this thing then (even if by some fluke of chance it exists) it MUST be derived from human imagination. How could it possibly be otherwise?

And I told you that repeating yourself isn't the same as clarifying your position. Yet there are lots of human constructions which aren't gods (e.g. hobbits). So try again. What definition of the term "god" are you applying such that this GOD you speak of doesn't qualify as a god?This is, after all, the topic here. Yet all god concepts are supernatural. It's part of what qualifies them as gods. By definition. Whether by some fluke of chance it exists or not this GOD you speak of is necessarily a human construction because you have defined it as being completely unknowable to humans.How can the concept of something that is completely unknowable to humans be derived from anywhere other than human imagination? Ditto.

What definition of the term "god" are you applying to come to all these assertions? Well I could just as legitimately say that if Bilbo Baggins exists then he is not merely a human construction. Anything defined as unknowable is by definition a human construct (whether it exists or not). How could it possibly be otherwise? If humans designated me a god ala 'The Life of Brian' I wouldn't actually be a god would I? Human designation is not the defining criteria here. If you define something as unknowable then it must be imagined because there is no other source you can claim for the notion of it's existence.It really is that simple.

But you have. Vaguely. He is the "unknowable" creator of all that is seen and unseen. Explain to me how this "unknowable" GOD you speak of is any more or less of a human construct than Bilbo Baggins...? Educate me oh wise one....

I will readily agree that you have repeatedly said lots of things. But all of them are just unjustifiable assertions. Explain to me how this "unknowable" GOD you speak of is any more or less of a human construct than Bilbo Baggins...? Sure. And I ask you why that belief is any more worthy of consideration than Gandalf as the creator of all that is seen and unseen. Do you agree that Bilbo Baggins is very probably just a human construct? Well so you relentlessly assert. But whether GOD exists or not what definition of "god" are you applying such that GOD doesn't qualify as a god?That is the topic here and you seem very unable to answer it...

A supernatural creator of the universe (etc.) is a god by pretty much any conventional definition you can find.

Can you supply the source of the definition you are applying?

Can you cite the definition of "theist" that you are applying such that you can claim to be a theist who doesn't believe in the existence of god(s)?

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What you have done is invent your own self serving terminology in an act of definitional mastrurbation. But you don't even seem to be able do that whilst maintaining a consistent position. How can you be a theist if you don't believe in the existence of any god(s)?

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jar writes:

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I answered it, you seem incapable of understanding.

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Inventing your own meanings of words and then insisting that you are right isn't really a valid position now is it? You have no problem pointing out the stupidity of this when creationists do it so why engage in this sort of nonsense yourself?

If something is unknowable, imperceivable etc. etc. etc. then where did any idea that it exists come from?Imagination. Obviously. It cannot, by definition be otherwise can it?Now by some fluke of blind random chance one may have imagined something that conceivably exists out there. Maybe there is a place out in the universe called Middle Earth full of hobbits and wizards etc. etc.But I would suggest it unlikely.......Wouldn't you?

Right. Well I define "GOD" to mean a wafer covered in chocolate. Given that I am sitting here eating a Kit-Kat this makes me not only a "theist" but a GOD-eater.Any wally can invent their own private language using common terms and then conflate these to come to their own conclusions whilst proclaiming everyone else to be wrong.This is what you are doing here. And you can't even do it consistently!!! Go on - Explain how you are a theist if the thing you believe in isn't a god? What definition of "theist" are you applying?Castles made of sand........