Define "God"

[DTho]

In a single sentence (if possible), please provide your definition of the word/term/concept: "God."

For example, "A fictitious human construct," or "A being than which no greater being can be conceived," or "An egomaniacal creature capable of incomprehensible violence," or "Pure Love," or what-have-you.

(Please try to come up with your own definition rather than using one of my examples; thanks).

Again, the question asks for a definition only; not a definition and following tirade . . .

-DTho

[topaz]

My definition for God is a synonym really .... GOD = LOVE period.

[topaz]

Hello cashro

How any one person could say that there exists only one God is absolute ingorant. Throughout history many different people believed that many Gods existed, Native americans for example have many many Gods that they believe rule over all the Earth.

1 So you believe in many gods. First, learn a simple fact – there is only ONE God in heaven. He has no equal. So there cannot be more than one. FACT. Prove – can you have more than one natural biological mother ?

2 You also believe that all the many gods are … gods. They are actually idols, man’s imagination.

Psalm 115:2-8 Why do the nations say, ‘‘Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. 4 But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; 6 they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; 7 they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. 8 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Anyone can make an idol of wood or stone or a picture or image and worship it. That does not become a god except in your imagination. See the point ?

Isaiah 66:1-2 This is what the LORD says: ‘‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? 2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD.
The above verse says that God does not live in houses made by man b/c His abode is in heaven.

3 If you believe that the many gods are gods then pls study this statement. In islam, muslims are taught that they can marry 4 wives. In christianity, one man must marry only one wife. Aren’t there 2 different gods here, then surely, one must be true and the other false. There is only ONE heaven, and there is only ONE earth. This means ONE God governing heaven and earth. So all that notion of many gods is simply false, so is the god of islam.

Why would Christianity be correct and not polytheism?

We pray to a living God. LIVING means alive means He talks to us. He guides us in life. Idols have no life in them.

If we all just believed what we wanted to and never go to a church or temple, then the world could possibly be much more peaceful.

‘If we all just believed what we wanted’ … I am not in alice’s wonderland. I don’t believe in what I want but rather, I choose to believe in FACTS, what is REAL.

To me God means ingnorance among a group of uneducated human who could no longer explain the natural events that happen around them, ie earthquakes, lightning, and rain.

I thought it is the educated who believe in God while the less educated look at science to disprove God. Einstein was a great scientist and he was a christian. How about that ? Is he ‘uneducated’? Einstein believed in Jesus Christ & theGod of the bible and his scientific success was based on bible facts. Einstein took those facts and used science to prove it, changing our lives permanently for the better.

If God was this powerful as people say, then why is the pope going to the hospital for science, when the holiest man on earth could simply ask God for a cure?To me that proves that any hope of God's existence is shattered. I mean the Pope accually looking to science for answers. How could this be, a man of his stature with a Christian God would surely be cured by God's hands, would he not. If he is the one to lead on Christianity in today's world, then why would he need science to help his condition. shouldn't he just pray and be relieved of all his ailments?

You are totally ignorant on christianity :

1 who says the pope is the holiest man on earth ?
2 who says christianity means pope and the catholic religion ?

Seems to me you’re the one who is ignorant. Spend more time and ask more questions. You’ll learn a lot.

I think that the very notion of a God or of Gods is a crutch that people can hold onto in their times of need. They don't blame God for 9/11 or for the tsunami but they praise him when Shaq or Kobe won the NBA Finals. The losing team never blames God for the loss. So I simply think that the idea of a God is a crutch people hold onto in order to fulfill a void in their own life.

blame God … Are you kidding ? God is not capable of making mistakes. So how to blame Him ?

Crutch … ? Actually, I am glad Father God guides me and is there to make sure I don’t break my bones when I play with the slide at the playground. It gives me mental peace.

[Wyvern]

1 So you believe in many gods. First, learn a simple fact – there is only ONE God in heaven. He has no equal. So there cannot be more than one. FACT. Prove – can you have more than one natural biological mother ?

2 You also believe that all the many gods are … gods. They are actually idols, man’s imagination.

Sure thing, god is a singular being within its own kingdom which is called heaven. How does this constitute being a fact and not just another myth that you desire to put every other belief system into? How does this deny the ability of other gods to exist? How do you know that what you believe to be true isn't false? Do you actually have any proof or simply a strong desire for it to be true? As for your analogy, god is neither natural, biological or generally termed a female(unless you include mother nature/earth in your pantheon somewhere)

Anyone can make an idol of wood or stone or a picture or image and worship it. That does not become a god except in your imagination. See the point ?

I guess you haven't seen all the statues of Christ, Mary, et. al.

3 If you believe that the many gods are gods then pls study this statement. In islam, muslims are taught that they can marry 4 wives. In christianity, one man must marry only one wife. Aren’t there 2 different gods here, then surely, one must be true and the other false. There is only ONE heaven, and there is only ONE earth. This means ONE God governing heaven and earth. So all that notion of many gods is simply false, so is the god of islam.

The bible itself has a number of examples of holy men having multiple wives. Yes in those two systems there is only one god and strangely enough they are one and the same merely being called two different names is all. Additionally it could be said they are the governing god in their particular kingdom, how does this negate the possibility of other kingdoms for other gods?

We pray to a living God. LIVING means alive means He talks to us. He guides us in life. Idols have no life in them.

So your god killed all the others then?

‘If we all just believed what we wanted’ … I am not in alice’s wonderland. I don’t believe in what I want but rather, I choose to believe in FACTS, what is REAL.

You say you believe in facts and yet believe in a god that has absolutely no evidence of its existance. I think your reality isn't as real as you think it is.

I thought it is the educated who believe in God while the less educated look at science to disprove God. Einstein was a great scientist and he was a christian. How about that ? Is he ‘uneducated’? Einstein believed in Jesus Christ & theGod of the bible and his scientific success was based on bible facts. Einstein took those facts and used science to prove it, changing our lives permanently for the better.

This is an absolute lie on your part, Einstein did not believe in a personal god such as you seem to. Additionally not a single one of his theories or papers were based on biblical knowledge. Do not bear false witness.

1 who says the pope is the holiest man on earth ?
2 who says christianity means pope and the catholic religion ?

Seems to me you’re the one who is ignorant. Spend more time and ask more questions. You’ll learn a lot.

And yet the actual point is about faith healing, of which not a single instance of successful healing through prayer has ever been seen, in fact a study was done that showed the exact opposite happens i.e. if you know someone is praying for you your outcome tends to be worse.

blame God … Are you kidding ? God is not capable of making mistakes. So how to blame Him ?

Yet again you miss the point, two sports teams involved in a game, both pray to god to help them win but only one does. Making a mistake doesn't even come into the equation. If the winning side is justified in giving credit to god for helping them why isn't it just as justifiable to blame god for not helping out the losing side? To me it sounds like both sides are denigrating god to being nothing more than luck or blind chance.

Crutch … ? Actually, I am glad Father God guides me and is there to make sure I don’t break my bones when I play with the slide at the playground. It gives me mental peace.

Sounds like you use god as a crutch as well. Heaven forbid you put your trust in the engineers that designed the playground or the craftspeople that put it together that they actually did their job properly. What, do you pray that if you get in a car wreck that god will make the airbags deploy as well?

[McCulloch]

My definition for God is a synonym really .... GOD = LOVE period.

What a meaningless answer!
That makes as much sense as its rebuttal:
Love is not jealous 1 Cor 13
God is jealous Ex 20
Therefore, God is not Love.

So do not answer with meaningless clichés, please.

[McCulloch]

1 So you believe in many gods. First, learn a simple fact – there is only ONE God in heaven. He has no equal. So there cannot be more than one. FACT. Prove – can you have more than one natural biological mother ?

Couldn't you come up with a better proof than that? Given the nature and attributes of God, it should not be difficult to prove that there logically can be at most only one God. So then the argument between the monotheists and the polytheists if one of the attributes of that God.

2 You also believe that all the many gods are … gods. They are actually idols, man’s imagination.

Maybe I misread the statement but I thought that he really did not mean to say that there are in reality many gods but that there are many conflicting concepts about god.

[...] So all that notion of many gods is simply false, so is the god of islam.

Islam believes in the God of Abraham. They believe different things about the one God, but they agree with you that there is but one God. They disagree with you that one God can be three persons, but that is another debate. Or is it?

We pray to a living God. LIVING means alive means He talks to us. He guides us in life. Idols have no life in them.

You hear voices?

‘If we all just believed what we wanted’ … I am not in alice’s wonderland. I don’t believe in what I want but rather, I choose to believe in FACTS, what is REAL.

And here I thought that Christian belief was based on faith. Facts and what is real, would lead you to believe in one fewer gods than you currently believe in.

I thought it is the educated who believe in God while the less educated look at science to disprove God. Einstein was a great scientist and he was a christian.

Einstein was not a Christian. Stop making stuff up.

[topaz]

I guess you haven't seen all the statues of Christ, Mary, et. al.

You put it aptly … statues. No life and … you’re referring to catholicism. Is this the only christianity you know ?

We pray to a living God. LIVING means alive means He talks to us. He guides us in life. Idols have no life in them.

So your god killed all the others then?

Please speak sensibly. How does one kill something that has no life in it.

‘If we all just believed what we wanted’ … I am not in alice’s wonderland. I don’t believe in what I want but rather, I choose to believe in FACTS, what is REAL.

You say you believe in facts and yet believe in a god that has absolutely no evidence of its existance. I think your reality isn't as real as you think it is.

And I think you’re as ignorant as you sound.

I thought it is the educated who believe in God while the less educated look at science to disprove God. Einstein was a great scientist and he was a christian. How about that ? Is he ‘uneducated’? Einstein believed in Jesus Christ & theGod of the bible and his scientific success was based on bible facts. Einstein took those facts and used science to prove it, changing our lives permanently for the better.

This is an absolute lie on your part, Einstein did not believe in a personal god such as you seem to. Additionally not a single one of his theories or papers were based on biblical knowledge. Do not bear false witness.

An ‘absolute lie’ huh? Your ignorance is tiresome. Also do not use such terms as ‘false witness’ when you don’t understand what it means.

1 who says the pope is the holiest man on earth ?
2 who says christianity means pope and the catholic religion ?

Seems to me you’re the one who is ignorant. Spend more time and ask more questions. You’ll learn a lot.

And yet the actual point is about faith healing, of which not a single instance of successful healing through prayer has ever been seen, in fact a study was done that showed the exact opposite happens i.e. if you know someone is praying for you your outcome tends to be worse.

I am glad I’m not the only one who notices the issue on healing through faith. Please tell the pentecostals what you have noted. Then perhaps, you can tell us why this is so ? You seem to know so much.

If the winning side is justified in giving credit to god for helping them why isn't it just as justifiable to blame god for not helping out the losing side?

‘blame god for not helping out the losing side’ … what else do you blame God for ? Perhaps you can make a list that we can read through together.

To me it sounds like both sides are denigrating god to being nothing more than luck or blind chance.

I am glad you make it clear it is striclty your opinion and nothing else.

Crutch … ? Actually, I am glad Father God guides me and is there to make sure I don’t break my bones when I play with the slide at the playground. It gives me mental peace.

Sounds like you use god as a crutch as well. Heaven forbid you put your trust in the engineers that designed the playground or the craftspeople that put it together that they actually did their job properly. What, do you pray that if you get in a car wreck that god will make the airbags deploy as well?

[/quote]

You are so profound. What can I say … I am lost for words …

[bernee51]

1 First, learn a simple fact – there is only ONE God in heaven. He has no equal. So there cannot be more than one. FACT.

You are mistaken

Prove – can you have more than one natural biological mother ?

Straw man

2 You also believe that all the many gods are … gods. They are actually idols, man’s imagination.

Just like you version of god.

T So all that notion of many gods is simply false, so is the god of islam.

Your god and Allah (arabic for 'the god'} is the same god. The Jews invented him. You and muslims have subsumed him.

We pray to a living God. LIVING means alive means He talks to us.

You hear voices? Are you treating this with anything?

Einstein believed in Jesus Christ & theGod of the bible

Rubbish - I have already shown that to be false.

Bearing false witness will make the baby Jesus cry. You will be punished for that.

and his scientific success was based on bible facts.

Gufffaww.

[topaz]

By calling me a liar re einstein, you are revealling yourselves. Google him and find out about his writings on christian theology. Maybe he can be found on the web. I don’t know.

[topaz]

My apologies people. It is another jew, isaac newton NOT einstein. Sorry. LOL.

[Wyvern]

My apologies people. It is another jew, isaac newton NOT einstein. Sorry. LOL.

Why must you continue to lie? Newton was not a jew, in fact his college post required him to be a qualified anglican minister. It should also be noted that through years of study and analysis of the scriptures Newton arrived at the fact that the trinity was a false teaching. On another note it is true that Newton wrote more on religious matters than he did the scientific, he also wrote more on alchemy than either of those two subjects.