Psience Quest

Do you believe in God?

Even if there is a being out there that had enough power and skill to create a universe and be functionally omnipotent I still wouldn't think of them as a god. Because if they can do it, then anyone can do it, which makes them just another random person like everyone else.

It would need to be more specific for me to answer.

(2021-01-23, 07:45 AM)Mediochre Wrote: [ -> ]Even if there is a being out there that had enough power and skill to create a universe and be functionally omnipotent I still wouldn't think of them as a god. Because if they can do it, then anyone can do it, which makes them just another random person like everyone else.

How the hell do you work that one out?  If God can do it, anyone can do it?

(2021-01-23, 03:52 PM)Brian Wrote: [ -> ]How the hell do you work that one out?  If God can do it, anyone can do it?

I believe his position is God is a being among other beings, rather than the Ground of Being.

No. I don't believe in anthropomorphic gods.

But the poll doesn't specify any such thing, just "God", a very vague, general term.  People seem to be voting on the basis of a very limited view of what "God" might happen to be.  Why not just think of "creative intelligence" and then ask yourself why that doesn't come under the general idea that we label "God" then vote on that basis?

(2021-01-23, 07:00 PM)Brian Wrote: [ -> ]But the poll doesn't specify any such thing, just "God", a very vague, general term.  People seem to be voting on the basis of a very limited view of what "God" might happen to be.  Why not just think of "creative intelligence" and then ask yourself why that doesn't come under the general idea that we label "God" then vote on that basis?

That's why I said not sure. The word encompasses all sorts of possible entities.

But I suspect the poll was meant to be a jumping off point?

(2021-01-23, 03:52 PM)Brian Wrote: [ -> ]How the hell do you work that one out?  If God can do it, anyone can do it?

For one its a matter of principle for me that my locus of control is always above 0% in any given situation so that I at the very least try to work through a solution and not give up.

For two, any self proclaimed god would just be working with the same material as anyone else, thus it comes down to skill and logistics. Although its true that there's lots and lots of ways that the the alleged god could use their initial advantage to attempt to suppress the efforts of others, such efforts can never be absolute. Someone happening to have more opportunity for experience simply because they've happened to lived longer doesn't make them special or worth obeying unquestioningly let alone worshipping. They're just some dude like everyone else, and thus not a god in the religious sense.

(2021-01-23, 09:14 PM)Mediochre Wrote: [ -> ]For one its a matter of principle for me that my locus of control is always above 0% in any given situation so that I at the very least try to work through a solution and not give up.

For two, any self proclaimed god would just be working with the same material as anyone else, thus it comes down to skill and logistics. Although its true that there's lots and lots of ways that the the alleged god could use their initial advantage to attempt to suppress the efforts of others, such efforts can never be absolute. Someone happening to have more opportunity for experience simply because they've happened to lived longer doesn't make them special or worth obeying unquestioningly let alone worshipping. They're just some dude like everyone else, and thus not a god in the religious sense.

Why don't we forget worship.  I don't see how a creator would have to be worshiped in order to be thought of as "God"  My point was, do you really believe that you would be capable of creating and managing a universe simply because the creator could (if there is one)  I don't understand your logic here and I tend to think from what you wrote that your position is more an emotional one than one you really believe.