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The abstract God of the philosophers has none of the characteristics of a person. Yet and still, there are those who claim that it is possible to bend the knee in adoration. Such a possibility is difficult for me to grasp.
Thanks much,
Jerome
Thanks much,
Jerome
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Re: The abstract God of the philosophers
Sat, November 21, 2009 - 1:58 AMYou might be speaking of Spinoza's concept of God, which is also nature.
In order to exist, God MUST be three things, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. If anything is larger than God, then logically that can't be God, any more than you are the 'God' of the tropical fish you keep in your aquarium.
Therefore, God MUST be everything in the Universe as well as the Universe itself. All infinity and eternity. Every individual thing in the Universe such as you, me, a car, Australia, parasitic worms and so forth are also God, or a MODE of God.
This God isn't a person, it's the natural world. There is no ego to insult or flatter, no conscious mind to appeal to in prayer. So, the only way you can 'bend a knee in admiration' is to study it in a scientific way, such as through a microscope or a telescope. -
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Re: The abstract God of the philosophers
Sat, November 21, 2009 - 11:47 AM"In order to exist, God MUST be three things, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent."
Why MUST a God be all 3 things? This seems a rather narrowly western theological conception of God. The Hindus for example, generally do not believe this about their gods, nor did the ancient Greeks.
"This God isn't a person, it's the natural world."
Poetic flourishes aside, I don't understand how this viewpoint differs from atheism. Care to explain?
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Re: The abstract God of the philosophers
Mon, November 23, 2009 - 1:58 AM"If anything is larger than God"
That assumes God occupies space, which is not necessary. There are different senses of "omnipresent" which don't require God to be everywhere; for example, he need not be yet everything be in the presence of God.
"This God isn't a person, it's the natural world."
Well, that doesn't logically follow what you previously wrote
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Re: The abstract God of the philosophers
Fri, December 4, 2009 - 10:59 AMwell, for example a deist god still "started" the universe, and thus has agency, which is a human attribute.
either abstract deism is 100% equivalent to the natural universe, in which it's just an abuse of language to call it "god," or it is in some sense anthropomorphic, and thus an unsupportable imposition of the human-like onto the unknown.
