What is a god?

[Forever Atlas]

Personal beliefs. Im a believer in the bibal. Nothing in this section can be proven. Theres no way to really back up these claims.

If you believe in the BIBLE then get to know what it says. It acknowledges that there have been and are many gods.

However the Bible differentiates them when it says there is one true supreme God.

This discussion isn't about that, it's about what makes a god a god.

 

[Hidden]

Well, didn't the Aztec gods derive their power from human sacrifice?

I'm ignorant on the subject. But if that were the case, it would seem to me a continuation of the paradox I was discussing with Ophan--that the further you bring a god into the processes of this world, the further you bind the god to them. Have you taken that into consideration as you search for the universal defining attribute(s) of god?

This discussion isn't about that, it's about what makes a god a god.

Indeed; do you have further thoughts on what distinguishes a god from a piece of wood?

Primarily drawn from Hebrew apocrypha. Satan is basically the prosecutor who would present a case against man in God's court.

Would this be similar to his role as addressed in the Book of Job?

 

[Nyangoro]

Well, just going by the general idea, what makes a god "a god", wouldn't there be no defining property/attributes. A god is anything capable of accepting the title, and what is capable of accepting the title is, quite simply, anything that those offering the title deem worthy of it. What makes them worthy could be any number of reasons.

I suppose it's basically the concept of "he/she/it is a god because people believe it is a god; and once people stop believing/calling them a god, they cease to be one". Granted, as a Christian, I have a set idea of who God is, his attributes, and such; but as a general overview of the idea "god", I'd say the aforementioned is rather accurate.

 

[Allister Rose]

to me, god is the being that create the universe, space and time...and lal powerful but is also loving

 

[Geocillin]

When I took a world religion's class there were two types of gods that were defined.
The first
God-is ultimate reality, which is the cause of everything without being caused by anything.
The other
god-a person with super human powers.

 

[Dogenzaka]

There are other gods in religion that don't fall under any of those categories....like animal worshipers, spirits, etc.

 

[Nyangoro]

From my time spent learning about this, there are three types of gods (you'll have to forgive me though, as I cannot remember their "official names", and am therefore going by their image representation):

1) "Outside the Box": This is the supernatural kind where god is has no interest in dealing with the world and lives outside of it after setting it in motion. This type isn't as common, as most religions teach at least some form of involvement on god's part.
2) "Moves Within the Box": This kind is also supernatural, yet interacts with the world (in some way, shape, or form). Examples of this would be the Christian God, and Roman/Greek gods.
3) "Encased in the Box": These are the natural gods, where god exists in nature. All pantheistic religions fall under this category.

 

[Geocillin]

Which religion are animal worshipers considered a god and what is an animal worshiper in that religion? Also, person in that that being has the characteristic of being someone, yet doesn't have to be human, so a spirit is a person with super human abilities as a spirit is something beyond a physical form which humans require.

 

[Nyangoro]

Which religion are animal worshipers considered a god?

I think he means that animals are worshiped as gods, not that that an animal worshiper himself is considered a god.

Anyway, I don't know of any religions that specifically view animals as gods. Certain religions revere animals (such as cows with Hinduism), but that's not quite the same thing. What Dogen was referring to are pantheistic religions (religions that believe that god is in everything; including rocks, trees, animals, the sun, people, etc). Usually, pantheism refers to god as more of a force than an actual entity.

 

[Dogenzaka]

Yeah sorry, whoops, I meant the animals being worshiped as gods, not the worshipers themselves XD