Is God an Atheist?
Before the Christian dismisses atheism as irrational or condemns the atheist as immoral, he should consider the disturbing possibility that the God of Christianity is himself an atheist. And if this is true, it means that the Christian worships, obeys, and has devoted his life to an atheistic being who does not believe in any power superior to himself, never prays, is utterly without faith, and who does not acknowledge any authority, either cognitive or moral, external to himself.
If theism is loosely defined as belief in a higher power, a mysterious being whose essential nature cannot be understood (whether in whole or in part) by the believer, then God is an atheist. He does not believe in a power higher than himself, nor can there be anything which he fails to understand, for nothing can be unknown or unknowable to an omniscient being.
If theism is defined as the belief in a supernatural being, then God is an atheist. His own powers, though supernatural from a human point of view, are comprehensible to himself. Everything is "natural" from God's perspective.
If theism involves a relationship of subordination and dependence between a theist and her object of veneration, then God is an atheist. He is a self-sufficient Being who disbelieves in any power greater than himself. He worships nothing, never prays, never seeks forgiveness, and never acknowledges his own errors.
If theism is the belief in a creator, or first cause, who is ultimately responsible for one's own existence, then God is an atheist. He believes himself to have existed eternally--though, as Kant suggested, even God must occasionally wonder where he came from.
If theism involves the belief in an external moral authority, a being whose moral law is obligatory for his creatures, then God is an atheist. He does not believe in a higher law, nor does he think himself capable of doing wrong. He does not regard himself bound to respect the rights of any other being. God is morally autonomous, a law unto himself.
God is therefore an atheist. Moreover, he is a positive atheist of the most dogmatic variety, for he claims to know with absolute certainty that there exists no being superior to himself. He is never troubled by doubt, never re-examines any of his beliefs, and never feels obliged to justify them.
This raises some further questions: Why, if God is himself an atheist, should we suppose that that he disapproves of atheism among his creatures? Is not a benevolent father pleased when his children grow up to be like him? And how can the Christian condemn atheism per se without also condemning their atheistic God? Is not the atheist who strives to be like God more admirable than the Christian who merely believes in him?
God is an Athiest
by Tashawaa 6 Replies latest jw friends
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Tashawaa
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fjtoth
An atheist is a person who does not believe in and who denies the existence of God. True, he or she does not worship or obey God, but that has nothing to do with the simple definition of the term atheist.
It is questionable whether atheism exists at all. We all worship something, even if it is only our own egos.
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Narkissos
Interesting.
Religion, and especially the word "God," is one way of screening out the most disturbing questions. But anything that resembles an "explanation" -- even a scientific one -- is basically doing the same thing imo.
Who could stand the burning fire of consciousness without a verbal screen?
But... what would remain of consciousness without any verbal screen?
(What would I find if I broke my monitor screen to get closer to the image "behind"?)
True I can change verbal screens (from a theistic to an atheistic one or vice versa, for instance) and, little by little, start understanding the play both me and my verbal screens are a part of.
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Golf
We can't even understand the mind of a WOMEN and we're flirting with the mind of God?
Golf -
unclebruce
...whilst billions of other people are mumbling to their gods I contemplate for a moment what I would think, were I a god and what effect a few billion or so whining, whinging and crawling servants would have on me. They do not even know if I really exist, yet, that does not stop them. What a sad and unhappy lot is my creation. Too brainwashed and frightened to think for themselves. I have blessed them with Golf what more could they possibly want?
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Satanus
A very good point, tashawaa.
Narkissos
Who could stand the burning fire of consciousness without a verbal screen?
Good question. Within the wt, the programming all but kills consciousness. An emergence from that into full(?) consciousness is hard to cope w. I could see people wanting to turn it down a bit w something else, like a substance, belief, denial or habit.
S