a god of my design

TMS

Although I'm unlicensed, untrained and beyond doubt unqualified in this field,
I'm thinking about designing, creating a god.

Don't laugh. I'm not the first charlatan to try.

Let me run by you a few preliminary, random thoughts about the kind
of god I'm thinking about inventing.

My god will disdain worship. No, my almighty one will possess enough self-esteem.
He will not need your rituals, sacrifices, praise or alms. Respect
and love, yes. Worship, no. Rather than an empty sacrifice, he will
be more impressed with a productive life. Accomplishment, invention,
creativity, generosity, love will all be more important to Him than
idle ritual.

My god will not be threatened if you build a ziggarut tower to the
"heavens" or discover electricity or nuclear fusion. He will simply
smile his "that's my boy/girl" smile of pride.

My god will not select a "chosen nation."

My god will communicate clearly. He will not use prophetic imagery, visions,
antitypes, types, spiritual "notification," "times," shadows,
or new light.

My god will be very tolerant of new ideas in art, thought, science,
philosophy and exploration.

My god will not permit disease, hunger, child abuse, Adolph Hitlers, war,
theft.

TMS

ps. While my drawing board is still out, what would you like to see in a god?

Yerusalyim

Although I'm unlicensed, untrained and beyond doubt unqualified in this field,
I'm thinking about designing, creating a god.
Don't laugh. I'm not the first charlatan to try. True Enough.
Let me run by you a few preliminary, random thoughts about the kind
of god I'm thinking about inventing.
My god will disdain worship. No, my almighty one will possess enough self-esteem.
He will not need your rituals, sacrifices, praise or alms. Respect
and love, yes. Worship, no. So, how will mere humans be able to express that love, other than in worship? Rather than an empty sacrifice, he will
be more impressed with a productive life. Accomplishment, invention,
creativity, generosity, love will all be more important to Him than
idle ritual. So, what of the human need for ritual?
My god will not be threatened if you build a ziggarut tower to the
"heavens" or discover electricity or nuclear fusion. He will simply
smile his "that's my boy/girl" smile of pride. I think the current God does taht too.
My god will not select a "chosen nation." What if everyone but one nation rejects your god, won't they seem to be "chosen"?
My god will communicate clearly. He will not use prophetic imagery, visions,
antitypes, types, spiritual "notification," "times," shadows,
or new light.
My god will be very tolerant of new ideas in art, thought, science,
philosophy and exploration. So, he'll have no standards.
My god will not permit disease, hunger, child abuse, Adolph Hitlers, war,
theft. You're eliminating free will?

TMS

Yeru,

I understand and appreciate your counterpoints.

You prefer the status quo.

"The human need for ritual"? Not so sure about that.

TMS

XQsThaiPoes

"The human need for ritual"?

you eat with a spoon/fork right? You don't need to but I assume most of your meals is eaten with one. Why? Cant you use your hands or chopsticks? Humans like doing the same thing over and over no matter how much they deny it.

TMS

XQ,

"you eat with a spoon/fork right? "

You've lost me. Perhaps, I'm just very different from you. I select an appropriate utencil, if needed. No more. No less.I don't put out a salad fork without a salad . . . . You may be confusing habits that serve some purpose with religious rituals.

My original point was that a god does not need a fingered Rosary, lit candles, a field service report, chants or the fat of a lamb. A secondary point is that humans do not NEED to perform those rituals.

TMS

onacruse

TMS, interesting proposal.

A couple thoughts come to mind:

1) You are your own god. Philosphically speaking, this brash statement is not as unreasonable as it may seem;

2) The Genesis account. God says: "Let us make man in our own image," and it happens. Then God puts constraints on the picture: "Eat not of this tree." Satan says: "God knows that in eating of this tree, you will be like Him, knowing good and bad." They eat, and God says: "Here they have become like one of us in knowing good and bad...let's banish them from the Garden."

Self-determination (the essential "image" of God), even insofar as "defining" God, is not a far-fetched option...indeed, it may well be (imo, is) the only option.

Craig

TMS

Craig, Oh yes. The Genesis account. God and Satan both seem like game-players here. If the account is to be believed, everyone(Satan included) wants to be "like God." 4000 years later "Satan" even requests an "act of worship." TMS ps. I think Yeru and XQ missed the thrust of my post. I was trying to hint at the ludricous nature of the biblical god. I guess I'm not a "Great Communicator!" "sigh"

onacruse

TMS,

Defining "God" is like trying to define "Infinity." "God" is a socio-psychological construct; mathematically and physically unprovable, though (imo) philosophically consistent, even necessary.

otoh, I suspect that this thread might best belong in B&D, eh? LOL

"The Great Communicator"....how painfully "God" has failed in that.

Smoldering Wick

my god would not murder people

because they worked on sunday
or tried to keep his ark from falling
or weren't a virgin on their wedding night

my god would not murder children

because they made fun of bald people
because of something thier parents did
because they didn't have a mark on their foreheads

my god would not say "don't kill" and then kill or order the murder of close to 2 million people.

my god would not make an inferior product he'd sweep under the rug later .

funkyderek

My god will not permit disease, hunger, child abuse, Adolph Hitlers, war,
theft. You're eliminating free will?

Yeru, is it your contention that eternal suffering is necessary for someone to have free will? Would it be enough to have the suffering confined to one area or does there have to be the potential for suffering everywhere?

If you were in charge, would you not offer a repression of a small amount of free will to those who wished to avoid this kind of horrible suffering?

a god of my design

Share this