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**Eryx_UK** · 20 Oct 2010, 03:14

Re: What is a "god"?

Difficult to answer but simply put I would say that a god is a higher power and/or astral entity who are aspects of either the mortal or an environmental condition (such as weather, love, the moon, war, the sea...etc) and have some control over those aspects.

**B. de Corbin** · 20 Oct 2010, 03:25

Re: What is a "god"?

[quote author=Eryx_UK link=topic=398.msg5173#msg5173 date=1287573259]
Difficult to answer but simply put I would say that a god is a higher power and/or astral entity who are aspects of either the mortal or an environmental condition (such as weather, love, the moon, war, the sea...etc) and have some control over those aspects.
[/quote]

Can you explain what you mean by "a higher power" and "astral entity"?

**Shadow Dragon** · 20 Oct 2010, 03:31

Re: What is a "god"?

To me a god is simply a being that has a massive amount of power, in comparison to you. For example, a human would probably seem like a god from an ant's point of view.

**Dufonce** · 20 Oct 2010, 03:48

Re: What is a "god"?

[quote author=Shadow Dragon link=topic=398.msg5176#msg5176 date=1287574279]
To me a god is simply a being that has a massive amount of power, in comparison to you. For example, a human would probably seem like a god from an ant's point of view.
[/quote]

you make me want to let ants do their little ant farm thing.... and then take a magnifying glass to it.... you make me have cruel thoughts...

**Ophidia** · 20 Oct 2010, 04:11

Re: What is a "god"?

A god is able to create worlds, destroy worlds and be worlds.

Everything is a god, and the gods are in everything.

Last night, when I stood on my porch and watched the lightning flash all around me, that was God. God was the thunder following the lightning, the rain that poured from the cracked-open sky, the wind that exhilarated me and terrified me. God was the anvil-flat clouds, God was the scent of rain heavy in the air. God was the steam rising from the parched dirt, God was the dirt, God was the dogs howling all around, the ants scurrying for their lives, the crickets hopping madly as the cracks along the walls filled with God-in-the-water, God was the caltrops plant with its leaves turned to face the sky, God was me feeling relatively safe and grounded in my flip-flops, God was me & my husband naked in the storm.

**B. de Corbin** · 20 Oct 2010, 04:20

Re: What is a "god"?

[quote author=Shadow Dragon link=topic=398.msg5176#msg5176 date=1287574279]
To me a god is simply a being that has a massive amount of power, in comparison to you. For example, a human would probably seem like a god from an ant's point of view.
[/quote]

So... If we met another race out in space somewhere who had highly advanced weapons and/or technology, would they qualify as gods? I'm reminded of the "Cargo Cults" in the Pacific in the early 20th century - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult

[quote author=perzephone link=topic=398.msg5182#msg5182 date=1287576692]
Everything is a god, and the gods are in everything.
[/quote]

I understand, thanks to your lovely example. Does your concept of "god" include sentience? Is it a personal god (does it "care" about individuals), or an impersonal god (does not care about details, like individuals)?

**Shadow Dragon** · 20 Oct 2010, 06:15

Re: What is a "god"?

[quote author=B. de Corbin link=topic=398.msg5189#msg5189 date=1287577247]
So... If we met another race out in space somewhere who had highly advanced weapons and/or technology, would they qualify as gods? I'm reminded of the "Cargo Cults" in the Pacific in the early 20th century - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult
[/quote]
It depends on how advance they are. If they're pretty much immortal and have a massive amount of control over their environment, then yeah. For all intents and purposes, they'd be gods.

**volcaniclastic** · 20 Oct 2010, 07:15

Re: What is a "god"?

Perze kinda hit the nail on the head for me, but I'll add this:

the gods are only personifications of nature. Nature is God.

**Dumuzi** · 20 Oct 2010, 07:19

Re: What is a "god"?

There is no god but Allah.

Sorry I just had to.

Well, I look at it the same way I look at religion. If someone takes something as their god then that is their god. Like if someone worships the sun, I don't personally think the sun is a god but I'll refer to it as the god of that person.

You know the same way I can say this person follows a certain religion, doesn't mean I actually believe the religion to be true.

So if someone thinks Jesus Christ is god, I don't agree with them because I don't think he is god, but I can understand what they are saying.

When you use the word "god," what do you mean?

So when I use the word god I refer to things that people take as a god, not necessary things I think are actually god.

**ChainLightning** · 20 Oct 2010, 08:24

Re: What is a "god"?

[quote author=B. de Corbin link=topic=398.msg5166#msg5166 date=1287569535]
When you use the word "god," what do you mean?
[/quote]

A 'Generic Oppression Device'.

**B. de Corbin** · 20 Oct 2010, 09:40

Re: What is a "god"?

[quote author=volcaniclastic link=topic=398.msg5221#msg5221 date=1287587714]
the gods are only personifications of nature. Nature is God.
[/quote]

There are two ways (at least) of thinking of gods as a personification of nature -

A. People break "nature" into smaller bits in order to create things which are easier or more convenient to think about or talk about, in which case these personifications are human-made concepts which have no real external validity (except as parts of a larger whole). For example, I can speak of a thunder god as if it were an entity, using it as a metaphor.

B. "Nature" is able to break aspects of itself off (in a sense, at least as far a human perceptions go) and manifest them to humans as if they are individual entities - which, I imagine, would be done mainly for the convenience of communicating with creatures of limited perceptions (us). For example, the thunder god can actually come and visit me, whereas "nature" itself would have a hard time fitting into my mind all at once.

I'm imagining that you mean "A" for sure, but wondering if you also include "B" in there?

[quote author=Dumuzi link=topic=398.msg5222#msg5222 date=1287587955]
So when I use the word god I refer to things that people take as a god, not necessary things I think are actually god.
[/quote]

So... what do you think is actually god? Can you give a description of your actual concept of God?

[quote author=ChainLightning link=topic=398.msg5240#msg5240 date=1287591870]
A 'Generic Oppression Device'.
[/quote]

LOL - you've been drinking from the existentialist's bottle. I'll tell you a secret, if you promise not to let it get out...

Do not read this if you are not Chain!! - Gods are the weakest device of oppression ever devised. Unlike an atomic bomb, gods have no power at all unless people believe in them. And yet, they've ended up as the most powerful engine of oppression ever used. Go figure.

**TaiganPagan** · 20 Oct 2010, 09:42

Re: What is a "god"?

By the way I understand it... Gods are the embodiment of a faith that has became sentient on it's own. Luckily such beings only exists in the Afterworld (Otherworld) and have little influence over the physical world (it only influences through faith). However Gods knows that, if they lose the faith of their worshippers, they are bound to starve or worst, be destroyed. Thus using a way to bound the souls of intelligent beings to a place of Bliss, in order to deprive us of our conscious ability to choose, thus securing the faith of it's followers to itself. (Despotism was the first and the most popular system, democracy in the Afterworld is only a fantasy)

Another form of godlike beings called Aspects of Nature (Titans, Vanes... etc...) exists over there, they were the original creators of the Cradles of Life (Universes). Their goal was to populate an empty Afterworld with souls and memories so that there would be at least something to do. They do not need souls to exist on their own, and their origins are a mystery. But the souls of intelligent beings, grouped into faiths, which became later on Gods, and radically hijacked the Cradles of Life from the Aspects of Nature. Like we humans do with Nature here on earth, we took control of it all and own it.

Our world is only a school peopled by children who learns the mechanics of the outside world (Afterworld... Otherworld), and like children, we are being told lies by the grownups (Gods) in order to facilitate our submission.

That is why I do not worship them, but however, I do not want to make myself look weak to them, or I would be crush like an insect. I try to prove my worth to them, thus the reason of respect, like good enemies.

**Ophidia** · 20 Oct 2010, 14:02

Re: What is a "god"?

You answered this question for me: [quote author=B. de Corbin link=topic=398.msg5189#msg5189 date=1287577247]I understand, thanks to your lovely example. Does your concept of "god" include sentience? Is it a personal god (does it "care" about individuals), or an impersonal god (does not care about details, like individuals)?
[/quote]

[quote author=B. de Corbin link=topic=398.msg5258#msg5258 date=1287596432]
There are two ways (at least) of thinking of gods as a personification of nature -

A. People break "nature" into smaller bits in order to create things which are easier or more convenient to think about or talk about, in which case these personifications are human-made concepts which have no real external validity (except as parts of a larger whole). For example, I can speak of a thunder god as if it were an entity, using it as a metaphor.

B. "Nature" is able to break aspects of itself off (in a sense, at least as far a human perceptions go) and manifest them to humans as if they are individual entities - which, I imagine, would be done mainly for the convenience of communicating with creatures of limited perceptions (us). For example, the thunder god can actually come and visit me, whereas "nature" itself would have a hard time fitting into my mind all at once.
[/quote]

Only instead of 'personification nature' I use 'personificiation of the universe'. There is more to the universe than what humans might consider 'nature'. Or it may be that my mentality doesn't see nature as big enough to encompass the universe - I'm an urbanite, and my backyard is the size of a postage stamp, so to me 'nature' is something you go outside of an urban environment to see, while the universe is all around, even in the cities.

**volcaniclastic** · 20 Oct 2010, 14:16

Re: What is a "god"?

[quote author=B. de Corbin link=topic=398.msg5258#msg5258 date=1287596432]
There are two ways (at least) of thinking of gods as a personification of nature -

A. People break "nature" into smaller bits in order to create things which are easier or more convenient to think about or talk about, in which case these personifications are human-made concepts which have no real external validity (except as parts of a larger whole). For example, I can speak of a thunder god as if it were an entity, using it as a metaphor.

B. "Nature" is able to break aspects of itself off (in a sense, at least as far a human perceptions go) and manifest them to humans as if they are individual entities - which, I imagine, would be done mainly for the convenience of communicating with creatures of limited perceptions (us). For example, the thunder god can actually come and visit me, whereas "nature" itself would have a hard time fitting into my mind all at once.

I'm imagining that you mean "A" for sure, but wondering if you also include "B" in there?

[/quote]

This might make me contradictory, but I think that it is BOTH A and B.

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What is a "god"?

What is a "god"?

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