What makes a god a God?

[sarahb]

I have asked this time and time again, never with an answer. I have always tried countering faith with logic and it never ends well. It seems people are just too dead-set on believing without evidence that there's no changing their minds no matter what you say.

So lately I've been sticking to one main point and until it's answered than any other questions, or belief in faith, or in logic, or anything to justify whichever position you're on is fruitless.

So my question is, what makes a god a God? If you can answer this with one response that cannot be proven to be doable by humans, or something that is factually proven, then what are you really believing in? If you cannot provide an answer to the very foundation of your belief...what/who you're actually believing in...then why do you believe it?

I've tried breaking down the characteristics that people usually attribute to their gods, and not one is specifically unique to a god. I'd like to hear some of your characteristics that you attribute to your god that really makes them a god. If possible please provide in-depth analysis on your reasons that each attribute makes something/someone a god, and how that attribute is unique to this alleged god.

[lizbeth]

worship with false idols?

[sarahb]

I'm not really looking for things that we do as worship for these god(s), more on the lines of what is it about this god that makes it a god.

[lizbeth]

that was my poor attempt at religious humor and the 10 commandments. it obviously went over real good!

I'm actually with you, I use logic and logic says there is no god. the only way they can "prove" that god exists is to envoke the "faith" clause.

enter church of the flying spaghetti monster

* eliza beth was touched by his noodly appendage

[Vexing]

FSM!!!

Ahem.
Common attributes of a god:
- Omnipotent
- Created Reality/the World/Earth/The Universe/Everything
- Is petulant and aggressive when not worshiped properly

[Ephilei]

I have asked this time and time again, never with an answer. I have always tried countering faith with logic and it never ends well. It seems people are just too dead-set on believing without evidence that there's no changing their minds no matter what you say.

So lately I've been sticking to one main point and until it's answered than any other questions, or belief in faith, or in logic, or anything to justify whichever position you're on is fruitless.

So my question is, what makes a god a God? If you can answer this with one response that cannot be proven to be doable by humans, or something that is factually proven, then what are you really believing in? If you cannot provide an answer to the very foundation of your belief...what/who you're actually believing in...then why do you believe it?

I've tried breaking down the characteristics that people usually attribute to their gods, and not one is specifically unique to a god. I'd like to hear some of your characteristics that you attribute to your god that really makes them a god. If possible please provide in-depth analysis on your reasons that each attribute makes something/someone a god, and how that attribute is unique to this alleged god.

I worship God because without God I'd have killed myself. For me personally, no one could have done that.

Proof of God's existence is overrated. I have yet to see anyone prove that anything exists at all, themself, me, the universe, but few people believe they don't exist.  How do you define existence?

In Christianity, your question is  a mis-use of categories because we don't believe God and humanity are categories that can't overlap. Jesus, for example. So you're right that the characteristics of God are doable by humans (in theory) but so what? That's an argument against the Jewish and Muslim concept of God, but not the Christian or Hindu concepts.

If someone/something acts in perfect fulfillment always, I consider them God. So far only Jesus/God has done that. If I ever meet someone else I'll add them to my list. In Christianity, we believe that when the time comes that the Earth and Heaven are made one, there will be an awful lot of humans on that list. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

[tekla]

Followers with belief make god a God.  An unnamed, unworshiped god does not really exist.

[KarenLyn]

FSM!!!

Ahem.
Common attributes of a god:
- Omnipotent
- Created Reality/the World/Earth/The Universe/Everything
- Is petulant and aggressive when not worshiped properly

Regarding your common attributes
Omnipotent - true but I try not to show off.
Creation - not one of my better works though it does have it's good points.
Worship - actually, I couldn't give a rip one way or the other. I'm too busy to pay attention most of the time.

no offense

Karen

[Vicky]

As I get it, a god is an electrical impulse in a part of your deep brain that stimulates other parts of your thinking processes. Special non-invasive brain scanning techniques have shown that a part of the brain that is not otherwise too active lights up like a christmas tree when spiritual or religious contemplation is in gear. The study did not conclusively prove this, but did show some intersting pictures of brain activities.  Problem for us, is that this spot is near the brain part that they are looking at for Gender Dysphoria issues --!!!  WAACCKKKK    So, God is an electrical impulse with a human personification.

While I do not have a way to prove that I was not created in the image of some god, I am well aware of the fact that most god's are created in men's images, and have only slightly better table manners than that of their creators.  I am a practicing Christian (someday I will get it right), but I do see where even the concept I think of as God is not the same image that all of the other Christians see.  To me most of them make the diety too hard to understand and then quote the non-understandable as having said something that makes them be the only ones right about the subject.  SIGH!!!  I do see a great harmony in what I commonly refer to as "creation" even if it contains what many people consider to be horrors (such as GLBT people) and destructive forces that run counter to creation.  I won't venture to guess if that harmony is God, or a definition of one, I just see it and love it. 

The mathematician/philosopher Pascal created a diagram that showed four logical "bets" on the presence of a "god", and only one of the four said that belief was a BAD thing. 

[Suzy]

So my question is, what makes a god a God?

Part of this question will be answered by how you define God.

Personally, I have always been intrigued by Anselm's ontological argument, which basically defines God as "that than which nothing greater can be conceived."

If you are interested in a discussion of how the logic goes, here is an interesting link:
http://www.princeton.edu/~grosen/puc/phi203/ontological.html

Kristi

[Ephilei]

As I get it, a god is an electrical impulse in a part of your deep brain that stimulates other parts of your thinking processes. Special non-invasive brain scanning techniques have shown that a part of the brain that is not otherwise too active lights up like a christmas tree when spiritual or religious contemplation is in gear. The study did not conclusively prove this, but did show some intersting pictures of brain activities.  Problem for us, is that this spot is near the brain part that they are looking at for Gender Dysphoria issues --!!!  WAACCKKKK    So, God is an electrical impulse with a human personification

In a sense. In a sense, anythiong we ever think of is an electric imulse in our brains. God isn't an impulse, only our thoughts of God are.

[Natasha]

good question.  is it a difference in power? i don't think so, if this were so, an advanced alien species could rightly be called gods. if you're familiar with stargate, think gou'ald.

is it a creator? again, i don't think so. for one, i don't believe in a creator god, and also, geppetto is not god to pinocchio.

i think what makes gods is perception. if people are willing to submit to something as god, then it is to them.

[Vicky]

Years ago, I was told by a Sunday School teacher one day that God was omniscient (allknowing), omnipotent (allpowerful) and omnipresent (present in all places).  The rest of the year, the teacher proceeded to tell us what God did not know, what God could not do, and where God could not go.  I was not too popular at the church when I told them I saw a problem.  (I was a seventh grader at the tiime.) 

God as I understand God, could easily a) generate an electrical impulse, b) be the electrical impulse, c) be the nerve that carries it and infinitely more, and can be the idea that I communicate when I speak about the experience.  Sarah's original parameters on this were what God could do that man cannot do. Limiting God to being greater than just ordinary things is still a limit that doesn't fit too well in me. The one caution I have for some people though is that just because I believe God can do something doesn't mean God is going to do it.     

[Kim6]

If you want to change what people believe, you have to offer them information without creating resistance.  I am not very good at it which is why I try to avoid posting 

BTW, what makes a god a God is belief but you already knew that.