Can God cure as well as kill? Should God kill or cure?

I am past that (both the talking to a supernatural lifeform and the conviction It has to be a sentient being. I can understand other people would say 'then why call It God'. Because Its the creating force of the universe.

 

I think consciousness of it's own existence would have to be there. God has to know itself to be God.

 

So far we have two different viewpoints on what is essential to define God, then. On the one hand, a sentient being, and on the other hand, simply the creative force of the universe.

How can you ever define it, then? It could even be that there is some hyper-aware entity that exists throughout the cosmos which is distinct from the driving creative force of the universe. But which is God?

 

Just 'sentient being', rather than 'a sentient being is more the concept I had in mind. 'A sentinet being' sounds too much like a kind of being with something like human individuality.

In the end I don't think it's posible to say definitively what God is in a way that is satisfying. Some say that its just as hard to say definitively what isn't God. I think there are many ways you can look at it.

 

What is it you're looking for in a definition? I have explained what the dictionary says Definition of GOD And what I my own understanding is: a felt presence of a Higher Power--a great mystery accounting for the integrated complexity of the universe, our sense of ultimate meaning, and the summation of human idealism." What more are you looking for? If you want an operational definition that includes measurements, I'm afraid you're out of luck.

 

Some people do try to define God though. To some degree or another most religions have their concept of God. Or at least some ideas about God - eg God is Good, God is Great, God is Love and so on.
Others say their idea of God is faulty, limited, just plain fantasy etc.

Thus people use what intelligence they have to put forward their own ideas or question the ideas of others. The intelligence level depends on the particpants.

As to what God can and can't do, it's fairly clear that the OP wasn't seriously asking.

 

Bla, bla, bla to you, too. Once again you demonstrate that logic is not your strong suit..Believing that Jesus was a real historical figure and believing that he did and said all of the things attrbuted to Him are two different things.

 

There you might run into opposition from fans of Paul Tillich who say that God is not a being but the Ground of Being and attributing existence to God conveys the impression that God is a mere being. Instead he prefers "the reality, the validity, the truth of the idea of God, an idea which did not carry the connotation of something or someone who might or might not exist".arguments for God’s existence :: Paul Tillich

 

What's wrong with being a being? I think most people prefer to think of God as some kind of being. What is meant by "the Ground of Being" anyway? I've never thought of being as having a ground. It is just what happens to something that exists. Even the ground of being would have a sense of being.

 

Excellent question. I would take it further and ask how one can determine that Jesus said that we should love what has yet to be defined.

 

I probably didn't express myself very well there - what I had in mind was actually something more like the 'Ground of Being'. I did say that 'sentient being' rather than 'a sentient being' is closer to what I wanted to say.

 

By keeping things open, no dogmas and keeping in mind we're speculating/making educated guesses at best.

 

If it's distinct from the driving creative force of the universe it's most likely not God.

 

What if the driving creative force created something that developed the capacity to control and manipulate the universe to the smallest degree, though?

The only thing I can think of that everyone would probably agree on is that God is great or awe-inspiring. God couldn't be God if it was something one could casually disregard.

 

It seems very unlikely that such an agreement will be reached - given that humankind in general haven't been able to settle on a definite and universally accepted definition of God, I doubt it will happen here.

 

God is a spirit being and we were made in his image. His ways are higher than ours and his thinking is higher than ours. If he is to be worshipped it can only be in spirit and truth.

 

Does this spirit being have a spirit form? Or is it just like a spirit that pervades everything?