How is god eternal?

Every time time I talk to a christian they say god is "eternal" and does not require creation. What does this mean?

 

it means that they can say to us "trust me he exists" while making others look for hard evidence before claiming anything.

 

It is used as defensive i think

 

its to counter the "what created god" argument
though, i dont see why 'existance' cant be eternal, and needs a creator at all if god doesnt

 

That is a good counter argument.

 

no one invented math, it's just always been true


it's like that.....

 

but math is really just the human's representation of what is true in a form that makes doing maths presumably easiest. just like god is some human's representation of the spiritual form/nature of reality, and is in a form that makes life and controlling lives easier than atheists

 

eternal/eternity is beyond or before time. cause and effect are in time.

Of course, if existence is eternal, then so could god. That argument goes both ways.

 

wow thats fucking amazing.

 

Eternity, like infinity, is a concept that humans can understand but never fully grasp. It's easy to say "infinity is repition for ever" (as is eternity in a different form), but no human being is capable of actually imagining such a concept. Our minds are about limits. We can define anything within limits. Four trillion? Sure. We can comprehend that. Infinite amounts of time? Without a beginning and end we can never understand. So really, I think, christians argue that God exists outside our ability to comprehend. If we argue the existence of other phases of existence, it's possible that infinity and eternity to our state of being is something completely different to the all-powerful god figure in the christian belief system.

 

Right. Math is just another language (symbolic representation of reality). This is why science is limited and will never be complete or find Truth. It's still abstracting it, very precisely with math, but it's still abstract.

 

How is God not eternal? I guess it depends on your perspective of what God is?

I think of space, time, and infinite dimensions...Exploding stars, and atoms being born. The endless exchange of subtle and gross energies in this multiverse.

 

Eternal simply means not confined (or defined) by time.

 

Actually, techie... "GOD" invented math.

 

what if our math wasnt sufficient to explain reality, not even sufficient to explain things like wave particle duality. would we just give up? or try to invent something new? would tha teven be possible?

 

Well eternal is another word for infinite, obviously right?

 

Eternity and Infinity are not the same thing at all. Infinity is an unlimited amount of something, in this case, time. Eternal simply means not confined (or defined) by time. Eternity is independent and completely unaffected by time.

Think of it this way, Time is to Eternity as Inches are to Music.

Peace and Love

 

The Atheist: If humans require creation to exist does that not also apply for god?

The Christian: God is eternal he does not require creation to exist.

The Atheist: So why do humans require creation to exist then?

The Christian: Because there is got to be creator.


The Atheist: Why can't existence be eternal?

The Christian: Because existence requires a beginning.

The Atheist: Why doesn't god require a beginning?

The Christian: God is absolute.

The Atheist: How so?

The Christian: God is the best answer we can explain existence with.

The Atheist: If god does not require creation then I don't either to exist.

The Christian: I guess so.




The Atheist: Why does existence require creation?

The Christian: It must have a beginning and the christian concludes the beginning is god.



Here is problem with the argument:
god is ever lasting he is eternal human existence is not. So does the christian have a point?