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To: D-fendr
An accurate definition of "God" is, in this case, rather elusive. It is easy enough to say that you believe in "God", or that you have faith that "God" exists, but without actually defining exactly what it is that you believe exists, your profession of faith is meaningless. Just what are we discussing here?

Before any meaningfull discussion of "God" can begin, we must work out what "God" is. Here are some questions to start with:

1) Is this being a physical entity, or is it defined as "spirit"?

2) What are the attributes of this being? (Love, Wrath, Hate, Compassion, Omnipotence, etc.) Are these attributes consistent with all accounts of "God", as in the bible, the writings of St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis, etc.

3) If there are conficting accounts of these attributes, can they be reasonably explained?

Just some ideas to kick around. Enjoy/flame as you please.

59 posted on 11/04/2001 11:51:29 AM PST by plato99
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To: plato99
Thanks for your post. Good questions; I'll give a quick go:

1) Is this being a physical entity, or is it defined as "spirit"?

"being" is incorrect in our normal definitions of "being." A being has a simple location in space and time. "Beingness" would come closer, at least pointing in the proper direction.

"2) What are the attributes of this being? (Love, Wrath, Hate, Compassion, Omnipotence, etc.) Are these attributes consistent with all accounts of "God", as in the bible, the writings of St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis, etc.

Again, not "being". We could find almost universal agreement for the attributes of God as Truth, Goodness and Beauty.

3) If there are conficting accounts of these attributes, can they be reasonably explained?"

All major religions do not agree; much of the disagreement is on historical grounds, much is due to language/cultural obstacles. We can, however, find a great deal of common ground. We could start with the Perennial Philosophy (Huxley) or the Great Chain of Being.

There is a great deal of agreement amongst the wisdom/religious traditions of humankind; much more agreement among theologians on the truth of the existence and nature of God, than, say, among scientist on the truth of the Big Bang cosmology or on the basic elements of matter and "charge".

90 posted on 11/04/2001 1:28:30 PM PST by D-fendr
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