The God concept, part 2; What is God - section A: Is God an entity?
Modern day, Main-stream "Christianity", paints a picture (on a canvas dubbed "truth), of a monotheistic God who in actuality must be a deity as he is defined as the father of "Jesus Christ", but not as the father to all of creation.
Of course, the original, Gnostic teaching of Christianity, taught by the christed one known today as "Jesus" , as well as by Marry Magdalene and their disciples, and later turned into a religion, does not paint the same picture as modern Christianity.
That is to say, the original teachings have been (purposefully?) construed.
However, this is beside the point for the purposes of this installment.
Because no matter how Christianity started, there are many sects based on biblical interpretations within its umbrella.
Personally, I have found that the most commonly pushed Interpretation of biblical text is that God is a single entity.
Those who interpret God in this way also push their belief that this DEITY , is an all powerful being with no holds barred who has the power to condemn those who do not accept his authority as higher than their own.
Yet this contradicts almost everything the bible talks about - or any "religious" , spiritual, or Gnostic or ancient text deemed to carry the truth of God.
In such texts, God is portrayed as all loving, as divine, as omnipresent, omnipotent, and as non-judgmental.
In such texts, God is not portrayed as an entity - but as a mystical, supernatural force.
So why do certain sects of Christianity portray God as an entity?
Is it possible that all of existence was created by an already created being?
The problem with portraying any ENTITY as the whole, complete, Exalted, omnipotent God is that it just isn't possible.
When ancient creeds talk about monotheism, they mean it in the sense that all is one - that all things come from the same source and thus ARE MADE UP OF the same source: thus all that is in its totality sums up the oneness of God. Nothing more and nothing less - as there is nothing more and nothing less.
But an entity can never be ALL THINGS , as said entity would cease to be an individual entity.
An entity is an individual consciousness - a part of the oneness of all that is that may or may not constitute what we call God, but definitely not the SUM of all things.
An entity is an individual being that thinks its own thoughts, feels its own feelings, dreams its own dreams, and lives its own life.
Webster dictionary defines God as: "the supreme or ultimate reality".
I tend to agree with this definition for various reasons.
God, as the designer, creator and ruling force of the universe, must be as by definition the supreme reality.
For God must have been before the creation of this universe (or any universe).
And yet, an entity could never be the supreme reality of all of existence, and can only betray themselves as such.
For God - as the supreme reality - must be of a higher power than any one individual life, and must - in order to be "one God" - a part of everything.
For if God was not a part of everything, if God was not residing IN everything, then God would not be a higher power....but only an entity.
Furthermore, If we look at God as the "creator of all" , then we have to ask the question: "who created God"?
If God is the creator of ALL THINGS , then would he not have no creator?
And what about the laws of the universe?
If God was an entity, he would be bound to the laws that rule the universe - whatever those laws might be - , and as such could not even fathomably exist as the highest authority in existence - as the laws of the universe would rule him.
“Every person has free choice. Free to obey or disobey the Natural Laws. Your choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.”- Alfred A. Montapert
Even if an entity claiming to be "the all powerful God and decider of all fate" was able to bend or break the basic laws of the universe, such as escape the necessity of space and time, they could not escape the natural orders such as rhythm and cause and effect without eventually facing the consequences of their actions - whatever that might mean.
And even if they could, they would eventually run into some natural order or force that is older than time, space or even individual existence.
If we portray God to be a higher power that is omnipotent, omnipresent, and all-knowing, then it is impossible for God to be an entity.
For example, In order for an intelligence to KNOW ALL THINGS , said intelligence must BE ALL THINGS.
For if said intelligence was not in actuality that which constituted all things, then some knowledge would escape its grasp.
And it wouldn't be God, for it wouldn't be omnipotent.
As always, Your attention is appreciated.
lookout for the next installment.
You lost me at "original, gnostic teaching of Christianity"
Get used to the idea that the original writings were St Paul and the Gospels. That is the accepted historical truth, even to today's sceptics.
Here is a lecture, a somewhat long one, but it is very important to get this material into you. Gary Habermas WAS a sceptic. Then he did his research on it, and he is offering as solid proof as anything that the historical Jesus is the same as the one portrayed in the new testament.
I lost you?
If you don't understand or disagree with that part, skip past it. LMFAO.
I'll check it out. But keep in mind that people probably didn't use last names so much as titles in those days, and that the letter J didn't even exist in his time. Obviously he was a real being, but construed by forced interpretations.
Ill keep it in mind to simplify my writings.
As for this
I have no idea if this is true, or how to tell, or why it matters.
I believe this too.....I believe that those who change texts such as the bible to control the masses are not creative enough to create something of their own ilk.
And so, aside from all the distractions, @thomasaquinasftw , do you believe that God is an entity? What is god?
No, i don't believe that God is an entity. The way we use the english language in this case should help clarify my reasoning. the word "an" is an indefinite article, pointing to one of many (or more than one). Since i believe in a singular, all-powerful God, i cannot use any article before I say "God". There is no way to say, "a god" or "an entity", because He is totally singular and unique. One God. What you seem to object to is the concept of three persons in One singular God. am i correct in reading you this way?
It matters a great deal, because once you have learned it, you will stop seeing "modern" Christianity as out of step with the "original,gnostic teaching". The Gnostics are all good for selling Dan Brown books, but as far as coherent teachings on God go, they leave a hell of a lot to be desired. The Koran (when seen for what it is: the scripture for the greatest Christian heresy,) is just like the gnostic writings. It is incomplete, rife with logical, historical and biblical contradictions, and it appears to be written specifically to counter the Christian perspective of God as Father, Son and Spirit.
You cannot deny that the bible has been endlessly reformatted.
And as for this, there is wisdom to be found in all texts, and all things.
yes all things are awesome. their very existence is amazing.
Well, you lost me in a sense. I read the rest of your post, and not to knock you too much, you are constructing an argument which is made to look logical and coherent, but which is actually built on a few fundamentally flawed suppositions.
I can agree with you that God the creator is not an entity. At least as long as you are using the word to mean "creature"; as in a created being. I don't understand what you mean when you say that some christian sects have made God into an entity, or "Personally, the most commonly pushed Interpretation of biblical text is that God is a single entity".
I have to disagree. The most common interpretation of biblical texts is that God is God. He is not an entity, even though because all of creation shares common elements of God, you can say that he may sometimes manifest as an entity. Scripturally speaking, God manifests himself as a burning bush (or rather a fire which is not consuming a bush), as a column of fire, or as a rock, or as many other things... you could say entities. But they are not really God, but rather manifestations of God's power.
Now, I think what you might be getting at here is that Christianity has changed the focus from God as omnipotent force, or spirit, to one of God as a living person, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Is this what you object to? Because I would definately not call Jesus an "entity". Entities are created, and Christian belief, from the very earliest, is that Jesus the Son was begotten of the Father, not created by Him. There is a very important distinction there, and it is one which should prevent us from seeing God as an entity, unless you're morman, which isn't Christian, because LDS do not profess the trinitarian view of God.