What is "god?"

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FollowHim

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"
The difficult word θεος (theos) means god, and it's difficult because it's commonly assessed from the Roman pagan legacy that dominates modern thinking. The ancients were not religious like we moderns are. The ancients were mostly interested in survival — surviving nature, wild animals, disease and attacking neighbors — and for that they needed an unbiased, accurate, verifiable and shared world view. In those days, false prophets were executed (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).

We moderns may be tempted to think that religious nonsense was the old standard and science the new, but the fact of the matter is that science was always the standard until politicians began to muddy the waters with religious demagoguery. The information technology we celebrate today began when prehistoric people began to share symbols. A book is a far greater miracle than a hard drive, and the narrative technology in which the Bible was written far exceeds any sort of data compression, storage and retrieval that came after that.

The word θεος (theos) probably comes from the noun θετης (thetes), setter, from the verb τιθημι (tithemi), to set or place. It derives from the idea that the universe runs on a set of fixed laws, which ultimately are one. Modern science calls this the Theory Of Everything, and assumes it's a mere set of detached mathematical statements. The ancients, however, understood that this unified set, or Word, describes a universe that is alive in essence, and as one as the Word that governs it. In that sense it's like the DNA that could be confused with a mere inanimate code, but which in fact is the very source of life. The Word contains everything, including DNA..." What God is and what God is not

with apologies to mr ewe--who suffers my presence with much dignity--as i am vaguely becoming aware that such a lengthy quote is prolly a felony or something? Or somehow at least not very kosher

i would much prefer to have threaded this in Interfaith Discussion--which is imo a misnomer at best--but i am trying to be a good little fascist, so.

God is a term humans have used for an eternal being who in some form is the source of our existence.
In a christian sense, Yawah is God the creator of everything, who revealed himself in detail to the prophets and ultimately in Jesus the Messiah.

The revelation of Yawah through His people, defines who He is and how He wishes to interact with people.
The testimony limits our behaviour, and boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not.

The church historically tried to dictate what was truth and what was not outside their understanding and view, which failed, and was definitively not loving or understanding of others.

Science is the study and extrapolation of material observations and theories that explain it in a physical sense.
The danger scientists have fallen into is they have begun to believe their material observations define reality, rather than are a pragmatic approximation of our daily interaction with reality. This step of faith, for some, has made science into their god.

To make sense of the world we are linked to these ideas.
 
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prism

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so, are you God, or what?
what do you hear on this matter?

bc imo you are God, but i am not God,
is what i'm hearing
You may be hearing things or just crickets, in either case you need to quote the person you are expecting a response from bc they most likely aren't 'all knowing'.
 

bbyrd009

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In a christian sense, Yawah is God the creator of everything, who revealed himself in detail to the prophets and ultimately in Jesus the Messiah.
the Creator~Yah is Elohim, i always thought; Genesis 1:1 Lexicon: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

(and we are aware that the Pharaohs and Caesars were titled messiah, king of kings, etc too right)
The testimony limits our behaviour, and boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not.
hmm. Would appropriating a socially recognized colloquialism for Yah for oneself be considered acceptable or no, iyo?
@Taken
 

bbyrd009

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You may be hearing things or just crickets, in either case you need to quote the person you are expecting a response from bc they most likely aren't 'all knowing'.
ah, wasnt expecting a response tbh :), at least not here;
it was a rhetorical Q anyway
the floor is yours though, if you like
and i sure dont know lol
 
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Taken

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What is "god?" <--OP

Something greater than yourself you believe is worthy of exalting.

God Almighty, God above and before all other gods...said:

Ex 20:3
[
3] Thou shalt have no other gods BEFORE me.

IOW~ There is a expression exclusively reserved for God Almighty, OF acknowledging His Deity, and expressing honor, reverence and adoration TO God Almighty;
by and through praise and worship.

Glory to God,
Taken
 

Taken

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SCIENCE: (brought up on this thread)...

Science, (in brief) IS a means of using Mindful Intelligence and Practical Application to discover, study, conduct experiments to arrive at a plausible conclusion of the "how's" and "why's" one thing reacts to another thing.

Science, (in Scripture) IMO, appears more geared toward...starting with a Fact, rather than a Discovery...ie

Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding given men, BY God, (TO men Without "other gods") OF things; where those things are located, what to call those things, and what to do to benefit from those things.

Science TODAY, is separated into categories.

Science TODAY, is often structured by
identifying a Problem or Curiosity and Attempting to resolve the Problem or Curiosity by and through a range of experiments.

Science TODAY, is conducted by human men called Scientists...which, simply means the Scientists GOAL, is to Achieve a Favorable "RESULT" and "CREDIT" for the Achievement.

With the KNOWLEDGE, that the Human Race, LIES or WITHHOLDS some of the important Facts...on a regular basis...one must remember; Scientists are part of the Human Race.
;)

Glory to God,
Taken
 

bbyrd009

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"its like this and
like that
and like this
and uh..."
What is "god?" <--OP

Something greater than yourself you believe is worthy of exalting.

God Almighty, God above and before all other gods...said:

Ex 20:3
[
3] Thou shalt have no other gods BEFORE me.

IOW~ There is a expression exclusively reserved for God Almighty, OF acknowledging His Deity, and expressing honor, reverence and adoration TO God Almighty;
by and through praise and worship.

Glory to God,
Taken
small g, note. Those would likely be El~Elyon, El~Shaddai, El~Olam, depending i guess, all xlated "God," so imo "bad" enough, but i meant to specifically illuminate "theos" here, another name xlated "God."
 
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Naomi25

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"
The difficult word θεος (theos) means god, and it's difficult because it's commonly assessed from the Roman pagan legacy that dominates modern thinking. The ancients were not religious like we moderns are. The ancients were mostly interested in survival — surviving nature, wild animals, disease and attacking neighbors — and for that they needed an unbiased, accurate, verifiable and shared world view. In those days, false prophets were executed (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).

Ah...one wonders how you came to this conclusion? Wouldn't history, both secular and biblical point wildly in the opposite direction? Man...the list of 'gods' I could lay out here...were they just made up by 'moderns'? Did the ancients not really have them as gods? How do you explain them finding their way into all that history then?
Just wonderin' ;)
 
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bbyrd009

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Ah...one wonders how you came to this conclusion?
thats a quote, sorry; fwiw i often quote things i disagree with even
Wouldn't history, both secular and biblical point wildly in the opposite direction?
i assume you mean on the "werent religious" thing? This already came up earlier, prolly in this thread? And near as i can figure the author makes a distinction between "religious" and "spiritual," based upon other statements which i have now forgotten, but dont quote me lol. "Politics" would involve affiliation with a "religious" party iow, dem/rep whatever, the "other" party being the "bad guys," pretty much ezackly like our "churches" practice, more or less. The theory goes.

good Q tho imo, seems to be a lot of "depending" going on? But i might point out thatthe same happens in Scripture, but they feared the multitude and so would not do...something, whatever, arrest Jesus maybe? But at the same time Jesus got arrested anyway, not a peep from the multitudes? Dunno

might even be a lesson in there about "now," or siezing the moment, or even timing maybe?
 
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Naomi25

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thats a quote, sorry; fwiw i often quote things i disagree with even

i assume you mean on the "werent religious" thing? This already came up earlier, prolly in this thread? And near as i can figure the author makes a distinction between "religious" and "spiritual," based upon other statements which i have now forgotten, but dont quote me lol. "Politics" would involve affiliation with a "religious" party iow, dem/rep whatever, the "other" party being the "bad guys," pretty much ezackly like our "churches" practice, more or less. The theory goes.

good Q tho imo, seems to be a lot of "depending" going on? But i might point out thatthe same happens in Scripture, but they feared the multitude and so would not do...something, whatever, arrest Jesus maybe? But at the same time Jesus got arrested anyway, not a peep from the multitudes? Dunno

might even be a lesson in there about "now," or siezing the moment, or even timing maybe?

Well, no offense to the author, but it seem to me that differentiating between 'religious' and 'spiritual' is a bit of a wobbly line. Saying that they are spiritual would suggest they saw the world as more than just physical; they believed in an unseen world, and that perhaps that world extended to more than just people (their personal spirits). But, that's where the religion kicks in, no? We have historical records telling us that these people had gods for pretty much everything. Sun, moon, stars, weather, travel, cows, death, fertility. I mean...pretty much every area of life, they decided not to hedge their bets, slapped a 'god' on it, then tried to 'worship' it to appease it when necessary. To them, that WAS survival. That WAS part of politics, economics, societal ...you name it. We see in Acts when Paul was in Athens that they'd even added a 'spare' alter for a unnamed god, just in case they'd forgotten one.
So...I dunno, I'd have to say that this author maybe has it back-to-front. Rather than being 'non-religious' I'd say they were hyper-religious. They saw spiritual elements to everything and relied upon their 'religions' to help them further their agendas.
 
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bbyrd009

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Well, no offense to the author, but it seem to me that differentiating between 'religious' and 'spiritual' is a bit of a wobbly line.
um, not sure if i pit that as well as i could have...at the beginning of this thread imhad a similar convo with someone, and posted a contrasting refelction by the author that will clarify his pov there somewhat maybe. Outta gas tonight tho, ill dig it up and tag you in the morning k. Should be pg1 tho i tink
 

Naomi25

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:crickets

I said "you are elohim"

I'm not sure this is exactly touching on what you are aiming for, but I think it's interesting.
The bible actually labels elohim more than just the Most High God. Check these references out:

God of Israel:
God (Elohim) has taken his place in the divine council; -Psalm 82:1a

Council members:
in the midst of the gods (elohim) he holds judgment: -Psalm 82:1b

I said, “You are gods (elohim),
sons of the Most High, all of you; -Psalm 82:6

There is none like you among the gods (elohim), O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours. - Psalm 86:8

For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods (elohim). -Psalm 95:3

For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods (elohim). -Psalm 97:9


Disembodied human Dead:
When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god (elohim) coming up out of the earth.” -1 Samuel 28:12–13

Gods of the nations:
because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess (elohim) of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god (elohim)of Moab, and Milcom the god (elohim) of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did. -1 Kings 11:33

Demonic (shedim) beings:
They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
to gods (elohim) they had never known,
to new gods that had come recently,
whom your fathers had never dreaded. -Deuteronomy 32:17

Basically....what we're looking at here is that the writers of the bible used the word 'elohim' to describe any spiritual being. Of course, that doesn't detract at all from the fact that Yahweh is The Most High God. The bible, and all the verses that speak of these other 'elohim', always put this into perspective! I just find it interesting!
 
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Taken

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we have a bunch of Names simply xlated as "God" in English, meaning that our "Scripture" has been quite dumbed down

Being intentified by multiple names is not a problem.
I'm sure you have multiple names..
you know, like bbyrd009 for instance, yet I highly doubt Everyone would call you by that name, or even know of it.

Glory to God,
Taken
 

bbyrd009

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The ancient Greeks believed that Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in mainland Greece, wasthe home of the gods. Ancient Greek religious practice, essentially conservative in nature, wasbased on time-honored observances, many rooted in the Bronze Age (3000–1050 B.C.), or even earlier..."

"Not much is known about Bronze-Age beliefs, but objects from the time suggest that the Bronze Age brought about big changes in religiouspractices. One of the greatest was that people stopped building large ritual monuments, such as stone circles. ...
@Naomi25 i neglected to post the ref for these, prolly wikiwand, but i do recall doing some more snooping to prep for pEnoch, didnt really find anything conclusive of course, but the flavor i got was that the level of rote, ritual observance--or "religion"--observed by "the ppl" kinda all depended upon whom we are talking about, and also when? So iow we had our "puritan" era and location, too, wherein even stating "there is no God" might get one killed in certain places, while right down the road a piece it would have been "meh"
Wouldn't history, both secular and biblical point wildly in the opposite direction?
well, who writes histories though? And i'd need some examples, but a counter for-instance might be that the ancient Israelites were not as monotheistic as we imagine, worshipped Molech, etc too. And of course we as believers do the same thing today, only we do not call allowing our best and bravest to "serve" in the military (read "destabilizing democratically elected governments, and guarding poppy fields") "worshipping Molech" now of course.

A point being that we now define "worship" as something we goto a mortgaged building to accomplish in an hour, while listening to Some Guy we call "pastor" who signed a Contract for Jesus, right? Doesnt mean the guy isnt earnest, or even a "good" pastor, dont get me wrong
Well, no offense to the author, but it seem to me that differentiating between 'religious' and 'spiritual' is a bit of a wobbly line. Saying that they are spiritual would suggest they saw the world as more than just physical; they believed in an unseen world, and that perhaps that world extended to more than just people (their personal spirits). But, that's where the religion kicks in, no? We have historical records telling us that these people had gods for pretty much everything. Sun, moon, stars, weather, travel, cows, death, fertility. I mean...pretty much every area of life, they decided not to hedge their bets, slapped a 'god' on it, then tried to 'worship' it to appease it when necessary. To them, that WAS survival. That WAS part of politics, economics, societal ...you name it. We see in Acts when Paul was in Athens that they'd even added a 'spare' alter for a unnamed god, just in case they'd forgotten one.
So...I dunno, I'd have to say that this author maybe has it back-to-front. Rather than being 'non-religious' I'd say they were hyper-religious. They saw spiritual elements to everything and relied upon their 'religions' to help them further their agendas.
yeh, but in his defense i will say the Abarim make more or less the same statements in other places, so it seems to depend upon who "they" is; we have many who would claim to be Christian today, right, but few who attend congregation regularly, or at all?
 
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bbyrd009

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Being intentified by multiple names is not a problem.
I'm sure you have multiple names..
you know, like bbyrd009 for instance, yet I highly doubt Everyone would call you by that name, or even know of it.

Glory to God,
Taken
being IDed or IDing Yah by multiple Names would be great imo, T, that is what was done in the original languages, and that is what we have lost in English? Its like all the multiple Names have been reduced to "hey, you" or something, yes?
 

Taken

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being IDed or IDing Yah by multiple Names would be great imo, T, that is what was done in the original languages, and that is what we have lost in English? Its like all the multiple Names have been reduced to "hey, you" or something, yes?

Maybe when addressing Humans...

However I have never addressed the Lord God Almighty as "hey you".

Glory to God,
Taken
 

Taken

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yet that is essentially what you read, every instance in Scripture, see

I obviously do not follow your line of thinking or the point you are trying to make or it's importance.

I am not confused as to WHO Lord God Almighty is, nor do I believe He is confused when I address Him or speak about Him.

Glory to God,
Taken