Lexicology

[CSwriter1]

Lexicology, is the study of words. I mention this because something was said of God being a noun, as though this some how defines what God is. We really shouldn't get so hung up on words. Our language is more noun oriented than others, and we are limited in what can express by our language. Did you know Arabic and Hebrew languages are tied to numbers? Chinese is poetic. The French have something like 5 words for love, and the Eskimo's have about the same number of words for snow. Sumerians, didn't have the words necessary to classify things, so they couldn't become scientific in thought. How we understand and express "thruth" is dependent on our imperfect languages.

Okay, yes "God" is a noun. "Morale" is also a noun, and is not a thing of substance, but is a mental condition. "Wind" is a noun, but is not the material substance of its being. Wind is the movement of air.
"Energy" is a noun, and again is not the material substance of its being, but is an expression of force. A noun can be substance, but it can also be a state of mind, or an expression of force.

God is just a word, and it means different things to different people. If you don't like religion, why allow religion the right to define God? This is very much an important part of the reason why we have a secular government and live with the principles of democracy, instead of a relgiously controlled nation and only the bible for our understanding of relationships. We are each free to define God as we understand God. Hang with that freedom, and then do the democratic thing- reason, debate and try to get agreement, but don't go so far as to deny another his freedom to think for himself.

[vicente]

God is just a word, and it means different things to different people

Why?

Let's say than that purple is just a word and it means different things to different people.

Let's say to me, purple points to a cow,...that is, when you use the word purple, I'm thinking "cow". You say "did you see the purple in the sunset?" And I'm thinking, no, I didn't see a cow in the sunset.

Yes, God is just a word. Words point to specific things. English language dictionaries have defined what those things point to. If you think God is other than that definition, than you are using the wrong word to describe or point to what you wish to describe.

God defined by Webster's Unabridged:

1. A being (condition) conceived as the omnipotent (condition), omniscient (condition) originator and ruler (condition) of the universe (condition), the principal object (condition) of faith and worship (conditions) in monotheistic religions (conditions).
2. The force (condition), effect (condition), or a manifestation or aspect (conditions) of this being (condition).
3. A being of supernatural powers (condition) or attributes (conditions), believed in and worshiped (conditions) by a people, especially a male deity thought to control some part of nature or reality (conditions).
4. An image of a supernatural being; an idol (conditions).
5. One that is worshiped, idealized, or followed (conditioned).
6. A very handsome man (condition).
7. A powerful ruler or despot (conditions).

In parentheses is whether that word used to describe God is a condition or is unconditional,...all words used to describe the English language concept of God are conditional.

We can also remix the definitions, ie:

Definition #1. remix:
"God is an omnipotent being (that's assumption #1).
We have free will (that's assumption #2).
God can do whatever he likes regardless of what we want, because he's
omnipotent.
We can do whatever we want provided god lets us.
We can't do whatever we want if god doesn't let us.
Therefore we don't have free will.

Or we can do what we like regardless of what god wants. Therefore god is not omnipotent. Thus, one can't have omnipotency and free will in the same universe.

Or,...from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/evil/
1. If God exists, then God is omnipotent, omniscient, and morally perfect.
2. If God is omnipotent, then God has the power to eliminate all evil.
3. If God is omniscient, then God knows when evil exists.
4. If God is morally perfect, then God has the desire to eliminate all evil.
5. Evil exists.
6. If evil exists and God exists, then either God doesn't have the power to eliminate all evil, or doesn't know when evil exists, or doesn't have the desire to eliminate all evil.
7. Therefore, God doesn't exist.

But what we cannot do is what you are attempting to do, which is to change the definition of God to something it is not. In other words,...Although there is a myriad of ideas regarding what is God in todays therapeutic society of self-centered, self-expressive, self-consecrative, pro-monotheistic mediocrity, there are some generally agreed upon definitions of what a God is. Let's stick to the accepted definitions.

Vicente

[CSwriter1]

Huh, in your arguement that there is one meaning to the god, you gave several different meanings of the word god.

We clearly think the gods of most people were only mythological gods, and that those who that these were real god beings, believed something that isn't true.

Then god is also explained in the Torah, bible and Koran, and some people believe each holy books correctly tells of a real god being, and for reasons I do not understand, think this is different from believing in all the other mytholocial gods.

Then is god that undefined substances of the universe with no personality, no ego, no supernatural characterist.

We clearly mean different things when we speak of God.

Did you read the latest news about people being killed in Afghanistan, because of a Times article about a Koran being disrepected. How sad that people are so passionate about their understand of god, and that their sense of self identity is so tied to an understanding of god, they become so emotional they kill each other.

Hum, I wonder why the word Koran is so close to the word Korea?