If God is the Universe - are you still an Athiest?

[Ned]

Another thread discussing philosophy and the universe got me thinking about how one could be an atheist and deny the existence of God, when we do not precisely know who or what God is. If we define God as the Universe (as the Universe did create the heavens and the Earth and all the rest) could you still be an atheist? So, the very statement that one is an antheist presumes an understanding of who or what God is, which may, of course, be wrong.

Athiests, please explain your understanding of God.

[korn469]

how can you understand something that doesn't exist besides understanding that it doesn't exist?

[Ned]

Originally posted by korn469
how can you understand something that doesn't exist besides understanding that it doesn't exist?

The question is, what does not exist?

[korn469]

i'm just kidding with you Ned

[Space05us]

I was once an atheist, then I came to the realisation that religion can do good things for people, on a case by case basis. That, and I figured its easier to explain my non-belief my simply shrugging and saying "I dunno."

[Berzerker]

I figured its easier to explain my non-belief my simply shrugging and saying "I dunno."

Yeah, that's a conversation killer.

[Harry Tuttle]

hmmm, well if "God is the universe" is a given, but not understood to be an absolute fact, then yes, you could be an atheist out of ignorance or by just plain ignoring this fact. If "God is the universe" is an absolute that is impossible to ignore or argue against then there is is no way to be an atheist as you know that since the universe exists God must therefore exist.

But then again people have been ignoring absolutes for eons now, so my answer is still up in the air...

Absolute like: fire.....BURN!!!!

[gamenaught]

If we define God as the Universe

Most people think of "God" as a being with consciousness. Why come up with a new word for the universe when "universe" works quite well?

Besides, if we start redefining the word "God" that could lead to other words being redefined. Like marriage. Then folks would push for a constitutional amendment defining "God" solely as a union of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, excluding anything that would include gays - like the universe.

[Inverse Icarus]

so the universe knocked up mary? :???:

[Q Classic]

I think he exists, but if he's worth his salt, he's already given up on us and moved on.

PURGATORY, HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kuciwalker]

Re: If God is the Universe - are you still an Athiest?

Originally posted by Ned
Another thread discussing philosophy and the universe got me thinking about how one could be an atheist and deny the existence of God, when we do not precisely know who or what God is. If we define God as the Universe (as the Universe did create the heavens and the Earth and all the rest) could you still be an atheist? So, the very statement that one is an antheist presumes an understanding of who or what God is, which may, of course, be wrong.

Athiests, please explain your understanding of God.

Of course you can deny the existance of God or gods. The word "god" has a certain well-defined meaning. "God" is not "the Universe". The Universe exists (duh, by definition), "God" does not (or more precisely, there is no evidence that he does exist, which is almost the same thing). "My understanding of God"? Look in a dictionary.

Oh, and if God is the Universe then all that means is that you've now made the term "God" synonymous with the term "the Universe", so anything that applied to God before doesn't. It's like if I made the word "apple" mean "orange" - the statement "apples are red" would no longer be true.

[Sarxis]

If God is the universe, then where did the things that are outside of the universe come from?

What do you define as the 'Universe' anyway?

[Kuciwalker]

By definition, nothing is outside of the Universe. The Universe is the set of all that exists. Therefore anything "outside the Universe" does not exist.

[monkspider]

If God was a tree, would you atheists still "leave"?

[Theben]

No, we'd all move to Russia.