Can someone explain God to me?

[coolduude]

Hi there,

Basically, I don’t understand how God can do what He does.

He is bodiless (except Jesus) and is an entity of love.

So how does this bodiless entity create things? How does He do it?
If I had a lot of love, could I make things happen too? How does He just will things into being, if he is but one massive (for lack of a better word) blob?

But in all seriousness, can someone explain this all to me?

I’m like this:

Thanks in advance,
coolduude

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

I can’t offer a rational explanation because I haven’t ever really thought about it in terms of a physical being the way you have.

I have always seen it like this:

God is a higher being. He exists in ways that we cannot possibly imagine, and he is so outside our sphere of existence that it is almost impossible for us to even try. A good analogy is if an ant were to look at a human and wonder how on earth it can possibly percieve the world around it since it has no antennae. The ant experiences the world through its antennae, we do not. We experience everything and interact with it through the physical, God does not.

 

[HickmanJosh]

Hi there,

Basically, I don’t understand how God can do what He does.

He is bodiless (except Jesus) and is an entity of love.

So how does this bodiless entity create things? How does He do it?
If I had a lot of love, could I make things happen too? How does He just will things into being, if he is but one massive (for lack of a better word) blob?

But in all seriousness, can someone explain this all to me?

I’m like this:

Thanks in advance,
coolduude

well, when you think about it everything physical has a beginning and an end, God is not physical so He has no end and no beginning, nor is He restricted by physical limitations, so that’s why he is God.

I don’t exactly think we can ever really rap our minds around understanding God since He is simply so incredible that it is impossible for our human minds to fully come to terms with God. Our human minds have been geared for century’s to look at what is physical, since God is not physical then it can be pretty hard to Understand just what He is.

I don’t think i can really help more than that, sorry:blush:

 

[coolduude]

Hmmmmm…

So no one can explain God?

 

[Fox]

God is love in its purest form.

 

[coolduude]

God is love in its purest form.

I’ve heard that before, so my question is how can this (for lack of a better phrase) ‘blob of love’ create, think, reason, etc if it is just love, and nothing else?

If I had enough love could I preform miracles?

So you see where I’m confused? I don’t get how this pure form of love with no body, nothing physical really, can do what it does.

It is all very confusing.

 

[James_S_Saint]

Hmmmmm…

So no one can explain God?

Trying to explain “how God works” is what people have been trying to figure out for thousands of years. When someone figures it out, they seldom shout it out, but rather choose to hide it because they don’t want others to know. “Information is power” - almost.

If you ask how anything works, you might get an explanation. but then from that explanation, you can ask again how each part of the explanation works. From that, you can ask again, and again.

Eventually you begin to see that you are really asking how everything works even though you only started with one thing, because down at the very bottom of it all, you find principles that apply to everything, not merely the one thing you were asking about.

But still pursuing, you finally come across a principle of how things work that seems to have no explanation. It “just is”. That is where most brilliant men stop. How much more do you really need to know?

You can ask why does gravity work. Science, currently won’t tell you except to say, “it just does.” but that is not to say that there really isn’t any explanation. It just means that there is a limit to rational questioning of how and why.

I could answer your question with, “God works by creating distinction”, but without showing you the entire road map as to how that action creates all else, how would you believe me or even really understand what I meant.

You might just ask, “But how does God create distinction?” But the answer to that one isn’t really a “how”, but more of a “why is there distinction”, because distinction doesn’t get created so much as redistributed, like energy that cannot be created or destroyed, but rather merely changed in form. So where did it come from?

Distinction and energy both “come from” the same source - logical necessity.

Logical necessity is not the same as rational necessity wherein something has a purpose that necessitates something so as to serve the purpose. Logical necessity refers to how/why it is that a big box cannot fit inside a small box.

Logical necessity is a matter of defining/identifying one thing in regards to another and thus making distinction. In so doing, a man “creates truth”. But truth is not reality, but rather a mental model of reality. When the model in the mind matches the reality, it is called truth. So you really have the physical reality and the mental truth. Both being created by making distinction. In the physical sense, the universe gets created. In the mental sense, a mind gets created.

Distinction - why is it that a thing cannot also be what it isn’t?

Because it “just is” - “I am that I am” (or more properly “It is what it is”).

 

[grace_singh]

well, because God is not a “blob”.

God is a Someone, with a creative will, personality, power, and might.

He does not need to be physical or “solid” to create, as He is the Creator Himself, and He created matter.

He is not only love, but also just, righteous, holy, wonderful, great, merciful, eternal, and righteous.

He is not simply an idea or concept, but a Someone.

 

[spockrates]

Hmmmmm…

So no one can explain God?

I agree with James’ insightful comment. To explain what God is would be a massive undertaking that might take years, and perhaps fail! To explain what God is like is, perhaps, a doable undertaking. Regarding how God rolls, Jesus had this (and other things) to say:

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

(John 3:5-8)

Simply put, we have experience with that which we cannot see doing what we can see. So, I suppose, we should not be surprised that God operates in a similar way. Wouldn’t you say?

 

[spockrates]

The truth is, the greatest philosophical minds disagree even on how the immaterial soul or mind interacts with the human body. How can my mind or yours (which has no physical substance) direct my body or yours (which is physical)?

If we cannot even wrap our minds around ourselves, we should not be surprised that we cannot comprehend God, I suppose.

 

[geometer]

I’ve heard that before, so my question is how can this (for lack of a better phrase) ‘blob of love’ create, think, reason, etc if it is just love, and nothing else?

If I had enough love could I preform miracles?

So you see where I’m confused? I don’t get how this pure form of love with no body, nothing physical really, can do what it does.

It is all very confusing.

If you love god, you can find out.

Ask him.

 

[Hosh]

You could think of it this way: We’ll never really don’t know if the universe is finite, but say that it is. Whatever came before the big bang we will never know but it does seem to violate causality to say that it came from nothing. Even if it came from a finite system, that system must have come from something. So you run into infinity. Infinity has its theological problems though. There would be a universe out there where everyone’s shoe comes untied at the same time tomorrow. Although its extremely improbable, it doesn’t violate the laws of physics so its possible. If you believe in God, you believe he wouldn’t have put us in a universe like that. Infinity’s a pretty cool number because you can subtract, add, multiply, or divide it and you still have the same value. That would be God, and the human mind will never comprehend it.

 

[yppop]

Hi there,

Basically, I don’t understand how God can do what He does.

He is bodiless (except Jesus) and is an entity of love.

So how does this bodiless entity create things? How does He do it?
If I had a lot of love, could I make things happen too? How does He just will things into being, if he is but one massive (for lack of a better word) blob?

But in all seriousness, can someone explain this all to me?

I’m like this:

Thanks in advance,
coolduude

Coolduude,

From your bio, I see that you are still in high school. From my vantage point- 15 years into retirement - you seem to have an unusually profound interest for a teen ager. I would guess that any meaningful answer would be a real challenge for your background, but any answer less than meaningful would disappoint your young mind. As one that has been engaged in the search of the meaning of life for more years than you’ve lived, I can tell you that no one knows for certain how God does what He does, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t apply our reason to His mysteries. If you want to investigate one such try, go to page 6 of this forum and look up my thread: “God Exists, but How?” There you will find a thesis explaining how God MIGHT be involved in creation. Be forewarned, however, I don’t think that anyone in this forum has grasped the meaning or import of my thesis even though it purports to give an answer to the very question you ask.

Have a merry and Joyous Christmas,

Yppop

 

[donsnow]

Hi, coolduude -

Like the lady said, God is not a blob.

His son come in the flesh, Jesus Christ says, “God is spirit.”
The Apostle wrote, “God is love”, my signature.

You ask if you loved enough, could you do miracles?
I think Jesus says those of us who follow him will do greater things than he did. He lived and lives with total faith in his Heavenly Father. And he loved and loves with a divine love, like unto his Heavenly Father.

So, from all that, I would say that it’s not likely there’s anybody on earth now, who can explain God. And, that if you had the faith of a mustard seed, like Jesus says, you could move a mountain.

That’s about all of anything helpful, that I can think of to write to you.

Pray on it; and, like geometer wrote, ask Him. Also, read Job…it’s in the OT.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

Hmmmmm…

So no one can explain God?

No.

I’ve often wondered myself.

In the case of this universe, it actually adds up to “sum zero energy”.

Or you might say it’s two sides of nothing. So when God willed it into being, in one sense He didn’t create very much. I’m reminded of the vision of Mother Julian of Norwich, in which Christ appeared with a small round sphere in his hand, no bigger than an almond, and said, “This is all that is created.”

I think He was giving her, a medieval abbess, an insight into something it would take modern physics years to understand, and which we intrinsically really don’t accept.

When we will somthing into existence, we first have to think about it, then plan and design it, and finally go and make it. But we need the raw materials to begin with.

God still has to think about it, design it, but then He just somehow makes it, if necessary, from nothing. However the fact this universe adds up to “nothing” indicates to me the only real world is spiritual. In fact I’ve read from time to time that this universe has traits which indicate it bears the hallmarks of being a thought, or has aspects of thought about it.

But can we explain God? Can you explain how your brain works? Not only conscous thought, but all those purely mechanical things like monitoring your blodd pressure, your liver functions, dealing with changes in temperature, dealing with sensory (name removed by moderator)ut, and all the rest? If you can’t do that, why bother trying to explain God, who designed it all and then brought it into existence so that it worked.

It’s a waste of time trying to explain God. The question I do have is “Does God exist simply because He is good?” or “Is God’s goodness His own choice?”

I suspect the first one is closer to the truth, which explains why in the end He cannot tolerate evil, and why we have Purgatory so that every last vestige of imperfection is wrung out before we are admitted to heaven.

 

[jamil_joseph02]

Hmmmmm…

So no one can explain God?

We can know something of God but not all.

 

[Reprobus]

Here is a pagan’s explanation. Could be heresy. Take it with a grain of salt.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1). I have long thought that ‘Word’ was a poor translation for modern ears, as it no longer implies command. I have at times had work as a computer programmer, and prefer ‘Code’. In the beginning was the Code, and the Code was with God, and the Code was God.

Code is the software behind meatspace. The universe as we know it was created by God (intelligent, separate from Code but of it?). The universe was created and operates in accordance with the Code (God). Human knowledge is impossible without the code. We are all aware of it, even pagans. To say, “Thou shalt not pee upwind” is to demonstrate a knowledge of how the code works, on a windy day. Either that or it’s the Anemoi having a laugh at your expense.

St. Augustine had trouble with thinking of God as a thing. He wrote about it in his Confessions. I think it was Book VII.

 

[GregHughes]

I think it would be most wise to consider Jesus and His Catholic Church. He was God made physical. Jesus explains to us in this excerpt, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
In my interpretation of my own experience of God in knowing Him, and in scriptures, is that Jesus is the means in which God introduces Himself to the world even through us. This is why I say that it would be most wise to consider Jesus and His Church, because they are the way in which we can come to know God and walk with Him into eternity (where we probably will still be a little unknowing on the awesomeness of God).

 

[I_Seek_2]

No.

I’ve often wondered myself.

In the case of this universe, it actually adds up to “sum zero energy”.

Or you might say it’s two sides of nothing. So when God willed it into being, in one sense He didn’t create very much. I’m reminded of the vision of Mother Julian of Norwich, in which Christ appeared with a small round sphere in his hand, no bigger than an almond, and said, “This is all that is created.”

I think He was giving her, a medieval abbess, an insight into something it would take modern physics years to understand, and which we intrinsically really don’t accept.

When we will somthing into existence, we first have to think about it, then plan and design it, and finally go and make it. But we need the raw materials to begin with.

God still has to think about it, design it, but then He just somehow makes it, if necessary, from nothing. However the fact this universe adds up to “nothing” indicates to me the only real world is spiritual. In fact I’ve read from time to time that this universe has traits which indicate it bears the hallmarks of being a thought, or has aspects of thought about it.

But can we explain God? Can you explain how your brain works? Not only conscous thought, but all those purely mechanical things like monitoring your blodd pressure, your liver functions, dealing with changes in temperature, dealing with sensory (name removed by moderator)ut, and all the rest? If you can’t do that, why bother trying to explain God, who designed it all and then brought it into existence so that it worked.

It’s a waste of time trying to explain God. The question I do have is “Does God exist simply because He is good?” or “Is God’s goodness His own choice?”

I suspect the first one is closer to the truth, which explains why in the end He cannot tolerate evil, and why we have Purgatory so that every last vestige of imperfection is wrung out before we are admitted to heaven.

Exacily my thoughts:

If God can imagine it, think about it, design it, create it in his mind, does it exist in his mind? If so then what other conditions are needed for anything to be created? If he exists in a realm above the physical world, then why does he need physical materials to create anything. All of creation would be made of “Thought/Spiritual” energy omitted by God. Therefore we are one with God and God is one with all of his creation.

 

[tonyrey]

Basically, I don’t understand how God can do what He does.

I’m surprised you’re surprised! In the incredible vastness of time and space we are unimaginably minute… How can we possibly understand the nature of Supreme Reality?

He is bodiless (except Jesus) and is an entity of love.

What is more significant? Having a body - or having love?

So how does this bodiless entity create things? How does He do it?

How do you make your choices and decisions?

If I had a lot of love, could I make things happen too?

Yes! Read the Gospel and the lives of the saints.

How does He just will things into being, if he is but one massive (for lack of a better word) blob?

With the greatest power that exists…

But in all seriousness, can someone explain this all to me?

We can think about what love involves. That gives us some idea of its truth and beauty…
John Keats, who died at the age of twenty-five, wrote:
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,–that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

I’m like this:

Good for you! You don’t take it all for granted. That helps you to see things in perspective. Aristotle said philosophy begins with wonder… It takes us beyond matter, beyond the things we can see and touch… into the world that really matters!