I find theoretical definitions of god (God?) pretty interesting, actually. Einstein's view of Spinoza's God always struck me as close to the mark.
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Q: Do you believe in the God of Spinoza?
A: I can't answer with a simple yes or no. I'm not an atheist and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see a universe marvellously arranged and obeying certain laws, but only dimly understand these laws. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations. I am fascinated by Spinoza's pantheism, but admire even more his contributions to modern thought because he is the first philosopher to deal with the soul and the body as one, not two separate things.
**
We could quibble over the particulars of what constitutes a deity (as amusing as that would be to said divinity), but I don't have the energy myself, since I'm certain that any valid theoretical construct we could come up with has left no traceable physical presence as of yet.
What I'd like to see, though, is what other people think the definition of "God" is. I'd participate little and read much, because it would be thoughtful and fun to read.
B)
**
Q: Do you believe in the God of Spinoza?
A: I can't answer with a simple yes or no. I'm not an atheist and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see a universe marvellously arranged and obeying certain laws, but only dimly understand these laws. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations. I am fascinated by Spinoza's pantheism, but admire even more his contributions to modern thought because he is the first philosopher to deal with the soul and the body as one, not two separate things.
**
We could quibble over the particulars of what constitutes a deity (as amusing as that would be to said divinity), but I don't have the energy myself, since I'm certain that any valid theoretical construct we could come up with has left no traceable physical presence as of yet.
What I'd like to see, though, is what other people think the definition of "God" is. I'd participate little and read much, because it would be thoughtful and fun to read.
B)