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Are you bored? Why don't you tell God how you feel about Him?
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| Lira |
Talking With God
How consistent are your beliefs? There was 50% of tension in mine, which means I didn't fall in any contradictions, but I'd have to spend some time developing my arguments on why it is that I think about God the way I do. How about you?
Here's the overall analysis of my quick chat with God (do not read before you answer the quiz):
| quote: | Talking with God - Analysis
You responded that there are moral standards independent of God's will. This response has been given by 66% of the 32 people who have completed this activity to date.
Tensions
We have identified 3 tensions in your reponses, which represents a tension quotient of 50% (where lower is better). The average tension quotient for this activity is 70%.
It is important to be clear about what we mean by "tension" here. A tension between two beliefs does not necessarily indicate that they are logically inconsistent with each other. It refers rather to a lack of fit: so, for example, two beliefs will be designated as being in tension if some (farily) sophisticated reasoning is required in order to reconcile them with each other. Sometimes you will already be aware what form such reasoning might take; other times, you will not.
Note: Since you do not believe that God exists, you should read the analysis below as referring to 'Anything that counts as God...' rather than 'God'.
Tension 1: God is omnipotent
If there are moral standards independent of God's will that mean he cannot command what is evil and thereby make it good, then at least arguably this is a limit on his power. Therefore, there is a tension between your claim that God is omnipotent and your belief in an independent, objective morality.
Tension 2 (potential): God has freedom of will
You claimed that God has freedom of will, in that he is at liberty to exercize his power in any way he chooses. However, assuming that it is morally wrong to command what is evil, then God cannot command people to do what he knows to be morally wrong unless you accept that God is capable of immorality (which is possible in your case since you do not think God is omnibenevolent).
Tension 3: God can obligate?
You claimed that there are moral standards that are independent of God's will. However, it is widely accepted that God's commands do in fact obligate (or to put this another way, that any being that counts as God must have the ability to obligate through its commands) - that it would be morally wrong not to follow a command given by God. This suggests at the very least that some aspect of morality flows from God. There is, of course, no logical inconsistency in conceiving of a God whose commands do not obligate, but that would nevertheless be a rather strange conception of God. |
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| Silky Johnson |
| I had the exact same conversation, lol. |
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| WhooCares |
*cough*
see my sig
:p |
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| Faj27 |
I'm not too keen on how this survey was put together - too many "if - then" assumptions and the questions seemed to pigeon-hole my beliefs into artificial categories that were limited to the perceptions of the person/group who framed these questions.
For example: Is God omnipotent? God is omnipotent if it is within his power to do anything that it is logically possible (so God's omnipotence does not require that he is able to do things such as make married bachelors).
I believe that God is omnipotent in the sense that he has the power to do anything, but here the question is framed to assume that omnipotence has to be logical - which I disagree with. Logic is more or less the deductive reasoning between arguments. My belief is that our minds are finite while the will/power of God is infinite; so much that it is beyond our mind's logic to understand it.
Secondly: Is God sovereign? God is sovereign if he has absolute authority over all of creation (i.e., the whole of existence).
Now, this question is pretty straightforward and I answered it saying yes. However, I believe that just because God has authority, it doesn't mean God necessarily exercises his authority. For example, as a teenager growing up, my parents technically had authority over me because I was living under their roof, but I wasn't stripped away completely from my freedoms or opportunities to make independent decisions from them. I believe we all have free will and we are sovereign entities who can make our own choices. God wants us to make the right decisions but that doesn't mean he'll force us into them.
I also don't believe God punishes us for making our own decisions - that's unfortunately what religion has taught us (at least that's what I remember when going to church and Catholic school) and its completely fear driven. In my opinion, religion is law and God is grace and forgiveness - the two are polar opposites. That doesn't mean that there aren't consequences for doing wrong, but our ultimate fate lies in our hearts and how badly we seek to have a personal relationship with God - it's not something that can be forced onto us by God or religion, it's our own will.
That's just my opinion. |
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| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by Faj27
I believe that God is omnipotent in the sense that he has the power to do anything, but here the question is framed to assume that omnipotence has to be logical - which I disagree with. Logic is more or less the deductive reasoning between arguments. My belief is that our minds are finite while the will/power of God is infinite; so much that it is beyond our mind's logic to understand it. |
Well, it was developed by professional philosophers so there is indeed a tendency to want explanations to be rational and logical... that's just how they roll :p |
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| Faj27 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Lira
professional philosophers |
I feel like my head would explode if that's what I did for a career! :p |
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| igottaknow |
two things:
1. I'm non practicing agnostic.
2. The second time "God" used the word 'daft' closed the browser tab. |
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| Adam420 |
| There is no god. Can we get on with things now please? |
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| Jake Benson |
| God stole my foreskin when I was 8 days old. So I'm gonna chop of that dudes dick once I find him. |
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| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by Adam420
There is no god. Can we get on with things now please? |
Oh, yeah? And what is(n't) God, exactly? In order to tell something doesn't exist, you probably know what it is that doesn't exist, right? Otherwise you may end up saying something silly as "chairs don't exist". |
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| gmilf |
This quiz is assuming we either believe in a God, like the modern day Christian Church, or no God. These were my results.
Talking with God - Analysis
You responded that there are moral standards independent of God's will. This response has been given by 71% of the 58 people who have completed this activity to date.
Tensions
We have identified 1 tensions in your reponses, which represents a tension quotient of 25% (where lower is better). The average tension quotient for this activity is 71%.
It is important to be clear about what we mean by "tension" here. A tension between two beliefs does not necessarily indicate that they are logically inconsistent with each other. It refers rather to a lack of fit: so, for example, two beliefs will be designated as being in tension if some (farily) sophisticated reasoning is required in order to reconcile them with each other. Sometimes you will already be aware what form such reasoning might take; other times, you will not.
Tension 1: God can obligate?
You claimed that there are moral standards that are independent of God's will. However, it is widely accepted that God's commands do in fact obligate (or to put this another way, that any being that counts as God must have the ability to obligate through its commands) - that it would be morally wrong not to follow a command given by God. This suggests at the very least that some aspect of morality flows from God. There is, of course, no logical inconsistency in conceiving of a God whose commands do not obligate, but that would nevertheless be a rather strange conception of God. |
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| Lews |
I got confused when I told it that God didn't exist and then it asked me a bunch of crap about whether God was sovereign and . No, because God doesn't exist!
Hopefully Unicorns do, though :gsmile: |
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