Christians, how do you define your god?

As a former Catholic, I was always told that God was all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving and that he would punish non-believers with eternal torment in hell. This definition is inconsistent with itself since an all-powerful being would have no need for anything from us. It would also be sufficiently motivated, informed, and capable of doing whatever was necessary so that all would believe (even going so far as to make belief unnecessary for salvation). So since God cannot be all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving and send non-believers to hell, how can you define your god in a way that is consistent with reality?

2012-07-15T17:25:46Z

@Gregory - I'm not the one who created the definition I used. Terms like "all-powerful", "all-knowing", and "all-loving" have definitions. I would expect that a being described as such would act in a way that fits the definitions of the words used to describe it.

2012-07-15T17:25:56Z

@Gregory - I'm not the one who created the definition I used. Terms like "all-powerful", "all-knowing", and "all-loving" have definitions. I would expect that a being described as such would act in a way that fits the definitions of the words used to describe it.

2012-07-15T17:27:37Z

@Questers - But don't you think it's evil on your god's part to let anyone perish for not believing simply because they have not seen *any* evidence, or even a compelling argument for the existence of this god?

2012-07-15T17:30:11Z

@Christian Skeptic - I know what those words mean individually, but could you explain what they mean put together? That answer has no meaning whatsoever. Is "supremely perfect" somehow better than "perfect"? Who decides what is perfect? I tend to think that a being who would create someone with the sole purpose of making them suffer for all eternity is anything but perfect.

2012-07-15T17:38:16Z

@Christ's Kingdom - Everything you said is well and good, but it essentially neuters any possibility of a "hell" condition. I find it impossible to believe that any atheist, when presented with incontrovertible evidence of God's existence would retain their position of non-belief. So when I die, if I happen to be wrong in my position that there are no gods, whichever god I encountered after death, I would promptly believe in that particular god. The fact that I do not believe in any gods does not mean that I commit atrocities against other people; quite the opposite... I realize that the only way things get better for anyone is through the actions of people. So whether or not I spend my life doing good works and believing or not believing in God is irrelevant so long as I feel my life has been spent in the benefit of mankind rather than the destruction of it.

?2012-07-15T17:29:58Z

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well, it is a little obscure to define God as merely all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving being. that simply makes God a super being like the greek gods. this view of God is completely at odds with the traditional christian view of God (that of the eastern church). the ontology of God, according to the eastern church, is defined as being itself. you being a Catholic should know this, this was also the view of thomas Aquinas. God is defined not as merely a being, but God is being. God is existence. God exists by necessity. this doesn't mean the nature of God exists by necessity, rather the ontological nature of God exists necessarily eternal. the eastern church are panentheist (all in God; God in all). as the apostle Paul wrote, "it is in God that we live and move and have our being". or as Jesus said "it is God who feeds the ravens when they call upon him". this doesn't mean that a hand comes down from heaven, rather that God is immanent, that God is not far off in another dimension. God is the foundation of the very harmony and order of the cosmos. God is the eternal. this is tied to the christian concept of the "logos". this first principle of the universe.

now, as for the nature of God, the church has always maintained that the true nature of God is revealed in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. who is the incarnation of the "logos". also I want to point out that in the eastern church, we don't fully understand the full nature of God. God as well as the creation, is seen as a mystery. the eastern church has always defined God negatively (defining what God is not).

all-powerful being would have no need for anything from us

Very true, God has not need for us to exist, which is why christians have always said, that God created us out of pure selfless love. God created us not for his sake but rather for our own sake, so that we may know existence, that we may know God. human beings are created to be partakers in the divine nature, as it says in 1 peter. we are created to enter into communion with God. this is why love is foundational to the christian faith. as Paul put it "If I have not love, I am nothing". because love is the first principle of the universe. God is love.

as far as salvation is concerned, the eastern church doesn't have a concept of a literal heaven or hell. they are not seen as places, rather they are seen as the state of ones heart. as said before, the goal or true end to christianity is communion with God. God is not in heaven, rather heaven is communion with God. what then is hell? hell is not a place, it is the condition of ones heart in the presence of God in the world to come. all are going to be raised from the dead. all to everlasting life and the rest to torment. hell is the result of one who has rejected the love of God and stand face to face with the love of God. it is the presence of this love that causes their conscious to burn like an everlasting flame. the true of the Gospel is not that Jesus paid for our sins by dying in our place (that's heresy). the Gospel is that Jesus has united humanity back to God. the resurrection was not God breaking the laws of thermodynamics, rather the resurrection was the breaking in of the kingdom of God on earth as in in heaven. thus, bringing in the new age. this is the christian Gospel "Jesus is lord". salvation in the christian view, is entering into communion with God through the "logos" or first principle, Jesus Christ. which is the true nature of man. so salvation is seeking our true humanity.

EDIT: that is essentially the christian life, living for the good of mankind, not living for an after life. that is the view held by the west. the true christian journey is the life long struggle to align oneself to the good. finding our true humanity.

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Happy_Catholic_Mom2012-07-16T00:36:58Z

Unfortunately, like many other Catholics, you were not well taught. God IS all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. He also has infinite love, mercy and forgiveness. He will forgive anything and everything as long as you're truly sorry for it. As a judge, he judges according to what you know, what you've done and what you didn't do. If you've never heard of Christ, He won't send you to hell because that wouldn't make Him a very just God. How can we be punished for something we were never told? But for those who never "knew" Him, we are still held accountable for ourselves because we're all born with a...like, a moral compass. We have a basic sense of right and wrong and as long as they use that, they should be good:) Only God knows man's heart!

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Anonymous2012-07-16T00:23:51Z

What we are facing now a days we were told by him about this time when darkness would take earth. He has not left us alone yet, but sorry to say things will get even worse here on earth... But been hidden in his love called Jesus, we will all defeat the prince of darkness.

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alec392012-07-16T00:02:18Z

He is not the Christian God but the living God of all mankind the Lord is 100% love and for peace and justice.

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Anonymous2012-07-15T23:59:04Z

Supremely perfect being.

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