How can people who believe in god still consider him supernatural?
The claims are that god has always been here and there was nothing else around besides a god. That would qualify him as the most natural thing ever, something that doesn't need a creation. And in turn, that would make Earth, humans, plants, the universe and everything else in existence, supernatural since it was not made naturally and it had to be created by a deity. So why don't religious people say we are the supernatural and god is the only natural thing instead of the normal "god is supernatural and unknowing" as a lot of theists claim?
Anonymous2015-07-21T16:02:23Z
Well I believe in God as a first cause; because I'm a deist. But I wouldn't describe God as supernatural. Just more advanced than us mortals.
All words are made up, as well as the meaning of all words. We have defined nature as the physical world and everything in it (such as plants, animals, mountains, oceans, stars, etc.) that is not made by people.
By extension then, Natural would be that which pertains to the physical world and everything in it (such as plants, animals, mountains, oceans, stars, etc.) that is not made by people.
God would not qualify as a physical being, or part of the physical world and so if we rightly define Nature and Natural God would not qualify as Natural. It is however appropriate to contrast "nature" and "natural" with God. Some appropriate terms might be:
'extra-natural' -outside of the nature or the natural world
"super-natural" - above or beyond nature or the natural world.
What you seek to do amounts to redefining the words "natural" and "nature"
The word supernatural means that something transcends the natural universe, not that it is excluded from the natural universe. It can be part of the natural universe and yet still be more than the natural universe.
"natural" derives from the word "nature" which refers to Gods physical creation. God himself is not natural - he is supernatural. The prefix "super" means "over, above, beyond"..... the natural.
1Ti 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.