What do you think of this definition of "God"?

[More Than A Feeling]

"The feeling of elevation and its object, be it legend, symbol, ideal, etc..."

[Common Sense Party]

1. Doesn't work for me.

To me, as your screen name says, God is "more than a feeling."

But if this works for others, more power to them.

[MrModerate]

2. Empty.

I'm not a religious person, but that definition has got to be weak sauce to believers. Not to mention being wishy-washy, uncommitted, and unclear.

[SPedigrees]

3. I prefer: the sum total of physical laws which define the universe. nt

[Occam Bandage]

4. I agree we get nowhere by labeling our ignorance 'God,'

I also think we get nothing by labeling our positive emotions 'God.'

[moggie]

5. You can get a feeling of elevation on a fairground ride

Any definition which doesn't distinguish between a deity and a roller coaster isn't much use.

[More Than A Feeling]

20. Another triumph for literalism!

:P

[moggie]

27. That's the problem with unclear definitions, isn't it?

A good definition needs to clarify the concept in a way which minimises the risk of misinterpretation. Your "definition" fails at this, and would leave many readers thinking "huh? Like standing on top of a tall building? I don't get it" That's because it's not really a definition at all, but rather a feeble attempt at profundity. You might as well claim that God is "five tons of flax".

[More Than A Feeling]

29. Many readers, but not you, right?

I'm thinking you caught my actual meaning.

[moggie]

31. No, I didn't

Here's roughly what ran through my mind after reading it:

The feeling of elevation and its object, be it legend, symbol, ideal, etc...

I suppose he means elevation in an emotional sense rather than altitude, but does he think God is involved in all such feeling? And how literally is this to be taken? If he feels "elevation" after listening to Handel, for example, does he think that God is present in this feeling, or is this just an analogy? "Object"... hmm, the object of elevation would be the thing that's elevated, wouldn't it? Does he really mean that, or does he mean "subject"? And how about the other trappings of religion: this "definition" doesn't tell me whether he believes that God is involved in morality, doesn't say anything about God's role in creation, and doesn't even reveal whether the writer considers himself aligned with any of the major established faiths, or is a freelance believer.

If someone writes "God is that supernatural agency which created the universe, and which watches over all of us and rewards or punishes us based on our behaviour", this tells me where they're coming from. Likewise if they say "God is the totality of nature", or "God set everything in motion, but is either no longer around or just takes no interest in the universe now". These are definitions. But "the feeling of evelation"? Perhaps it's good for invoking a warm, fuzzy feeling in fellow believers, but it doesn't throw much light.

[Cronus Protagonist]

6. Ah! God is an eight inch penis!

I knew it!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. Oh God Oh God!!! DUzy!!

:rofl: :rofl:

[WillParkinson]

8. Only eight?

Poser! :-)

My god is obviously bigger than yours.

[Meshuga]

14. Eight inch is no legend n/t

[Birthmark]

9. It's full of gibberishy goodness!

Seriously, it's fine in describing what people feel gods might be, but it says nothing specific about the entity.

[lazer47]

10. The mind of man/woman is not developed enough yet,

to understand the concept of God,,most can't even balance a checkbook, we as a human race need another millennium or 2 before we can begin to understand the concept of an omnipotent being.

[No Longer Quivering]

11. I used to have God all figured out ...

I was born-again at 17 and lived my life "by the Book" for the next 25 years ~ getting deeper and deeper in to fundamentalist Christianity. About three years ago, I met my uncle who is an atheist and we began an email correspondence which lasted nearly a year. By the time we quit writing, I had come to understand that for all the deep, hard thinking I thought I was doing ~ I really had only succeeded in confining my brain to a tiny little box called "a biblical worldview." Ugh.

I am telling my story here: http://2spb.blogspot.com/ ~ No Longer Quivering

[PassingFair]

13. You have the strength within yourself...

I'm rooting for you!

:applause:

[redqueen]

16. Hi No Longer Quivering!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[CJCRANE]

12. God is all the things we know

and all the things we don't know.

[Sandrine for you]

15. I never heard about

[Silent3]

17. Here's the problem with any broad and/or vague definition...

...of God: people will use the broadest, vaguest definition to justify their belief in God, but then act as if the God supported by that definition is a much different, more specific God.

Is "the feeling of elevation and its object, be it legend, symbol, ideal, etc..." something that listens to prayers, or in any way cares about human affairs?

Is "the feeling of elevation and its object, be it legend, symbol, ideal, etc..." something that provides a moral code, something that perhaps rewards and punishes people based on that code?

Is "the feeling of elevation and its object, be it legend, symbol, ideal, etc..." something that created the universe?

Is "the feeling of elevation and its object, be it legend, symbol, ideal, etc..." something that's part of a package deal with immortal spirits and an afterlife?

[More Than A Feeling]

19. The answer to all of your questions is the same:

It doesn't have to be, but it can be. To give you examples of things that would qualify for my definition but do not meet your criteria, I would point to starry skies, that man who jumped in front of a train to save someone who had fallen on to the tracks, or completing a marathon.

[Silent3]

24. The point is that it's a definition that isn't very helpful...

...unless the help you want is rhetorical slight-of-hand. Say God is one thing, sneak

Of and by itself, I'd say your definition isn't grand enough to be worthy of all the importance that people attach to the word "god".

[Silent3]

25. Accidentally truncated sentence, and too late to edit the original.

That was supposed to say: "Say God is one thing, sneak in a different expanded meaning once the first definition gets your foot in the door."

[More Than A Feeling]

28. That's good.

I didn't want to think that you were calling me a sneak. I'm not doing what you are suggesting, but if you don't want to believe that, fine by me.

[Silent3]

33. Whether you do that or not isn't the point.

The definition is still insufficient unto itself (I think music is elevating, but music isn't a god -- etymology of the word "music" aside), and open to the kind of abuse I'm talking about.

The way I see a definition like yours being used is for people to make a subtle shift between "is God" and "is an aspect of/is a sign of/is a gift from God", the kind of maudlin sentiment I've heard in statements like "A baby's smile is all the proof of God I need!".

[cosmik debris]

18. It is untestable

There is no way to tell whether it is right or wrong.

You may generate a lot of opinions on the subject, but there are no tests to verify the accuracy of the opinions.

So, yeah, it's worthless.

[More Than A Feeling]

21. A lot of things are untestable in that way.

Which flavor of ice cream tastes better, for example. Whichever one I pick, how can I know whether I'm objectively correct? We do not decide that tastes or opinions about taste are worthless because of that.

[cosmik debris]

23. If god is just a matter of opinion

Then you are on solid ground.

But if god exists outside of the opinions of others, then your definition will not shed any light on that.

If god is just an opinion, your definition is pointless. If god is more than an opinion, your definition is worthless.

You seem to be asking how people feel about god, not how god is defined.

[More Than A Feeling]

30. Please expand on why my definition is pointless because

it makes "God" subjective.

[cosmik debris]

32. If the definition of god is just an opinion

Then their will be billions of opinions, thus billions of definitions.

There isn't even a finite number of definitions.

If a definition tells us the meaning of a word, an infinite number of definitions tells us that the word has no fixed meaning.

When people change their mind, their definition may change.

A definition that changes is not a definition because it is not definite.

It appears to me that you are offering a description of your part of the proverbial blind man's elephant and you want others to agree that it is a wall, or a tree, or a snake.

[ZombieHorde]

22. D&D characters with triple digit stats. nt

[Fozzledick]

26. Make a saving throw vs. Wisdom...

:evilgrin:

[jdp349]

34. Still doesn't beat pun pun though

google it, someone using 3.5e rules figured out how to make every stat on the char infinity.