What does God want?

Seattle said:
God does not want anything as he has everything.
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Which then moves on to the question, what is the course of action for a personality who is completely independent and has no personal agenda that is required to be fulfilled by others ...
 
Musika said:
Which then moves on to the question, what is the course of action for a personality who is completely independent and has no personal agenda that is required to be fulfilled by others ...
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On his part it would be anonymity and on our part...we shouldn't have even heard of him which therefore suggests that he is man made.
 
If that were true, that god wants nothing, why is he here? Why did he create us? Or create anything?
If he wants nothing, why would he interact with us, rather than ignore us?
 
DaveC426913 said:
If that were true, that god wants nothing, why is he here? Why did he create us? Or create anything?
If he wants nothing, why would he interact with us, rather than ignore us?
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It was more that God is completely independent. . how that automatically defaults to anonymity/selfishness is kind of puzzling.

As to purposes, that is admittedly difficult to fathom if all you examine are those that get it wrong. Even though a president is technically in charge of all the prisons and jails of their nation, even the most dictatoral of examples tends to being much more to the table.
 
Musika said:
It was more that God is completely independent. . how that automatically defaults to anonymity/selfishness is kind of puzzling.

As to purposes, that is admittedly difficult to fathom if all you examine are those that get it wrong. Even though a president is technically in charge of all the prisons and jails of their nation, even the most dictatoral of examples tends to being much more to the table.
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I am actually not sure how any of this addresses my question(s).
 
DaveC426913 said:
I am actually not sure how any of this addresses my question(s).
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I am not sure how saying God has no needs establishes a broader picture to also include no interests and no concerns. It all sounds rather teptillian.
 
Musika said:
I am not sure how saying God has no needs establishes a broader picture to also include no interests and no concerns. It all sounds rather teptillian.
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Can you explain the kind of intelligence God employs which makes it possible to exert any type of control over the physical world?
 
Write4U said:
Can you explain the kind of intelligence God employs which makes it possible to exert any type of control over the physical world?
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Qualitatively, it bears similarity to the manner you exert control your body. I say "bear similarity" because even the control we have over our own bodies is conditional. Unconditional control of something is not something we can claim experience of, although the closest we get to such an experience is with our own bodies.
 
Write4U said:
Can you explain the kind of intelligence God employs which makes it possible to exert any type of control over the physical world?
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I'd go with invisible fuzzy logic the new Intel chipset put in Fred Flintstone car

:)
 
Musika said:
Qualitatively, it bears similarity to the manner you exert control your body. I say "bear similarity" because even the control we have over our own bodies is conditional. Unconditional control of something is not something we can claim experience of, although the closest we get to such an experience is with our own bodies.
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Actually we have no conscious control over our internal bodily functions at all. This purely subconscious control mechanism only regulates the function of our organs which can be demonstrated when we are under anesthesia and unconscious. Our brain still controls our life support system. It is called interoception and warns us only when something goes wrong. But we cannot visualize the internal organs at all, except from pictures and illustrations.

https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_how_your_brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality

But the problem I have with any comparison to God possessing a sentient brain lies in the absence of the physical structure which does the processing of information. If God is a spiritual being, how can it think without having a physical brain?

Even if we assume that the physical universe is capable of processing information via, say quantum mechanics, how would that be possible before the physical universe was created?
 
James R said:
This is a companion thread to my popular What does God do? thread. Surprisingly, so far very few theists have ventured to describe what God does in the world, here and now. I'm not sure whether that is because they aren't sure what God does, or because they've never considered the question, or because they feel embarrassed about answering it for some reason. Maybe there'll be some more informative answers later. The question sounds to me like one a good theist should have a ready answer to.

So, to the current thread, which has a similar theme. Again, I address this question to the theists who are reading.

Most of you describe God as a Being, like a person. Many of you describe relating to God as if God is a person. For example, you might pray to God, and God might choose to respond in various ways to your prayers.

Given that God is like a person (or at least has person-like traits), and given the kinds of things that major religions tell us about God, it seems that God has desires, plans, and emotions that are recognisably comparable to those of human beings.

My straightforward question this time around is: based on your own understanding, what does God want? I'd also like to know: how do you know what God wants?

I look forward to your responses.
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From jewish & christian scripture, god wants 100% eternal obedience despite knowing humans are incapable of that.

<>
 
Write4U said:
Actually we have no conscious control over our internal bodily functions at all.
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I never suggested we did. I suggested one's own body as the best available experience to bridge a gap that is simply untenable for us. The fact that even this doesn't hold as a metaphor illustrates the completeness of our conditioned existence.

This purely subconscious control mechanism only regulates the function of our organs which can be demonstrated when we are under anesthesia and unconscious. Our brain still controls our life support system. It is called interoception and warns us only when something goes wrong. But we cannot visualize the internal organs at all, except from pictures and illustrations.

https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_how_your_brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality

But the problem I have with any comparison to God possessing a sentient brain lies in the absence of the physical structure which does the processing of information. If God is a spiritual being, how can it think without having a physical brain?

Even if we assume that the physical universe is capable of processing information via, say quantum mechanics, how would that be possible before the physical universe was created?
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Traditionally the relationship of contingency between God and matter is viewed the other way around. This version of a "fumbling" God thrust into a world that requires Him to constantly exert Himself to maintain the status quo against impossible odds seems more an extrapolation of our own situation.
 
James R said:
Surprisingly, so far very few theists have ventured to describe what God does in the world, here and now. I'm not sure whether that is because they aren't sure what God does, or because they've never considered the question, or because they feel embarrassed about answering it for some reason.
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We're tired of talking about the atheist understanding of God. Although it can be amusing, it loses its edge when we realise your serious. Try upping the game a bit.

James R said:
My straightforward question this time around is: based on your own understanding, what does God want? I'd also like to know: how do you know what God wants?
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Another silly thread, featuring the atheist god. I'll leave you all to get on with it.

Jan.
 
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