Posted by Rodger on February 22, 1999 at 13:32:45:
In Reply to: Existance of a NON-god world posted by GodLess and still happy on February 22, 1999 at 03:57:21:
It would help a great deal if you first deal with the issue of definition before entering the polemical discussion of whether God exists.
For example, if you define God as the Mormons do, or as in any Mythical sense for the that matter, you can find some very compelling arguments such as "Atheism, The Case Against God", the
author I cannot remember a the moment, but look it up in the library. Read Bertrand Russell as well. He has some of the best arguments against the mythical irrational gods.
But I think it is similar to arguing about winkets. How can you effectively argue for or against winkets if you do not first give a graspable definition of what a winket is?
This is why the word God is such a stumbling block for so many of us. People all too often engage in argument or dialoge about God and they are not even talking about the same common concept. For example, the God of a
a mystic or one who follows what is generally known as the perenial philosopy has an entirely different concept of what this word means than those who have literal mythical interpretations. Many atheists believe that there is some underlying order or unity power in
the universe that is responsible for all of existence. Far from being a father figure, controlling and interfering God, this would be the ground from which all things emerge. Many in the mystical tradition see this as God. In this concept, God is a creative force, a concept of the all and is
only found within, not without. These are only examples of many possibilities and some of the pitfalls of general questions that presuppose to many things to be very useful.
Good luck!
Rodger