"We don't have gods where I come from," said Twoflower.
"We don't have gods where I come from," said Twoflower.
"You do, you know," said The Lady. "Everyone has gods. You just don't think they're gods."
- Terry Pratchett
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Insistence doesn't change reality.
Very insightful. I made vague mention of your god, and you immediately guessed correctly who I was talking about, and even offered Him a prayer. I wish I had such a keen gift for seeing to the end of allusions as you do.
Is a god a God though if we don't think about that god as an God?
No, but most people do think of Reality as a god. But they don't think He is a god. There's an important distinction between thinking of one as something, and thinking one is something. One is conscious, the other is unconscious. People are perfectly capable of worshipping, praying to, and generally being religious towards someone they refuse to believe is a god.
For example, the Corpus very clearly treat Parvos Granum as a god, despite maintaining he's only a man. It's a very obvious contradiction. He maintains false humility.
The corpus worship Parvos yes, but that doesn't mean he is actually worshipped as a god though.
We can worship our fellow men as just that: extraordinary people who are glowing examples of our species in certain aspects.
If worship alone would be enough to be considered a god we would be absolutely drowning in gods.
We are drowning in gods.
The Japanese worship eight million divine beings. We've got about that many too.
Are they actively worshipped as gods though, or are they simply remnants of the past?
Not everyone worships every god. Most of them are very minor deities, like the god of a particular river. You might worship that kami if you fish in that river or use it for transportation, but not if you live somewhere else. Likewise, I don't worship Trump or the Kardashians, but many people do.
No, but most people do think of Reality as a god.
But they don't think He is a god
These two statements directly contradict eachother. Either you think of Reality as a god, or you do not. If you don't think reality is a god, then you don't think "he" is a god (wow, the tautology was weird to type).
Also, there are many examples of religious people who don't think reality is a god. Deists, for example, believe that god showed up, made the universe, and left. Under that belief system, the deist god and the universe it created are two entirely separate things.
There's also pantheons, where gods exist within their own higher reality with their own set of rules, limitations and powers that interact with our reality. Reality (either ours or the supernatural plane in these belief systems) are clearly separate from the gods operating under these rules.
People are perfectly capable of worshipping, praying to, and generally being religious towards someone they refuse to believe is a god.
What's your opinion on people who do neither? That don't believe in a god and don't pray to anything either?
I said this to them above- I honestly cannot think of a way to define 'reality' as a god. The universe? Fine, that's pantheism. But reality is an aspect of the universe, it isn't the universe itself. Reality is just what we think is true. Truth is a god?
There are plenty of new age wuwu types that do define reality as a god. If I thought they had any legitimacy I wouldn't be an atheist, but the core idea is that we essentially exist as constructs within the imagination of this god.
So basically simulation theory without the computer. Or I guess solipsism, but you're not the one who exists.
If we put what we think is true up on a pedestal, and say it cannot be challenged, and all must have faith in it under threat of violence, is that not exactly the way we treat gods?
I treat all my garbage the same. That doesn't mean I think a banana peel is a piece of junk mail.
Also-
and all must have faith in it under threat of violence,
Dude, crazy people wander the streets without being touched.
They don't contradict. There's a subtle difference, which is whether it's conscious.
Take Donald Trump worshippers, for example. They think he's a god, but they won't admit it, even to themselves.
Sorry, I edited in the stuff about deists and pantheons as you were responding. What's your opinion on that?
How is reality a god? It's not a being. It has no intelligence or agency. I can't think of a definition of god that "reality" would fit.
Parvos Granum
My searching tells me that this is a character in a video game, which is a weird thing to reference when talking about actual beliefs.
@[email protected] is from dormi.zone, the warframe instance. I was talking to Darkenfolk in language I knew they would understand.
Maybe broaden your references for your entire audience next time.
And a fictional character's beliefs doesn't support your argument regardless of who would understand it.