Re: If god exists, what created god? :The answer

Whittet (Whittet@shore.net)
4 Sep 1995 01:55:24 GMT

In article <42cqmh$n0a@hobbes.cc.uga.edu>, venugop@phoenix.cs.uga.edu says...
>
>In article <427b54$bbc@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, ARKYJAY <arkyjay@aol.com> wrote
>:
>>This is a tired stupid thread.
> You are right; it is like the six blind men who tried to
> describe the elephant.
>
>If god is omniscent, why create the
>>universe, whose outcome is already known to its creator.
> It is as untested a theory as the Big Bang, Steady State, or Expanding
> Universe theories.
>Is God a sadist who enjoys watching the suffering of
>>others?

stuff deleted

I can't speak for all religions and all gods but the one which was the basis
of the judaeo/christian/moslem theologies started out being worshiped as a carved
stone in a box in the desert.

The reason what was in the box was considered omnipotent and all powerful
and the source of everything which was created in the world,
was that what those Israelites in the Negev were worshiping was
literally Law and Order. When the command was given "Thou shalt
have no other gods before me" what was really being said was that
even the gods (and the god kings) must obey the law. The Ten commandments
in the Egyptian style ark required unquestioning obedience.

As the Israelites and their god got to know each other it became possible to
have a meeting of the minds and form covenents. Yahweh was concieved of as
the power to coerce unquestioned obedience, but became a kind of contract.

In Canaan a different concept was worshiped. At the Bamaats or high places
the people met in something very like a modern mosque to discuss what was
right and proper. When the Israelites got to Canaan and Yahweh took the
Canaanites Asherah as his consort, the Law was tempered by a desire for what
was right and proper. Law and Order joined with Wisdom to give Justice.

>
> On a practical plane; the Middle Path or Buddhism is the most
> advocable

On the other hand if you have no laws then you have no crimes...

> regards
> gopa
>--
> Gopakumar Venugopalan

Steve