A possible God's possible purpose and nature (The nature of a \'Creator\')

by David Turell , Thursday, May 27, 2021, 16:32 (1274 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: On this thread, we are trying to work out what your God’s purposes and nature might be, basing our speculations on different possibilities. Previously you argued that he wished to create life because he wished to create humans and their food supply. But if there is no life elsewhere, he just wished to create billions of galaxies because….?

We don't know why God made this universe in this form. In my view God doesn't wish. He has a designer's purpose.

dhw: If there IS life elsewhere, he wished to create it because…

God does not wish. It is possible life is elsewhere and God designed it there. As stated before He may want humans or human-like elsewhere.

dhw: […] if conditions were right, the necessary materials would automatically form themselves into primitive life, and perhaps in some cases primitive life would evolve into more complex life.

DAVID: Why do you jump to the conclusion it must be abiogenesis on these foreign Earths?

dhw: It’s not a conclusion! If there is no life, then we are left with the insoluble question of why your God would create billions of galaxies in order to produce us. If there is nothing but primitive life, I am asking why God would bother. And so these two scenarios would strengthen the case (that is not a conclusion) for spontaneous generation. But it is a side issue, and perhaps I should not have raised it.

It is not a side issue, but your issue that understanding how the universe works in this form is insoluble. Let research go forward to find answers. Current human judgement is often wrong about God's so-called error/mistakes.

DAVID: Why can't God start life elsewhere? That is what I think. It doesn't disturb me. Why can't it even evolve to brilliant humans or their equivalent?

dhw: It could do. I’m considering all options and their implications for our vision of a possible God.

Some of your inventive options are currently without answers from research.

DAVID: We Earthlings are special focal point here. We can accept other Earths might be special and support life and might evolve specialized life forms comparable to humans. Why not? Why can't God have several focal points in the universe? It answers you unreasonable weird worry God made the universe unnecessarily too big.

dhw: Yes, if millions of galaxies are home to millions of life forms, the size makes sense. But if you have millions of Earths with millions of human-like life forms, your God will have millions of focal points, and so the claim that we are a “special focal point here” – which has always been your contention – becomes a little unconvincing.

Why can't God have multiple focal points? Not unconvincing at all. All we can know is this Earth.

dhw: The questions I’m asking relate to the different options. No life at all begs the question: why such a big universe? Bacteria only: not much of a purpose, is it? Human-similar: that’s the really interesting one for us: why would he want to create humans?

We've made multiple guesses as to His purpose. Lets not review.

dhw: And also, since you believe in an afterlife:

dhw: What aspects of your God’s purpose and/or nature do you think an afterlife might reflect?

DAVID: We both agree NDE's strongly suggest an afterlife. I have no problem with other human-similar forms having their own afterlife. Why should God treat other forms elsewhere in the universe in a different manner? Human-similar is to understand a thinking mind equal to ours, the extraordinary result of evolution once neurons were created. God has every right to create as many human-similars as He wishes.

dhw: I am not questioning his right to do whatever he wishes. I am trying to delve into his possible reasons for doing what he does or might do. You emphatically believe that creating humans was his one and only purpose in creating life, and I really can’t believe that you have never asked yourself what might have been his purpose in creating humans or in letting you live on after the death of your body.

It is a matter of acceptance, and your problem of doubt and questioning. It is amazing both you and I are here to debate. Dayenu.