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

by dhw, Thursday, July 08, 2021, 11:43 (1235 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Of course I must discuss a non-human God in humans personality terms.

dhw: Then would you please stop criticizing me for using human personality terms when you do exactly the same, and instead focus on the logic of our respective theories.

dhw: You cannot explain why your humanized God, who only wanted to design humans plus lunch, proceeded to design millions of life forms, lunches etc. that had no connection with humans and their lunch. You admit that you can’t explain it, so why are you claiming that it is just as logical as my alternative theistic theories, which you have accepted as being logical?

DAVID: Copied from today miscellany: My image of your God, based on what He does, is that He is very human in thought and planning. The difference is I don't view my God as human or having human desires. Using the human terms we have to use is a truism.

So when you say your God knows exactly what he wants, plans it in advance, wants and keeps total control, is driven by a single purpose (to create humans and their lunch, perhaps so they will admire his works, or he can have a relationship with them), enjoys creating, watches his creations with interest, always has “good” intentions and therefore must have had good reasons for designing “bad” viruses and bacteria, and you are sure we mimic him, you don’t actually mean that he has any of these human attributes but you are merely using human terms. Whereas if I suggest that he knows what he wants, wants the ever changing bush of life we know from history, enjoys creating, watches his creations with interest, we have no idea whether his intentions are “good”, especially against the background of evil, and I am sure that if he exists we mimic him, this makes him “very human”. And therefore your illogical theory of evolution is correct, whereas my alternative logical theories are not even to be considered.

dhw: […] you refuse to consider the whole history in your interpretation of your God’s purpose and method. That is why (see next item below) you constantly harp on your God’s decision to “evolve” (= design) humans plus lunch from bacteria, and you leave out or gloss over the fact that in your theory he also took the decision to “evolve” (= design) every other life form plus lunch, although 99% of them had no connection with humans.

DAVID: The entire early bush and late bush are required for food and each stage is a developing stage of increasing complexity. The relationship is the definition of how to evolve. God evolved everything as I view it.

dhw: By “evolve” let us remember you mean “specially design”. And oops, once again you have left out the section of your theory that renders it illogical, namely that your God specially designed every life form etc. bb“as part of the goal of evolving [= specially designing] humans” and their lunch.

DAVID: Nothing is illogical in stating God chose to produce us by evolving us from bacteria by designing each step.

No. What is illogical is the belief that your all-knowing, all-powerful, all-controlling God’s one and only purpose was to produce us and our lunch, and so he proceeded to “evolve” (= design) millions of life forms, lunches etc. etc. that had no connection with us. THIS is what you yourself find inexplicable. I seem to have said this before.

Privileged planet
DAVID: You object to God as the designer of reality, while recognizing design exists in biology. Enjoy your picket fence.

dhw: In none of these discussions on the possible nature and purpose of a possible God do I object to God as the designer of reality. That is another of your escape routes, as you try to dodge the illogicality of your own theistic theory of evolution.

DAVID: The problem in this discussion is I really don't understand what you claim is illogical in believing God chose to create us by evolving us from bacteria, designing step by step.

No. What is illogical is the belief that your all-knowing, all-powerful, all-controlling God’s one and only purpose was to produce us and our lunch, and so he proceeded to “evolve” (= design) millions of life forms, lunches etc. etc. that had no connection with us. THIS is what you yourself find inexplicable. I seem to have said this before.