Why is God deified?

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nobspeople
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Why is God deified?

Post #1

Post by nobspeople »

It's a simply question; does it have a simply answer?

What about this thing creates the desire for people to deify it?
What about this thing is worthy of being deified?

Why do you answer the way you answer?
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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #2

Post by bjs1 »

[Replying to nobspeople in post #1]

God is not deified. God is a deity. That is a tautology.

Asking “Why is God deified” is like asking, “Why are horses changed into horses.” The question is nonsense.
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
-Charles Darwin

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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #3

Post by nobspeople »

bjs1 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:47 am [Replying to nobspeople in post #1]

God is not deified. God is a deity. That is a tautology.

Asking “Why is God deified” is like asking, “Why are horses changed into horses.” The question is nonsense.
How is he a deity? How do we know?
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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #4

Post by 1213 »

nobspeople wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 11:38 am
bjs1 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:47 am [Replying to nobspeople in post #1]

God is not deified. God is a deity. That is a tautology.

Asking “Why is God deified” is like asking, “Why are horses changed into horses.” The question is nonsense.
How is he a deity? How do we know?
Perhaps the question should be, why is Yahweh (or Bible God) called the one and only true God. I believe so, because I think He is the only one that deserves to be called God. There is no other that I would call God. And I think and believe so, because of the Bible. Bible shows great wisdom, knowledge, righteousness and love that for me is the reason to keep Bible God as my God and as the only true God.

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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #5

Post by nobspeople »

1213 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 12:11 pm
nobspeople wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 11:38 am
bjs1 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:47 am [Replying to nobspeople in post #1]

God is not deified. God is a deity. That is a tautology.

Asking “Why is God deified” is like asking, “Why are horses changed into horses.” The question is nonsense.
How is he a deity? How do we know?
Perhaps the question should be, why is Yahweh (or Bible God) called the one and only true God. I believe so, because I think He is the only one that deserves to be called God. There is no other that I would call God. And I think and believe so, because of the Bible. Bible shows great wisdom, knowledge, righteousness and love that for me is the reason to keep Bible God as my God and as the only true God.
So you believe God should be deified because the bible says so and it's full of wisdom? Is that correct?
Have a great, potentially godless, day!

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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #6

Post by Miles »

nobspeople wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 11:38 am
bjs1 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:47 am [Replying to nobspeople in post #1]

God is not deified. God is a deity. That is a tautology.

Asking “Why is God deified” is like asking, “Why are horses changed into horses.” The question is nonsense.
How is he a deity? How do we know?
How about by definition?


Synonyms for god

Synonyms: Noun deity, divinity
Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary
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This article is about the concept of a supreme "God" in the context of monotheism. For the general concept of a being superior to humans that is worshipped as "a god", see Deity and God (male deity). For God in specific religions, see Conceptions of God. For other uses of the term, see God (disambiguation).
Source: Wikipedia
___________________________

GOD

(in certain other religions) a superhuman being or spirit worshipped as having power over nature or human fortunes; a deity.
Source: Oxford English Dictionary

__________________________

god in British English
(ɡɒd )
noun
1. a supernatural being, who is worshipped as the controller of some part of the universe or some aspect of life in the world or is the personification of some force
▶ Related adjective: divine
2. an image, idol, or symbolic representation of such a deity

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god in American English
(gɑd ; gɔd )
1. any of various beings conceived of as supernatural, immortal, and having special powers over the lives and affairs of people and the course of nature; deity, esp. a male deity: typically considered objects of worship
Source: Collins Dictionary

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god (gŏd)
n.
1. God
a. A being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions.
b. The force, effect, or a manifestation or aspect of this being.
2. A being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by a people, especially a male deity thought to control some part of nature or reality.
Source: The Free Dictionary

______________________________



And just for confirmation, take a look at "deity."


Meaning of deity in English:
deity
Pronunciation /ˈdeɪɪti/ /ˈdiːɪti/

noun (deities)

1 A god or goddess (in a polytheistic religion)

1.2 (usually the Deity)The creator and supreme being (in a monotheistic religion such as Christianity)

1.3A representation of a god or goddess, such as a statue or carving.
‘also on show is a bronze falcon deity’
Source: Oxford English Dictionary



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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #7

Post by Tcg »

1213 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 12:11 pm
Perhaps the question should be, why is Yahweh (or Bible God) called the one and only true God.
It is inaccurate or rather incomplete to refer to Yahweh as Bible God. Before his starring role in the Bible, Yahweh was a lesser Canaanite God under El. So, this question actually should read, "How did Yahweh evolve from a lesser Canaanite God into the "one and only true God" some claim he is?"


Tcg
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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #8

Post by bjs1 »

Tcg wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:26 pm
1213 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 12:11 pm
Perhaps the question should be, why is Yahweh (or Bible God) called the one and only true God.
It is inaccurate or rather incomplete to refer to Yahweh as Bible God. Before his starring role in the Bible, Yahweh was a lesser Canaanite God under El. So, this question actually should read, "How did Yahweh evolve from a lesser Canaanite God into the "one and only true God" some claim he is?"
There is no record of a deity called Yahweh (YHWH) in the Canaanite Pantheon. There was a JWH, which is a sort of similar name. There is a 14th century Egyptian inscription, written a little over a century after the time when Moses supposedly lived, about the Shasu of YHW3. YHW3 may have been an early form of then name YHWH. However there is a strong argument that Shasu was a reference to the Israelites, who originated in and then resettled in Canaan. The inscription is too short to identify the Shasu with any certainty.
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
-Charles Darwin

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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #9

Post by Purple Knight »

nobspeople wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:20 am It's a simply question; does it have a simply answer?

What about this thing creates the desire for people to deify it?
What about this thing is worthy of being deified?

Why do you answer the way you answer?
Best question ever.

Answer: I have no idea.

I don't think omnipotent beings should get special treatment. If it turns out I'm omnipotent, do you all have to do what I say? Of course you don't. And if I threaten to cast you into a lake of fire for ignoring me, I'm just an evil, spiteful bully. And if I'm an evil spiteful bully with phenomenal cosmic power, I'm still an evil spiteful bully. Bottom line.

This gets slightly more messy if it turns out I created the universe. Because, then... maybe... I created morality to be what I wanted. ...Maybe... I can do that...? But it still seems to me like at this point, I'm still a very powerful being using its powers to bully the little helpless entities. This is what has me questioning whether any amount of power can do this. If an omnipotent being creates the universe and he says, murder is right, is murder then right? To my mind, no, which I admit is a contradiction.

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Re: Why is God deified?

Post #10

Post by Tcg »

bjs1 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:51 pm
There is no record of a deity called Yahweh (YHWH) in the Canaanite Pantheon. There was a JWH, which is a sort of similar name. There is a 14th century Egyptian inscription, written a little over a century after the time when Moses supposedly lived, about the Shasu of YHW3. YHW3 may have been an early form of then name YHWH. However there is a strong argument that Shasu was a reference to the Israelites, who originated in and then resettled in Canaan. The inscription is too short to identify the Shasu with any certainty.
You've overlooked evidence that disagrees with your conclusion:
Yahweh

Although the Bible, and specifically the Book of Exodus, presents Yahweh as the god of the Israelites, there are many passages which make clear that this deity was also worshipped by other peoples in Canaan. Amzallag notes that the Edomites, Kenites, Moabites, and Midianites all worshipped Yahweh to one degree or another and that there is evidence the Edomites who operated the mines at Timnah converted an earlier Egyptian temple of Hathor to the worship of Yahweh.

Although the biblical narratives depict Yahweh as the sole creator god, lord of the universe, and god of the Israelites especially, initially he seems to have been Canaanite in origin and subordinate to the supreme god El. Canaanite inscriptions mention a lesser god Yahweh and even the biblical Book of Deuteronomy stipulates that “the Most High, El, gave to the nations their inheritance” and that “Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob and his allotted heritage” (32:8-9). A passage like this reflects the early beliefs of the Canaanites and Israelites in polytheism or, more accurately, henotheism (the belief in many gods with a focus on a single supreme deity). The claim that Israel always only acknowledged one god is a later belief cast back on the early days of Israel's development in Canaan.

https://www.ancient.eu/Yahweh/

Tcg
To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

- American Atheists


Not believing isn't the same as believing not.

- wiploc


I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.

- Irvin D. Yalom

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