The Changing Face of All-Mighty God

[Jagella]

I'd like to briefly discuss three different views of the Christian God: TIMITS, THEBFRAW, and GASANA and how popular these views may be.

The earliest and most traditional of these views of the Christian God is that of The Invisible Man In The Sky or “TIMITS.� TIMITS is based in many Bible stories as chronicled in both Old and New Testaments, and it is easy to establish TIMITS' various traits by citing scripture. His invisibility is spelled out in passages like Romans 1:20, Colossians 1:15, and 1 Timothy 1:17.

TIMITS is also very much a man. After all, Jesus was a man as we are told in 1 Timothy 2:5, and Jesus was also God as stated in John 1:1. So so far we see that the Bible God is an invisible man.

TIMITS is also described as a god in the sky. For example, we read in 2 Kings 1 that Elijah called down fire from TIMITS to burn to death his enemies, and this “divine fire� came out of the sky. In addition, Moses met TIMITS way up on the summit of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20) which was a place in the sky. Finally, we are told in Mark 16:19 that when Jesus ascended to God, Jesus went into the sky.

Now, the TIMITS view of God is still popular today, and it is important to understand that TIMITS is not strictly speaking invisible. Occasionally he will reveal himself among the clouds to be gleefully photographed by his followers and the photos posted on FaceBook.

That said, the TIMITS view of God has recently fallen on hard times. Seeing God as TIMITS suffers from various difficulties. TIMITS might be seen as unsophisticated, anthropomorphic, easy to ridicule, and too easily falsified. For example, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, has been famously misquoted as saying he didn't see God “in space.�

To counter such Godless-commie cosmonauts and other skeptics who are blind to TIMITS, Christian apologists and theologians have updated and replaced the TIMITS view of God with THE Being FRom Another World or “THEBFRAW.� THEBRAW is literally “God—lost in space.� You cannot find him in the sky or in space, so any such objections of not discovering THEBFRAW there are irrelevant. Since THEBFRAW is said to exist in another world, Christians can readily explain away objections that he is not detectable. Tucked away in that other world, THEBFRAW is difficult or impossible to falsify. He can also be employed as an explanation for the existence of the cosmos and to have “fine-tuned� it, and for this reason THEBFRAW is popular with apologists like William Lane Craig and Frank Turik. It should be noted that THEBFRAW does exist in this world as well as his other world, but in this world THEBFRAW, like TIMITS, is normally invisible.

So what does the future hold for these evolving views of God? I suspect that if we some day start to live in space, we may need to come up with a view of God that is not geocentric but space-based. Some of us may adopt a God AS AN Alien, or “GASANA.� GASANA has the advantage of seeming to be more modern and less sectarian than either TIMITS or THEBFRAW. Many people may find aliens to be easier to imagine than gods, the aliens being physical and a product of the physical world. However, many other people might find GASANA to be too limiting because aliens are presumably limited and mortal.

So what view of God do you hold to?

[Tcg]

...they make more people skeptical of their beliefs.

No, folks unfortunately do that to themselves. That's their nature shining through loud and clear.

There is nothing unfortunate about it. Rational based intelligence is a great nature to have.

[dianaiad]

I'm not allowed to insult people here...

Actually, because you're an atheist, I'm not so sure about that.

...so no, I didn't say anything about you in particular.

Not directly. But indirectly, you did. Subtlety is most assuredly not your strong suit. Again, though, thanks for the compliment, even though you meant the opposite.

Many Christians don't seem to understand that when they act like fools...

Eh. I think you should look in the mirror, Jagella.

...they make more people skeptical of their beliefs.

No, folks unfortunately do that to themselves. That's their nature shining through loud and clear.

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[Jagella]

Many Christians don't seem to understand that when they act like fools...

Eh. I think you should look in the mirror, Jagella.

One thing about "The Changing Face of All-Mighty God" that never seems to change is the Holy Spirit inspiring such anger and hatred in anybody who feels slighted for her or his Christian beliefs. It apparently started with Jesus himself as he was portrayed as showing indignant fury whenever anybody doubted him or challenged what he said.

But hey, as long as nobody shows me actual violence, I can take the abuse. It's worth being abused to make the world a better place. As I look in the mirror as you suggested, I see a sincere, hard-working man who has spent many years studying the issues related to Christian apologetics. I know the fallacies in apologetics, and I enjoy sharing with others what I have learned.

[PinSeeker]

I know the fallacies in apologetics, and I enjoy sharing with others what I have learned.

You mean you know the fallacies in your misunderstanding (some intentional, some otherwise) of apologetics, and you enjoy sharing your hollow victories in those strawman arguments. Yeah, I getcha.

[Jagella]

I know the fallacies in apologetics, and I enjoy sharing with others what I have learned.

You mean you know the fallacies in your misunderstanding (some intentional, some otherwise) of apologetics, and you enjoy sharing your hollow victories in those strawman arguments. Yeah, I getcha.

As we discuss the issue of the changing faces of all-mighty God, let us avoid making the other person the issue.

So how has the face of TIMITS changed for you?

[PinSeeker]

As we discuss the issue of the changing faces of all-mighty God, let us avoid making the other person the issue.

Well that would be fine, except that you keep making yourself the issue by intentionally twisting and mangling the one, unchanging face of God. Trying to, anyway.

So how has the face of TIMITS changed for you?

Well, for one thing, he's made my heart impervious to unbelieving foolishness. But that's just for starters.

[marco]

Well that would be fine, except that you keep making yourself the issue by intentionally twisting and mangling the one, unchanging face of God. Trying to, anyway.

I think that those who opposed the Greek deities were similarly reprimanded. The wise inquisitors even burned folk for failing to see what they saw.

So how has the face of TIMITS changed for you?

Well, for one thing, he's made my heart impervious to unbelieving foolishness. But that's just for starters.

It is interesting that the Architect of the Andromeda Galaxy pays such attention to detail, making some hearts impervious to persuasion while endowing the mind of an Einstein with the ability to see biblical tales as childish. He changes face with each person he encounters, just like Proteus.

[PinSeeker]

It is interesting that the Architect of the Andromeda Galaxy pays such attention to detail, making some hearts impervious to persuasion...

Agreed... sort of. He guards the hearts of the ones He has chosen from the persuasion/works of those he has not (and their father). Anyway, yes, it's quite interesting.

... while endowing the mind of an Einstein with the ability to see biblical tales as childish.

He leaves some to themselves and their own foolish desires and musings, for sure. He lets them "chase their own tails," as it were. And that too is interesting.

...he changes face with each person he encounters, just like Proteus.

Nah.

[marco]

Agreed... sort of. He guards the hearts of the ones He has chosen from the persuasion/works of those he has not (and their father).

It is perhaps a minor miracle that God's psychology is made manifest to hoi polloi. I suppose that's what Christ meant when he said God had exalted the humble. Perhaps a simple lack of self-awareness gives many people protection against intellectual hurt. That's nice.

He leaves some to themselves and their own foolish desires and musings, for sure. He lets them "chase their own tails," as it were.

It is good to hear about the secret workings of the deity. Remiss of the Bible not to include the info.

[PinSeeker]

Perhaps a simple lack of self-awareness gives many people protection against intellectual hurt. That's nice.

Perhaps not. Hurt, both physical and intellectual, abounds in this world, unfortunately. But one day that will no longer be the case.

It is good to hear about the secret workings of the deity. Remiss of the Bible not to include the info.

Actually, it's quite explicit... even graphic in its "inclusion of the info":

"Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator... For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions... And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." (Romans 1)

It can't get any more explicit or graphic -- clear -- than that.