Do you think God is a logical construct, physical construct, or something else?

Before I answer this question, I would like ask you some questions.

How do you know that a computer was designed by a designer? Is it because it because it is illogical to believe that something as intricate and complex as a computer cannot obviously design itself? It logically demands for a designer(s). Correct?

Now, let us ponder about this computer designer. We are aware that he exists or has existed and that he is intelligent. Well, how do we know he is intelligent? Obviously because of the design of the complex computer. Correct? Now let us move further.

This intelligent designer is even more intricate and perplex than a designed computer. If we are logically consistent, how can we honestly assume that this intelligent computer designer that was not designed himself? The logically conclusion is that we can't. There is a truth that we cannot dismiss and it is that we were all created by One who is infinitely more intelligently than we are! And who fits this criteria of being infinitely more intelligently than we humans? God, of course!

Now, do not misunderstand me, there are people who have created some sort of fictitious god(s) in their minds. This is the very reason why there is a plethora of pseudo religions. This dates back centuries and our Creator, God, considers this idolatry, breaking the first and second commandment (Exodus 20:3-5).

The Bad News:

All humans have sinned against a Holy God (Romans 3:23). There is no person who does good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20). All forms of sin such as: lying, theft, blasphemy (using God’s name in vain), coveting, idolatry, fornication, and etc., is hated by a Holy and Just God (Revelation 21:8). And because God is Good, Just, and Holy, He cannot tolerate sin, not even one, and will eventually punish all who have sinned against him ( 2 Thessalonians 1:8). Every form of sin is punishable by Eternal Hell because God Himself is Eternal and Holy (Ezekiel 18:20) . No amount of “good” works can erase the punishment that we deserve. The punishment for sin is death/Hell (Romans 6:23). At day of Judgement, every single person will have to give an account of his/her actions (Matthew 12:36).

The Good News:

Thankfully, God is also Merciful, Gracious, and Loving that he provided a way, so that we sinful humans can be saved from the condemnation of Hell! The great altruistic love begins when Jesus Christ (God incarnate) became a human being and led a perfectly sinless life (1 Peter 2:22). He later suffered and died on the cross to take the punishment that all sinful humans deserved (1 Peter 2:24). And in doing so, Jesus of Nazareth demonstrated his selfless love toward us, despite our rebellion (1 John 4:10/Romans 5:8). Then Jesus rose from the grave, defeating death (1 Corinthians 15:4).

But, in order to receive the free gift of Eternal life and forgiveness from all of your sins, you must: Place your faith/trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation and repent from your sins (John 3:16/Acts 17:30). The moment you do that, you will be receive Eternal life and receive forgiveness from all of your sins, because of God’s grace and mercy!

These are inevitable truths that should not be ignored.

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Concept (mental construct)

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics#Religion_...

As a concept, the idea of God is intimately tied to our concept of physicality and reality. That is, if you believe in the existence of a deity you either believe it is supernatural (not subject to the laws of physics) or much less commonly, completely outside of nature entirely (a creator or architect that started it all who does not interfere).

So it is a metaphysical concept.

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Origin or cause of God as a concept

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There are two premises from which to answer this.

- If you believe that God exists then it would usually follow that the subject, God himself, put the concept in our minds. He made himself known. This may also apply as a possibility if you are agnostic.

- If you believe that there is no deity then the above becomes invalid. Either there was an apparent need for the concept or it was a side effect of something else. An apparent need seems the most plausible and although we are now in the realm of speculation this supposed need also seems to follow as the cause of other believes which are accepted to be false such as witchcraft, voodoo or the deities of Ancient Greece.

The need to understand.

The need to feel that your life has divine meaning.

The need to feel that there is something after death.

...etc...

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The knowledge of death

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To me the knowledge of death seems to be the prime suspect. This knowledge is often noted in the arts and literature and I seriously doubt that any other animal (even elephants) have such knowledge.

When you are faced with inevitability of your own demise, your own end, your own eventual non-existence as hard fact, the idea of God and an afterlife seems a very good fit and we can logically assume that this knowledge appeared early in our human history or possibly before.

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The need to understand

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Another need mentioned above is a need to understand and, as it seems, is inseparable from human nature. A fundamental thread of understanding is the nature of cause and effect. Simply, if we observe something and don't know the cause, naturally we begin to speculate. That is, we come up with a bunch of possible explanations in the hopes of finding one that is plausible and then eventually proven true.

Now understand that your brain and intellect serves the primary purpose, not of making life more pleasurable or beautiful, but of helping you make the right decision. We would fail miserably as beings if we were hardwired to only act on a decision once it was mathematically proven or beyond reasonable doubt.

Because of this need to act, speculation becomes postulation/belief. That is, what was considered a possibility neither proven nor dis-proven, defies logic and becomes true. We are now at the meat of your question and you may see that this goes beyond religion and into all aspects of life. The word itself, belief, is termed a psychological state rather than a state of knowledge. In an ideal world, such a word would not even exist, but in a pragmatic world the meaning and nature of belief would be well known. That is why I am a proponent only for spreading the knowledge that a belief is a belief and non-other.

Of course "God" is a logical construct.

It's a great tool used by hierarchs of any tribe to reassure the flock and bolster the leadership's "authority" and "legitimacy."

The typical individual once upon a time was born ignorant, tended to become superstitious and remained that way for most of his brief existence.

Enter the tribe leaders who wished to maintain their (and their descendant's) power over the group. Nothing better than to logically concoct some supernatural godhead to address the tribe's emotional need for reassurance, comfort, hope, fear of death, etc.

Since scientific thinking had yet to make headway with the majority, the few guile-filled ones in the tribe using the power of the word, "explained" to the many "how" and "why" natural phenomena (death, disease, eclipses, sunrise, lightning, earthquakes, floods, avalanches, hurricanes, seasons, etc.,) "occurred."

With this barely plausible "logical" narrative which invoked the "god-devise," many fell in line and the priests and hierarchs cynically maintained their hold over the tribe.

But for mass-production print--which not only documents man's insights and logical progression in his thinking patterns especially during the late Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Age of Reason-- and which helped disperse logic, scientific thinking and logical ideas to the four winds we might still be in the grip of fear and superstition...

That's a very good question. I'm interested in the answer to it also. I think some Christians might say that the idea of God originated with the Old Testament. But I'm sure there are Indian religions that were around before the OT that contained the idea of a God. I think old worldviews like Greek mythology, and Egyptian mythology, which were around before the OT, held the concept of multiple gods. So the idea of multiple gods which is polytheism might be older than monotheism which is the idea of a single god. Some people believe the idea of god started when people began ingesting certain psychedelic plants like psilocybin mushrooms, and DMT which have a tendency to make people perceive higher beings or forces.

Hopefully someone who knows about religious studies will give an answer. Its a very important question. I guess to find out we would probably have to look at some of the first religions to see what they say. I think the earliest religion was Shamanism.

'God', this so called higher being, provides the upmost support and moral code possible. The only mysterious-inevitable aspect of the world is the afterlife. Religion tells you if you're a good person, you'll enjoy the afterlife for all of eternity. There's nothing, no thought processes, that can equal out to that or prove religion wrong. That's why it's still around.

God is the answer to everything-- ex.) if you're feeling lonely you can remember god is with you.

Man created the idea of god for comfort, and to be forgiven by someone beyond one's own self. Also 'god' answers the questions we haven't found responses to, like the beginning of the world, or the purpose of life. Gives you hope.... False, oblivious hope at that. But with some people, that's all they need.

i think everything was created from itself and i call it consciousness. and we have many different forms of consciousness which i would consider all physical but not neccisarily physical as in our physical bodys. but you are right everything that holds its own form is geometric but geometry can also be displayed in different frequency and different forms.and about religion i think that in the very begining everyone beleived one thing but through their ego's they took one idea and split off into different groups and ever since then we have religious fights and religious wars to defend our ego's because if changed everything we know would be built on a lie and no one wants that. and thats why its so important not to judge other people because you have no idea what they know, what they have been through or where they are trying to go.

as for where the idea of god's came from is most likly to get power.or divide and conquer. the way i see it is that although we may beleive in many different gods and not all the same ones. we still all stand together on the same earth but; there may still only one truth. and how silly would it be if together we were all powerful creators but we prayed to a ruler deemed as all powerful? and if we all had limited beliefs through religions? who would get this power and why would we ever think we had it?

It is really a matter of what you mean by God. Mine is a cold reality of Eternal and Infinite activities. Some would like to add a personality to it and call it Father. So what. It doesn't confuse me nor does it bother me. There are too many of us with too many ideas constructed within us as to what we want to call that which created us. And some of us do call it Father. Just as logical as my cold non-being a personality relationship.

I believe that the idea of god was formed from our ignorance. Take Greek, Roman and Native American beliefs; god of war, god of rain, god of harvest, etc. Whenever we didn't or couldn't understand something, we played the god card to provide convenient answers. Granted we were wrong, but it gave purpose to complexing problems. Now we use god to answer how life started, why we are here, etc. The ideas are more complicated, but the theory is the same. We don't understand something, so we use god as a convenient answer, although we really have no idea about it whatsoever. That's just my opinion.

The idea of God may be God's Idea.

Sources:

The Path of the Higher Self, Mark Prophet

Man, Master of His Destiny, Omraam Aivanhov

The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis

God at the Speed of Light

The Mindful Universe

The Self-Aware Universe

A made up character just like Spider-Man or Poseidon or Mr. Tickle. Made up to solve problems and fill in the blanks from back when we thought plagues were curses and didn't know how the sun rose each morning.