If God exists, does he baffle himself?

[moonbogg]

Even with infinite knowledge and understanding, how could even God come to grips with his own origin? If he simply exists, without cause or reason, then could even he understand his own origins or lack thereof? It seems to be an impossible paradox where the solution can't hinge simply upon mind power. At some point, the final answer may not be an answer at all, but an inescapable personal surrender, either by God or by any of us. I wonder if at some point explanation has to stop, by necessity. Does the problem of ultimate origin butt up against such a barrier?

 

[radeson]

Everything just 'IS'.... Right now... That's it. No further explanation.

 

[master_shake_]

could god be a god so god that god himself could not god?

 

[JEDIYoda]

Even with infinite knowledge and understanding, how could even God come to grips with his own origin? You are assuming that God cares about his origin!
If he simply exists, without cause or reason, then could even he understand his own origins or lack thereof?
Does God being God really need to understand his origin?
It seems to be an impossible paradox where the solution can't hinge simply upon mind power. It is only a paradox to those who actually believe that
it matters in some way...
At some point, the final answer may not be an answer at all, but an inescapable personal surrender, either by God or by any of us. I wonder if at some point explanation has to stop, by necessity. Does the problem of ultimate origin butt up against such a barrier? Who said this is a problem?

Personally I see no problem here!! Move along!!

 

[MongGrel]

*Enquiring minds want to know*

....

 

[Moonbeam]

Even with infinite knowledge and understanding, how could even God come to grips with his own origin? If he simply exists, without cause or reason, then could even he understand his own origins or lack thereof? It seems to be an impossible paradox where the solution can't hinge simply upon mind power. At some point, the final answer may not be an answer at all, but an inescapable personal surrender, either by God or by any of us. I wonder if at some point explanation has to stop, by necessity. Does the problem of ultimate origin butt up against such a barrier?

Love and you won't have any doubt and thus no questions.

 

[sandorski]

Discussion thread?

What's really baffling is that God has a penis. I suspect that if such a being existed it would be baffled by that too.

 

[JEDIYoda]

What's really baffling is that God has a penis. I suspect that if such a being existed it would be baffled by that too.

pictures please.....

 

[IronWing]

pictures please.....

Just do an image search on Godly penis.










I double dog dare ya. :sneaky:

 

[DrPizza]

pictures please.....

Genesis 1:27
Sorry that it's not a picture book though.

And, to answer the OP more correctly, the OP is more or less creating another example of the Omnipotence Paradox. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnipotence_paradox I.e., just another flavor of creating a rock so heavy that God cannot lift it himself. Though, I suppose you can argue that it's really an omniscience paradox. Nonetheless, the response is the same.

I'll just steal a passage from Wikipedia:

A common response from Christian philosophers, such as Norman Geisler or Richard Swinburne is that the paradox assumes a wrong definition of omnipotence. Omnipotence, they say, does not mean that God can do anything at all but, rather, that he can do anything that's possible according to his nature. The distinction is important. God cannot perform logical absurdities; he cannot, for instance, make 1+1=3. Likewise, God cannot make a being greater than himself because he is, by definition, the greatest possible being. God is limited in his actions to his nature. The Bible supports this, they assert, in passages such as Hebrews 6:18 which says it is "impossible for God to lie." This raises the question, similar to the Euthyphro Dilemma, of where this law of logic, which God is bound to obey, comes from. According to these theologians, this law is not a law above God that he assents to but, rather, logic is an eternal part of God's nature, like his omniscience or omnibenevolence. God obeys the laws of logic because God is eternally logical in the same way that God does not perform evil actions because God is eternally good. So, God, by nature logical and unable to violate the laws of logic, cannot make a boulder so heavy he cannot lift it because that would violate the law of non contradiction by creating an immovable object and an unstoppable force."

 

[moonbogg]

Genesis 1:27
Sorry that it's not a picture book though.

And, to answer the OP more correctly, the OP is more or less creating another example of the Omnipotence Paradox. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnipotence_paradox I.e., just another flavor of creating a rock so heavy that God cannot lift it himself. Though, I suppose you can argue that it's really an omniscience paradox. Nonetheless, the response is the same.

I'll just steal a passage from Wikipedia:

A common response from Christian philosophers, such as Norman Geisler or Richard Swinburne is that the paradox assumes a wrong definition of omnipotence. Omnipotence, they say, does not mean that God can do anything at all but, rather, that he can do anything that's possible according to his nature. The distinction is important. God cannot perform logical absurdities; he cannot, for instance, make 1+1=3. Likewise, God cannot make a being greater than himself because he is, by definition, the greatest possible being. God is limited in his actions to his nature. The Bible supports this, they assert, in passages such as Hebrews 6:18 which says it is "impossible for God to lie." This raises the question, similar to the Euthyphro Dilemma, of where this law of logic, which God is bound to obey, comes from. According to these theologians, this law is not a law above God that he assents to but, rather, logic is an eternal part of God's nature, like his omniscience or omnibenevolence. God obeys the laws of logic because God is eternally logical in the same way that God does not perform evil actions because God is eternally good. So, God, by nature logical and unable to violate the laws of logic, cannot make a boulder so heavy he cannot lift it because that would violate the law of non contradiction by creating an immovable object and an unstoppable force."

In a way, I think a similar paradox applies to anything that exists. Without some sort of eternal structure I don't think anything could exist, but having anything simply exist seems impossible, but it can't be impossible or else we wouldn't be here.

 

[witeken]

Everything just 'IS'.... Right now... That's it. No further explanation.

All of science disagrees with you.

 

[JEDIYoda]

In a way, I think a similar paradox applies to anything that exists. Without some sort of eternal structure I don't think anything could exist, but having anything simply exist seems impossible, but it can't be impossible or else we wouldn't be here.

double speak.....gotta love it!

 

[moonbogg]

double speak.....gotta love it!

Reality is baffling, unless you pretend like its not.

 

[inachu]

Discussing GOD or the idea of GOD and how he lives really gives a great disservice.

There is ZERO comprehension to the life and times of GOD and his/her psychology.

By the above statements I mean that GOD is bigger than anything any human or group of humans can know or comprehend. By trying to figure out GOD you lesson GOD and make GOD SMALLER.

 

[master_shake_]

Discussing GOD or the idea of GOD and how he lives really gives a great disservice.

There is ZERO comprehension to the life and times of GOD and his/her psychology.

By the above statements I mean that GOD is bigger than anything any human or group of humans can know or comprehend. By trying to figure out GOD you lesson GOD and make GOD SMALLER.

god wouldn't be so big if you didn't use caps.

just saying

 

[Subyman]

The OP's question simply moves the burden of our existence off of our shoulders and onto a philosophical being. The real question the OP has is about himself, not god. But it makes the question not nearly as scary when your existence is settled and a being of a higher power is being focused on instead.

 

[moonbogg]

The OP's question simply moves the burden of our existence off of our shoulders and onto a philosophical being. The real question the OP has is about himself, not god. But it makes the question not nearly as scary when your existence is settled and a being of a higher power is being focused on instead.

Why would it be scary?

 

[SMOGZINN]

Love and you won't have any doubt and thus no questions.

Get passed out drunk and you won't have any doubt and thus no questions.

Failing to ask the question, or not caring about the answer, does not make the question go away. That is just ignorance in a pretty dress.

 

[radeson]

All of science disagrees with you.

I was talking about acceptance in the moment.

A person can accept the "Isness" of the moment and still be a fully functional/logical scientist. This is the core teachings of The Buddha and even Jesus himself; true acceptance and love.

Sorry, got off subject a little....

 

[sm625]

Rest assured, God knows exactly how and why God exists, how God came to be, and even how and when God will end or be reborn. You cannot be God without knowing that stuff.

 

[Kushina]

I approve of this troll.

 

[SMOGZINN]

You cannot be God without knowing that stuff.

Why not?

 

[moonbogg]

Rest assured, God knows exactly how and why God exists, how God came to be, and even how and when God will end or be reborn. You cannot be God without knowing that stuff.

None of this makes sense to me. It doesn't matter how amazing God is or isn't. The fact of the matter is, God is impossible just like anything else should be impossible. Existence makes no sense at all. It makes no sense because there can be no beginning. It has to have eternal properties to make sense, and that leads to acceptance of eternity.
God would have no answer with regard to his own existence. He would be no different from me contemplating my existence, or the existence of anything else. He would be forced into a position of acceptance without explanation. That's what the most fundamental foundation of reality must come to. Acceptance takes over where explanation necessarily must stop.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Peter Venkman thought Zuul was a man. It's whatever it wants to be. God can be anything human imagination is capable of thinking.