Is there a definition of God that even an atheist might accept?

Question

For the record, I don't believe...but there must be some more sophisticated conceptions out there that most people don't know.

Answer 1

God is too much for you to accept

Answer 2

I think the more abstract you get the more possible it is for atheists to accept some God like notion. Most atheists just do not see the likelyhood of a somewhat physical father type figure who is watching over all of creation and maybe acting when he chooses to.

However, if you stretch God beyond normal understanding of that im sure you could find something that is a bit more palatable. Some liberational theologians have coined the term Ultimate Concern in lieu of God meaning, whatever exactly it is that got you out of bed today, the thing that defines your life - be it family, friends, your loved one(s), your job, fame, fortune - that is your Ultimate Concern and by extension your God. Since this really does have the type of religious overtones i would guess if you wanted to get atheists to accept some God like type notion, this isnt a bad place to start from.

Answer 3

Not really susceptible of a quick answer but here goes. You have heard of a black hole, an infinitesmal spot in space that draws matter in and the matter cannot escape. Imagine if all of the matter in the universe were compressed into one infinitesmally small spot. In the absence of space, there would be an absence of time, so that situation could continue for infinite infinities until the Force that controlled the matter "said" "Let there be light." and there was light. Call it the Big Bang. But even if you accept the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe, something "flipped the switch" to start the process that released all the matter. That Force did not just release the energy at random, but aimed it in such a way that we have the Milky Way Galaxy and Milky Way candy bars.

Answer 4

The force-energy substance (it is called anti matter by scientists although we really have no idea what exactly it is and can't reproduce for scientific reasons it is imosssible...) that sparked the "Big Bang", if you support that theory, i.e. for the 'bang to have occurred there had to be a pre existing energy or force (what scientists call anti matter) to spark it/put it into motion......this force could be viewed as God.....i.e a pre-existing energy force that created the universe......you could then go on to say that maybe (just maybe as this bit is optional) this force has a hand in making the world fit together perfectly and creating the complex creatures that take up this world...a hand im creating instinct so that seasons and nature fit in together seamlessly and animals instinctively no what to do without explanation...this is often referred to as "Mother Nature".

Answer 5

Yes, I would accept some definition of God, as long as it said something along the lines of God being an imagined entity by humans to make themselves happy.

Answer 6

The definition and presense of God is highly debated in different races and religions. But according to me God is there, irrespective of the religions and he is the supernatural controlling power of everything. Diffeent religions might have given different names, forms and have beliefs according to their Mythology. I think een an atheist might accept my principle.

God is the deity believed by monotheists to be the supreme reality. He is believed variously to be the sole omnipotent creator, or at least the sustainer, of the universe.
The earliest written form of the Germanic word "god" comes from the 6th century Christian Codex Argenteus, which descends from the Old English guþ from the Proto-Germanic *Ȝuđan. While hotly disputed, most agree on the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European form *ǵhu-tó-m, based on the root *ǵhau-, *ǵhau̯ǝ-, which meant "to call" or "to invoke". "Ghau" itself appears to have derived from a posthumously deified chieftain named "Gaut" — a name which sometimes appears as a name for the Norse god Odin or one of his descendants. The Lombardic form of Odin, Godan, may derive from cognate Proto-Germanic *Ȝuđánaz.

The capitalized form "God" was first used in Ulfilas' Gothic translation of the New Testament, to represent the Greek Theos (uncertain origin), and the Latin Deus (etymology "*Dyeus"). Because the development of English orthography was dominated by Christian texts, the capitalization (hence personalization and personal name) continues to represent a distinction between monotheistic "God" and the "gods" of pagan polytheism.

The name "God" now typically refers to the Abrahamic God of Judaism (El (god) YHVH), Christianity (God), and Islam (Allah). Though there are significant cultural divergences that are implied by these different names, "God" remains the common English translation for all. The name may signify any related or similar monotheistic deities, such as the early monotheism of Akhenaten and Zoroastrianism.

In the context of comparative religion, "God" is also often related to concepts of universal deity in Dharmic religions, in spite of the historical distinctions which separate monotheism from polytheism — a distinction which some, such as Max Müller and Joseph Campbell, have characterised as a bias within Western culture and theology.
Many historians of religion hold that monotheism may be of relatively recent historical origins — although comparison is difficult as many religions claim to be ancient. Native religions of China and India have concepts of panentheistic views of God that are difficult to classify along Western notions of monotheism vs. polytheism.

In the Ancient Orient, many cities had their own local god, although this henotheistic worship of a single god did not imply denial of the existence of other gods. The Hebrew Ark of the Covenant is supposed (by some scholars) to have adapted this practice to a nomadic lifestyle, paving their way for a singular God. Yet, many scholars now believe that it may have been the Zoroastrian religion of the Persian Empire that was the first monotheistic religion, and the Jews were influenced by such notions.

Answer 7

This is the how GOD describes HIMSELF in HOLY QURAN chapter 112.

[112:0] In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

[112:1] Proclaim, "He is the One and only GOD.

[112:2] "The Absolute GOD.

[112:3] "Never did He beget. Nor was He begotten.

[112:4] "None equals Him."

NO ONE can challenge this. Except ISLAM all other religions on the phase of this planet including their so called human gods cannot fit in this category.

Answer 8

The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, Almighty God, Awesome Power, The Truth? Did I help?

Answer 9

A word cannot be a word if it has no definition or meaning attached to it. If the word "God" had no meaning(s) attached to it, then it would be only but gibberish. Whether or not you accept or deny "God's" existence is a whole different issue.

Answer 10

You can't devise a definition of God that two religions can agree on,so how would you possibly have one that atheists would agree on as well, since they believe ther is no god.