What can God do, that Humanity cannot do?

Question

I recently asked this question, but I believe people didn't understand what I was asking...

Am I God? Are YOU God? Are WE Together God?

I'm an instructor at my research university (which legally I cannot disclose the name of do to research integrity/liability reasons) in the physics department and the philosophy department. In one of my courses a student asked "are We god?" I found the question to not be stimulating in anyway. Over some time I thought, "hey why is it this is not stimulating, it's a deep question.." I discovered the reason being is it's impresonal. It doesn't speak to YOU it speaks to everyone else. For example, "Oh we will solve global warming" instead of "I will solve global warming". Using I indicates that there will be a definite response produced by you.

This is not part of my research, as it is not a sound research tool, however, it will produce a small fraction of insight into what people think.

Read "additional info" below because I'm out of space:

I can pray to be a millionaire, but god will not directly instantaneously make me a millionaire. However, I can work hard and become a millionaire. The bible is not fact, and only small portions of it even relate to fact. So this being the case, all events which have taken place in the universe have been taken place through a chain of reactions which started with the big bang. "God works in mysterious ways".. If I am lonely, and pray to god for a mate. Forty years could go by, then one day I meet someone I adore. This could be an act of God, and God can have manipulated this event to have had happened Billions of years ago. Everything being fixed to a point where one day we would cross paths. OR, I could have walked by my own choice towards this person and engaged them in conversation, thus starting a relationship by my own will.

So, my question is. Am I God? (like-wise are YOU god, and also, are WE god collectively..) Those of us familiar with the concept of the "trinity" in Catholicism, God the father, God the son, God the holy spirit. I ask you, does the TRUE trinity consist of the I, the individual who creates thought and performs action, the WE, the group who collectively performs actions far greater and faster on a larger scale than the I, and then the "YOU".. the personal, direct form. Where you realize that attention, must be taken from the "We" and "You" formed to the "I"-form.. This might be confusing so, ignore it if it is.

What I would like is an answer to "am I god?" but not in the form of "yes you are" & "no you aren't". I will derive the answer myself through the answer of another question. I want to hear from people stating an answer to this related question:
"What can GOD do, that humanity cannot do?" the answer to this question is very basic. For example, people might say "God can create the universe, but humanity cannot do this". This is a great answer, but just wasn't thought through enough. Because God didn't literally, create the universe, and if God did have anything to do with it, it was God acting as an EVENT which started the creation of the universe. In those terms, God therefore only set something into motion, he didn't create. As a by product of the chain reaction, something was created, and we do this everyday.

So, background developed, what do you say? What can God do that Humanity cannot do?

***** Please Do not quote scripture & Please understand I'm not trying to say "I am God", devine entity that created heaven and earth through intelligent design. Just read carefully if you chose to answer

Answer 1

Create the universe. Set it in motion. Be the prime reason for its being.

You dismiss this answer. I wonder why.
There are "laws" of physics, chemistry, etc... (equations for those in the know), neat models in which we can draw up the universe.
However, if our models can succesfully penetrate certain intimacies of the Universe, they remain incapable of creating it per se.
Let us take the science of genetics as an example. They have created the clone of a mammal in Great Britain some years ago (Dolly). Microscopes, computer models, fine instruments and everything else, I'm sure, were all involved. (I studied philosophy myself when I attended university so you'll forgive me for not knowing all the intricacies involved in putting empirical data into an acceptable model, but I still believe I can make a valid point on the issue). None of the things observed, however, give us something as relatively simple as a sheep, however. That is to say that raw knowledge does not allow us to create a sheep. We still need a sheep's cell in order to re-create it.
Coming back to the main branch of your question - what I believe you are asking - science does indeed seem to delve into the secrets of the universe, but it can not actually invent the kind of things it observes. At best, it must content itself with re-creating what already exists, or make variations on the theme of what has been shown to be possible in existence.
So in short, why do we need God?
Because, obvisously, God must have preceeded us, and who are we to say that there is some kind of a mistake in this? Man is not capable of inventing matter any more than he can invent thought. He can only establish that these things exist, and that they precede him.

P.S. All in all, I am glad I made the choice to study philosophy. She remains the queen of sciences.

Answer 2

What we know of god is in the scriptures (bible, Koran, etc.) in which it is said that we are the creation of god and made in his image.

This therefore means that we are a reflection of him. What does this mean, we are capable of anything that he is capable of but only to a point. We are like the reflection of the people in a boat on a lake, while the people are in the boat the reflection can do anything that they do but when the people leave the boat the reflection cannot follow.

Therefore we are unable to do all of the things that god is able to do, this therefore proves that we are not god because as in the example above we cannot leave the lake unless the person takes a glass of water along with them.

But your comment that the bible is not 'fact' troubles me. Imagine for a moment that we had never had the bible, it was never written and didn't exist in any form. How would you know anything about god, or as a point of logic how could you make the argument that you are god if you never knew about god. While I am not saying that everything that is said in its pages is literal so much of what is in there governs our very thought processes (due to its central role in western world theory and theology for the past thousand years) that to argue that it is not 'fact' (either in past or present) leads me to question weather you have studied it and its history or not.

Sorry, just had to say that.

SO IN SHORT, No we are not (I, You, We as humans) are not gods however we are capable of many of the things that he is capable of doing. While I don't believe in the trinity, if I did I believe I would still have to argue against the possibility of the divinity of man, we are not ready for it (and maybe never will be).

Hope that this answers your question and that this helps.

Answer 3

While we cannot understand the true nature of God, we can do better than traditional religon offers. A more comprehensive understanding allows for more logical answers to your questions.
Start with the standard definitions of God. All-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere, ever-present etc. Now ask the questions, do I have any power? do I exist in a place where God is not? do I know anything? The answers are obvious. At the very least we have to be at least a component of God to make the definitions of God that we accept true.
To address your question directly, are we God? Consider this analogy: An automobile consists of thousands of parts. Every one of those parts has a name. Not one of those parts is named , automobile.Yet all of those parts working together, each doing its individual job to support the whole mechanism is what we call an automobile. I would suggest that you, I, the trees, the animals, the earth, the planets and on and on, which all have individual names and are in themselves not considered either God or the universe when considered as in the automobile analogy are indeed, at the very least a part of God or the universe.
If all components from the electrons and protons on to the stars and the galaxies are considered simply as components of an all inclusive structure or assembly which we then call God, our definition of God seems to survive. Now that we have concluded that we are indeed part of God, can we create independent of God?
It would seem that we have to determine if God exists seperate from all things or inclusive of all things. I rest my case.

Answer 4

I do not know if one can ever call themselves "God", the more humanity is able to achieve, the more "power" over the universe we have, we will elevate god to a "higher" level.

I guess somewhat a god of the gaps, what ever we are not capable of doing/understanding, we will attribute that to a notion of "God".

If we had a concrete theory of how this universe got to the state it is now in (pre big bang) we would more than likely go beyond that, and give God the GREATER position, what ever that may be.

God used to control the planets orbit around the Sun until we were able to explain it using Physics.

Even Newton used that argument to explain certain parts of his theory that he could not come up with a solution too. It took people like Einstein to expand the theories, pushing Gods roll further and further back.

Edit: So I guess God can do everything humanity can not.

Answer 5

The question that you are asking is theological. One has to assume that each person that reads it, and answers it is qualified to answer based on the fact that they personally believe in God. From a students of religion's standpoint, most religions believe that god lives through them, commands them, and invisibly but certainly praises them for their servitude. They extrapolate meaning from any natural event, and assign the ever-illogical "God works in mysterious ways" adage, and base conclusions, deductions, and ideas upon something that has never had a discernible form.

From an empirical standpoint looking from a background without religious structure, it is easy for people to say that Man created God, and man creates god's blessings. Therefor, the answer to your question is yes, most assuredly God is everyone who believes in him. This is a departure from the theological standpoint of trying to make sense of existence, and supreme beings being the most convenient vehicle for the lack of purpose of meaning in ones life.

Since the two ideologies exist simultaneously in the the statement "Are we, am I god" It is impossible to come to a reasonable conclusion. If one had the belief that they were god, they would be making a philosophical statement. Since no reason or logic can be applied to the statement "Is there a god?" because of it's ambiguous reality, a more accurate and successful question would be "Is God tangible?"

Answer 6

God works through humanity.
What some people seem to misconcieve is that your relationship is not on an ask and you shall recieve basis. As trivial as this may sound, it depends on "God's Plan" as we hear so much about. If God plans for you to be a millionaire, you will be one. But God would not plan for someone to be a millionaire simply because He thinks they deserve a bunch of money. God would put that money in someone's hands with the plan in mind for them to do great things with it.
That leads us to free will. The person who might become a millionaire as part of God's plan has the free will to squander their earnings on themselves, or to use it as it was intended, for good. To take your gift and go your own way with it would most definitely result in what some people might call bad karma. And on judgement day, God would recognize that and judge you accordingly as a very selfish person. It is not my duty to foresee this, but a person like that may not make it into heaven.
So, as you see, my point that I am trying to make is this. We are NOT God. God only uses us as his tools. However, God is INSIDE of everything. Even those who claim to have no belief. He created us, therefore, he has that power over us.

Answer 7

Well the religious one is only God can give man eternal salvation from sin that man cannot do for himself, to reconcile sinful man to a holy God. No effort of man can do that.

From the physical point of view God can know the entire scientific truth of reality in this universe that man in his finite mind may never discover.

But you are correct in one sense since man is made in God's "image" so are "like God" but in human behavior and attitudes and some would say form. Man performs the duties on earth that a God would do if he were a human being.

Well these are my thoughts. Good luck with your question.

Answer 8

Yes and no...when you truly know who you really are then there is no more questions to ask..no more debates to perform,.then there is nothing to prove to no one, there is no personality or persona although those who still do not know will perceive you according to their judgment and that is unpleasant...so better to fulfill prophecy silently...and keep going further regarding to your new found eternal omni creativity.. Oh...without human whom "believe" there would not be a God. Think about it deeply. Then, potentially we would be it, while "human" stage is passed.While alive or regular way. For human cannot be a God...old old debate...Outgrown human is not a human already but something else...would be God and would be superman and would be...name it...God has many names...still God and not linear one. Answering your question, God accepting humanity anyway as His own image and Likeness, human have tremendous difficulties to accept God and definitely to accept of being a God , thus rejecting God at first place, hiding themselves beneath created religions.

Answer 9

God, as understood by most can make you a millionaire. He can make me a millionaire, he can make the mentally challenged kid down the street a millionaire. He can cure cancer, he can control the weather. He can do all that instantly, you could maybe do some of that, but not like He can. He can create life, take away life.

Your arguement basically says we have the capability to do a lot of things on our own that we think only God can do. Its just harder work for us.

Answer 10

Without God there would be no human race. You are looking for a logical answer to a logical question. God does not work in the same capacity as humans. Therefore, it would be impossible to tell you what you want to hear. Are you looking for proof or disproof? Why do you refer to God when you say God does not exist?

Perhaps you should ask what humans can do that God cant do and the answer would be....sin.