What is God ?

Question

Is God human ? Or just a Creative Power ?

How can we describe God ? A certain Power that can create all being ?

Answer 1

Do Buddhists believe in a creator god?

No, we do not. There are several logical reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern scientists, sociologists and psychologists, believed that religious ideas and especially the god idea have their origin in fear.

*The Buddha says:

"Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains,
sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines" -Dp 188

Primitive man found himself in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes was constantly with him. Finding no security, he created the idea of god in order to give him comfort in good times, courage in times of danger and consolation when things went wrong. To this day, you will notice that people become more religious at times of crises, you will hear them say that the belief in a god gives them the strength they need to deal with life. You will hear them explain that they believe in a particular god because they prayed in time of need and their prayer was answered. All this seems to support the Buddha’s teaching that the god-idea is a response to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot change. He replaced fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding.

The second reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god’s words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god’s nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is ample evidence to prove the existence of their god but they laugh in disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence of another god. It is not surprising that with so many different religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existence of their gods that still no real, concrete, substantial or irrefutable evidence has been found. *Buddhists suspend judgement until such evidence is forthcoming.

The third reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is that the belief is not necessary. Some claim that the belief in a god is necessary in order to explain the origin on the universe. But this is not so. Science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being without having to introduce the god-idea. Some claim that belief in god is necessary to have a happy, meaningful life. Again we can see that this is not so. There are millions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention many Buddhists, who live useful, happy and meaningful lives without belief in a god. Some claim that belief in god’s power is necessary because humans, being weak, do not have the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence indicates the opposite. One often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties, through their own inner resources, through their own efforts and without belief in a god. Some claim that god is necessary in order to give man salvation. But this argument only holds good if you accept the theological concept of salvation and Buddhists do not accept such a concept. Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw that each human being had the capacity to purify the mind, develop infinite love and compassion and perfect understanding. He shifted attention from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find solutions to our problems through self-understanding.

But if there is no god how did the universe get here?

All religions have myths and stories which attempt to answer this question. In ancient times, when many simply did not know, such myths were adequate, but in the 20th century, in the age of physics, astronomy and geology, such myths have been superseded by scientific fact. Science has explained the origin of the universe without recourse to the god-idea.

What does the Buddha say about the origin of the universe?

It is interesting that the Buddha’s explanation of the origin of the universe corresponds very closely to the scientific view. In the Aganna Sutta, the Buddha described the universe being destroyed and then re-evolving into its present form over a period of countless millions of years. The first life formed on the surface of the water and again, over countless millions of years, evolved from simple into complex organisms. All these processes are without beginning or end, and are set in motion by natural causes.

But so many people believe in some form of god, it must be true.

Not so. There was a time when everyone believed that the world was flat, but they were all wrong. The number of people who believe in an idea is no measure of the truth or falsehood of that idea. The only way we can tell whether an idea is true or not is by looking at the facts and examining the evidence.

So if Buddhists don’t believe in gods, what do you believe in?

We don’t believe in god because we believe in the innate goodness and full potential of man.
We believe that each human being is precious and important - that all human beings have the potential to become a perfected human being. We believe that human beings can outgrow ignorance and irrationality and see things as they really are. We believe that hatred, anger, spite and jealousy can be replaced by unconditional love, patience, generosity, kindness, wisdom and compassion.

: ) *Metta to all.

Answer 2

You should look up ignosticism, as opposed to theism, agnosticism, or atheism, the ignostic position is basically a position which states that your definition of God is so incoherent I do not even understand what you are talking about.

Different religions or even different people in the same religion often assign separate and contradictory attributes to God. An atheist would say "I don't believe God exists", an agnostic would say "I don't know whether or not God exists", and an ignostic would say "I don't know what you mean when you say 'God exists'".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignostic

Answer 3

I can't really answer this question, is it not what all religion, philosophy, & even science in it own way tries to answer. What created us, how did we get here & do we have a purpose, a reason? I know God exists, & there are many names & ways in which people call him or seek him, & all are as valid as the next. I could never put a label or description on God, it only serves to limit him, even the so called good labels. He is no gender & all genders, no man & all men. I can see him in my brothers because collectively we are his son. Words could never come close to any Truth of God, but can point to it. He can be experienced, but you will not find him outside of you. No one can prove to you he exists, that is your journey, & all must come to it on their own. But, in many ways we are like children in this process, & our lack of belief or misguided belief can not change the reality of his existence. Describe God, well all I can say is God is.

Answer 4

God has come to be defined by many different people in many different ways. God is something that does not fit into a label it is the force behind the eternal cycle. There is no end because there was no beginning God simply is. In actuality Divinity or the Divine or God, however you choose to call apon it, comes to each of us in the way we are able to understand. try as we might to define it and understand it, by nature Divinity can not be known or understood because its essence of being is beyond our comprehension.

Answer 5

God was suppose to be Goodness.. that is all! People have added to that with Grace, Love, Mercy but aren't those all a part of Goodness? Even the bible says: Ye being Evil if thou doeth Goodness instead of evil then greater be thy reward in Heaven!

Answer 6

Creator of the Universe, spoke it into existance, talk about big bang, wow, created everything you see, created us in his image, Genesis, 1:27, he is obviously the powerful supernatural being we know, he wants us to serve him freely, he doesn't want robots. 2000 years ago he sent his Son to do on a cross for us, to wash away our sins, we needed a perfect sacrifice for sins because God is sinless, if we were going to be able to come live with him in Heaven then we needed a perfect blood sacrifice to cover our sins, the Bibles says all have sinned, none is righteous, our human nature causes us to sin, when adam and eve sinned in the garden their eyes were opened and the new right from wrong, thats when you are accountable for your actions, thank God Jesus came and washed them all away. Have you ever been saved, Is your sins washed away, In John 3:3 Jesus says except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven. In other words you have to be born of the flesh and the spirit, to get reborn in the Spirit you have to accept Jesus into your heart, just say this simple sinners Prayer admitting you need Jesus and you can be saved, Dear Jesus, I know and confess that I am sinner in need of salvation. I believe you died on a cross at calvery and arose from the grave to wash away my sins, I ask you right now to come into my heart and save me, I pray this Prayer believing in the name of Jesus Amen. If you prayed this prayer with a sincere heart you are now a child of God, rejoice that your name is written in the Lambs book of Life. If you have any questions just send me an email, God Bless YOU!!

Answer 7

God is the creator,omnipotent,omniscient,He is worthy to be praised and worshipped.
God transformed into a human through Jesus(only begotten son of god)
God has 3"persona"God the father,God the Holy Spirit,and Jesus the son.But the three is one.
Like us as a human we have three parts:body,spirit,soul.

Answer 8

God is God, the beginning and the end. The supreme being that created mankind. God is life, love, faith, hope and charity.

Answer 9

Neither. God is the source of all being. Everything that we imagine is God is in reality us, as our comprehension is limited to those like us. The mineral kingdom (cohesion) is enveloped by the plant kingdom (augmentation), the plant kingdom is enveloped by the animal kingdom (sense and movement), the animal kingdom is enveloped by the human kingdom (mind/spirit), the human kingdom is enveloped by the universal educator/manifestation of God is enveloped by the creator of all existence. The enveloped's capacity to comprehend the enveloper is extremely limited.

Answer 10

the term 'god' was stemmed from the term 'higher being.' in ages past, people called everything they didnt understand 'god' simply because they were in awe. The real God, who boomed "I AM WHO I AM" is the source of being, of life, of everything, as He created everything. He is love, as He created everything with love. God, is our maker, whom i feel, is the being who will always be saddened by His subjects who turn their heads away from Him.

God is the author of the Bible, whom He inspired to document all the doctrines, and mind you, there were many authors, and they were located all in different places yet they all wrote the same story, consistently. God, is a being, of power and love, and who loves us and who wants to communicate to us.

Answer 11

Take away the sin of man, all the bad and evil things that exist with man, and what is left is God.