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Poll

Can God kill himself?

No, He has everlasting life. Says so in the Bible.
- 2 (20%)
Yes, he is all powerful and can do liek anything. Says so in the Bible.
- 1 (10%)
But if he can do anything he wants, then he can.
- 3 (30%)
But if that's true then technically he doesn't have everlasting life.. cause it can come to an end.
- 0 (0%)
But it can't cause it's everlasting..
- 0 (0%)
But he can do whatever he wants!
- 4 (40%)

Total Members Voted: 4


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Author Topic: Can God kill himself?  (Read 4424 times)

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Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)

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Re: Can God kill himself?
« Reply #15 on: April 30, 2009, 06:10:43 PM »

According to the creation story, man was created in god's image. Many believe this means god bestowed upon man free will. So, if a man has the free will to commit suicide it reasons that god would be able to also (first).

That's my take on it and I'm sticking to it.

The story of Jesus is an actual example of self inflicted dietiracide. 
If you believed that Jesus is God then sure.
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patrickj

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Re: Can God kill himself?
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2009, 06:38:33 PM »

I guess it depends on your definition of god.  Christian (which i am not) god, i think their answer would be no. 


ask christians:

Would jesus vote?
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davann

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Re: Can God kill himself?
« Reply #17 on: April 30, 2009, 06:40:15 PM »

According to the creation story, man was created in god's image. Many believe this means god bestowed upon man free will. So, if a man has the free will to commit suicide it reasons that god would be able to also (first).

That's my take on it and I'm sticking to it.

The story of Jesus is an actual example of self inflicted dietiracide. 

If you believed that Jesus is God then sure.

In the lexicon of deities, he qualifies. Like Zues, Yahweh or Annubis. I believe he was the god of lawn maintenance up until he got caught drinking from the neighbors water hose and urinating on the bushes. Then his white middle class employer had to fire him and hire his brother Sergio.
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mikehz

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Re: Can God kill himself?
« Reply #18 on: April 30, 2009, 10:29:25 PM »

Here's the way I learned it from a priest. God is omnipotent, which most people take to mean "all-powerful," that is, He can "do anything." But, what omnipotent may mean is "most powerful." God can do anything that is actually possible to do. Thus, it would by logic be impossible for Him to resolve a contradiction, such as making a rock so heavy He could not lift it, and that sort of nonsense. Nor could He somehow cause 2 + 2 to add up to 5, since it would entail an absurdity.

Can God kill himself? Obviously not, since it would be impossible for a non-existing being to bring himself out of existence.
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LordMarius

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Re: Can God kill himself?
« Reply #19 on: May 01, 2009, 06:27:27 AM »

Here's the way I learned it from a priest. God is omnipotent, which most people take to mean "all-powerful," that is, He can "do anything." But, what omnipotent may mean is "most powerful." God can do anything that is actually possible to do. Thus, it would by logic be impossible for Him to resolve a contradiction, such as making a rock so heavy He could not lift it, and that sort of nonsense. Nor could He somehow cause 2 + 2 to add up to 5, since it would entail an absurdity.

Is this difference between "all-powerful" and "most powerful" somehow supported by religious doctrine? I think not. Remember, thar be miracles, the definition of a miracle is something that happens that is in fact impossible.
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Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)

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Re: Can God kill himself?
« Reply #20 on: May 01, 2009, 07:18:13 AM »

Here's the way I learned it from a priest. God is omnipotent, which most people take to mean "all-powerful," that is, He can "do anything." But, what omnipotent may mean is "most powerful." God can do anything that is actually possible to do. Thus, it would by logic be impossible for Him to resolve a contradiction, such as making a rock so heavy He could not lift it, and that sort of nonsense. Nor could He somehow cause 2 + 2 to add up to 5, since it would entail an absurdity.

Is this difference between "all-powerful" and "most powerful" somehow supported by religious doctrine? I think not. Remember, thar be miracles, the definition of a miracle is something that happens that is in fact impossible.
I think the question is on the definition of omnipotence.  I see it as more of an omnipresence.  God created (and is the entirety of) the universe and at said time set the laws of nature, many of which we have discovered/described/conjectured through scientific inquiry.  Everytime you perform an action you are obeying the laws of nature, they are laws you cannot break by definition of pure scientific fact.  2 + 2 = 4 ALWAYS because it is a law of nature.  The question of "Can God Kill Himself?" in my opinion is really the question of "Can God change the laws of nature as he sees fit?".  And in my opinion and from my religious perspective that question is on its face invalid because it demands that God have a human like mind that has whims and desires.  I guess I'm too pantheistic, but it I am what I am and I believe what I believe.

Sum up: I think that the question is invalid from my religious perspective, but I can see how the question would destroy any validity in a human like God such as Jesus being all powerful or most powerful or whatever.
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"Do not throw rocks at people with guns." —Hastings' Third Law
"Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today." —Herman Wouk 

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LordMarius

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Re: Can God kill himself?
« Reply #21 on: May 01, 2009, 08:37:53 AM »

Here's the way I learned it from a priest. God is omnipotent, which most people take to mean "all-powerful," that is, He can "do anything." But, what omnipotent may mean is "most powerful." God can do anything that is actually possible to do. Thus, it would by logic be impossible for Him to resolve a contradiction, such as making a rock so heavy He could not lift it, and that sort of nonsense. Nor could He somehow cause 2 + 2 to add up to 5, since it would entail an absurdity.

Is this difference between "all-powerful" and "most powerful" somehow supported by religious doctrine? I think not. Remember, thar be miracles, the definition of a miracle is something that happens that is in fact impossible.
I think the question is on the definition of omnipotence.  I see it as more of an omnipresence.  God created (and is the entirety of) the universe and at said time set the laws of nature, many of which we have discovered/described/conjectured through scientific inquiry.  Everytime you perform an action you are obeying the laws of nature, they are laws you cannot break by definition of pure scientific fact.  2 + 2 = 4 ALWAYS because it is a law of nature.  The question of "Can God Kill Himself?" in my opinion is really the question of "Can God change the laws of nature as he sees fit?".  And in my opinion and from my religious perspective that question is on its face invalid because it demands that God have a human like mind that has whims and desires.  I guess I'm too pantheistic, but it I am what I am and I believe what I believe.

No, the question does not require the godthing to have any qualities what so ever. The question is not "Would god commit suicide on a whim" or "Would god want to commit suicide", the question is just whether he/she/it would be able to in any circumstance. Could a god powerful enough to create the universe and the laws of nature be powerful enough to rid said universe of his/hers/its own existence?

At the same time, the god described in works like the bible is a very antropomorphic god who quite clearly has human feelings like rage, and acts on whims. He/she/it makes mistakes, and then corrects them by doing impossible things. The bible even says that the humans are created in the god's image, and so it would not be unreasonable to portray him/her/it with suicidal whims and desires in a thought experiment.

You're obviously too pantheistic, or perhaps deistic. But I kinda like that. theists have a tendency to be difficult to deal with :P
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anarchir

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Re: Can God kill himself?
« Reply #22 on: May 12, 2009, 02:13:00 AM »

But but but but. Yeah, he could have killed himself, but Zeus got to him first.
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