What is a god?

Putting aside the questions of are there gods? , is there a god? , there is only ONE God etc.

What are the pre-requisites for a god (real or imagined)?

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Putting aside the questions of are there gods? , is there a god? , there is only ONE God etc.

What are the pre-requisites for a god (real or imagined)?

One of two things:
1. Above average supernatural abilities. (so a step above fairies, witches etc).
2. Above average importance to you. (so money for example may be your god).

Originally posted by twhitehead
One of two things:
1. Above average supernatural abilities. (so a step above fairies, witches etc).
2. Above average importance to you. (so money for example may be your god).

One could put forward a pantheistic conception of god, which does not deal with supernatural abilities at all.

Originally posted by rwingett
One could put forward a pantheistic conception of god, which does not deal with supernatural abilities at all.

Indeed I believe one has done that very thing!

Originally posted by twhitehead
[b]
1. Above average supernatural abilities.
b]

🙄

Originally posted by rwingett
One could put forward a pantheistic conception of god, which does not deal with supernatural abilities at all.

I think that would receive a capital 'G' but yes, I should have included such concepts in my list.

This reminds me of the movie 'The Avengers', where Thors brother sees himself as a god and boasts about how he will rule the 'puny humans'. Hulk grabs him by the feet, thrashes him on the floor a few times, then remarks 'puny god'.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Putting aside the questions of are there gods? , is there a god? , there is only ONE God etc.

What are the pre-requisites for a god (real or imagined)?

A god (or goddess) is one who can persuade you to treat him (or her) like one.

A mythical being

Originally posted by JS357
A god (or goddess) is one who can persuade you to treat him (or her) like one.

Is there a critical mass (in terms of believers) they would have to obtain before they could actually do Goddy type things? and if them fickle theists changed their allegiance's would the old God cease to exist?

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Putting aside the questions of are there gods? , is there a god? , there is only ONE God etc.

What are the pre-requisites for a god (real or imagined)?

Srimad Bhagavatam

janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat
tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah
tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi

"I meditate upon Lord Sri Krishna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of creation, sustenance and destruction on the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him.

It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmaji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water.

Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Sri Krishna, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth."

Some people think that God is the Brahman, or the formless and eternal manifestation of spiritual energy. They say everything is one and God is therefore everything and everything is therefore God. Devotees of the Lord, called Vaishnavas, accept that Krishna is not only the Brahman but a person. We do not say that Krishna is a person like you or me; on the contrary, He is the supreme Person who is all-powerful and unlimited, whereas we living entities are in every way limited. Krishna is the infinite source of all living beings and we are His eternal infinitesimal parts and parcels.

Krsna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead.
He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body.
He is the origin of all. He has no other origin
and He is the prime cause of all causes.


Lord Hari is above the three modes of nature, the Supreme Person and eternal witness. In worshipping Him, the living entity attains to transcendence. The Vedic scriptures have descriptions of the Supreme Lord, living entity and material energy. In consideration of these precepts, we understand the form of the Supreme Lord to be transcendental, of knowledge, existence and bliss.

The spiritual energy is present in three features which are knowledge (sat), existence (cit) and bliss (ananda). The energy by which the Supreme Lord creates and maintains all living existences is the sandhini potency. The energy by which He can understand Himself and relate too, this knowledge to others is chit or the samvit potencies. The energy by which He understands His own happiness and is able to give this to others is hladini potency.

The energy which creates all existences is this sandhini potency and in the pure spiritual dimension, all such actions are above the modes of material nature. The sandhini, internal potency of the Lord is responsible for this unique transcendental form, as well as all existences in the spiritual worlds plus, His spiritual associates and all other necessary paraphernalia which are necessary ingredients in His pastimes. In the domain of material energy, this sandhini aspect causes the creation of the various material universes, while in the realm of the marginal energy, this aspect causes the production of the unlimited spiritual sparks (jivas).

The eternal principle called 'Vasudeva' is energized by the effect of the sandhini feature on the spiritual internal potency. It is from this concept of 'Vasudeva' that we can understand Lord Krishna in truth. The samvit potency is referred exclusively to the knowledge aspect. The samvit potency in being yoked to the hladini energy in giving mercy to the ordinary living entity is able to reveal the supremacy of Lord Sri Krishna's position. When the pleasure potency of Sri Krishna, (which is the hladini potency) in combination with the pure samvit potency together gives mercy to the living entity, then love of Godhead fructifies for that individual. If in the marginal potency the hladini aspect of the living entity becomes bewildered by the illusory energy, the living entity becomes attached to material nature and falls into oblivion. The internal pleasure potency gives rise to love of Godhead. In pure love, there is intensity of spontaneous moods and the highest exhibition of such moods was shown by Srimati Radharani, most beloved of Sri Krishna. The eternally worshipable deities are the combination of Sri Radha and Krishna. Sri Krishna is the source of all energies, while Srimati Radhika represents energy. In actual fact, there is no difference between these two. Indeed, Sri Krishna without the presence of Srimati Radhika is like the sun without its strong heat.


I cannot describe the Personality of Godhead [Sri Krishna Bhagavan] in full here in this forum because it would take tens of thousands of words............

Originally posted by wolfgang59
What is a god?

A notion or a figure about which humans the world over are inclined to write tens of thousands of words about.

Originally posted by Dasa
Srimad Bhagavatam

janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat
tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah
tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi

"I meditate upon Lord Sri Krishna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of creatio ...[text shortened]... in full here in this forum because it would take tens of thousands of words............

I cannot describe the Personality of Godhead [Sri Krishna Bhagavan] in full here in this forum because it would take tens of thousands of words............

Maybe if you split it over a number of posts that would do the trick. I always think if it takes more words to get something said then people can choose to read it or not. Maybe that's why I often seem to have the last post on some threads. [Sighs...]

It just seems a shame, when you apparently have the answer, not to share it.

Originally posted by kevcvs57
Is there a critical mass (in terms of believers) they would have to obtain before they could actually do Goddy type things? and if them fickle theists changed their allegiance's would the old God cease to exist?

I think that idea was used in a Van Vogt novel ..... The Book of Ptath

Interesting concept that the power of a god comes from its followers.

Originally posted by twhitehead
This reminds me of the movie 'The Avengers', where Thors brother sees himself as a god and boasts about how he will rule the 'puny humans'. Hulk grabs him by the feet, thrashes him on the floor a few times, then remarks 'puny god'.

Isnt Thor a god? Isnt his brother?

What makes them gods?
Why can we use that term for certain mythical creations?