Reply To: What is God?

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

I think that once a Christian starts describing their God as “nature” or the “how of nature” or the most common term, the “God of Nature” that  they are no longer subscribing to the concept of the Christian God (whatever that is).  The onus is now on you (or me) to explain this to them. What they are describing is the “God of Spinoza” which is basically what a deist might claim is possible.

While I disagree with the concept, at least there is something to it that is conceivable (as a concept) that we can all vaguely understand. I can argue for or against the merits of such a creative force playing a hand in the Universe.

Christians who suggest that Spinoza’s God is possible or even probable are ignoring the fact that this is not what the Christian (or Muslim) God is reported to be. Their God is a personal god, not a creative force but the actual Creator. The god of nature does not grant eternal life or forgive sins or find your missing car keys. If their idea of god is the God of Spinoza then the onus is on us to point out that they are not actually Christians.

The reason they often resort to this explanation of god is that the Christian god is not explainable. I cannot ever get a Christian to give me a workable definition that does not contradict itself. It is because it makes no sense that they cannot define it and are left trying to come up with something that seems to make sense. If it is Spinoza’s god they believe in they are deists. They are not Christian theists if they believe in a non-Christian version of God.

What is God?  This is what a Christian must believe about their God.