If you were God?

[WolfAU]

A hypothetical that, while incredibly egotistical, can be fun and I think is a flaw in alot of the arguments for God.

Here are my thoughts and am interested in hearing yours, not just what you'd do but how would this world differ and how would religious teachings differ (ie the Bible, the structure of the church)?
- Create a universe/world etc and a sentient and sapient species as standard (possibly several species or several planets), think of what this is all in aid of (ie are they a social experiment, are they pets, like watching an ant colony grow?)
- I'd appoint religious people of virtue to have various important roles and semi-magical abilities (healers, scholars, defenders etc).
- I'd make my existance clear and beyond doubt, I would not create hell as a place of eternal torment, but maybe as a kind of sin-bin (ie killing someone you get 3 weeks in hell, then you come back).
- I'd create a system where virtuous followers earnt brownie points for their good deeds, which they could cash in these brownie points for divine intervention (ie heal someone terminally ill or save them if they're about to be mauled to death by an animal etc). Hopefully this would balance out being useful and relevent while not being a sugar daddy (ie just giving them everything they ask for).
- Have a clear agenda (ie intervening in wars etc).
- Moral laws would be more intelligent (less 'always do this, never do that', more about people understanding concepts like compassion, reason and empathy, and learning how to apply them).
- The bible would be more topic based and episodic, and more of a personal account (why I created the world and humans, why I feel certain issues are important etc). Have various different topics of the books, ranging from historical, to scientific, moral/philosophical etc.
- I would not go on long 2 page rants about how awesome I am, how humans are ungrateful little shits, and how you owe everything to me! I would not constantly test my followers (especially when I in my omniscience know the outcome), I would not inflict pain casually (ie Lot's wife looked back when her friends were being slaughtered so she turns to salt, forcing Lot to resort to incest) and would not resort to mass genocide (ie the flood) to deal with sin, just a few expressions of my extreme displeasure should sort the bastards out.
- If a moral law was outdated (say... slavery), make it clear beyond any doubt. Update them regularly for the times (though I'm a libertarian at heart).
- And most importantly... I would do my best to be CLEAR and CONSISTANT, both of which no God I know of is.

This raises the obvious question... why isn't God like that? I don't wish to sound arrogant that my ideas are perfection (assuming Gods thinking is perfection which doesn't seem to fit), but if God is real, yet creates a place of eternal torment he sends people for lacking blind faith because he chooses not to reveal himself, and only intervenes in ways that can be interpreted as accidents? Why is this so (rhetorical)?

 

[ebbixx]

A hypothetical that, while incredibly egotistical, can be fun and I think is a flaw in alot of the arguments for God.

I'd just smite everyone who ever tried to write about me with some disease that makes them incapable of speech, writing or any other form of communication, and hide somewhere with a good view.

And no afterlife, though I might consider reincarnation if I were a capricious sort of God. But only if I could automate and randomize the process. Assigning souls to new incarnations strikes me as a hellishly boring job.

 

[enterman]

I think the Black and White series demonstrate what you would do fairly well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_%26_White_(game) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_%26_White_2 Granted your getting a bit more complicated than a game could ever demonstrate but a lot of what you said could be done in Black and White .

I'd make my existance clear and beyond doubt, I would not create hell as a place of eternal torment, but maybe as a kind of sin-bin (ie killing someone you get 3 weeks in hell, then you come back).

The problem with this is that if you sent anyone to the biblical version of hell and they came back, they would be very psychologically disturbed. Past the point of help.

 

[GoodKat]

I would be so bored, I would probably cease to exist.

 

[Homunclus]

I would create a race of intelligent beings, let them grow, teach them a few things here and there (just to point them in the right direction) and just sit back and watch them grow.

Eventually they would evolve to the point where their power was equal to my own at witch point I would challenge them to a "God Fight" a battle of celestial proportions.

If I won I would obliterate them and either start all over or do something else. If they won...well, then rest would be up to them since then they would be God.

So basicaly my universe would be filled with pointless violence...Oh well, I suppose I don't have enough imagination to came up with an original plan.

 

[WolfAU]

Yeah, I played the Black and White games... and along with Fable proof that Molyneux needs to be given a lolipop and told to sit in the corner while his dev team actually makes the game. It has no idea what it is... its part city builder but poorly done, its part pet-raising game but poorly done, and part 'wait 10 seconds for your followers to pray enough that you can create ominous storm clouds to scare non-believers' strategy game.

Yeah, I think that would be the issue with being a God, there wouldn't really be any challenge to it... I'd probably be inclined to actually intentionally make someone like the Devil just to make things interesting.

When I meant sent them to hell, I don't mean 'perfect torment' in the biblical sense, more just a 'considerably unpleasant experience'... But thats another interesting issue with the bible, believers insistance that Hell is 'perfect' torment, that you never get use to.

I think this raises the issue of 'whats Gods motivation?' why does he love us? I was talking with a post-grad in Psychology at lunch (I'm in college) a few weeks ago and described God as essentially being a father figure (paternally loving, powerful, wise), and people who crave God do so because of that desire for a strong fatherly figure. I think this makes sense when you think about theists insistance that God is perfect, all knowing, has a grand plan and wants nothing but good things for us.

 

[acerba]

If I were God, I'd use my absolute power over the nature of the universe to have fun. Entire worlds and the very laws of nature would be rewritten at my slightest whim. People who amuse me would go to heaven (possibly as a way of apologizing for the circumstances in which they provided for my amusement). Everyone else gets reincarnated.

 

[buzzausa]

Somebody asked me once what I would do if I won a huge, ridiculous amount of money.

The answer I gave then I believe still applies here:

If I won a huge, ridiculous amount of money (If I were god), a lot of people's lives would improve, and a lot of other people's lives would get much....much worse..... :twisted: :twisted:


mmmmmmm...not much different than how it already is isn't it?
I guess I would be a very unoriginal god :|

 

[monitoradiation]

If I were God, I'd...

- Un-invent Crocs.
- Cure cancer but introduce a gene for being allergic to oxygen.
- Eat muffins. Only muffins.
- Leave divine treasure maps, and organize awesome scavenger hunts.
- Prove conspiracy theorists wrong so they can stop wasting everyone's time.
- Make Ray Comfort have nightmares about bananas everyday.
- Direct an actually enjoyable videogame-to-movie-adaptation.

I'd have more... but my godly powers are waning T_T

 

[Aught3]

I'd make a crocoduck, all scientists would realise evolution was wrong; but Kirk Cameron would have to start believing.

 

[buzzausa]

If I were God, I'd...

- Direct an actually enjoyable videogame-to-movie-adaptation.

Great one :lol:

I agree with you that "Doom" (the movie) was atrocious, "Bloodrayne" made me angry and "Hitman" could have been better...but I'll confess that I quite enjoyed the "Tomb Raider" series (....could be because of Angelina though ) and "Resident Evil" (first and second...I don't know what happened with the third one)

 

[WolfAU]

"What happened with the third R.E 3?" The director is nostalgic for Mad Max me-thinks.

 

[Espi]

I'd just start with heaven instead of putting people through all this crap on earth.

 

[lolx0rz]

I would do Brownie points

The Sin-Bin

Defenders, Healers (etct, ect)

multiple planets with multiple colonies of sentient beings

animals, plants and stuff loike that

prevent goddamn climate change

prevent failure of economies

prevent wars

Divine Interventions

i'd write a big ass book about myself glorifying everything i do

give people a moral code

have infinite kowlege of evrything that has, is and will happen

make rugby an inter-planitary game

give the righteous a place in a type of heaven

the unrighteous a rebirth and a chance to try again

and introduce folk dancing for the hell of it

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

If I were God, I'd...

- Direct an actually enjoyable videogame-to-movie-adaptation.

Max payne ad max payne 2 were awsome games

Max payne (the movie) was CRAP

 

[WolfAU]

A few interesting points you raise lolx0rz....

You say 'prevent failure of economics' the problem though is if every human stuff up you correct, then to a degree alot of meaning in human life is destroyed...

An example; If I was to steal $500 from someone and you magically reinbursed them, and this was to become fairly standard, then there would be little guilt associated with theft as we would expect God to reinburse them... The same issue goes with things like wars... though I draw the line at stopping them because of the sheer harm they do, and if it was to become fairly common knowledge that God intervened to prevent wars, then hopefully alot of diplomatic tension would be reduced, and it would discourage nations from spending insane amounts on their militaries.

The reason I raise this question to begin with is if there is a God, what standard should he be held to and how has this world fallen short of that... One of the reasons I am not a theist is 'even if there is a God he sounds like a dick' argument.

An interesting point that raises... do theists believe that God would intervene if humans triggered a massive nuclear exchange (ie enough to kill billions and completely destroy the ecological viability of the surface ?) As they seem certain God has a plan for this earth and does intervene... so why wouldn't he?

Also re moral code... if you are a moral God, then hopefully you would explain why you came to your conclusions about morality (teach them how to think in a moral way) rather than simply saying 'these are my commandments to you'.

 

[Artsysiridean]

If I were God, I'd use my absolute power over the nature of the universe to have fun. Entire worlds and the very laws of nature would be rewritten at my slightest whim. People who amuse me would go to heaven (possibly as a way of apologizing for the circumstances in which they provided for my amusement). Everyone else gets reincarnated.

I'd probably do this as well. And would probably sleep much more peacefully.

 

[buzzausa]

Max payne ad max payne 2 were awsome games

Max payne (the movie) was CRAP

I agree with you on the videogames and now I'm not going to watch the movie......


not that I was going to anyway.....

 

[WolfAU]

So far I gotta say... I'm glad alot of you aren't God. :?

 

[DmKrispin]

If I were God, I would update all my drivers and reboot.