# God is some kind of intelligent force in the universe? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2013, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860 "2013-02-20T04:10:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/41 "2013-02-20T11:43:40Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Yes. A good story. Have you seen Life of Pi? A film about a boy who is stranded on a life raft with a tiger. Not yet. > [@](#): > > People often prefer the better story to the true story but that doesn’t make the better story true. Many people find stories about the Holocaust fascinating and yet they’re true. People can go out into the world and find real danger… our world isn’t like “a Brave New World” where everything basically is drama free. > [@](#): > > We can have suffering, joy, and all sorts of other emotional experiences without a god. My point is that in a way there are good aspects to suffering. If there were a god it isn’t necessarily sadistic to allow those things to happen… suffering has an end when people die (I believe). Unlike with the Christian God which many believe causes billions of people/angels to suffer for an eternity. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/42 "2013-02-20T11:50:40Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The thing about God is, He seemed to have a real hands-on approach in the early days, when the whole world only stretched as far as the Mediterranean coast, but lately He’s been strangely absent. > > Suspicious, if you ask me. _\_ ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/43 "2013-02-20T13:18:51Z")
If the universe had some sort of “intelligent force”, why would it possibly care what house you rent? ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/44 "2013-02-20T13:31:10Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > If the universe had some sort of “intelligent force”, why would it possibly care what house you rent? Pretty much this. With the magnitude of the universe, the time scale, and the near infinite interactions that go on, on a daily basis - why would God care which house you rent? Why assume that he knows anything at all about the happenings of human beings? It seems awfully arrogant to me to assume that all this was created for us. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/45 "2013-02-20T13:36:23Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > If the universe had some sort of “intelligent force”, why would it possibly care what house you rent? We owe 4.5 billion years of unpaid rent. And we’re never going to get the damage deposit back. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![martu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@martu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/martu)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/46 "2013-02-20T14:23:36Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > I never said I worship God (at least at this point in my life). I just think there is an intelligent force in the universe. BTW lately I was learning about what makes a good story and it said that in a story, basically anything that can go wrong should go wrong, and the protagonist should be forced into doing something they don’t want to do. I think that our reality can lead to engrossing stories… like a “neverending story”… without suffering there isn’t any drama… and that means a boring story. I’m sure all the kids that have died from starvation as I type this post would agree. Oh actually no they are dead and according to you this is to create drama and an exciting story. Pretty sick if you ask me. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/47 "2013-02-20T15:41:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > We owe 4.5 billion years of unpaid rent. And we’re never going to get the damage deposit back. 😃 Yeah but it’s not furnished, half the time the AC doesnt work and half the time the heater is broken, a lot of places dont even have hot & cold running water, and maintenance is non-existent. I think we should contact an escrow agency until these things are fixed. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/48 "2013-02-20T16:26:58Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > My point is that in a way there are good aspects to suffering. If there were a god it isn’t necessarily sadistic to allow those things to happen… suffering has an end when people die (I believe). Unlike with the Christian God which many believe causes billions of people/angels to suffer for an eternity. According to statistics, some time in the next 2 hours a child will be raped and possibly killed. God sits there and watches this happen, and could easily stop it. How exactly is that not sadistic? For what purpose does that child suffer? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/49 "2013-02-20T16:47:32Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > According to statistics, some time in the next 2 hours a child will be raped and possibly killed. God sits there and watches this happen, and could easily stop it. How exactly is that not sadistic? For what purpose does that child suffer? I’ve heard it said that the purpose is to make the rest of us care enough to do something…which means that, in God’s eyes, the child is more of a tossaway prop than a human being. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/50 "2013-02-20T19:14:43Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > According to statistics, some time in the next 2 hours a child will be raped and possibly killed. God sits there and watches this happen, and could easily stop it. How exactly is that not sadistic? For what purpose does that child suffer? Oh hold on. I was just in the middle of colliding a couple of galaxies together to jump start the life creation process on a half billion worlds. But you say a couple of the talking meatblobs on your particular ball of rock are doing something they shouldn’t be doing? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/51 "2013-02-20T19:39:26Z")
For me God is Love, and also ‘God is One’, the first part means whenever there is Love, giving love of the heart, that is God, the second part is when that Love comes through a person, that person is acting in one with God and is as much God as is God, at least for the time they are acting in Love. That such loving act is God’s domain, so it is God that takes control when such a act happens. As you mentioned Christianity, for me Jesus is the Son of God because He acted in Love, but we all have that potential, so we all can be God’s son’s and daughters, and we can all be found ‘sinless’ in the sight of God, since whatever we have done ‘bad’ or ‘sinful’ in our lives has lead us to decide that Love is the only way, to accept and become God’s child, therefor, since our past ‘seemingly’ sinful live has taught us to decide on God’s path, it was exactly what we needed, therefor no sin exists. It just goes to what we needed to do and live to make the right choice, so it was a teaching method. Peace ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/52 "2013-02-20T20:53:36Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Oh hold on. I was just in the middle of colliding a couple of galaxies together to jump start the life creation process on a half billion worlds. But you say a couple of the talking meatblobs on your particular ball of rock are doing something they shouldn’t be doing? Hey if god cares about the OP’s rent, the least he can do is help a child being raped. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/53 "2013-02-20T20:54:13Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > For me God is Love, and also ‘God is One’, the first part means whenever there is Love, giving love of the heart, that is God, the second part is when that Love comes through a person, that person is acting in one with God and is as much God as is God, at least for the time they are acting in Love. That such loving act is God’s domain, so it is God that takes control when such a act happens. > > As you mentioned Christianity, for me Jesus is the Son of God because He acted in Love, but we all have that potential, so we all can be God’s son’s and daughters, and we can all be found ‘sinless’ in the sight of God, since whatever we have done ‘bad’ or ‘sinful’ in our lives has lead us to decide that Love is the only way, to accept and become God’s child, therefor, since our past ‘seemingly’ sinful live has taught us to decide on God’s path, it was exactly what we needed, therefor no sin exists. It just goes to what we needed to do and live to make the right choice, so it was a teaching method. > > Peace Is it wrong that whenever I read stuff like this I begin to understand the urge to feed christians to lions? I mean it’s so impenetratibly dull that the only way you can hope to interest me is to watch you running away screaming from a large hungry predator. (I’m a bad bad person… ) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/54 "2013-02-20T21:00:37Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Hey if god cares about the OP’s rent, the least he can do is help a child being raped. Bah. Damn kids are everywhere. A great pad with low rent, parking, unobstructed view and northeast light… that’s an answer to a prayer if I’ve ever heard one. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/55 "2013-02-20T21:12:00Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > The house makes it possible for us to have kids with a fairly good standard of living… maybe there are some things that “should happen” given the right circumstances… BTW if the four of us couldn’t live together we’d be paying a lot more rent per couple (nearly 50% more) and each have less room per couple. Maybe God could have found you guys better paying jobs? That way you could afford the rent and live by yourself. You’re not talking about an intelligent force, you are talking about a force that cares for you in particular. Drowning babies in floods is fine to increase drama but somehow getting you a good rental is a better use of god’s time. A tad egotistical, perhaps? If you feel better in believing in an intelligent force who created the universe for some unknown reason and never bothers us, go for it. You can’t disprove that. But once you have god interfering you run into problems. > [@](#): > > BTW I just remembered what Jesus said to the devil when he tested him “Do not put the Lord to the test”. I think he was quoting the Old Testament. And Oz said, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” Same thing, basically. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/56 "2013-02-20T21:14:01Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Oh hold on. I was just in the middle of colliding a couple of galaxies together to jump start the life creation process on a half billion worlds. But you say a couple of the talking meatblobs on your particular ball of rock are doing something they shouldn’t be doing? No wonder galactic collision insurance rates are so high. Can’t you create habitable planets without so much collateral damage? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/57 "2013-02-20T21:17:35Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > The ([lynda.com](http://lynda.com)) course I listened to much of says that lots of stories fail to follow her rules and so become boring, etc. They do things like add details that aren’t relevant, etc. Let’s just say that the need for conflict in fiction is not exactly an earth-shattering piece of teaching. But we who write might treat our characters a bit better if they were real, thinking, beings. We can destroy planets at the stroke of a pen and no one gets harmed. Any god should be held to a higher standard, or else is a monster. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/58 "2013-02-20T21:32:19Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Is it wrong that whenever I read stuff like this I begin to understand the urge to feed christians to lions? I mean it’s so impenetratibly dull that the only way you can hope to interest me is to watch you running away screaming from a large hungry predator. > > (I’m a bad bad person… ) Well I don’t consider myself a christian, as that to me is Paul’s concoction, and I don’t follow Paul, just Love. So if you don’t want to love others, do what you want, just remember the saying that Karma is a bitch, and she has been around a lot longer then you. Peace ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/59 "2013-02-20T21:48:12Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Is it wrong that whenever I read stuff like this I begin to understand the urge to feed christians to lions? . . . Well, yeah, that’s a bit wrong. Is it wrong that, whenever someone says “God is Love” I remember the Holy Inquisition, the slaughter of the Huguenots, and Fred Phelps? Also smallpox. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860/60 "2013-02-20T21:49:33Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > . . . BTW I just remembered what Jesus said to the devil when he tested him “Do not put the Lord to the test”. I think he was quoting the Old Testament. So you’re going to give the house back, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-is-some-kind-of-intelligent-force-in-the-universe/650860.md?page=4)