# God's Nature **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 11, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-nature/200949 "2003-09-11T11:24:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-nature/200949/41 "2003-09-15T23:23:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lord Ashtar \* > \*\*Would you mind elaborating on this? \*\* MEBuckner said some of what I would have said… Omniscience means total knowledge, including knowledge of the person who knows; someone with thid capability must know his own mind perfectly, and thus cannot have volition. More to the point, infinite omniscience begs the question of storage and processing: how does the person represent his knowledge? How does he verify and validate it? How does he avoid trivial “loops” of awareness-of-his-own-awareness-of-his-own-awareness, etc.? I have no problem with a little-g god that knows much, but I have to reject, as logically self-contradictory, the notion of a big-G God who knows _everything_. Trinopus ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-nature/200949/42 "2003-09-16T04:12:54Z")
* * * ## _Originally posted by ambushed_ It’s all about being worshipworthy – to humans. Gods are invented to be worshipped by humans (along with many more subtle purposes such as advancing the inventors’ lust for power). Humans aren’t going to worship a deity that they see as evil or malevolent, thus most Gods are created such that they represent the higher “justice” and “morality” of their inventors at the time of invention. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Meatros \* > \*\*Are you sure about this? What role would “fear” have to play? Any? \*\* Well, I admit I was generalizing and glossing over many details in an effort to be succinct. A full answer would consume too much space, but it would certainly cover the great utility to the inventors and priests and other leaders of constructing a fear-inducing deity. Fear is a very powerful tool for the powerful to use to grow or retain their power. For many centuries, the fear of “God” was taught to be the greatest virtue, nicely keeping believers in thrall to the political and social will of those in power in the Church. (As an aside, President Gilligan W. Bush also knew the great power of fear very well and manipulated it to help construct claims that he believed would justify various military and political actions that wouldn’t be accepted without it.) ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-nature/200949/43 "2003-09-16T16:20:05Z")
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-nature/200949/44 "2003-09-16T17:07:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spingears \* > \*\*The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. \*\* “An inordinate fondness for beetles.” ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-nature/200949/45 "2003-09-16T17:09:45Z")
"Yes, the beetles have been to Earth. The beetles have been everywhere. The beetles _are_." [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-nature/200949.md?page=2)