# Is Cecil God? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 5, 2000, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021 "2000-09-05T00:38:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![quasar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@quasar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasar)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/1 "2000-09-05T00:38:56Z")
GOd knows everything. Cecil knows everything. From which springs the inevitable conclusion: Cecil is indeed God. So, is He? ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/2 "2000-09-05T00:40:21Z")
Cecil did not know where street el came from. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/3 "2000-09-05T00:45:14Z")
He would need omnipotence as well in order to qualify for supreme being. So, No. Hmmm. Where will the moderators move this thread? Could be GQ, but they’re all probably afraid of making Manny the Mover mad. Could be MPSIMs, but it’s a question, though probably not serious. Might even belong in ATMB. IMHO? Nyahh. I got a sawbuck on MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/4 "2000-09-05T00:46:52Z")
Wood floats. Ducks float. From which forms the inevitable conclusion: Ducks are made of wood. So, are they? ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/5 "2000-09-05T01:38:46Z")
Cecil turned me into a newt. ---
**Author:** ![quasar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@quasar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasar)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/6 "2000-09-05T01:43:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > \*\*Wood floats. > > Ducks float. > > From which forms the inevitable conclusion: Ducks are made of wood. > > So, are they? \*\* Yet another ironic reply by Scylla. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/7 "2000-09-05T01:52:00Z")
From Websters: “Main Entry: iro·ny Pronunciation: 'I-r&-nE also 'I(-&)r-nE Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural -nies Etymology: Latin ironia, from Greek eirOnia, from eirOn dissembler Date: 1502 1 : a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other’s false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning – called also Socratic irony 2 a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c : an ironic expression or utterance 3 a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by such incongruity b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play – called also dramatic irony, tragic irony” I fail to see the irony. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/8 "2000-09-05T04:42:17Z")
Another point in favor of the hypothesis: Like God, Cecil is never seen except by his prophet (i.e., editor). ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/9 "2000-09-05T05:21:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Cecil turned me into a newt. A newt? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/10 "2000-09-05T05:33:23Z")
Well IMO neither exist so it doesn’t really matter . ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/11 "2000-09-05T05:35:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andros \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > Cecil turned me into a newt. > > A newt? \*\* Well. . . .he got better. ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/12 "2000-09-05T07:07:23Z")
Well, if you spell “Cecil Adams” backwards you come up with “Smada Licec,” and if you spell “Holy Spirit” backwards you get “Tirips Yloh.” Coincidence? I think not. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/13 "2000-09-05T07:27:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > \*\*Wood floats. > > Ducks float. > > From which forms the inevitable conclusion: Ducks are made of wood. > > So, are they? \*\* What else floats? Churches!! Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![morris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/morris)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/14 "2000-09-05T12:18:03Z")
hold on… irony 1 : a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other’s false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning – called also Socratic irony this does Not fit your comment. This is because you Do believe that ducks are made of wood. of course ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/15 "2000-09-05T13:36:40Z")
IMHO **morris** scores. BTW the text wraps: you don’t need to hit return. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/16 "2000-09-05T13:42:05Z")
Cats are meat-eating animals. Dogs are meat-eating animals. Therefore cats are dogs. Now, let us examine the original premise, without the logical fallacy. What constitutes your definition of God? Does Cecil fulfill all the qualifications thereof? Is he the only entity which does? When you have answered these questions, you will have discovered you already knew the answer. Thank you. Please applaud using only one hand; we don’t want to wake up any sleeping Administrators or Moderators. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/17 "2000-09-05T13:57:36Z")
Morris: Socratic irony is pretty specific and doesn’t fit the form of my reply. Socratic Irony would be more like this: “Cecil is God? That’s very interesting. Please tell me me more so that I can understand.” It is also usually referred to as “Socratic irony.” Had Quasar said “another Socratically ironic post by Scylla.” He still would have been in error, but I probably would have let him slide. You on the other hand need to demonstrate the A priori existence of the soul as punishment for your misinterpretation 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/18 "2000-09-06T07:30:22Z")
the real… question here… is not whether Cecil Adams is God… What we… in fact. … happen to know is that God… is omnipotent… yet…I do believe… God would not vaccinnate me Or tell his millions that said vaccinations… are safe… Cecil Adams… and God. Black and … white. Opposites in a world of… of of …ambiguity god is grey…cecil is gray… the vietnamese girl who was shot in vietnam… is grey/gray…but not made of wood. the… the real question… here is whether… god… can make a street el…so big that even he can’t… lift it//… ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/19 "2000-09-06T18:08:31Z")
**JB** , ya made my week. Wonder how many others caught the reference. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Cynical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Mr.Cynical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Cynical)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021/20 "2000-09-06T18:50:21Z")
I found it to be highly logical. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-god/32021.md?page=2)