# Is God getting weaker? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 6, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505 "2009-05-06T02:25:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [May 6, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/21 "2009-05-06T12:20:10Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Man, I don’t know if that horror movie’s been made, but it needs to be. It’s _either_ the Second coming, or it’s a zombie uprising - we’re not sure. Brilliant. Character 1 : “Is it the Second Coming ? Or the Zombie Apocalypse ?! We’ve gotta figure out which, and fast !” Character 2 : “Well, I DID see one of the risen dead eating people’s brains . . .” Character 1 : “That settles it ! It must be the Zombie -” Character 2 : “But it was Jesus !” Character 1 : “. . .” Character 2 : “He was even giving out brains to the other risen dead. You know, “loaves and fishes”, “feeding the multitudes”, and all that. But with brains.” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/22 "2009-05-06T12:34:35Z")
You know when you get a new video game and it’s really cool and you’re like “I’m going to mod this to build all these worlds!” and you play and play and play and get halfway through your super-awesome-major-mod when… well, you have work or school… and then you get a NEW game… and… Anyway, there’s some rockin’ stuff going on on planet Xeribue right now. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/23 "2009-05-06T12:43:18Z")
God is pretty busy answering the phones in the Heavenly call centre: "You have reached Heaven. Please select an option as follows: - for Christianity, press 1 - for Judaism, press 2 - for Islam, press 3 - for Hinduism, press 4 - for Sikhism press 5 - for Taoism, press 6 - for Buddism, please try again later - for Rastafari, chill out man - for Westboro Baptist, go to Hell!" ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/24 "2009-05-06T13:15:45Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Almightyzheimers? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH very good ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/25 "2009-05-06T13:18:56Z")
I think it’s self doubt. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/26 "2009-05-06T15:33:33Z")
Yes he is getting weaker. The tooth fairy kicked his ass. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/27 "2009-05-06T16:54:31Z")
Maybe he forgot his ID badge again, and Saint Peter won’t let him in? ---
**Author:** ![Delayed\_Reflex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/delayed_reflex/32/3172_2.png) [@Delayed\_Reflex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delayed_Reflex)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/28 "2009-05-07T04:42:40Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > The fact that the universe exists is, in the tradition of the Abrhamic religions, a result of God’s continuing intention that is should exist. The manifestation of power contained in the parting, on one occasion, of one body of water, or the destruction of two settlements, is trivial compared with the maintenance in being of the entire universe, given that it might just as easily not exist at all. So, no, God’s power hasn;t waned. We’ve just become less impressed with it. “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force.” ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/29 "2009-05-07T06:29:57Z")
Of course the fiction is weaker. With Internet and TV everwhere, we can find plenty of other stories with fewer plot holes and watch them when we want, plus, the women might actually be naked! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/30 "2009-05-07T09:12:54Z")
Perhaps appearing on grilled cheese sandwiches is actually a really really hard thing to do, compared to parting seas and creating universes? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/31 "2009-05-07T09:22:47Z")
I don’t believe in God, however, if a computer programmer creates an awesome windows application and then over time makes a serious of small refinements to his work, do you consider his programming abilities to have declined? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/32 "2009-05-07T16:10:56Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > Why does God display apparently waning power? YouTube? The Amazing Randy? It’s hard to do convincing miracles when someone keeps pulling back the damned curtain. [Obligatory Ricky Gervais link (YouTube)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_EXqdJ4L7I) ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/33 "2009-05-07T17:24:04Z")
Could God™ create a rock so big that not even s/he could lift it…? Ok, just kidding. Maybe God is just getting a bit long in the tooth these days. The big guy has been whacking humans and keeping the universe rolling around for like 6000 years now after all…maybe we should cut him some slack??? 😛 -XT (personally I think the answer is ‘our record keeping has gotten better since we were illiterate nomads tooling about the country side in search of snacks’, but that’s just me) ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/34 "2009-05-07T18:52:55Z")
[quote=“1920s Style “Death Ray”, post:31, topic:495505”] I don’t believe in God, however, if a computer programmer creates an awesome windows application and then over time makes a serious of small refinements to his work, do you consider his programming abilities to have declined? [/QUOTE] “series”. And yeah, maybe his abilities _have_ declined, because otherwise we would expect the patches to keep adding dramatic and spectacular new features to make the program continually better. Or, alternatively, he could just not care as much about the program anymore…in which case if he’s not really supporting it, why should we keep asking for or bothering to download patches - or even care about the programmer at all anymore? ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/35 "2009-05-07T20:56:00Z")
God starting getting weaker right around the time people began getting smarter. But I’m sure that’s purely coincidental… ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/36 "2009-05-07T21:01:18Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > In six days, God created the universe and all thats in it. Please post proof of that statement. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/37 "2009-05-07T21:10:58Z")
[QUOTE=Clothahump] Please post proof of that statement. [/QUOTE] I believe there is a plaque in a glacier somewhere… -XT ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/38 "2009-05-07T21:18:26Z")
Interesting… I sense a novel in here somewhere 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/39 "2009-05-07T22:53:15Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > “series”. Huh. How did that get there? :smack: > [@](#): > > And yeah, maybe his abilities _have_ declined, because otherwise we would expect the patches to keep adding dramatic and spectacular new features to make the program continually better. Or, alternatively, he could just not care as much about the program anymore…in which case if he’s not really supporting it, why should we keep asking for or bothering to download patches - or even care about the programmer at all anymore? Well the patches probably do add spectacular new features, but they will never compare to creation itself. Lets face it, if he was to do something as great as creating a universe again, we wouldn’t be around to see it. Anything he does that we are here to see will seem like weak work compared to creation. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505/40 "2009-05-07T23:13:54Z")
[quote=“1920s Style “Death Ray”, post:39, topic:495505”] Huh. How did that get there? :smack: Well the patches probably do add spectacular new features, but they will never compare to creation itself. Lets face it, if he was to do something as great as creating a universe again, we wouldn’t be around to see it. Anything he does that we are here to see will seem like weak work compared to creation. [/QUOTE] Forget creation; I wanna see Flood 2.0 and Sea Parting 1.5 and Pillar Of Fire 2.5. Instead we get Toast Imagery 3.8 and Moderately Impressive Coincidence 88412243.5. Is it too much to ask for ‘spectacular’ new features that are a _tenth_ as spectacular as what we saw in the good\* old days? - disclaimer: old days viewed in this mirror may be less good than they initially appear. Miracles too, as it happens… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-god-getting-weaker/495505.md?page=1)