   A new theory on God
  I can explain everything.EVERYTHINGHumour me...Let''s assume for a minute that there is a god ("God") with the power to create a universe with any laws "he" likes. Assume also that God can know the result, in advance, of any "clockwork" universe.1) If the universe was a means to an end, and was deterministic, God would be able to create the end result directly. In this case there is no reason to create a universe.Conclusion: either the universe is not deterministic, or it is the events occuring over time (not *nessecarily* towards any purpose) that is of interest to God.Interpretation: the universe is a toy.Since the universe is not deterministic it follows from 1) that God doesn''t want to know everything in advance. The universe was created with the potential to develop free will for one reason......just to see what happens.It is reasonable to assume that God doesn''t allow himself to interfere with free will directly, that would be CHEATING! Perhaps God created the rules of the universe immutable and has no direct influence, but I don''t think this is likely: God may well wonder "what if *this* were to happen..." and want to change something. Rather than create another universe on the off chance it goes down the route of interest, it would be much easier to allow yourself to intervene, indirectly, in people''s lives. God can prod and poke us.So what is the glorious Theory of Everything?God has a sense of humour.   ********"It was this spirit of national efficiency in the Circumlocution Office that had gradually led to its having something to do with everything." 
  "God is dead and no one cares" -NIN ;  My crystal ball tells me that this will turn into another long debate about religion, just like all the other ones. Oh ,wait. That wasn''t my crystal ball. It was my sense of the obvious. ;  The fact that an "end" can be gotten an easier way does not necessarily mean that that''s a desireable thing to do.I, for instance, would not enjoy cross-stitch nearly as much if I just scanned the pattern into a cross-stitching machine and waited for it to "print out" the end result.  Yes, the end result is what I''m after, and I know exactly what the end result is going to be if I don''t manage to screw up in some major and irreversible manner (which is pretty hard to do without setting your piece on fire, and even then you can just start over with new cloth), but part of the enjoyment of the end result is what it took to get there.Much the same reason why people don''t use cars in a marathon, or use a helicopter to get to the top of Everest.-fel ;quote:Original post by walkingcarcass  Since the universe is not deterministic it follows...Failing to prove a key assumption, there is no reason to believe your theory is valid.CM ;quote:Original post by walkingcarcass  1) If the universe was a means to an end...Furthermore, you fail to prove this assumption as well.  Nothing follows from (1) without addressing these two points.CM ;quote:Original post by walkingcarcass  It is reasonable to assume that God doesn''t allow himself to interfere with free will directly, that would be CHEATING! Perhaps God created the rules of the universe immutable and has no direct influence, but I don''t think this is likely: God may well wonder "what if *this* were to happen..."This is a paradox.  How can someone who is all knowing and all powerful not know.Can God make a rock so big, even he cannot lift it?Can God make something so complex, even he cannot know the result? ~~~~~"there are no such things as friends anyways,..just people that hate you less than others." - BornToDie Download and play Slime King I.;  Why watch a sports game when they post the scores anyway?   "Like all good things, it starts with a monkey.." ;quote:Original post by walkingcarcass  1) If the universe was a means to an end, and was deterministic, God would be able to create the end result directly. In this case there is no reason to create a universe.The end is not always simpler than the process.  For instance, you can write a finite program that computes the digits of pi.  The result of your program never completes and thus is much bigger and more complex than your program.  You can store your program on a finite device and transfer it to another machine then compute it there.So eithera) Not deterministicb) Not finitec) Not simpler than the processd) Creator prefers something other than the shortest pathor e) none of the aboveMy point is... you haven''t proven anything.  There are other alternatives.;  Who said God was conscious and has wants, desires and thought processes remotely similar to us?-=Lohrno 