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RealEyesRealizeRealLies's avatar

How could God explain?

Asked by RealEyesRealizeRealLies (30951points) May 11th, 2013
17 responses
“Great Question” (3points)

I don’t believe in God the way you do.

I’m trying my best to explain to my dog, that the pizza will take 18min to cook. Another ten minutes before the sauce is cool enough for him to lap the scrappings. But all he smells is the frozen pepperoni, now. He wants it now, and I can’t explain to him why it’s not possible.

How can I explain this to my dog so that he understands? Is it possible to explain? Or is this event something that must be endured to understand?

Is my dog (Pitch), closer or further away from me than I am to God (not your God… mine)? How can God explain her plan to me, so that I may understand? And even if she did… do I have the capacity for complete understanding?

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Answers

ZEPHYRA's avatar

I don’t even bother to understand any more. Would not be of any use. Both I and the dog seem to be light years away from any understanding and won’t ever be!

ragingloli's avatar

First of all, it depends on what he wants to explain.
Humans have figured out advanced mathematics, they have discovered quantum mechanics, relativity, biological evolution, advanced chemistry, and they have unlocked the origins of the universe itself.
Sounds like a high enough mental and intellectual capacity to at the very least give it a shot.
Unlike dogs, who still lick their own arses and grovel in front of their owners like slaves.

Second of all, you need to speak the same language as the dog. That is not the problem of the dog, it is your problem and your inability to learn his language.
God supposedly already does speak human languages.

Third of all, god is supposed to be god. He could just snap with his fingers and make everyone understand everything perfectly.

flutherother's avatar

If your dog understood as you do it wouldn’t be a dog and if you understood as God does you wouldn’t be human any longer.

cookieman's avatar

And if the pizza cooled any faster, it would be a miracle.

LuckyGuy's avatar

If you were omnipotent, all powerful, and all seeing, you could cook the pizza instantly and cool it to perfect eating temperature in even less time. Anything longer would be your intentional decision to force your dog to wait 28 minutes, fighting the irresistible call of pepperoni. If you spoke “Dog” you would have the power to even explain why you chose 28 minutes.
A physicist and food scientist can explain the chemical reactions and heat transfer rates involved and will very likely come up with the same 28 minutes for that size pizza. They can explain why it is not possible to heat and cool it in an instant. They will even give you suggested times for 2 pizzas or pizzas of different sizes.
You can make the dog believe you are omnipotent by covering his nose in vaseline so it cannot smell. It would think you were able to make the pizza instantly, Or you can call Pizza Hut and have one delivered further displaying your awesome powers.

ucme's avatar

If thy mutt dines on thy righteous morsel whilst it dost emit the fires from the very bowels of hell, then lo, the beast’s rectum shall mimic the actions of a blowtorch…here endeth the lesson my child, amen.

Pachy's avatar

You’re barking up the wrong tree, Some questions can’t be answered. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be asked—asking and pondering is what separates humans from, well, dogs. But the time comes when we simply have to answer an unanswerable question for ourselves by forming a belief.

Of course, settling on a belief raises another question: how wise is belief?

Is there anyone who ever remembers
Changing their mind from the paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls
Ever breaking record off
For something someone yelled real loud one time?
Oh, everyone believes
In how they think it ought to be
Oh, everyone believes
And they’re not going easily

Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching underwater
You never can hit who you’re trying for
Some need the exhibition
And some have to know they tried
It’s the chemical weapon
For the war that’s raging on inside
Oh, everyone believes
From emptiness to everything
Oh, everyone believes
And no one’s going quietly

[Chorus]
We’re never gonna win the world
We’re never gonna stop the war
We’re never gonna beat this
If belief is what we’re fighting for
We’re never gonna win the world
We’re never gonna stop the war
We’re never gonna beat this
If belief is what we’re fighting for

Is there anyone you can remember
Ever surrender with their life on the line?

[Chorus]

What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?
Belief can, belief can
What puts a folded flag inside his mother’s hand?
Belief can, belief can.

John Mayer, Belief

thorninmud's avatar

I would suggest that your dog is, in some ways, probably more connected to reality than you are. Like all humans, your tendency is to live in the future or the past, both of which exist only in your head. As you unwrap that frozen pizza, you value it only for what it will be, not for what it is. To your dog, it’s a thing of great value just as it is. Your dream of a steaming, golden-brown pizza keeps you from seeing that. The dog doesn’t live in that dream world. He’s immersed in thusness, the living fact. Maybe your dog is less separated from God than you are.

CWOTUS's avatar

I’ve thought along these lines a lot, too. My analogy was “a boy is to his ant farm – in a small way – as a god must be to this planet in a much bigger way”. That is, the ants are closer to understanding the whims of the boy, and whether he chooses to feed, burn, flood or scatter the ants might make more sense to the ants than the whims of a god to us. On the other hand, they could pray to him all day, and would he even have the capacity to understand or care about their prayers? How much wider the gulf between us and an entity who could create us, our whole world and the rest of the cosmos?

glacial's avatar

God, I detest John Mayer.

ragingloli's avatar

@glacial
I know you do, no need to tell me.

Ron_C's avatar

If there is a christian/Jewish/Muslim god he never explains him/herself. Their god seems more dedicated to punishment than reward. I don’t see an eternity sitting at the feet of god and singing his praises as a reward. I expect that hell would be much more interesting and the conversation would certainly be better.

I see the christian/Jewish/Muslim god as a grouchy, self-centered old man who can only get praise by demanding it and terrorizing its followers.

There is no explaination for or from that god. The best way to approach him/her/it is to keep a low profile so that if someone mentions you name, god says, “who?” If you are too good you get tested; too bad and you get punished. The best a mere mortal can do is to stay away from the gods.

filmfann's avatar

Your dog looks to you as if you know everything.
His concept of God is probably closer than yours.

lazydaisy's avatar

Ah ,but Pitch isn’t looking for answers. Just pizza.

Explain away, he’ll only learn through repetition of circumstance

so, maybe he’s in the same place as you, just processes more simply

KNOWITALL's avatar

@Ron_C Geesh what about all the good stuff? My God is more a benevolent father with an ironic sense of humor. :)

Ron_C's avatar

@KNOWITALL “good stuff” I have always enjoyed the way believers thank god for all of the good that happens and blame the devil for the bad. My philosophy is much simpler..“shit happens” and you don’t need god or a devil to explain it.

kritiper's avatar

There are easier ways to piss off your dog.

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