The Existence of God Based on "Degree"

[@terrancewilhite9260]

I am 75 and never did have faith in religion. I have faced much discrimination over the years, being fired 7 times, death threats, even beatings. For some reason none of those things made me believe. The real kicker is that forced bible school in grade school was what made me totally give up on religion. I asked about some of the more stupid stories such as walking through a furnace, lions, etc and i was told, "do not question the word of god".

[@SurgiusMaximus]

I wish I was as brave as you at that age. I always questioned but never asked.

[@iemy2949]

…..therefore the greatest possible pizza must exist.

[@ziploc2000]

...but does it have pineapple on it?

[@iemy2949]

@ And that is THE pivotal question for the ages.

[@AbsurdlyGeeky]

Pineapple, bacon, and anchovies.

[@davidszeremi1786]

And that pizza must also be god and edible

[@artemisnite]

So the greatest degree of good refuses to drop mana from heaven for the 10 THOUSAND children who starve to death DAILY? Or is there famine in heaven too? 😂

[@ziploc2000]

He's jumping around between objects and actions and people and "beings". Is an elephant greater than a laugh? Is yellow greater than a 12" pizza (with pineapple)? He's all over the place. I don't agree that "beings" exist at all, beyond the living things we have seen on this planet.

[@NoGodsNoMasters-o1u]

I propose a god that is simultaneously the most mediocre of all beings AND the worst of all possible gods. If we're going to define things into existence by degrees, why not? While we're at it, how about a god that is the most logically contradictory of all possible beings? Shit, I can do this all day. Edit: on a serious note, kudos to the caller for being so intellectually honest. Calls like this are so rare, and as much as I love a good dumpster fire, it's refreshing as hell to hear somone who's actually listening and actively participating in a conversation rather than proselytizing and monologuing.

[@arejayharris1865]

The issue with the argument from degrees based on maximal goodness for God is that it is functionally identical if you define God as the most evil. And pointing that out to beleivers who use that apologietic system has been upsetting for them.

[@Devious_Dave]

No wonder Christianity's in trouble when followers reach back to Aquinas for their arguments.

[@rongenise7006]

A unicorn matches those criteria.

[@ThisOldHelmet]

I have a magic helmet that does as well

[@ziploc2000]

Objects have properties to lesser or greater degrees? What? I have no idea what he thinks he is saying. Maybe, is he saying a side plate has a lesser degree than a dinner plate, because you can balance less food on it? So there must be an ultimate plate that holds an infinite amount of food? And that makes sense to him?

[@AbsurdlyGeeky]

If theists would stop assuming goodness is a thing that exists or some kind of intrinsic property, instead of just our assessment of how we feel about something, all our lives might be a lot easier. Also, "God is so great, he exists even if he doesn't. Checkmate!"

[@RozzieBass]

And then even if you can say there is a greatest X ... there must be a thing that has ALL the greatest properties ... that's an unjustified leap. How can you have the most wet thing is also the most dry thing?

[@LuckyBoy-y7h]

Um... no there no degrees of a God.

[@ziploc2000]

...but there are 50 shades of grey, so there's that...

[@SecondaryHomunculus]

God is obviously the greatest everything, therefore he is automatically the greatest nothing, and so he disappears in a •poot• of non-existence any time he dares try to be a real thing. Checkmate, theists.

[@ziploc2000]

Is his god an object now?

[@scarfhs1]

On the Earth there will be a person who is tallest but that does not mean that there will be someone who is the tallest possible human.

[@KGP221]

God would be the greatest possible good and evil since he created them both.

[@djehutisundaka7998]

There does not have to be an object with ALL greatest possible degrees of properties and in fact, there isn't such a thing. Among the properties to exist with objects are properties that exist in inverse degrees. So, when an object has the greatest degree of one property, it has the least degree in a contrasting property. The theory of relativity is based upon the inverse of a mass's velocity with its space and time properties. So, objects can't have the greatest degrees of ALL properties, and nothing demands that there should be. So, gods arbitrarily defined as being the greatest possible degrees of properties are non-existent. Also, at any given moment there is a being in existence that has the greatest possible degrees of good properties that can be ascribed to such a being, yet that fact alone doesn't in any way make such a being a god. It's just a biological mortal entity that is the greatest for its time and nothing more. Even if that being were to be deemed to be the greatest of all time in its properties, that wouldn't make it a god. A god is an immortal sentience with inherent control over some aspect of the world regardless of ascribed degrees of properties.

[@30yearsoldiam1]

The iron of Dan talking about kids being too old to trick or treat while he constantly fixes his greasy emo hair like a 15 year old.

[@Paolo8772]

What about that iron?

[@sthed6832]

I think he meant to say kids too young to trick or treat.

[@tpseeker3367]

The Irony that you were more enthralled with Dan's hair than Jackie's, Jackies hmm 🤪wonder if Dan uses Dapper Dan pomade

[@johns1625]

He really does need to wash his hair. You could wring out his hair into a pan and cook eggs with that oil 😂