Non believers have their own definition of what a god is, but one thing is universal: to them it is something they do not believe in.
Nonbelievers often view a god as an imaginary construct, something to explain away what they cannot comprehend.
God is a person
Nonbelievers often view God as a fantasy created to explain events that ancient people couldn’t comprehend. These imaginary gods can be used for control of people and theft of money; they’re even believed to be behind many world problems like diseases, famine, war, crime and poverty.
Non believers often conjure up images of a distant, cold god who lacks compassion or love. Furthermore, they may hold an unfavorable opinion towards religion in general. Depending on their cultural teachings and experiences, this hypothetical image of a god may differ.
Religious tradition holds that God is a personal being who created the universe, is responsible for all moral obligation and has the capacity to intervene in human affairs when asked for help through prayer. This concept of God was first supported by early Jewish, Christian and Muslim philosophers alike.
Plato holds that God is transcendent-the highest and most perfect being who uses eternal forms (archetypes) to create a universe which is eternal and uncreated. However, due to material limitations, the order and purpose of the universe is limited by those imperfections.
Many philosophers hold that there exists an inherent imbalance between good and evil, suggesting that certain benefits such as forgiveness or the promise of a better life in heaven are only available when sin exists. These thinkers appeal to a future life where God will resolve this apparent discrepancy between right and wrong.
According to Aquinas and others, the balance between good and evil can be found in a divine plan known as the Trinity. This includes God becoming incarnate as Jesus Christ and an additional person named Holy Spirit.
Non believers often struggle to answer this question. It often comes down to their individual emotional struggles with God; perhaps they grew up without a father or experienced painful experiences in church, or were simply turned off by hypocritical Christians.
God is a place
Non believers often view god as an invented myth that’s used to control people and take their money. It can be used to brainwash innocent children, yet it also holds a deep-seated belief for many adults.
God is a Place
Scripture gives us numerous accounts of places where God dwells among His people (Exodus 25-31; Hebrews 12:22). We see this idea repeated in Revelation 21:3, when it is stated that heaven has come down to earth. We can imagine this as the New Jerusalem coming down from above into our realm – which will serve as the final and permanent home for those sanctified through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Similar to the church, we can imagine it as the dwelling place of God on earth. According to Ephesians 2:22, Paul writes that you, the local saints, are being built together into a dwelling place for God in spirit.
God desires a place to rest and trust, one where He can find peace and harmony with His creation – this desire manifesting in each of His people. There can be no doubt about it: God desires nothing more than for each of His people to experience true happiness.
The Bible emphasizes that God does not desire to reside in elaborate buildings constructed by human hands. Rather, He desires to be with His people wherever they live, work, play and worship.
What does this mean for you, dear reader? It means that you have become the chosen and beautiful dwelling place of God here on earth. Additionally, it means the Holy Spirit has been invited to fully reside within you!
By accepting Christ’s free gift of grace, you have enabled the Holy Spirit to live and reign in your heart! Through Christ’s sacrifice for you, this Spirit lives within you.
In reality, the Holy Spirit dwells within you so that you become a temple of God! As believers in Christ, when filled with His Spirit we become like Moses’ tabernacle – the house where God dwells and moves.
God is a thing
A god is a spirit or being that is believed to have power over the world and nature. They are commonly referred to as deities in various religious traditions, especially Judaism and Christianity.
People have different views about gods, but most believe in one. Some views are positive while others are negative.
Some people believe in a god as someone who provides assistance when needed or protects them when threatened. Some even hold that this being is responsible for creating the universe itself.
Some people believe in a god who provides them with blessings or brings happiness into their life. Some even imagine that this being is their own mother or father!
A god is someone admired and revered by others, having great influence over their lives. This explains why many people refer to their parents or siblings as gods – people whom they admire and revere greatly.
It can be a frightening thought to think that your mom or dad are gods; if so, then they are bound to do whatever you ask them to. Your loved ones will help when needed and be by your side when everything seems perfect. It doesn’t make for an easy journey when believing this, so be careful what you wish for from them!
However, it can also be incredibly nice to feel loved and respected when in need. That is why some people find it so difficult to renounce their belief in a god.
Another aspect that may lead people to consider a god is miracles. These events take place which wouldn’t have occurred without the divine intervention, and some are visible while others aren’t.
For instance, if you ask a doctor to assist with your pain, they might tell you they are the god of medicine. You might also hear someone refer to their pet as their god or proclaim themselves to be the patron saint of money-lending institutions.
God is a feeling
Unbelievers often view God as a creation of religion that makes sense only because people have been brainwashed to accept it.
According to believers, God is the ultimate provider for all human needs. He exemplifies holiness, grace and forgiveness in equal measure.
He is the source and source of all moral obligation. He sets the standard for right and wrong, good and beautiful; He is omniscient and omnipotent creator and sustainer of all things.
People often conjure up images of gods that are relational in nature (Exline, Grubbs, and Pargament 2015). These qualities may include love, cruelty or distance (Exline, Grubbs, and Pargament 2015).
Previous studies of believing adults revealed that their personal image of a god is predominantly loving, followed by distant and least endorsed as cruel. A similar pattern was observed among nonbelievers who also endorsed the god as predominantly loving with a less dominant role assigned to distant and least cruel.
However, little empirical work has been done to investigate how nonbelievers conceptualize a hypothetical god or gods. Thus, we sought to determine how nonbelievers formed their current image of an imaginary deity or gods and whether any personal-historical or personality factors were predictive of this image.
Participants were asked to imagine a hypothetical god or gods using either their personal image of them, a popular image, or no image at all. Furthermore, we examined participants’ past emotional experiences with gods and level of religious participation as predictors for their current perception of these hypothetical beings.
As predicted, picturing a god or gods as more loving, less cruel and distant was linked with higher lifetime positive feelings toward them and lower lifetime negative ones. These associations held even after controlling for other personal-historical variables like prior participation in religious activities and degree of past anger toward the deity or gods.
