God I'm scared

**Howie** · 12-11-2008 12:39 AM

God in the Machine
What if something has no body? How does that change our conceptions of what conscious experience might be possible? We can turn to the ultimate disembodied creature: God. A recent study by Harvard University psychologists Heather Gray, Kurt Gray and Daniel Wegner looked at people’s intuitions about which kinds of mental states God could have. By now, you have probably guessed the result. People were content to say that God could have psychological properties such as:
• Thought
• Memory
• Planning
But they did not think God could have states that involved feelings or experiences, such as:
• Pleasure
• Pain
• Fear

In subsequent work, the researchers directly compared attributions of mental states to God with attributions of mental states to Google Corporation. These two entities—different though they are in so many respects—elicited exactly the same pattern of responses.

Looking at the results from these various studies, it is hard to avoid having the sense that one should be able to construct a single unified theory that explains the whole pattern of people’s intuitions. Such a theory would describe the underlying cognitive processes that lead people to think that certain entities are capable of a wide range of psychological states but are not capable of truly feeling or experiencing anything. Unfortunately, no such theory has been proposed thus far. Further theoretical work here is badly needed.

So how are the many attributes and feelings attributed to humans perceived by God?
How could he feel fear?
With no limitations, how could so many of the feelings we have be also shared by God. As we are created in his image I don't see how God could feel many of our emotions.

**Kushna Mufeed** · 12-11-2008 12:43 AM

Well, God doesn't experience emotions, but he still created them. So maybe he wouldn't share our emotions, but he would understand them.

**Howie** · 12-11-2008 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

Well, God doesn't experience emotions, but he still created them. So maybe he wouldn't share our emotions, but he would understand them.

Why would he not experience emotion?
You could say if that is the case then giving up his son meant nothing. Or obeying him means nothing.
Not that I could ever be able to say what God could and could not do but I don't see how emotions can be fully understood if they have not been felt.

**Mes Tarrant** · 12-11-2008 03:51 AM

If god doesn't experience emotions, then all those times I heard "god loves you" were a lieeee!!!

**Kushna Mufeed** · 12-11-2008 04:01 AM

I don't see how creating something doesn't make you the expert on it.

As for the other things, I dunno. I'll get back to you on that. Or not.

**Howie** · 12-11-2008 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

I don't see how creating something doesn't make you the expert on it.

As for the other things, I dunno. I'll get back to you on that. Or not.

We as humans create love and we are not experts.

Heck we create many many things and may still be very niave to the process.

**Mes Tarrant** · 12-11-2008 03:39 PM

Right. For example, we create babies but know nothing about them.

**Kushna Mufeed** · 12-11-2008 05:08 PM

I'm talking about creating in the sense of creating and designing from scratch. If God created everything, he designed everything. If he designed everything, he even designed our emotional and reproductive systems.

We don't design babies, we just use the process presented to us to produce them. God is the Engineer and we are the labour force on the production line.

**Xei** · 12-11-2008 05:52 PM

There is no soul. Our minds are the result of the physical (which the soul is not).

If there is a soul, how does the physical create and interact with that non-physical soul?

Also, how would the non-physical soul interact and control physical reality?

I choose the answer which deletes two needless paradoxes.

**DeathCell** · 12-11-2008 07:48 PM

We are all sons and daughters.

P.S. Xei, see you in nothingness.

**Rozzy** · 12-11-2008 09:31 PM

i don't know too much on this so i won't get too into it, but from what i do know, if you believe in the trinity you would see that jesus was able to experience those emorions and feelings, thus god knows what it is like.

**Howie** · 12-12-2008 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by aorozco

i don't know too much on this so i won't get too into it, but from what i do know, if you believe in the trinity you would see that jesus was able to experience those emorions and feelings, thus god knows what it is like.

I'm not sure I follow the process here.
He could create something to feel these emotions that he could not? Then when he created Jesus he could feel them? Doesn't seem like the straightest route between two points. But so much of Biblical tales seem that way to me.

What does God fear?