Do-It-Yourself Deity

The Metaphysical Engineers Report

Our modelling is designed to answer two questions about the conception of God which you offered.

(1) Is the conception of God consistent with itself?
(2) Is the conception of God consistent with the universe that we live in?

The first question asks whether the conception makes sense. For example, a triangle with four sides is a conception which is not consistent with itself, since a triangle has three sides. A triangle with four sides is, in fact, a four-sided three-sided object, which is simply a contradiction in terms. In this sense, the conception is not consistent with itself.

If a conception is consistent with itself, this does not necessarily mean that it refers to something which actually exists. For example, the idea of a six hundred foot monster that lives in liquid steel is not inconsistent. But such a creature does not exist in our world. The second question therefore asks whether your conception of God is consistent with the universe as we understand it.

The metaphysical engineers should explain that any problems they report may reveal one of two things. Some problems may simply reflect their inability to resolve apparent problems. In this sense, the difficulties are a product of their lack of knowledge or understanding. Others may be deeper problems, so fundamental that no amount of increased understanding can resolve them. It is for you to decide which problems fall into which category.

The Report

Plausibility Quotient

Plausibility Quotient = 1.0

The metaphysical engineers have determined that your conception of God has a plausibility quotient (PQ) of 1.0. A PQ of 1.0 means that as far as the metaphysical engineers can determine your conception of God is internally consistent and consistent with the universe that we live in. A PQ of 0.0 means that it is neither internally consistent nor consistent with our universe. More than likely, your PQ score will be somewhere between these two figures. But remember that this is your PQ score as determined by the metaphysical engineers. The editors of TPM have no control over their deliberations, so don't blame us!

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What kind of God is that!?

The metaphysical engineers are happy to report that, to the best of their knowledge, the God you conceive is internally consistent and could exist in our universe. But they are less sure that what you have described deserves the name of God. She is not, for example, all-powerful. A God which knows everything or is totally benign may be a wonderful ideal, but is she really a God unless she has ultimate power?

We suspect that your God is not the traditional God of the Christian, Jewish or Muslim faiths.

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That is the end of the metaphysical engineers' report. As we said at the beginning, we are not sure that the problems they identify are insuperable. But we do hope that by thinking about them you may come to understand what you mean by God more deeply, and perhaps even revise your former beliefs.

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Further reading

The God of Philosophy

"A timely addition to resources...illuminating without being overbearing."
Time Educational Supplement

Roy Jackson's The God of Philosophy, deals with the kinds of issues presented in this activity. You can read full details about the book here (including a sample chapter).

Battleground God

This is another activity which we have put together dealing with the philosophy of religion. It's slightly more complex than the Do-It-Yourself Deity. You can have a go here.

Battleground God

Philosophy of religion portal

TPM Online has a philosophy of religion portal. It's here.

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