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Qbone
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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