I do not know whether there exists an entity that could be described as God, the creator of the universe. I doubt it; but I don’t know. I suspect I shall never know.

I suppose that makes me an agnostic albeit a highly sceptical one.

However let's assume, for the sake of argument only, that such an entity exists. What sort of being would he / she / it be?

I find it hard to believe God would have a gender so I shall use the pronoun "it" when referring to God.

If God exists I guess it is probably akin to "God the Utterly Indifferent" depicted in Kurt Vonnegut's sf novel "The Sirens of Titan."

I am interested to see how other posters think about God.

This is a game that even atheists can play. If there is a God what sort of being would it be?

If you are a theist and you think you have definitive answers please evidence for your beliefs. Quoting from some allegedly sacred text is not evidence unless you can provide evidence that the text really is the "word of God."

I believe in no God.
But what do I think God is?
A crutch and chains both to gain control and power.
Nothing has changed from mans first stone God.
However in the spirit of the thread say God exists.
Any of them.
A lonely bloke/ woman made us in order to control us.
Rather fond of being loved/idolized it appears that is why we exist.
And if we are good little men and women we can worship him/her forever.
In a heaven that has no need for original thought just follow that book, the one that answers yes and no to every question.
Same one that wants us on our knees in worship for eternity.

Belly

Your thinking is too constrained by the koran / bible. The "real" God is probably nothing like the being described in those two books.

What is more you are assuming that we are the reason for God creating the universe. But are we?

For all we know the real reason for God creating the universe lies beyond our even horizon. We may be nothing more than an unimportant by-product of creation.

In theatrical terms are we really the main event? Or are we at best an off-Broadway sideshow?

Unshackle your imagination from human created "holy books" and think outside the box.

Perhaps we are unimportant to God and if it even deigns to notice our worship it is with amusement.

Dear Steven.

Of one thing you may be sure. If the Almighty, who created all there is, exists, the only things you could ever know about Him are what He reveals to us.

Romans 1:19

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

John 14:7 The Words of Jesus of Nazareth.

7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

8Philip(or Steven L Meyer) said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip (StevenLMeyer), even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

That summs it all up.

If we can separate ourselves from our culture, and the closeness we all have culturally to the Christian traditions.. and imagine we knew nothing about Christ Jesus... no Church... no Christians.. and someone SAID the above things... it would be very VERY freaky.

You would be calling for the men in white coats quick smart.

BUT THEN.....if the person saying these 'freaky' things, had a man standing by him, who you have known since his birth as being blind...and who now as a result of an act of healing by this 'freaky' person, can see, .... you might think twice b4 calling the men in white coats.

Sometimes..we have so MUCH truth, it loses the impact of truth. Most of us are familiar with 'Church' and a generally Christian kind of sociocultural atmosphere.. so it would be easy to miss the profound nature of Christs words.

StevenLMeyer asks: "What is he/she/it like?"

JESUS of NAZARETH.... said:

"If you have seen me, you have seen the Father"

I was impressed when I read this in Pamela Bone's obituary:

'An avowed atheist, she once opined — on pondering whether belief might come to her in her final moments — that "if God exists, I do not approve of him".'

I wish I'd said that.

As to your hypothetical, my answer would be: cruel, capricious, arbitrary...but that's just my view of the world.

For instance, I don't understand how a theist can see the hand of God in something like the Tsunami, yet I heard some poor islander after the event saying how she knew God was with her because a statue of Mary had been washed up on the beach (even though all her children had been washed away).

Interestingly, I heard an interview on Richard Fidler the other morning where a former nun with Mother Theresa's order nominated the tsunami as the moment when she knew for certain that God did not exist.

In my callow youth, Eric Clapton was God.

The world has changed somewhat, but we still have Clapton.

Amen.