"God"

In Poul Anderson's Technic History:

Eriau-speaking Merseians are quoted as referring to "the God";

Planha-speaking Ythrians are quoted as referring to "God the Hunter";

Gwydiona, speaking a post-Anglic human language, refer to "God."

In each case, a word in another language is being translated by the English word, "God," which minimally implies the highest transcendence, so let's sort out "God" - I mean the word, not the being or reality!

My deliberations on the philosophy of religion yield the following results:

natural forces like weather and social forces like war were personified as gods;

thus, gods were superhuman persons controlling aspects of the environment;

"God" came to mean a single supreme person controlling everything.

If there are two or more men, then they have to be differentiated as John, James etc whereas, if there were only one man, then he could be referred to indifferently as "John" or as "Man" and the personal name might cease to be used. Similarly, with gods and "God." (However, there are traditions in which a particular name for the single deity remains significant.)

To continue:

visionary experience is of projected visions - of gods, God or other supernatural beings;

numinous experience is of an awesome presence;

mystical experience is of inner oneness;

these are three kinds of religious experience;

the object of religious experience is identified with gods or God but can also be regarded as impersonal - or "transpersonal" if that term can be given any meaning;

thus, "God" can mean either a transcendent person or a transcendent state although it is preferable to avoid ambiguity;

the Gwydiona usage implies a state;

"God" is either a supreme being or ultimate reality regarded as a person;

of any alleged being, we can ask whether such a being exists whereas we cannot really ask whether reality exists, only what it is like;

I do not believe either that a supreme being exists or that ultimate reality is a person;

however, I acknowledge that there is an ultimate reality and that there are experiences of transcendence;

a person is a self-conscious individual;

self is recognized as such only by contrast with other;

therefore, the single reality incorporates all persons but is not itself a person;

it is "God" as the object of religious experience but not as a transcendent person.

More later.