[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

Because your life would be the only thing that is not finite. At some point, you would have seen everything countless times and your whole life would only consist of one thing: endless and infinite boredom without any way out. Forever. To me that seems like an absolutely undesirable prospect.

With such an infinite and expansive amount of time at your disposal, it seems unlikely that you wouldn't develop past needless emotions like "boredom" and wouldn't develop past the primitive level of consciousness (ie one still fueled by base needs) that humans seem to have, although I could be wrong and the universe could be more boring than I assume.

[humanrights]

Death as repulsive as it is, may put a time urgency on things.

We may be more inclined to finish something if we only have a limited time.

If I had an infinite amount of time, I might just lie on the beach, drink beer and have sex. Or I could listen to baseball.

Wait a minute... That's what I do anyway!

Ya, my universe would have beer, beaches, baseball and sex.

I think I'd put the politicians in a coliseum and have them fight the hungry lions.
(They threw us into the coliseum and let us fight the hungry Chinese)

[Order]

Wouldn't that mean that there will always be new things to learn, discover and explore? What could be more exciting than the unknown?

Not exactly. If we take the limitedness of the... universe or whatever the universe is part of as given, then there is only a limited number of ways in which matter, energy etc can be arranged. This would obviously be an insanely high number of different possibilities but if you are immortal that doesn't matter. At some point you would have seen any possible arrangement and any possible interaction countless times. That's when it gets boring.

With such an infinite and expansive amount of time at your disposal, it seems unlikely that you wouldn't develop past needless emotions like "boredom" and wouldn't develop past the primitive level of consciousness (ie one still fueled by base needs) that humans seem to have, although I could be wrong and the universe could be more boring than I assume.

Well, I assumed for my answer that while being immortal we are still psychologically human to an extent. If you take all that away you might not care about not seeing anything new anymore but that raises the question whether that being is still really you, whether it can still feel any pleasure etc. A possible solution that came to mind is that this entity could regularly erase its memory, that would solve the problem.

[Donna]

If I were God, the very sum of all reality, all powerful and all knowing, I would create the universe as it is, and allow creatures to grow so that I could love them and that they might learn to love me (Rumi, Discourses).

[Potemkin]

If I were God, the very sum of all reality, all powerful and all knowing, I would create the universe as it is, and allow creatures to grow so that I could love them and that they might learn to love me (Rumi, Discourses).

In other words, a cut-and-paste job.

[humanrights]

A possible solution that came to mind is that this entity could regularly erase its memory, that would solve the problem.

Isn't that the human condition anyway?

Don't we have to throw things away in order to keep our house in order?

It stands to reason that preferential memory has a purpose. It is important to forget the less important to the extent that they are recalled very slowly in order to emphasize the important so that they might be recalled quickly.

Furthermore, some of the lesser gods - the judges, police and politicians - have a substantial influence over the lives of many.

The top god may have just created a computer that would simulate life by following basic rules. The lesser gods may have made the rules to see what types of life would emerge.

I think a comedian made our present universe.

(Hey big fella, just joking)

[Wolfman]

Would it be a show or interactive?

If you beleive in a God that is OmniGood (all good), you would have to believe in a God that actually cannot interfere in the doings of the Universe you created.

My personal theory (based on the above) is that God created the Universe, and sits back to watch us do what ever it is we do, because He/She/It doesn't know where He/She/It is from/came into being. In other words, a Good God that is imperfect in Knowledge.

[Le Rouge]

The only thing I would change is I would permit faster-than-light travel... but it'd be really really tricky.

[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

The only thing I would change is I would permit faster-than-light travel... but it'd be really really tricky.

If you did that then the speed of light would just be different. The speed of light is really just the point that matter is converted into energy.

[canadiancapitalist]

If you did that then the speed of light would just be different. The speed of light is really just the point that matter is converted into energy.

Is this true or did you just make it up / is it a pet theory of yours? I think you have a confused understanding of relativity, but then again, I KNOW I do, so perhaps I should let someone else handle this

[humanrights]

Why would you want more advanced races, some hostile, to be able to travel to your planet?

I think that I, like Microsoft, would create some type of "back door".

[Holt]

Why would you want more advanced races, some hostile, to be able to travel to your planet?

You're God right? Aren't they all your planets, unless we prescribe to a Geocentric model?

If there was a God, there's nothing to suggest he would give a tinker's cuss about whether or not pathetic humanity was bollocked by an advanced race of hostiles. Hell, it would probably break the mind-numbing boredom of divine life.

[humanrights]

Hell, it would probably break the mind-numbing boredom of divine life.

Throwing Christians to the lions was sacrifice, not competition.

Competition and interest comes of pitting two equals against each other.

Competition on earth comes from pitting an imbecile with power against a thinking man with little power.

[Agent Steel]

If I were God, I would design the Universe so that there would be no suffering and no torment. I would make things perfect. I'd create life, and then allow that life to live happily and peacefully.

However, things are not this way. So it's easy to see why I'm an Atheist. Debate me.

[Figlio di Moros]

If I was a god, I'd create a race of giants to battle for all eternity. That, and it's rain liqour.

[New2Politics]

If I were God, I would design the Universe so that there would be no suffering and no torment. I would make things perfect. I'd create life, and then allow that life to live happily and peacefully.

However, things are not this way. So it's easy to see why I'm an Atheist. Debate me.

How about adding to this setup a second universe in which suffering is commonplace so that those who are bored with the monotony of the safe, peaceful universe you have created have a place to go to where they can test themselves and learn lessons they wouldn't otherwise be able to learn? Of course, you would have to arrange it so that they don't remember that they come from a perfect universe that they can return to at any time. If they remembered that, they would pussy out at the first sign of trouble.

[Agent Steel]

How about adding to this setup a second universe in which suffering is commonplace so that those who are bored with the monotony of the safe, peaceful universe you have created have a place to go to where they can test themselves and learn lessons they wouldn't otherwise be able to learn? Of course, you would have to arrange it so that they don't remember that they come from a perfect universe that they can return to at any time. If they remembered that, they would pussy out at the first sign of trouble.

There would be no boredom in my universe. Have you forgotten that boredom is a form of suffering?

[Potemkin]

Is this true or did you just make it up / is it a pet theory of yours? I think you have a confused understanding of relativity, but then again, I KNOW I do, so perhaps I should let someone else handle this

I think he's referring to the fact that the square of the speed of light is the conversion factor between mass and energy. You know, the old 'E=mc^2' thang.

[New2Politics]

There would be no boredom in my universe. Have you forgotten that boredom is a form of suffering?

Touché. So we can cross boredom off the list. What about jealousy, disagreement and non-conformity?

[Agent Steel]

Touché. So we can cross boredom off the list. What about jealousy, disagreement and non-conformity?

There would be no jealousy, because jealousy is not a pleasant feeling to have.

There is nothing inherently unpleasant about disagreement; it's just the things that usually come with disagreement that are unpleasant. So disagreement itself would be alright to include in my universe.

Non-conformity is a choice and a freedom made by whichever person makes it, so that would be allowed. I would not tell someone that have to conform to something if they don't want to. Much unlike the God of the bible.

If I were God, I'd be able to just snap my fingers and make things happen. Therefore whatever I say is the way things will go. All happiness, no misery. Who wouldn't want that?