John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)

This is probably one of, if not the, most quoted and used passages from the New Testament. In many ways it is a quintessential passage of Christianity. As it relates to contemporary Christianity it is also one of the most damning passages for modern theologians. It epitomizes the incoherent irreconcilable contradiction that is at the heart of many theologians definition and understanding of God. Many of these theologians insist that atheist criticisms are unfounded in part because God is more abstract than we are willing to accept. Aside from that being a false assertion, it exposes their own muddled thinking. None of these same theologians have ever distanced themselves or their faith from this passage.

Read it again and then think about what it is saying. It clearly indicates that God had a physical son. How can something that is an abstraction have physical offspring? It would have to at least have a physical component. That would mean it is subject to the same laws of nature that all other physical material is subject to. God would be fair game for scientific inquiry. This is, of course, refuted by most contemporary theologians. They insist that as an abstract force or essence it is outside the realm of science. Bullshit. If God has a physical presence then there is no reason such an entity should not be quantifiable. Without a physical presence John 3:16 loses its meaning. Jesus cannot be the "begotten Son" if God is purely an abstraction.

There is another problem with this approach. If God is an abstraction then there are other reasons to doubt such a concept has any independent existence. Many contemporary Christians are also fond of such defining phrases as, "God is Love." Its a nice sentiment and I in no way doubt the existence of Love. However, it does not exist in the same way a person does. In point of fact, Love and similar abstractions can only exist while sentient beings do. It is a product of our minds, of our personal interactions. Anything that is that abstract can not have an independent existence. Basically, this line of reasoning would lead to God being a construct of our minds that can only continue to "exist" within our minds. God could not exist where there are no minds. God could only be experienced through sentient beings.

Essentially, God would no longer be divine. God would be a natural phenomenon no different than any other emotion, experience, or construct produced by our brains.