h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

And here I thought that I'd bow out about now, but this is even more intriquing!!

"There are always extraneous factors affecting things no matter how high the energy quotient."

And just what would you suggest - he humbly asks - is extraneous to God in his oneness and pre-creation solitude?

First you have to agree, that before one thing happening was another thing in an endless stream of effect preceeded by cause except in specialist cases as predicted in the penumbra (?) of black and white holes.
So, if god or other relevent deity or energy mass 'made' the universe to a specific design, then to be capable of concieving such a design (as well has having the suitably high energy quotient) he/she/it will have had to spend a certain amount of time 'evolving' from sheer energy or nothingness or whatever. So effectively, 'god' was limited by his own influence on various parts of himself and by the available 'space' in the void before actual space.
So if as some religious types believe, he made himself, then there will have been trial and error to get itself working in a fashion that would include the need to necessitate creating the universe. Possibly by accident.

I'm afraid, my dear bunnyfrog, that you made an initian assumption with which I cannot feel compelled to agree. I only know our universe of cause and effect, and an apparent linear time-frame. I can see no reason why a 'god' would be subject to those same constraints.

To hold God to concepts like evolving, or even having a 'beginning' is dangerously anthropomorphic. As many religiouns believe in an eternal god, without beginning or end in time-space or even in existence (if the word can be said to have a relevant meaning to a god), the self-creation bit would be right out.

This doesn't mean that your 'energy level' theory doesn't wash, mind you. But, if an energy level of 42 would result in a god having created the universe (specifically because of reaching that precise level), then this would imply that God's power level changes over time (or, God would be constantly creating the unvierse as the level remains unchanged).

It would also imply that God's power is not infinite, if there exists for the potential of a still higher energy level; say, 43. This would create a situation where God's power is not infinite and unlimited, and there could be god's with greater power level.

Is this part of your theory then?

I do apolgise for what I said. It was bad. But does it not take what this conversation is all about to the most basic level. Or have I missed something.

Absolumante!

Discourse is the only course to knowledge and enlightenment, theorizing and correction.

I wouldn't have had it any other way!

*huff huff*
I really must check this thing more often
Hmm Mr towel man you have quite a good point that god may not be within the boundaries of cause and effect, perhaps this can be an additional catagory to attain the higher energy levels, that one must also be able to move freely in the 'higher' dimensions above the 5 we usually can notice.
And it could be that there could be a higher level than 42 to attain, but (Im a little shakey on this, so please correct me) does not the measuring system for earthquakes have an automatic upper limit i.e. when a certain force is achieved on the scale there physically cannot be anything surviving to measure? This would translate to my (also somewhat shakey, but still weirdly compelling) theory, where 42 or a number near it is in fact the theoretical upper limit, whereby a being going above such a level would automatically null itself because it can exist in dimensions 'outside' the mathematic ones, so its own conflicting energies would cancel itself out in a similar fashion to gravity and momentum and so on.
Or not.

Hiya Lepus-Leptodactylus,

Me too, me too (huff huff):

If I understand the Richter scale correctly, each whole number seismic event is twice as bad as that of the number below it, and half as bad as the one immediately above; kinda like warp drive is supposed to work.

So, yes. Given a plane, there would be a theoretical limit. This is because a planet is a finite system, and is governed by physical laws. Many respectable gods claim not to be bound by either the phyisical laws nor finiteness. I guess for the Roman and Greek gods, especially, there would be a limit. I don't know about the Judeo-Christian gods or those of other peoples.

Still if you adjust the scale so that level 42 = infinity; then, yes, by all means, you have a scale that will work for any conceivable god, and many that aren't.

(Compelling theories have that effect on people. Take to hitchhiker books and call me in the morning.)