Most powerful god from religion...

[Darth Wong]

Of course I’m speculating, I explicitly said I was a few posts back, the Duchess of Zeon mentioned a pantheon with what seemed to be at the upper limit so far as the ability to create & destroy things can go, so I was ‘idly pondering’ what could surpass that. How you think that’s off topic for a thread entitled ‘Most powerful god from religion...’ or why you’re getting so worked up about this is beyond me.

When you hit the limits of being able to destroy the entire universe (which includes time, fyi), speculating what could be more powerful is a tad bit pointless.

Unless, of course, you recognize that all of the ancient writers thought that the Earth was the universe, so that when someone destroys the universe in those ancient writings, he's really only destroying Earth: a far less impressive feat than destroying the entire universe. In fact, to take it further, they generally did not even realize that the Earth was round, and they thought of it as a basically flat plane. Therefore, when they said "the universe", it's more than likely they were referring to one small patch of one continent, and the little bit of atmosphere above it. Ergo, a major asteroid impact would "destroy the universe" according to the cosmology in use at the time those writings were created.

[Block]

Of course I’m speculating, I explicitly said I was a few posts back, the Duchess of Zeon mentioned a pantheon with what seemed to be at the upper limit so far as the ability to create & destroy things can go, so I was ‘idly pondering’ what could surpass that. How you think that’s off topic for a thread entitled ‘Most powerful god from religion...’ or why you’re getting so worked up about this is beyond me.

When you hit the limits of being able to destroy the entire universe (which includes time, fyi), speculating what could be more powerful is a tad bit pointless.

Unless, of course, you recognize that all of the ancient writers thought that the Earth was the universe, so that when someone destroys the universe in those ancient writings, he's really only destroying Earth: a far less impressive feat than destroying the entire universe. In fact, to take it further, they generally did not even realize that the Earth was round, and they thought of it as a basically flat plane. Therefore, when they said "the universe", it's more than likely they were referring to one small patch of one continent, and the little bit of atmosphere above it. Ergo, a major asteroid impact would "destroy the universe" according to the cosmology in use at the time those writings were created.

Many of the early faiths included the Sun the moon and the stars in their definition of "The universe"

[Darth Wong]

Many of the early faiths included the Sun the moon and the stars in their definition of "The universe"

Learn to read. As I clearly posted earlier, they had no idea how large those things were either. They thought the stars were just little shining lights in the sky.

[Plekhanov]

When you hit the limits of being able to destroy the entire universe (which includes time, fyi), speculating what could be more powerful is a tad bit pointless.

Perhaps someone should have informed these hindu gods that there was no time before (if you can really use such a term) the universe existed and then they'd have known that after having destroyed the universe they wouldn't have been able to continue acting themselves so as to be able to create another one.

[lance]

Exactly what was his name again?

Dude, a 'pantheon' is a GROUP of gods.

Sorry. However, I recall reading a book two months ago about how one particular god dances to destroy the universe as kind of a big reset button.

Kali?

[Tasoth]

The Mahadeva. If I'm getting my Hindu beliefs right, everything, and I do mean everything, is just a portion of him. Even other gods. If that's true, then the other gods are less then him because they are only a small fraction of him.

[Stark]

Sorry. However, I recall reading a book two months ago about how one particular god dances to destroy the universe as kind of a big reset button.

Scool, I didn't want you thinking there was this guy called 'pantheon' who destroyed the universe.

[Baal]

Aren't there some gods which gave birth to the universe, thus implying that they are much more vast than the universe itself?

I vaguely recall an Egyptian creation myth in which one of their gods created the universe simply by ejaculating (though it is quite possible i've got that memory badly mangled) which I suppose is even more impressive than giving birth to it.

No that was a Sumerian craetion myth.

[chitoryu12]

Kali?

Yes, I think that was it. Maybe. I'll have to dig out the book again.

Ah, I love The Comic History of The Universe!

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Unless, of course, you recognize that all of the ancient writers thought that the Earth was the universe, so that when someone destroys the universe in those ancient writings, he's really only destroying Earth: a far less impressive feat than destroying the entire universe. In fact, to take it further, they generally did not even realize that the Earth was round, and they thought of it as a basically flat plane. Therefore, when they said "the universe", it's more than likely they were referring to one small patch of one continent, and the little bit of atmosphere above it. Ergo, a major asteroid impact would "destroy the universe" according to the cosmology in use at the time those writings were created.

The Hindus had a sufficiently advanced understanding of the world in the period of the writing of the Vedic Sagas that they were able to conceptualize of the Moon as being a planet or realm similiar to our own on which battles could be waged. They generally tended to refer to the universe in terms of "a thousand suns" which implied some idea of a coherence between their understanding of the sun and the universe; Sarasavsati (Harappan) civilization had sufficiently advanced mathematical precision to develop highly and efficiently planned cities which still elicit praise by modern standards.

Hindu cosmology identified seven distinct realms beyond the stars which were habitable by godlike beings, the masses of stars themselves, and then the moon and sun and inside of their range, 11 named bodies in the solar system (a mix of planets and comets apparently), and the generic term that roughly translates as "the Hellish planets" which may have been meteors and so on. The age of the universe was said to be 4.32 billion years, and that is a "day of Brahma"; the universe would be destroyed in another 4.32 billion years, a "night of Brahma", making the life-expectancy of the universe around 8.64 billion years. All of these figures are verified and had actual meanings rather than just "really big" in the Sanskirt of the Vedic Sagas. As the universe was conceived of on this magnitude, its regular destruction and restoration is certainly the greatest act claimed for any God by his followers in human history.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

When you hit the limits of being able to destroy the entire universe (which includes time, fyi), speculating what could be more powerful is a tad bit pointless.

Perhaps someone should have informed these hindu gods that there was no time before (if you can really use such a term) the universe existed and then they'd have known that after having destroyed the universe they wouldn't have been able to continue acting themselves so as to be able to create another one.

Here's a quote from the Rig Veda on the pre-creation period:

Then was not non-existence nor existence: there was no realm of air, no sky beyond it. What covered in, and where? and what gave shelter? Was water there, unfathomed depth of water? Death was not then, nor was there aught immortal: no sign was there, the day's and night's divider. That One Thing, breathless, breathed by its own nature: apart from it was nothing whatsoever. Darkness there was at first concealed in darkness this. All was indiscriminated chaos. All that existed then was void and form less: by the great power of Warmth was born that Unit. Thereafter rose Desire in the beginning, Desire, the primal seed and germ of Spirit. Sages who searched with their heart's thought discovered the existent's kinship in the non-existent. Transversely was their severing line extended: what was above it then, and what below it? There were begetters, there were mighty forces, free action here and energy up yonder. Who verily knows and who can here declare it, whence it was born and whence comes this creation? The devas are later than this world's production. Who knows then whence it first came into being? He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not

[Mange]

Well, assuming all are/were real, the monotheistic god is most powerful. That one was the only one claimed to be omnipotent. The Greek gods and all those others always had a narrow scope of ability.

Which monotheistic God? If you're talking about the Christian God, keep in mind he was defeated by iron chariots. None of his demonstrated feats (as opposed to ignorant fundie claims) in the Bible are especially more impressive than anything someone from the Roman or Norse pantheon could accomplish.

And the Moab king's offering of his son to their god drove away the Israelis:

Then he [The King of Moab] took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him [to Chemosh] for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.