Proteus wrote:
I just want to iron out as many details as we can.

Proteus, OK, I'll give it a try, though I'm not sure you'll be convinced, because I'll respond with what the Hebrew Bible says.
Proteus wrote:
Maybe I should have first asked instead, "Is G-d personal?"

According to the Hebrew Bible, God is personal, since there are a dozen cases where people address Him using the Hebrew word אֵלִי (eiLI), meaning my God (Exodus 15:2, Isaiah 44:17, Psalms 18:3, 22:2,11, 63:2, 68:25, 89:27, 102:25, 118:28, 140:7);  there are more than 4 dozen cases where people address Him using the Hebrew word אֱלֹהַי\אֱלֹהָי (eloHAI), also meaning my God (e.g., Numbers 22:28, Deuteronomy 4:5, Micah 7:7, Zechariah 14:5, Psalms 18:29, 119:15).
Proteus wrote:
Is G-d more a Who, or a What?

As I've told you previously, God is God -
Exodus 3:14(JPT) - God said to Moses, "Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be)," and He said, "So shall you say to the children of Israel, 'Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.'"
We cannot define an "infinite" entity that is outside of our space-time universe.
Proteus wrote:
To whom or to what does one pray?  Does G-d hear? listen? answer?

One prays to God, and He hears & listens, and here some of the examples from the Hebrew Bible -
1Kings 8:28-29(JPT) - (28) And You shall turn toward Your servant's prayer and to his supplication, O Lord my God: to hearken to the song and to the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today. (29) That Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place which You said, 'My Name will be there;' to listen to the prayer that Your servant will pray toward this place.
Psalms 65:3(JPT) - You, Who hearken to prayer, to You all flesh shall come.
2Chronicles 7:15(JPT) - Now, My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer of this place.
He answers prayers, and here are some of the examples from the Hebrew Bible -
Psalms 99:8(JPT) - O Lord, Our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God for them but vengeful for their misdeeds.
Psalms 102:18(JPT) - He has turned to the prayer of those who cried out, and He did not despise their prayer.
Psalms 118:21(JPT) - I shall thank You because You answered me, and You were my salvation.
Proteus wrote:
Does G-d have a mind?  Does G-d think?  Does G-d have emotions, will, intention?

God's Thirteen Attributes answer some of that (though there are several other references to some of those elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible -
Exodus 34:6-7(JPT) - (6) And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: Lord, Lord, benevolent God, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, (7) preserving loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; yet He does not completely clear [of sin] He visits the iniquity of parents on children and children's children, to the third and fourth generations."
God has thoughts, and here are some examples from the Hebrew Bible -
Micah 4:12(JPT) - But they did not know the thoughts of the Lord; neither did they understand His counsel, for He gathered them as sheaves to a threshing floor.
Psalms 92:6(JPT) - How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep.
In terms of our human verbiage, thoughts require having a mind.

God has a will.  Here are a couple examples from the Hebrew Bible -
Psalms 40:9(JPT) - O God, I desired to do Your will and [to have] Your law within my innards.
Psalms 51:20(JPT) - With Your will, do good to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
That's what the Hebrew Bible has to say in answer to your questions.  Just don't forget that these are all "human terms" - the Bible is written in a language that humans are able to understand.

UriYosef

Our raison d'être:

WHOSOEVER DESTROYS A SINGLE SOUL OF ISRAEL, SCRIPTURE IMPUTES [GUILT] TO HIM AS THOUGH HE HAD DESTROYED A COMPLETE WORLD; AND WHOSOEVER PRESERVES A SINGLE SOUL OF ISRAEL, SCRIPTURE ASCRIBES [MERIT] TO HIM AS THOUGH HE HAD PRESERVED A COMPLETE WORLD. (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, 37a)

The fruits of our effort:

The battle against spiritual terrorism is being won, one soul at a time!!!
Last Edited By: UriYosef Tue, 13-Aug-13 22:00:24. Edited 2 times.