Because the term ‘perfect’ is used in a variety of sense.
Achieving a perfect score of 100/100 in an objective test is empirically possible. Such an empirical perfection is different from ideal perfection, e.g. perfect circle which is still empirically related.
Perfect in relation to an ultimate God means ‘absolute’ total, unqualified, and the likes. Such an ideal and absolute perfection cannot be real [empirically and rationally].
Note I have produced the range of the meaning of ‘perfect’ in an earlier post. Check the dictionary.
I had argued the idea of God must ultimately be absolute perfection with perfections that are relevant to its essential qualities, e.g. omnipotence, and omni-whatever.
Only God by default ultimately must be absolutely perfect, else it will be dominated by another.
What makes omni-[whatever] “essential”? In polytheistic religions, there are many gods who don’t have all (or any) of these traits. And they are not always dominated by the most powerful god of the pantheon. True, Zeus was the most powerful of the Greek gods, and therefore in a sense “dominated” over the others, but clearly the other gods enjoyed a significant degree of freedom–enough so that cults of human beings could worship them as they would any other god. ← This also goes to show that lesser and greater gods can form alliances with each other, just as lesser and greater armies can form alliances. Furthermore, even if the most powerful god was to wipe out all lesser gods into extinction, being the “most” powerful does not have to mean “all” powerful. The one surviving god may still bear certain imperfections.
I understand there are a range of gods within polytheism.
Note the point I brought up, i.e. the idea of God is inherent and has naturally evolved from animism to polytheism to monotheism and ultimately to an ontological God, i.e. an absolutely perfect God.
Those who are into polytheism are in a way ignorant and grabbed what that came and by cultural and traditions many are still stuck to it at present.
Given the rational choice, theists will rationally adopt a progressively greater God that will ultimate be an absolutely perfect God. This is why 5.4 billion theists are believing in a monotheistic God and the progress will ultimately be an absolutely perfect God.
I have stated, an absolutely perfect God is the ultimate because when cornered no theist will accept their God to be dominated by another. The theists’ natural progression to avoid one’s God being dominated will lead one to an absolutely perfect God with an optimism that such a God is real. No theists will concede to accept their God has to kiss the ass of another.
And in what way is this not so for “unempirical” gods? It’s true that in terms of abstract concepts–like being all knowing–one can imagine a sort of limitless ability–such that for anything that can be known, an omniscient god would know it–but this is partly a consequence of not knowing, and not caring about how one would know, how omniscience is possible (just as you would be free to entertain the idea of an all-powerful army if you didn’t think you had to understand what that would mean in terms of weapons, money, political support, number of soldiers, etc.–an all powerful army would just mean: capable of defeating any other army).
And besides, there’s still a difference between being capable of imagining an all knowing god and the necessity of a god being all knowing. There’s no reason to suppose that just because you can conceive a greater god, that this or that god must be that greater god.
^ Are you bringing Anselm’s argument into the picture?
Btw, if any theist were to postulate an anthropomorhic God, which is empirically based, I agree such an empirically based God is empirically possible. But such possibility would be extremely negligible. To prove such a God, all one need to to bring the verifiable and justifiable evidence. The limitation of the empirically-based God is there will always be a greater empirical God than the one that is claimed.
So whatever empirical God a theist claim, another will claim another empirical God is greater and this culminate in an infinite regression.
To avoid an infinite regression and kissing the ass of another God, it is only logical that the smarter thinker theists had introduced an absolutely perfect God than which no other God can be greater in perfection.
Yes, I am bringing in St. Anselm’s definition of an ontological God into the picture.
There is no other way for a thinking theist to get out of the above dilemma of infinite regression and having to kiss the ass of another God than to resort to an absolute perfect God.
When a theist claims;
“my God is a Being than which no greater in perfection can exists”
it give no room for another God to dominate it nor command the lesser god to kiss his ass.
Ultimately all educated and thinking theists will end up with an absolutely perfect God [the default definition of what is a God].
But I had argued, an absolutely perfect God is an impossibility to be real, i.e. empirically + rationally real because absolute perfection [as argued] is impossible to be real.