Questions for the Biblical God

Saethydd

I consider myself an agnostic, I feel no sense of certainty that there is a single all-powerful creator who made the entire Universe, and yet I must acknowledge that the Universe is a large place that is filled with much beauty so the possibility of an intelligent mind being behind it is certainly there. Lately, however, I do have more and more doubts about the God of the Bible being a candidate for that all-powerful creator should such a being even exist at all.

These doubts are founded upon a number of questions for which I have never found any satisfying Biblical or logical answer. Instead, I was simply chided with the remark that "God's actions aren't always meant to be understood by humans," which I found to be a very unsatisfying answer. Because if God's purpose for us is to be human reflections of himself then don't we NEED to understand his motivations for taking the action that he takes?

In any case, I've decided started this thread as a way to compile some of these questions to see if anyone else may have answers that I have overlooked, or if they have more questions that I have not even asked yet.

Why would a creator with such a high regard for life specifically design a universe in which all life slowly decays?

Why would a creator who cares about all life cause multiple mass extinction events throughout the history of the Earth?

Why would a creator impose certain sanctions upon his creatures of higher intelligence, while at the same specifically design lower creatures to break those rules? (Two examples of this being the homosexuals tendencies among mammals that occur with about 10% frequency, and the several species of animals that consume blood)

Why would an all powerful creator stoop to human methods to achieve his goals? (For example: why exterminate an entire population of indigenous people so that your "special" people have a land to call their own when you could literally create them a floating island in the sky if you wanted, or teleport the natives to the other side of the planet if your people needed that land specifically. Genocide seems cruel and unnecessary, especially when your options are not limited by any factors of feasibility.)

Those are just the ones that come to me off the top of my head. If I should think of any more I will post them as well.

Freeandclear

Here is my big question for God (if he exists): Why wouldn't you make everyone know for 100% certain that you exist and what is expected of us?

Think about that question for a minute. That is the ultimate question to my mind and way of thinking.

There are 100,000's of religions that have and still do exist on this planet. Many are long gone and dead and today we have 45,000 sects of Christianity alone. How is each person supposed to find "the one true religion"? It makes no sense whatsoever. It's extremely illogical to expect anyone to find and be convinced that one particular religion is the right one.

Thus the logical conclusion is one of the two following scenarios being true:

1. God does not exist

2. God does not care what you believe or how you chose to worship.

I can't see any flaw in my logic at all. If anyone can please point it out and let's discuss.

sir82

Here's one:

When creating the universe, why did you design it in such a way that a single mistake by a single one of your "perfect" creations would lead to billions of persons (including billions of infants and children incapable of doing, thinking, or saying anything remotely resembling "sin") suffering excruciating pain and anguish, repeatedly, over thousands of years?

Couldn't you have planned it out a little better?

How about, instead of "the wages sin pays is death", you would have tried "the wages sin pays is mild inconvenience and escalating discomfort, so that people, even if remarkably dumb, eventually figure out on their own that [not sinning] is preferable"?

Saethydd

Here is my big question for God (if he exists): Why wouldn't you make everyone know for 100% certain that you exist and what is expected of us?

I've had that one too. The explanation others have given me is that God acts in that way to give people the option of not believing in him, but if you want to believe there is enough evidence there for people with "the right heart condition." Which doesn't make any sense to me because I would honestly rather believe that there is a God out there who is going to make everything okay but all of the evidence is so circumstantial, apparently God has no system to help those kinds of people out.

The other explanation I hear for this is that if God was a certainty many people might worship him simply out of fear. To which I say if he can read hearts what difference that make? It's not like they'd be able to fool him. And don't even get me started on the implications of a God who can only back his authority with fear of death, instead of logic and reason.

When creating the universe, why did you design it in such a way that a single mistake by a single one of your "perfect" creations would lead to billions of persons (including billions of infants and children incapable of doing, thinking, or saying anything remotely resembling "sin") suffering excruciating pain and anguish, repeatedly, over thousands of years?
Couldn't you have planned it out a little better?
How about, instead of "the wages sin pays is death", you would have tried "the wages sin pays is mild inconvenience and escalating discomfort, so that people, even if remarkably dumb, eventually figure out on their own that [not sinning] is preferable"?

That is a very good point and not something I hadn't considered before. One of my favorite quotes from Captain Picard was "There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute."

sir82

if you want to believe there is enough evidence there for people with "the right heart condition."

Wait a minute....

God's holy book says my heart is "treacherous".

How do I know if the condition of my heart is "right"? Suppose I see evidence that convinces me that God really does exist. How do I know that I'm not just being deceived by my "treacherous" heart?

Can't have it both ways.

prologos

Saethydd, you asked: Why would a creator with such a high regard for life specifically design a universe in which all life slowly decays?

because slow decay, and also violent ends, provides for screening of desirable outcomes in life's evolution as well as in inanimate mature. example,

generations of stars died, faded away, or compressed in violent collapses, Super Novae.

both types of death have produced all the abundant element we need, all made from Hydrogen.

Dying is good for us, as a whole. possibly done without the creator lifting so much of a finger, after the creation event.

not speaking for the wt/bible god here, but a possible creator, defined only as observed by the action of his creation.

Saethydd

because slow decay, and also violent ends, provides for screening of desirable outcomes in life's evolution as well as in inanimate mature. example,
generations of stars died, faded away, or compressed in violent collapses, Super Novae.
both types of death have produced all the abundant element we need, all made from Hydrogen.
Dying is good for us, as a whole. possibly done without the creator lifting so much of a finger, after the creation event.
not speaking for the wt/bible god here, but a possible creator as observed in action of his creation.

Death and decay still cause misery and pain, even if you can put a poetic spin on it. So it still doesn't make sense that an all-powerful all-knowing creator would a make a universe that relies on death and decay. Especially since the existence of the spirit realm where angels and god supposedly reside would prove that a system of life can exist without such things.

(Saw that you added that last sentence, and would agree that maybe a god could have just set the basic systems of physics, and chemistry, etc and let it go from there. I can't prove such a thing of course, it is merely a musing.)

prologos

the spirit realm where angels and god supposedly reside would prove that a system of life can exist without such

I can think of bible passages that prove that pain and misery exist in that supposed biblical spirit realm too, even eternally. . right? so:

We have to observe nature, its laws and use it, and face reality. Pain might be more tolerable in many cases than we think, without predation, vegetarians would destroy the planet, the "design" is a balance. do not take suffering so personal. Because It is not getting any better than you can make it, that seems the message from the maker.*

*The maker* can not possibly be also the author or proofreader of the bible and wt literature. bsw.

Saethydd

I can think of bible passages that prove that pain and misery exist in that supposed biblical spirit realm too, even eternally. . right? so:

You can? I'm not familiar with them. Could you post them here?

We have to observe nature, its law's use it, and face reality. Pain might be more tolerable in many cases than we think, without predation, vegetarians would destroy the planet, the "design" is a balance. do not take suffering so personal. It is not getting any better than you can make it, that seems the message from the maker.

I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense, but that is also not the message that I've ever found in the Bible. It goes more along the lines of "rely on God to solve your problems... eventually."

I can certainly see that death and decay are needed for the systems of the universe, as they currently exist, to be balanced and progressive. Though I would still argue that an omnipotent god could make the balance work without death.

Crazyguy

Why would gods most current teachings and his holy book be a copy or at the very least take teachings and actions from older pagan religions? And why would god inspire a book that's has so many contradictions and prophecies that didn't come true?

And going along with your last question, God promises a peace of land to Abraham and his offspring filled with milk and honey. Yet it's really a mostly arid hilly country which requires seasonal rain yet still has problems producing any meaningful crops in most areas. Yet all the while in lands just to the East and west there are massive rivers that create crop lands as far and the eye can see?

Questions for the Biblical God

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