Arguments For A Manmade God (punishment, Earth, Leviticus, soul)

[Bright-ness' Shadow]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Really, Voice, grab a book of Campbell and start reading him. If you are not astounded (and pleased) by the time you finish the book, I'll give you all my coins, including the thousand or so I have in the bank.

Campbell was the finishing touch for me. The universal acceptance of a god or gods means exactly that the particulars of any god are suspect and man-made.

-pah-

[_salam_]

Originally Posted by Mr_Spinkles

Why would God need to test to see anything if he already knows everything?

Maybe it's to prove it to ourselves, so that we know that we got what we deserved instead of just being told by God that this is where we deserve to be. Ultimately I can't say I know what Gods purpose for creating us and this world is, or why He gave us the time He did, but I do know that our purpose in this time is to submit to the will of God.

[_salam_]

Originally Posted by The Voice of Reason

So, I have about 70 or 80 years (if I'm lucky) to prove myself to God? The same God that made me? The same God that knows all? The same God that knows what is in my heart? Then, after a 70 year run, I'll be rewarded (or damned) for eternity? I would think he could see his way clear to give me, let's say, 1000 years out of an eternity.

What about the people that are killed at the age of 8 or 9 years old? Is that enough time for him to determine whether they deserve Heaven or Hell? Okay, you say that the young innocent ones get a free pass. Well then, what about the 18 year old? At what age is the cutoff date for the free pass?

I'm listening.

TVOR

Well if you read the last response before this one it should give you my oppion on some of these questions. Also I should say that I don't believe that everybody will nessecarily be "damned" for eternity. Some might, but I don't think that every soul that goes to hell will be there forever, however Heaven will be for any eternity. Yes I do believe that the people who die young will get a "free pass". As far as when that cut off is I can't answer that with a clear cut answer. I would imagine that it would depend on the person and their maturity level and understanding of things. I don't think this is something we should really worry ourselves about because God is the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, Most Forgiving, and Most Just so He would never do anybody any wrong.

[Runt]

I think the fact that in so many religions God in one way or another reflects human personality traits and values (like, humans thought once--and some think even now--that men are of more value than women, and thus imagine a male god) indicates that God is a human creation.

[_salam_]

Originally Posted by Runt

I think the fact that in so many religions God in one way or another reflects human personality traits and values (like, humans thought once--and some think even now--that men are of more value than women, and thus imagine a male god) indicates that God is a human creation.

I don't know if your specifically writting this in response to my last post and how I used He when refering to God or how I described God as being the Most Compassionate and so forth. Let me just clarify that in Islam we don't believe God to have a gender, we just use "He" to make things easier when refering to God not because we actually believe God to be a male. We believe that we can't fully comprehend God as human beings, and this is why we use such descriptions as the Most Compassionate to help us try and understand God, not because God is human in anyway.

[Ceridwen018]

Salam,

You obviously refer to god as 'Most Compassionate' because he displays compassionate traits. Can you provide an example where god displays vague compassion, which would uphold your theory that you only call god compassionate because it's the closest word you can think of to whatever god is actually doing?

Also, doesn't it seem strange to you that god would insist on holding himself so aloof? Whatever happened to the intimate god? The easily understood god?

[The Voice of Reason]

Originally Posted by Ceridwen018

Whatever happened to the intimate god? The easily understood god?

C'mon Ceridwen, you know those two God's are on vacation. They'll call us when they get back.

TVOR

[_salam_]

Originally Posted by Ceridwen018

Salam,

You obviously refer to god as 'Most Compassionate' because he displays compassionate traits. Can you provide an example where god displays vague compassion, which would uphold your theory that you only call god compassionate because it's the closest word you can think of to whatever god is actually doing?

Also, doesn't it seem strange to you that god would insist on holding himself so aloof? Whatever happened to the intimate god? The easily understood god?

We don't just use compassionate because it's the only word we can think of, we use compassionate because that is what God is. This isn't the only thing that God is however, like I said before we can't fully comprehend how God is.