Theists: God is Good?

[Eddi]

Theists:

Please explain how and why God is good.

Because I'm having a bit of a crisis:

I believe in him but I am doubting he is good

Certainly as a concept "God" has done a lot of harm

But what about the nature of God himself, the actual existing being?

 

[Lain]

Theists:

Please explain how and why God is good.

Because I'm having a bit of a crisis:

I believe in him but I am doubting he is good

Certainly as a concept "God" has done a lot of harm

But what about the nature of God himself, the actual existing being?

What do you mean by good?

To me when I saw "God is good" I mean mainly that He has shown that He wants my flourishing ultimately, gives me things I desire (like continued existence), and doesn't have anything I would consider to be a moral fault (like lying). Another thing I might mean is that He is in some way desirable, for when He reveals Himself it is beautiful and captivating of your whole being, and you keep seeking that and want it forever.

Perhaps that gives a glimpse of what it is, to me the concept of "good" is weird to think about.

 

[Rival]

Using human terms to describe G-d is always problematic. Apophatic theology tends to replace this.

 

[dybmh]

Theists:

Please explain how and why God is good.

Because I'm having a bit of a crisis:

I believe in him but I am doubting he is good

Certainly as a concept "God" has done a lot of harm

But what about the nature of God himself, the actual existing being?

Hypothetical: If you take a walk in nature do you see more living things, or more dead things? If God were not good, we would be surrounded by death.

 

[King Phenomenon]

Theists:

Please explain how and why God is good.

Because I'm having a bit of a crisis:

I believe in him but I am doubting he is good

Certainly as a concept "God" has done a lot of harm

But what about the nature of God himself, the actual existing being?

His nature is infinite space.
Take it from there

 

[PureX]

Theists:

Please explain how and why God is good.

Because I'm having a bit of a crisis:

I believe in him but I am doubting he is good

Certainly as a concept "God" has done a lot of harm

But what about the nature of God himself, the actual existing being?

I look at it the other way around: Good is God. Or more precisely, love, forgiveness, kindness, generosity, honesty, wisdom, respect, gratitude, and so on, are all manifestations of a transcendent (divine) realm of being. The source of which would generally be referred to as "God". I don't allow mythical religious stories dictate to me what God is or does. They're just stories.

And I don't let the evils of the world dictate to me what God is or does, either, because most of it is man's own doing.

 

[sun rise]

Certainly as a concept "God" has done a lot of harm

But what about the nature of God himself, the actual existing being?

Yes, there has been a lot of harm based on people's idea of God's nature.

My perspective is non-dual - not considering "God" as a being. A poem, "You Alone Exist" celebrates this perspective. It goes, in part:

You are in each neighborhood. You are the Sustainer.
You Yourself are all worlds, and You alone exist.
Everywhere, whether above or below,
You are complete; You alone exist.
You are unseen, yet seen also.
You live in everyone forgiving each his sins. You alone exist.
There is no one without You!
You are manifesting and unmanifest, as You alone exist.
...
You are the flower and the thorn,
and You are the fragrance. You alone exist.
You are the Singer. You are the musical instrument.
You are the sweet tunes, for You alone exist.
You are the Prayer and the words of the prayer.
You are the forces of evil and the powers of light.
You alone exist.


...

 

[Trailblazer]

Hypothetical: If you take a walk in nature do you see more living things, or more dead things? If God were not good, we would be surrounded by death.

I am not sure that argument flies. Do you realize how many people and animals die every day, especially since this pandemic? Imo, the only way God could be good in light of all this this death is if the humans and animals go to a better place after they die. I know that people do but there are no assurances that animals do, since God never bothered to reveal that in any scriptures.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I am not sure that argument flies. Do you realize how many people and animals die every day, especially since this pandemic? Imo, the only way God could be good in light of all this this death is if the humans and animals go to a better place after they die. I know that people do but there are no assurances that animals do, since God never bothered to reveal that in any scriptures.

Death is a part of the physical realm we living in, a part of life. how can that be God`s fault?
You expect to live forever in happiness in this world

Does not the reward comes in heaven after we lived a human life?

 

[Trailblazer]

Death is a part of the physical realm we living in, a part of life. how can that be God`s fault?

Death is 100% God's fault because God created mortal creatures.

You expect to live forever in happiness in this world

No, and I would never want to live in this world forever. Happiness, what's that?

Does not the reward comes in heaven after we lived a human life?

Yes, it does, but heaven comes a day late and a dollar short as the saying goes.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Death is 100% God's fault because God created mortal creatures.

No, and I would never want to live in this world forever. Happiness, what's that?

Yes, it does, but heaven comes a day late and a dollar short as the saying goes.

Oh, I guess I should not have asked Sorry

 

[Trailblazer]

Oh, I guess I should not have asked Sorry

Why not ask? Now you know my perspective even it it is different from yours.

I look at things logically, not with faith. I have faith but it does not override my logical mind.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Why not ask? Now you know my perspective even it it is different from yours.

I look at things logically, not with faith. I have faith but it does not override my logical mind.

It is true, we do see this world very differently, I do not see this physical world as the real world (called Dunya in Sufism) To me the real comes after this life.

 

[dybmh]

I am not sure that argument flies. Do you realize how many people and animals die every day, especially since this pandemic?

Even with those deaths, please forgive me for being gruesome, the bodies are not left out and about. When I said "we're not surrounded by death", I meant it.

Here's the hypothetical again: you're walking through nature ( imagine it in your mind ). When you look around, what do you see? Mostly living or mostly dying? When I imagine it; I see mostly living, which indicates God is good.

 

[Trailblazer]

It is true, we do see this world very differently, I do not see this physical world as the real world (called Dunya in Sufism) To me the real comes after this life.

We do not see this world differently at all, I see this world the same way you see it....

“The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it. Break not the bond that uniteth you with your Creator, and be not of those that have erred and strayed from His ways. Verily I say, the world is like the vapor in a desert, which the thirsty dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth it to be mere illusion.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 328-329

And like you, I know the real comes after this life....

“O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 329

 

[Spirit of Light]

We do not see this world differently at all, I see this world the same way you see it....

“The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it. Break not the bond that uniteth you with your Creator, and be not of those that have erred and strayed from His ways. Verily I say, the world is like the vapor in a desert, which the thirsty dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth it to be mere illusion.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 328-329

And like you, I know the real comes after this life....

“O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 329

If you know and understand this, how come you so often seemingly being so angry at God so often then?
Personally, I am not angry at God, not a single day am I angry at God.

 

[Trailblazer]

If you know and understand this, how come you so often seemingly being so angry at God so often then?
Personally, I am not angry at God, not a single day am I angry at God.

I am not angry at God right now, and I am not angry at God much anymore, but I call it like I see it.

If God is so good, why is there so much suffering in the world, and I mean the suffering that is not cause by human free will choices? There is no sufficient answer to this question except "just have faith."

I have been angry at God but you can never understand why. I could try to explain it to you but words cannot convey what it is like to go through what I have endured for most of my life and what I am still going through.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I am not angry at God right now, and I am not angry at God much anymore, but I call it like I see it.

If God is so good, why is there so much suffering in the world, and I mean the suffering that is not cause by human free will choices? There is no sufficient answer to this question except "just have faith."

I have been angry at God but you can never understand why. I could try to explain it to you but words cannot convey what it is like to go through what I have endured for most of my life and what I am still going through.

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I can not speak for others, but suffering to me (when I feel suffering) is a teaching that I do something incorrect according to the will of God, I am not with God in the moment of suffering, at the moment of suffering I am with the ego, and the ego telling me, You suffering because others are mean to you, or you suffer because you can not have what you want. But as soon as I stop, and look at the situation, I realize I am suffering because I am walking away from what God wants me to do.
So the only one who can get me out of feeling suffering is my own action, speech or thoughts.

 

[Trailblazer]

I can not speak for others, but suffering to me (when I feel suffering) is a teaching that I do something incorrect according to the will of God, I am not with God in the moment of suffering, at the moment of suffering I am with the ego, and the ego telling me, You suffering because others are mean to you, or you suffer because you can not have what you want. But as soon as I stop, and look at the situation, I realize I am suffering because I am walking away from what God wants me to do.
So the only one who can get me out of feeling suffering is my own action, speech or thoughts.

That might work for you, but it will never work for everyone, because all humans are different and their life circumstances are also very different.

 

[Spirit of Light]

That might work for you, but it will never work for everyone, because all humans are different and their life circumstances are also very different.

That is very true