InChrist
Free4ever
In my view, God’s highest priority is the Kingdom of Heaven; transforming the lives of human beings through Jesus Christ so they may enter in and exist eternally enjoying His love, creativity, beauty, and more.
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What is God's highest priority?
- Thread starter Rational Agnostic
- Start date
The Baha'i God is a personal God in my view.
RestlessSoul
Well-Known Member
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
You will do what is in God's mind, but not because it is in God's mind. You will do it because you chose to do it.
What you will choose to do = what God knows you will do because God knows what you will choose do.
God's knowledge is not what determines how your life unfolds. You determine how your life unfolds by making certain choices.
God knows what choices you will make because God is all-knowing
God knows what you will choose before you choose it because God as perfect foreknowledge.
What God knows you will choose to do has no bearing upon what you will choose to do.
Your choices are known in God's mind before you make them but your choices have not taken place in this world until you make those choices.
If you have a red shirt and a blue shirt in your closet you can choose to wear either the red shirt or the blue shirt.
If you choose the red shirt God knows you will choose the red shirt because God is all-knowing.
If you choose the blue shirt God knows you will choose the blue shirt because God is all-knowing.
You determined which shirt you would wear by choosing the color of shirt that you wanted to wear.
God knows which color shirt you will choose because God is all-knowing, but God's knowledge is not what caused you to make that choice.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
Only in the following sense.
While the Baháʼí writings teach of a personal god who is a being with a personality (including the capacity to reason and to feel love), they clearly state that this does not imply a human or physical form.[2] Shoghi Effendi writes:
What is meant by personal God is a God Who is conscious of His creation, Who has a Mind, a Will, a Purpose, and not, as many scientists and materialists believe, an unconscious and determined force operating in the universe. Such conception of the Divine Being, as the Supreme and ever present Reality in the world, is not anthropomorphic, for it transcends all human limitations and forms, and does by no means attempt to define the essence of Divinity which is obviously beyond any human comprehension. To say that God is a personal Reality does not mean that He has a physical form, or does in any way resemble a human being. To entertain such belief would be sheer blasphemy.[15][16]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_the_Bahai Faith
Even if the Baha'i God is personal, that does not mean I prefer that God to the Hindu God. I like the Hindu God better.
I believe His top priorities are love, truth and freedom. The reason why I think so is that He gave the commandment that we should love others as ourselves and He is against lying and He gave us freedom to choose also bad.
If we infer God's intent from his "design," then his highest priority must be hydrogen. Lots and lots of hydrogen.
Hermit Philosopher
Selflessly here for you
From a mystic view, the Divine “sees” and knows of all that is thus far. And yes, is said to have unlimited power.
Yet Divine Will does not prioritise, because it is singular. Its sole purpose is thought to be to expand understanding of what being means -individually, collectively, physically, emotionally- under a multitude of different circumstances. This is said to be done through [the experience of] Mankind.
Humbly,
Hermit
Yet Divine Will does not prioritise, because it is singular. Its sole purpose is thought to be to expand understanding of what being means -individually, collectively, physically, emotionally- under a multitude of different circumstances. This is said to be done through [the experience of] Mankind.
Humbly,
Hermit
PureX
Veteran Member
There is no logical reason for us to presume that any of the things you listed would or should be priorities for any omnipotent God ever devised. Just because such a God admonished us not to do these things does not imply that not doing them is god's own priority. And in fact, God does not do any of those things, so even if they were god's own priority, God has in fact fulfilled them all perfectly.
So you haven't proven anything about God by pointing out that God does not stop us from doing bad things to each other. And logically speaking, if an omnipotent God has any priorities, they would already be fulfilled. How could they not be?
At this point the issue is not my understanding but yours, but that's OK.
What sort of colossal, needy ego must it be, to create an entire universe full of pain and suffering just to be worshipped! All the power of the universe, yet still craving being adored by puny creations. I'm not impressed.
I don't think Siva has a priority, other than to continue His eternal dance, but even He couldn't stop Himself from dancing.
That is almost sick to even read.
Do you actually believe a god expects to be worshiped as a priority?
God is not a pharaoh.
Being mostly a Abrahamic site, the questions and replies are mostly from that perspective. A bit of balance from a dharmic perspective is useful.
I could also note that from a Buddhist perspective, the questions are a distraction. Suffering exists; the cause of suffering is known; suffering can be ended; and there's a way to end suffering. NB: "suffering" is not physical pain - it's craving and ignorance. What Are the Four Noble Truths? | Lion’s Roar
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
God does not want worship for Himself. God only wants us to worship Him for our own benefit.
It does not affect God if we choose not to worship Him. Baha’u’llah made it perfectly clear that God has no needs since God is self-sufficient, thus God cannot have a “need” to be worshiped.
“This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it—verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of His creatures.”
“Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and immeasurably exalted above, all created things. The whole universe reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and transcendeth His creatures.” Gleanings, p. 166
God does not demand worship, God enjoins us to worship Him, and that is only for our own benefit, not for God’s benefit.
“Consider the mercy of God and His gifts. He enjoineth upon you that which shall profit you, though He Himself can well dispense with all creatures.” Gleanings, p. 140
“The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath wished nothing for Himself. The allegiance of mankind profiteth Him not, neither doth its perversity harm Him. The Bird of the Realm of Utterance voiceth continually this call: “All things have I willed for thee, and thee, too, for thine own sake.” Gleanings, p. 260
God cares about humans so God wants them to know Him and worship Him, but God does not need anyone to know Him and worship Him, because God is entirely self-sufficient so God does not have needs. Only humans have needs.
“Your Lord, the God of mercy, can well dispense with all creatures. Nothing whatever can either increase or diminish the things He doth possess.” Gleanings, p. 148
God has the power to dispense with all of His creatures in one split second but He doesn’t do so because He loves them.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
God does not want worship for Himself. God only wants us to worship Him for our own benefit.
Please see my reply #55 above this post.
Same problem, the idea that a god expects worship. If that was the case, all life would be a praying mantis.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
What I said about what God wants was according to Baha'u'llah, who I believe was a Messenger of God.
Lot's of messengers. Baha'i is interesting but most definitely not the final rendition.