Does God Have Will?

[Link]

God is the ultimate balance and has everything you see outwardly and inwardly, in yourself and outside yourself, and is each and everything to the ultimate, but in it's proper place.

God is everything but nothing in particular. And is everything in particular at it's ultimate, which is everything together in the balance, unity.

Nothing you see is not in God and so even vengeance he is that in ultimate form, which is ultimate compassion form as well, but it's such that his compassion has to precede his wrath in that he gives a chance for his creation for his mercy first.

Therefore will he definitely has, not only that, but has it to the ultimate amount. And has it to the best form, and he exercises it in the realm of goodness. There is acts that would be compassionate of him, but he doesn't have to do, and there are acts of justice he doesn't have to do, but can through vengeance. Therefore fear the one who our fates literally are at his "whims" if you like to think of it that way.

 

[fantome profane]

I haven’t offered my perspective in this thread.

Well, would you? Please?

 

[RestlessSoul]

Does the sun have will to shine?

I don't know,

 

[Hereashortwhileonly]

Since there are a couple of threads floating about about how to go about proving God, I thought this question would be pertinent.

I asked in these threads what the purpose would be in proving or disproving God, to which no one has yet provided a logical answer. One response mentioned Gods will for us.

Why would the existence of God automatically lead to the conclusion that this God has will (or any other human attribute or quality for that matter)?

And let's get this one out of the way right now..."Because God created us in His image." There is nothing to substantiate this other than some words written in a book. Besides, if this logic followed, God would have every other human quality such as greed, lust, jealousy, sloth, envy, etc. as well.

So why assume God, if it existed, has will?

That's the difference between the universe having purpose or not.
Do you believe there is purpose in the universe?

 

[Koldo]

Why?

It is just how I have learned the word and I don't see the point of redefining it.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Cool, I don't have any reason to believe nothing coming into existence from nothing either. Apologists constantly claim atheists believe this, and I have no idea why. I've certainly never met or heard of any atheists that believes the universe came from nothing. I guess it's an easy strawman to knock down?
Wow. The bible says that god exists and made the universe. That's shockingly new information that I never knew before....? /s
If you want to split hairs, all our available evidence says that energy is eternal and cannot be created or destroyed. Energy can transform into matter and back into energy, depending on the circumstances. So there's an explanation for our universe with no god required, just unthinking energy and some quantum fluctuations. Am I defending this position as true? Not really. I don't care. It's just a viable alternative explanation that requires no "will" of a "being," and with evidence in reality that supports it, unlike any theistic claims. Make of that what you will.

I never heard of an atheist believing something from nothing, but I had a Baptist tell me God made from nothing.
In the Bible, God is eternal from everlasting - Psalms 90:2
The Eternal God sent forth His energy to create the visible material realm - Isaiah 40:26; Isaiah 42:5
Yes, depending on the circumstances, and God supplied His dynamic energy to create our world.- Psalms 104:30
And as Jeremiah 10:12 says God made the Earth by His power... and stretched out the heavens.
ALL this is in known science today but that was Not common knowledge when the Bible was written.
Since matter and energy are the source of the same thing then created from energy gives God the right to exercise His authority over His creation both angelic and earthly.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

That's the difference between the universe having purpose or not. Do you believe there is purpose in the universe?

To me the Universe / Earth has both purpose and meaning in that Adam was created to help take good care of Earth.
A beautiful paradisical Earth for him and then the rest of us to enjoy forever.
What the world is now missing is: Hope.
In Scripture, God is the ' Source of Hope ' in that Jesus to come and undo all the damage Satan and Adam brought upon humanity, so that humble meek people will inherit the Earth as Jesus promised - Matthew 5:5; Psalms 37:9-11

 

[URAVIP2ME]

In my post, I was replying to the question, "How could he create if he had no will to create?" That is what my examples addressed. And most of the things I mentioned can be done by creatures that are not conscious. Or I could list other bodily functions that even sea sponges and algae can do, like elimination or metabolism, which could be how our universe was "created" by a "being with no will

In my post # 24 I made reference to Isaiah chapters 42,43,44,45,46 speaking about God's will or what He purposed.
So, the God of the Bible does have ' will ' to create.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

..........God is everything but nothing in particular. ..............

I find at 1 John 4:8 that God in particular 'IS' Love.
God 'has' power, God 'has' mercy, God 'has' justice, God 'has' wisdom.
But, God 'IS' Love.

 

[AlexanderG]

In my post # 24 I made reference to Isaiah chapters 42,43,44,45,46 speaking about God's will or what He purposed.
So, the God of the Bible does have ' will ' to create.

It's curious to me that you've made over 14,000 posts on this site, and you still think quoting the Bible in support of your beliefs has any meaning or impact for non-Christians.

It isn't interesting that you can point at a book and then indicate that you believe it. Anyone can do that using any other book, and they are no more or less justified than you. The interesting part, the following step that can actually change minds, spark conversations, and advance understanding is where you tell me why you think any of this stuff is actually true.

Why do you think the metaphysical or supernatural claims of the Bible correspond to anything in actual reality?

Why do you think there is anything in the observable world around us that specifically supports the claims found in the Bible, to the exclusion of all other explanations?

Do you understand the difference between a conceptual idea in a book or a conceptual belief in your mind, versus pointing to an actual part of reality that matches up with these concepts and supports the notion they are true? Ideas are numerous, cheap, and almost entirely imaginary. If you want to claim your ideas match up with reality, you need evidence beyond more conceptual ideas. Philosophical arguments and feelings, along with scriptural passages are just more conceptual fluff until evidence confirms it. I can imagine an infinite number of things that, if true, would be sufficient to explain everything we see, but you need evidence confirming this beyond such post-hoc rationalizing.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I am not sure about them being completely nihilist because I do not know if existence and non-existence are not phases.

What did you mean by this? If existence and non-existence were phases, would that make them meaningful?

But surely, they are meaningless in the scheme of the universe. Species may not survive for ever, and then all life on Earth is limited to one billion years. After than heating of the sun will make it impossible for life to exist on Earth. They are meaningful just to us humans. If humans cease to exist, it will not affect other forms of life on Earth except for diseased like malaria which need human body to proliferate.
I fail to see any fundamental reason for humans to exist. We did not exist for most time on Earth. We may not exist beyond a few hundred of thousands of years in future. It won't make any difference to the Earth.

I agree. And heat death being the inevitable end of the universe practically marks the signature that our life here on Earth is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. At the same time, I think, if you look at even the simplest of lifeforms, you can sort of see an expression of the universe. I mean, living stuff and nonliving stuff is really all the same thing fundamentally, but living stuff is an expression of how nonliving stuff would behave if it were aware of itself and had goals.

 

[Aupmanyav]

What did you mean by this? If existence and non-existence were phases, would that make them meaningful?

I completely agree with your second paragraph. As for the part quoted here, if we do not accept non-existence, then the question "From where it all arose?" will never be answered. We would be raising "special pleadings" as the theists do - "God is eternal". So, there must have been a phase when 'nothing existed' and out of which the plasma that became the universe originated. Very simple deduction.

Of course, RigVeda theorized it 3000 years ago when it said (Parameshthi Prajapati was a sharp thinker):
"Sages who searched with their heart's thought discovered the existent's kinship in the non-existent."
Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 10: HYMN CXXIX. Creation.

 

[Trailblazer]

Since there are a couple of threads floating about about how to go about proving God, I thought this question would be pertinent.

I asked in these threads what the purpose would be in proving or disproving God, to which no one has yet provided a logical answer. One response mentioned Gods will for us.

Why would the existence of God automatically lead to the conclusion that this God has will (or any other human attribute or quality for that matter)?

And let's get this one out of the way right now..."Because God created us in His image." There is nothing to substantiate this other than some words written in a book. Besides, if this logic followed, God would have every other human quality such as greed, lust, jealousy, sloth, envy, etc. as well.

So why assume God, if it existed, has will?

I cannot speak for the other religions, but as a Baha'i I believe that God has a will and a purpose for humans. I do not assume that, I believe it because it is a teaching of my religion and because it makes sense to me. What could God do without a will? He could not have even created anything.

Just because God created us in His image that does not mean God has all the human qualities such as greed, lust, jealousy, sloth, envy, etc. as well. When it is stated in the Bible and the Baha'i Writings that God created us in His image, that refers to the good qualities, not the bad. God is wholly good so God has no bad qualities.

The following are my beliefs:

Humans cannot be like God since we are not infallible or perfect, as God is. However, since humans are made in the image and likeness of God we can strive to reflect God’s attributes, the ones that are not unique to God...

The attributes that are unique to God: Only God is Eternal, Holy, Unchanging, Impassable, Infinite, Omnipresent, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Wise, Self-Existent, Self-Sufficient, Sovereign, and Immaterial, so nobody except God can have those attributes.

God sends His Manifestations such as Jesus and Baha'u'llah who reflect all of His attributes, except the unique ones noted above. Humans have the potential to reflect all of the attributes of God except the unique ones, including but not limited to Good, Loving, Gracious, Merciful, Just, Righteous, Forgiving, Patient, and we reflect them to a greater of lesser degree, depending upon how spiritual we are.

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Baha'is believe that God is 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. 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.

If God was not a personal God, God would a deist God who was not conscious of or interested in His creation.

 

[Colt]

Man has a will and man transcends the material in consciousness.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Well, would you? Please?

Sure.

What I am trying to puzzle out how you are defining “God”. You are saying that “God” need not have the attribute of will, So I ask what attributes does “God” have? What attributes are necessary in order to call something “God”?

Yes many have considered the sun to be a “God”, or worshipped a “Sun God”. But in doing so they are giving the sun the attribute of will. You I gather are not.

I have no love for the term "God" because of the lack of commonality in individual perspectives. To me, God (capital G; proper noun) is Nirguna Brahman. "Nirguna" is a Sanskrit term meaning "without form" and "without qualities."

God, as I understand it, has no will, or any other attributes or qualities associated with humans or any worldly creatures. It is pure being.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I completely agree with your second paragraph. As for the part quoted here, if we do not accept non-existence, then the question "From where it all arose?" will never be answered. We would be raising "special pleadings" as the theists do - "God is eternal". So, there must have been a phase when 'nothing existed' and out of which the plasma that became the universe originated. Very simple deduction.

Of course, RigVeda theorized it 3000 years ago when it said (Parameshthi Prajapati was a sharp thinker):
"Sages who searched with their heart's thought discovered the existent's kinship in the non-existent."
Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 10: HYMN CXXIX. Creation.

I completely agree with what you've said here, as well. What I don't understand is why existence would be meaningful even if it phases between existence and nonexistence.

 

[Aupmanyav]

What I don't understand is why existence would be meaningful even if it phases between existence and nonexistence.

Yeah, IMHO it is not important. It is just a quirk of nature, a happenstance.

 

[Fallen Prophet]

Since there are a couple of threads floating about about how to go about proving God, I thought this question would be pertinent.

I asked in these threads what the purpose would be in proving or disproving God, to which no one has yet provided a logical answer. One response mentioned Gods will for us.

Why would the existence of God automatically lead to the conclusion that this God has will (or any other human attribute or quality for that matter)?

And let's get this one out of the way right now..."Because God created us in His image." There is nothing to substantiate this other than some words written in a book. Besides, if this logic followed, God would have every other human quality such as greed, lust, jealousy, sloth, envy, etc. as well.

So why assume God, if it existed, has will?

I suppose that depends on what you believe God - or whatever - is doing.

 

[Martin]

How would you know if God had will?

 

[SalixIncendium]

I suppose that depends on what you believe God - or whatever - is doing.

This question isn't about me. It's about you.