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If God was a vending machine!

Spiderman

Veteran Member
That would actually be cool if you could ask for what you wanted, and God would tell you the price and then give you what you paid for.

Like, you want wisdom, understanding, and enlightenment. Give 50% of your income to charity, fast for 40 days on liquids, fruits, and vegetables, suffer this affliction I give you as a penitential offering, pray 200 hail Mary's a day for 40 days, 30 Lord's prayers a day, offer up your annoying chores and job responsibilities, and I will give you the first degrees of wisdom, understanding, and enlightenment.

Or, I want to know the job God wants me to pursue....I want to have the wife/husband God wants me to have...give God x, y, z and you have paid the price, and He will give you x, y, and z.

Yes, I know, that isn't the way it is, and I've come to terms with that. But wouldn't we have a better world, if God let us know the price for receiving extraordinary graces or favors, or there was a guarantee that if you do and pray x, y, and z, out will come from God , the purchased goods that you paid for.

See, I have been praying incessantly for over ten years for understanding, enlightenment, some ability to know what God's will is, some ability to discern what course God wants me to take.

Sure, God and the Kami have given many graces and unexplainable coincidences along the way that strengthen my faith, prove that they exist, and are involved in my life, but I'd still consider myself to be a very confused person, without much clue at all what the hell to do with myself.

Also, I have experienced the average Christian and Muslim telling me the graces I do receive and messages from Heaven are actually from Demons, because I have relationships with entities that are not God, and supposedly that is forbidden.

If that is the case, God is completely unreliable , because I have been praying to him for understanding daily, and Scripture says "ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." Whatever confusion I have is confusion God wants me to have, because I trusted in him to give me understanding, and he told me to go to various Heavenly beings. I have found nothing more healing and empowering than my relationship with some of the women in Heaven who have helped me. All Christian Churches on the face of the earth contacted souls in Heaven before the 16th century.

(What Christians need to recognize is that it isn't unbiblical/unchristian to have relationships with Heavenly beings who are not God.)


But anyway, yeah, it would be nice if you could know how to obtain grace from God. If there was a price you could simply pay and then it would come.

Thoughts?
 
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Lain

Well-Known Member
But anyway, yeah, it would be nice if you could know how to obtain grace from God. If there was a price you could simply pay and then it would come.

Thoughts?

Merit actually does work this way, although the prices are not known. I think this is done so that we in good faith labor and do not expect a reward, and so that instead of saying "I will only serve for this" or "I will only serve for that" (which is a selfish natural aim making your service worthless) you instead say "I will praise the Lord with my life" perpetually, for true worship is an unyielding sacrifice of self that lasts forever.

"Seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
 

Spiderman

Veteran Member
Merit actually does work this way, although the prices are not known. I think this is done so that we in good faith labor and do not expect a reward, and so that instead of saying "I will only serve for this" or "I will only serve for that" (which is a selfish natural aim making your service worthless) you instead say "I will praise the Lord with my life" perpetually, for true worship is an unyielding sacrifice of self that lasts forever.

"Seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
It seems like for one person it is given at a relatively little price, and for another person, they labor their whole lives incessantly for the same grace and don't get it.

So, I question your statement's validity.
 

oldbadger

Skanky Old Mongrel!
Merit actually does work this way, although the prices are not known. I think this is done so that we in good faith labor and do not expect a reward, and so that instead of saying "I will only serve for this" or "I will only serve for that" (which is a selfish natural aim making your service worthless) you instead say "I will praise the Lord with my life" perpetually, for true worship is an unyielding sacrifice of self that lasts forever.

"Seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

So you want 'self that lasts forever' out of this vending machine?
It'll take your payments, but you'll end up shaking and kicking it in exasperation, I think, if ye only would but know........
Life's treasures are here on Earth with the dust and moss, I'm sad to say. The promises are just cons, imo. :)
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
Or, I want to know the job God wants me to pursue....I want to have the wife/husband God wants me to have...give God x, y, z and you have paid the price, and He will give you x, y, and z.

Yes, I know, that isn't the way it is, and I've come to terms with that. But wouldn't we have a better world, if God let us know the price for receiving extraordinary graces or favors, or there was a guarantee that if you do and pray x, y, and z, out will come from God , the purchased goods that you paid for.
It would be a bit of a mess :D

Person A want to marry Person B who want to marry Person C, and have no interest in Person A.

How would God give Person A what they wanted without making Person B sad? :)
 

Link

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Jinn who don't submit to God's Guides from humans, can help you benefit in this world and even give you immense powers, but at what cost?

The Quran has shown the degree of God's hate towards disbelievers when he will say sarcastically

"Taste for surely you are the honorable, the compassionate", as disbelievers see their morals to be more honorable and compassionate than God in this world, he will constantly remind them of how they rejected his wrath and retribution and didn't fear it.

The problem everything went haywire when an Angel (saints of Jinn) disobeyed God and God kicked him out of heaven. He didn't repent like Adam (a) who chosen status was not diminished by believing in Iblis lies.

Adam (a) was a huge trial, God could've made him of immense creation of light and glow, and be closer to God's reality in the unseen form, but he blew his spirit in him which is hidden in God's vision and put him in a body of earthly nature, and Iblis being of the Jinn wanted couldn't stand it was not the Angels to be chosen as a reprensentative.

One reason God didn't make the Angels (a) as rulers, is because their true nature is unseen, and so it would only be those who open that sense that can talk to them and transmit their words. This complicates the issue of delegating guidance, and guidance would be in a way delegated to those who can "talk to Angels", in this case, but would have no proof. If they have proof, they would be chosen ones themselves.

So God chosen humans to lead both Jinn and humans, and Angels are the followers of the leaders appointed by God (human leaders) from the Jinn as many hadiths indicate (but people unaware of these hadiths).

Quran is mostly tears of God, whether sadness or frustrated tears, they are tears mostly. "Quran was revealed in sadness, and meant to be recited in Sadness" - many hadiths of the chosen leaders (a) say this.
 

Jagella

Member
Thoughts?

I agree completely that a God who gave us what we want would be great as long as what we want doesn't harm anybody. Why not grant us what we want? Most Christians argue against such a God saying he's not a "vending machine" as you point out, but what they're saying is a mischaracterization of the person asking and the person giving. I've given to people who ask, but I'm not a vending machine--I'm a kind and generous person! Why can't an all-powerful, all loving God be at least as kind and generous as I am? Besides, many people are hurting badly and desperate for help, so it seems really odd that God wouldn't help them.

The answer, of course, is that there is no God to give. Religious believers are desperate to slip out of a tough situation, so they spend a lot of time and effort trying to smooth over failed prayers.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Whatever confusion I have is confusion God wants me to have, because I trusted in him to give me understanding, and he told me to go to various Heavenly beings.
Thoughts?
You are making a cardinal mistake. You are approaching God Directly. That is not the way God works. He is under obligation to works through his authorized agents who are under contract with him.
You must approach the God only through them. Moreover, there is nothing like death in God's scheme. You think you you must have grace in your life, but God can give you that even after death when he raises you from the grave. Right, you will rise with a heavenly body to live eternally in God's heaven. So, have faith, continue praying to him. If you do not get the grace in your earthly life, you will get it after your earthly death.
 
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