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Questions that believers cannot answer

Koldo

Outstanding Member
Yes, understanding is important, isn’t it?

Tell me, if you had your right to rule, your sovereignty, questioned (other issues were raised, too)… just how would you deal with it? Destroy the rebels? That wouldn’t have answered the challenge.

Jehovah took the wisest course, imo.
It’s required time, but the eventual resolution will be definitive, imo.

But really, what would you do?

Why would I presume that I have the right to rule? And if I did, why would I even care if someone questioned it?
 

Hockeycowboy

Witness for Jehovah
Premium Member
Why would I presume that I have the right to rule? And if I did, why would I even care if someone questioned it?
Tsk, Tsk.
You’re not even trying to reason this out.

What’s the “gift” for obedient mankind that God’s Word promises? Romans 6:23

Can man’s rule accomplish this? No… but God can. So, His rulership is best. In fact, everlasting life was His intent with A&E & their offspring. It still is.

And you would care, if you loved people. John 3:16
 

Koldo

Outstanding Member
Tsk, Tsk.
You’re not even trying to reason this out.

What’s the “gift” for obedient mankind that God’s Word promises? Romans 6:23

Can man’s rule accomplish this? No… but God can. So, His rulership is best. In fact, everlasting life was His intent with A&E & their offspring. It still is.

And you would care, if you loved people. John 3:16

What does any of this have to do with the right to rule? Or with people questioning this right?
 

Koldo

Outstanding Member
Really? You’re going there?
A creator has no right to control his creation?

If that were true, then patents would have no legal standing.

How did you reach the conclusion that being a creator gives one the right to rule over the creation?
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
I think people seek coping mechanisms to deal with the pain that entails life. God just happens to be such a mechanism, so I view it as a mental crutch.

I believe a person with a broken leg needs a crutch; I know i did. People with a sin nature (which is everyone) need a perfect God to make things right again.
 

L4All

New Member
Questions that believers cannot answer…. without resorting to a plethora of religious apologetics.:rolleyes:

If God is loving, why did God ‘intentionally’ create a world that He knew would engender so much human and animal suffering?

If God is just, why did God create a world in which He knew some people would suffer so much more than others, many people hardly suffering at all? How is that fair?

I am not referring to suffering caused by our own choices we make that cause us to suffer, I am talking about suffering as the result of fate and predestination.

To clarify, I believe that some things that happen to us are subject to human free will and some things are not, because they were predestined by God and we have no control over them. That is called fate.

All things that are not chosen by virtue of our own free are beyond our control and I believe they are predestined by God. God is responsible for both the good and the bad things that happen to us, if those things were predestined.

“Some things are subject to the free will of man, such as justice, equity, tyranny and injustice, in other words, good and evil actions; it is evident and clear that these actions are, for the most part, left to the will of man. But there are certain things to which man is forced and compelled, such as sleep, death, sickness, decline of power, injuries and misfortunes; these are not subject to the will of man, and he is not responsible for them, for he is compelled to endure them. But in the choice of good and bad actions he is free, and he commits them according to his own will.”
Some Answered Questions, p. 248

Man is compelled to endure the bad things that happen because God set it up that way since we live in a material world where some of the Bad things happen are beyond our control. Some of these Bad things are caused by the free will decisions of other people that affect us and some of them are simply accidents, misfortunes and diseases. These are our fate, for which God is responsible.

Believers only want to look at the good things and thank God for those things, they do not want to look at the bad things for which God is responsible. Instead, they try to say that all the bad things are really good because suffering is good, and God can never be responsible for anything bad. This is a religious apologetic and Imo it is an attempt to gloss over all the suffering in the world and say God is not responsible for it.

It would be unfair to blame man for things that are beyond his control so who is responsible for all the suffering in the world that is not caused by man? Logically speaking, if God is responsible for 'everything' then God is responsible for 'both' the good and bad things that happen to us.

Isaiah 45:7 ESV
I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.


I rest my case. :)

The belief in God comes with several sub-beliefs, that are part and parcel of almost all of the faiths. And only taking into account the whole set of beliefs can answer these sort of questions.

If someone suffers throughout his life, but believes in God and keeps his trust in Him, he will remain hopeful to be rewarded ultimately- if not in this life then in the one after death. A sufferer who is a non-believer is much more hapless. In fact this maybe a question for non-believers: how do they themselves cope with the idea of this "natural injustice"?

Logically, justice is more likely to be found in the world of a God, as against a Godless one. Those with un-ending sufferings and misfortunes in this world, like poverty, disease, ugliness, persecutions etc will be absolutely crushed in a Godless world; while those who are born rich and remain rich, and can have everything they want, will be unjustifiably privileged. On the other hand, the belief in a God who holds everyone responsible in the next life for the way they lived and interacted with other human beings, while rewarding those who remained steadfast during their trials, reflects a much more just world.
 

Riders

Well-Known Member
Questions that believers cannot answer…. without resorting to a plethora of religious apologetics.:rolleyes:

If God is loving, why did God ‘intentionally’ create a world that He knew would engender so much human and animal suffering?

If God is just, why did God create a world in which He knew some people would suffer so much more than others, many people hardly suffering at all? How is that fair?

I am not referring to suffering caused by our own choices we make that cause us to suffer, I am talking about suffering as the result of fate and predestination.

To clarify, I believe that some things that happen to us are subject to human free will and some things are not, because they were predestined by God and we have no control over them. That is called fate.

All things that are not chosen by virtue of our own free are beyond our control and I believe they are predestined by God. God is responsible for both the good and the bad things that happen to us, if those things were predestined.

“Some things are subject to the free will of man, such as justice, equity, tyranny and injustice, in other words, good and evil actions; it is evident and clear that these actions are, for the most part, left to the will of man. But there are certain things to which man is forced and compelled, such as sleep, death, sickness, decline of power, injuries and misfortunes; these are not subject to the will of man, and he is not responsible for them, for he is compelled to endure them. But in the choice of good and bad actions he is free, and he commits them according to his own will.”
Some Answered Questions, p. 248

Man is compelled to endure the bad things that happen because God set it up that way since we live in a material world where some of the Bad things happen are beyond our control. Some of these Bad things are caused by the free will decisions of other people that affect us and some of them are simply accidents, misfortunes and diseases. These are our fate, for which God is responsible.

Believers only want to look at the good things and thank God for those things, they do not want to look at the bad things for which God is responsible. Instead, they try to say that all the bad things are really good because suffering is good, and God can never be responsible for anything bad. This is a religious apologetic and Imo it is an attempt to gloss over all the suffering in the world and say God is not responsible for it.

It would be unfair to blame man for things that are beyond his control so who is responsible for all the suffering in the world that is not caused by man? Logically speaking, if God is responsible for 'everything' then God is responsible for 'both' the good and bad things that happen to us.

Isaiah 45:7 ESV
I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.

I don't believe God is in charge of this earth and what happens here so it's not fair to blame God. God gave us free will and the poer to run this earth. Just because bad things happen does not mean i won't serve God.


I rest my case. :)
 

samtonga43

Well-Known Member
Those are your standards for what a God is, not mine.
"What a God is" has nothing to do with individual standards.
I'm with Anselm. I think it is true by definition that God is "a being than which none greater can be imagined".
Does the word 'perfect' not (logically) fit?
 

The Hammer

Skald
Premium Member
"What a God is" has nothing to do with individual standards.
I'm with Anselm. I think it is true by definition that God is "a being than which none greater can be imagined".
Does the word 'perfect' not (logically) fit?


Welp. That's still your standard for what a God should or should not be, not mine.

"a superhuman being or spirit worshiped as having power over nature or human fortunes; a deity."

Nothing in that definition about perfection.
 

samtonga43

Well-Known Member
Welp. That's still your standard for what a God should or should not be, not mine.

"a superhuman being or spirit worshiped as having power over nature or human fortunes; a deity."

Nothing in that definition about perfection.

Another definition:
"God : the supreme or ultimate reality: such as
The Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped (as in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism) as creator and ruler of the universe"
 

The Hammer

Skald
Premium Member
Another definition:
"God : the supreme or ultimate reality: such as
The Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped (as in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism) as creator and ruler of the universe"


Ah, so I can only believe in those 4 religions deity. Weird.

I'll pass thanks.

Also, your definition doesn't appear to be in the dictionary afaict

Closest is this: (in Christianity and other monotheistic religions) the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being.


But I'm not a monotheist, or Christian, so the definition doesn't apply.

Screenshot_2023-01-23-09-09-19-66_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b12.jpg
 
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