What is God's highest priority?

[URAVIP2ME]

I suppose you are technically right, it is possible that a god exists that prioritizes all possible outcomes equally, and effectively does not care at all about what happens in the universe, but this god would definitely not be the god of classical theism.

The Bible book of Revelation is a revealing. A revealing about the future showing that God cares what happens.
We are all invited to ask God for Jesus to come ! - Rev. 22:20
Why? To come and bring 'healing' to earth's nations - Rev. 22:2
Healing to the point that No one will say, " I am sick....." - Isaiah 33:24
Even enemy death will be No more on Earth - 1st Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8
Earth will become a beautiful paradisical Earth as described in the 35th chapter of Isaiah.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

...or, presumably, the help we didn't even know we needed or didn't know was available to ask for......................................

Decades ago I prayed for some problem to be removed, instead now I would ask for a way to endure the problem.

 

[soulsurvivor]

I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing rape and murder cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing childhood cancer cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing starvation cannot exist.

I am afraid I don't believe in omnipotent personal Gods, but I will answer your question, anyway.

The above three are indeed God's priorities. However, the God of the Earth is far from being omnipotent. Although the God who manages all affairs on Earth including looking after all its inhabitants, has fairly complete autonomy on how he manages it, he is not totally unconstrained in what he can do. For one thing, he 'reports' to the Solar God which is actually not a problem, because the Solar God also shares the same priorities.

The problem is that the Earth God is constrained by two laws -the Law of Human Freewill which he cannot violate and the Law of Karma which he also can not violate. If someone has the karma to get cancer or die of starvation, there is nothing that the God can do to change his karma. He can only hope that other humans will help the person - either cure his cancer or provide him with the necessities for life.

However, the God continuously creates circumstances where humanity in general becomes more caring and kinder and generous to its fellow humans, so that the three events mentioned decrease over time. But changing the attitudes of all humans is slow and takes time.

I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing the extinction of 99% of the species he created cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is having a personal relationship with all of his human creations cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is having all humans believe in him cannot exist.

None of the above three are Gods priorities or considerations. When the existence of any species is past its time of being appropriate (like existence of dinosaurs), the species will naturally die out. Humans just have to be careful not to accelerate or precipitate this extinction.

Gods don't care about personal relationship with any human although they do care about your wellbeing. They also do not care whether you believe in them or not - they just care about how you treat other human beings and animals.

 

[Trailblazer]

No, the Bible's God is Not omnipotent

What Bible verse talks about God's omnipotence?

Scripture affirms God's omnipotence by saying that God does whatever he is pleased to do (Psa 115:3; cf. Isa 55:11 and Jer 32:17). Nothing is too hard for him (Gen 18:14). His word is never void of power, so when he speaks, everything in creation obeys him (Isa 55:11).

The Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence of God​

 

[Rational Agnostic]

I keep going back to this:
Why do you think that God would implement His top priority?

If omnipotence is defined as being able to do anything, I want to know what you think that God would implement His top priority (that humans know and worship God) just because God is able to do it.

God has no higher priority conflicting with this priority, but God wants humans to implement His top priority by virtue of their own free will.
If God implemented His top priority for humans then it would not be their choice.

Then in your example, God's top priority is not having a relationship with humans, it's giving humans free will, which is a higher priority than having a relationship with humans in your example above. I should add that it's ironic that theists talk so much about free will when it's obvious logically that if God knows the future then free will can't exist.

 

[McBell]

it almost seems that if God does exist, then his top priority is to make it look like he doesn't exist.

seems to me this sums it up nicely

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

suppose you are technically right, it is possible that a god exists that prioritizes all possible outcomes equally, and effectively does not care at all about what happens in the universe

It is also possible, if not likely, that terms like "prioritize" and "care" are little more than anthropomorphisms. This is hardly a new or radical concept.

You seem to need to denigrate religion. You'd do better if you had more than a superficial understanding of what you're attempting to defeat.

 

[Trailblazer]

The above three are indeed God's priorities. However, the God of the Earth is far from being omnipotent. Although the God who manages all affairs on Earth including looking after all its inhabitants, has fairly complete autonomy on how he manages it, he is not totally unconstrained in what he can do. For one thing, he 'reports' to the Solar God which is actually not a problem, because the Solar God also shares the same priorities.

The problem is that the Earth God is constrained by two laws -the Law of Human Freewill which he cannot violate and the Law of Karma which he also can not violate.

I believe that God is both omnipotent and unconstrained, so God can violate any of the Laws that He put into place.
Although I don't believe God normally does that, it is possible for Him to do that. For example, God can choose to give someone what they do not deserve, thus violating the Law of Karma.

If someone has the karma to get cancer or die of starvation, there is nothing that the God can do to change his karma. He can only hope that other humans will help the person - either cure his cancer or provide him with the necessities for life.

Do you think that dying of cancer or starvation is due to one's karma, that someone deserves to have those things happen to him?

If karma is defined as 'the relationship between a person's mental or physical action and the consequences following that action', then that is what they have earned so it is the person they have become. I don't believe God is going to alter anyone's person for them because that would be akin to violating their free will, since they chose to become that person, so God can only hope that other humans will help the person - either cure his cancer or provide him with the necessities for life.

However, the God continuously creates circumstances where humanity in general becomes more caring and kinder and generous to its fellow humans, so that the three events mentioned decrease over time. But changing the attitudes of all humans is slow and takes time.

I agree.

None of the above three are Gods priorities or considerations. When the existence of any species is past its time of being appropriate (like existence of dinosaurs), the species will naturally die out. Humans just have to be careful not to accelerate or precipitate this extinction.

I agree.

Gods don't care about personal relationship with any human although they do care about your wellbeing. They also do not care whether you believe in them or not - they just care about how you treat other human beings and animals.

I agree.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

It is also possible, if not likely, that terms like "prioritize" and "care" are little more than anthropomorphisms. This is hardly a new or radical concept.

You seem to need to denigrate religion. You'd do better if you had more than a superficial understanding of what you're attempting to defeat.

Well, if God prioritized everything equally, then effectively he would not care about anything, yes? I don't think we'll get far in a discussion by just dismissing words as anthropomorphisms even though ALL words technically are. I'm not trying to defeat religion, I don't make the assertion that God doesn't exist although I think certain versions of God can be proven false and certain religions that make specific truth claims that are demonstrably false are incorrect.

 

[Trailblazer]

Then in your example, God's top priority is not having a relationship with humans, it's giving humans free will, which is a higher priority than having a relationship with humans in your example above.

I never said that God's top priority is having a relationship with humans. I said God's top priority is that humans know and worship God.
You still haven't answered my question: Why do you think that God would implement His top priority?
Why wouldn't an omnipotent God allow humans to choose to implement that priority, or choose not to?

I should add that it's ironic that theists talk so much about free will when it's obvious logically that if God knows the future then free will can't exist.

There is no logical connection with God knowing the future and free will not existing.
God knows what humans will do in the future because God is All-knowing, but God's foreknowledge is not what causes people to do what they do.

People will choose to do what God knows they will do only because what people choose to do is identical with what God knows they will do, since God knows everything they will do. However, the choices humans make are not caused by what God knows.

“Every act ye meditate is as clear to Him as is that act when already accomplished. There is none other God besides Him. His is all creation and its empire. All stands revealed before Him; all is recorded in His holy and hidden Tablets. This fore-knowledge of God, however, should not be regarded as having caused the actions of men, just as your own previous knowledge that a certain event is to occur, or your desire that it should happen, is not and can never be the reason for its occurrence.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 150

Question.—If God has knowledge of an action which will be performed by someone, and it has been written on the Tablet of Fate, is it possible to resist it?

Answer.—The foreknowledge of a thing is not the cause of its realization; for the essential knowledge of God surrounds, in the same way, the realities of things, before as well as after their existence, and it does not become the cause of their existence. It is a perfection of God .......

The mathematicians by astronomical calculations know that at a certain time an eclipse of the moon or the sun will occur. Surely this discovery does not cause the eclipse to take place. This is, of course, only an analogy and not an exact image.
Some Answered Questions, p. 138-139

 

[sayak83]

I would like to pose a question for theists, namely: what is God's top priority? I cannot prove that no god exists, but there are many types of gods that I can prove do not exist.


I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing rape and murder cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing childhood cancer cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing starvation cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing the extinction of 99% of the species he created cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is having a personal relationship with all of his human creations cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is having all humans believe in him cannot exist.


I could give many other examples, but I think the point has been made. If God exists, and he is omnipotent, his top priority cannot be any of the above things. So what is God's top priority? Since it seems like one of the items I listed above would be the top priority of the god of classical theism, it almost seems that if God does exist, then his top priority is to make it look like he doesn't exist.

While this personal God business is not my religious view per se...the best reading of the Hindu deity would imply that his/her top priority is similar to a good park ranger who discreetly preserves a healthy forest ecosystem so that the bear and the salmon can both lead their lives according to their nature.

 

[Trailblazer]

While this personal God business is not my religious view per se...the best reading of the Hindu deity would imply that his/her top priority is similar to a good park ranger who discreetly preserves a healthy forest ecosystem so that the bear and the salmon can both lead their lives according to their nature.

Imo, that's a lot better than this personal God business.

 

[sun rise]

what is God's top priority?

Meher Baba indicated "I have come to sow the seed of love in your hearts so that, in spite of all superficial diversity which your life in illusion must experience and endure, the feeling of oneness through love is brought about amongst all the nations, creeds, sects and castes of the world."

Because if he didn't implement it then there would be some reason preventing him from doing so

Preventing is not the the right word from my perspective. That is a dualist perspective with God separated from the world.

From my perspective this children's song has it right "Row row row you boat gently down the stream. Merrily merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream" The dream is God's great dream. In a dream there are many characters who have adventures some enjoyable and some painful. When the dreamer wakes up, the automatic response is "oh, that was a dream". The purpose of the dream of creation is to have all of us "wake up" as it were.

There's more to this game. If something is too easily attained it has little value. The mere struggle for attainment makes the result most meaningful. So just as an athlete endures pain for the sake of competing in a sport, we can endure pain and suffering for the sake of "waking up".

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Well, if God prioritized everything equally, then effectively he would not care about anything, yes?

Prioritize? You can't seem to get out of your own way.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I said God's top priority is that humans know and worship God.

Quite an egoist.

 

[Aupmanyav]

For example, God can choose to give someone what they do not deserve, thus violating the Law of Karma.
- either cure his cancer or provide him with the necessities for life.

And choose to deny some one who deserves it. That is justice.
Medines won't, hard work will not.
I suppose you take no medicines!

 

[Rational Agnostic]

Prioritize? You can't seem to get out of your own way.

Lol, I think it's a good word, and I think you know what I mean and understand the point I'm making

 

[Treasure Hunter]

I would like to pose a question for theists, namely: what is God's top priority? I cannot prove that no god exists, but there are many types of gods that I can prove do not exist.


I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing rape and murder cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing childhood cancer cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing starvation cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing the extinction of 99% of the species he created cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is having a personal relationship with all of his human creations cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is having all humans believe in him cannot exist.


I could give many other examples, but I think the point has been made. If God exists, and he is omnipotent, his top priority cannot be any of the above things. So what is God's top priority? Since it seems like one of the items I listed above would be the top priority of the god of classical theism, it almost seems that if God does exist, then his top priority is to make it look like he doesn't exist.

I’ll give this a shot. God has two top priorities - one in each hand.

The first you can call ecstatic bliss. The problem with ecstatic bliss is that it eventually becomes un-stimulating. We gradually fall asleep in unconsciousness. This first priority is associated with the feminine.

The second priority is a response to the first: conscious self-understanding. The only way to get from the first priority to the second is through a fall, which includes everything painful that we don’t like which wakes us up. This is associated with the masculine.

 

[Trailblazer]

And choose to deny some one who deserves it. That is justice.

God does not deny someone who deserves help and help the undeserving instead. That would not be justice.

Medines won't, hard work will not.
I suppose you take no medicines!

I take no medicines because I am not ill but I do work hard.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

People will choose to do what God knows they will do only because what people choose to do is identical with what God knows they will do, since God knows everything they will do. However, the choices humans make are not caused by what God knows.

If God exists and knows everything I will do for the rest of my life and it is impossible for me to do anything different than what already exists in God's mind, can I really be said to have a choice? Of course not. I might have the illusion of choice, but it's just that, an illusion. By definition, if something is already known as an absolute fact, it can't be changed. The idea of choice implies that there is more than one possible future. It doesn't matter if people's actions are caused by God or not, it only matters that they are known, and hence already determined before they are made.