Why did God create the Universe?

[Eddi]

Why did God create the Universe?

It doesn’t say in the bible (or – correct me if I’m wrong – in any other holy text from any other tradition either)

Perhaps we can only speculate?

I think he did because he wanted to bring meaning to his own existence

Perhaps he felt bored and lonely?

Also, is humankind at the centre of creation or did it just arise by chance?

I believe the purpose of the universe is so that there can be a humankind, a body of beings God can have a relationship with, therefore I believe humankind to be at the centre of creation (and made in God's own image)

Those are my thoughts on the matter

 

[Vinayaka]

I think one has to first answer the question ... "Did God create the universe?" If the answer is 'no', the the 'why' question is pointless.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Christians may say it's because he loved us, pointing to the love of Jesus.

Baha'is may say that we've never actually heard from God directly to know for absolute sure, his 100% intent.

 

[epronovost]

I personnaly don't believe the observable universe was created by any deity of any sort and find most myths of divine creation to be extraordinarily anthropocentric.

 

[Terry Sampson]

1. Why did God create the Universe?
2. Also, is humankind at the centre of creation or did it just arise by chance?

re #1. The Universe has always existed and will always exist. Stuff in it is constantly in motion, joining together and forming recognizable things like stars, planets, solar systems, galaxies, and nebula, that crash into each other like bumper cars and come apart.
re: #2. Human beings are a substantially small part of the whole universe, that have a tendency to incorrectly erestimate their relevance and importance to the whole universe.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Why did God create the Universe?

It doesn’t say in the bible (or – correct me if I’m wrong – in any other holy text from any other tradition either)

Perhaps we can only speculate?

I think he did because he wanted to bring meaning to his own existence

Perhaps he felt bored and lonely?

Also, is humankind at the centre of creation or did it just arise by chance?

I believe the purpose of the universe is so that there can be a humankind, a body of beings God can have a relationship with, therefore I believe humankind to be at the centre of creation (and made in God's own image)

Those are my thoughts on the matter

His physical creation...yes. He loves you!
This 70 to 80 years we live...it may have some patches, for some real bad....but what is 70 to 80 years, compared w/ forever?! (Revelation 21:3-4)
As humans (as children of God), we were created to live forever. That day will come, and even all those in the Grave will be given that opportunity!

 

[Hockeycowboy]

re #1. The Universe has always existed and will always exist. Stuff in it is constantly in motion, joining together and forming recognizable things like stars, planets, solar systems, galaxies, and nebula, that crash into each other like bumper cars and come apart.
re: #2. Human beings are a substantially small part of the whole universe, that have a tendency to incorrectly erestimate their relevance and importance to the whole universe.

You don’t believe the Big Bang?

 

[Terry Sampson]

You don’t believe the Big Bang?

Nope.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Nope.

Why not? You don’t think the universe is expanding?

 

[Jainarayan]

From a Hindu perspective, at least this Hindu's perspective, the universe was not created. It emanated from Brahman which is everything. In fact, let me take that back, the universe is Brahman. It was never created.

Nasadiya Sukta (Rig Veda 10.129).

1. Then even nothingness was not, nor existence,... Kind of trippy to try to fathom this verse, basically, even non-existence didn't exist.

6. But, after all, who knows, and who can say
Whence it all came, and how creation happened?
the gods themselves are later than creation,
so who knows truly whence it has arisen?

7. Whence all creation had its origin,
the creator, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not,
the creator, who surveys it all from highest heaven,
he knows — or maybe even he does not know.

The creator referred to is not Brahman, Brahman does not create, Brahman simply is.

ELI5 and tl;dr answer, we don't know how (though probably the Big Bang) or why.

 

[Salvador]

re #1. The Universe has always existed and will always exist. Stuff in it is constantly in motion, joining together and forming recognizable things like stars, planets, solar systems, galaxies, and nebula, that crash into each other like bumper cars and come apart.
re: #2. Human beings are a substantially small part of the whole universe, that have a tendency to incorrectly erestimate their relevance and importance to the whole universe.

I understand that I am ca. 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000003 percent the size of our observable universe.

 

[Terry Sampson]

Why not?

I may run with the herd on a lot of subjects, but I'm not a wildebeest.

You don’t think the universe is expanding?

I believe in an infinite, eternal universe [which, just to be different, I like to call "the cosmos"]. I believe that the stuff in it is in constant motion, so different parts of it are doing different things: which includes approaching each other, crashing into each other, missing each other, passing each other, and separating from each other, flying off in different directions. I say that the expanding universe that I think you are referring to is just a tidbit of the whole and that the expansion that you say it's doing may well be true, but in an infinite, eternal cosmos, ... it's nothing new.

 

[Terry Sampson]

I understand that I am

I say that you're off by an infinite number of zeros.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Why did God create the Universe?

It doesn’t say in the bible (or – correct me if I’m wrong – in any other holy text from any other tradition either)

Perhaps we can only speculate?

I think he did because he wanted to bring meaning to his own existence

Perhaps he felt bored and lonely?

Also, is humankind at the centre of creation or did it just arise by chance?

I believe the purpose of the universe is so that there can be a humankind, a body of beings God can have a relationship with, therefore I believe humankind to be at the centre of creation (and made in God's own image)

Those are my thoughts on the matter

First of all, I want to say, what I write here is my own understanding of why we are here, so if you do not agree with my understanding that is fine, and normal, because my understanding is not the full truth of why we are here.
I think you will get many different versions of what causes the universe to exist,
Personally, I do not think this is the first universe that exists nor do I believe this is the only universe in existence now.
If we take the teaching of Buddha Sakyamuni he said something similar to 81 universes with human life forms have existed before this one. So the question is, does the Christian God speak about creating this universe? or the very first one? If I remember correctly Buddha did also state that he did not see the very first universe become created. So even for a Buddha, it is difficult to see the very beginning.
Why we are here?
The physical realm of this universe is only one tiny part of the full existence of beings, so in the beginning, we as a human being was not in this realm at all, but because of karma, we fall down(become born as humans) to this physical realm. The only way out of this physical realm is cultivation to enlightenment(free of karma and suffering), then we are released from the bound of our body. and become some form of spiritual being according to what wisdom level we realize.

 

[leov]

Why did God create the Universe?

It doesn’t say in the bible (or – correct me if I’m wrong – in any other holy text from any other tradition either)

Perhaps we can only speculate?

I think he did because he wanted to bring meaning to his own existence

Perhaps he felt bored and lonely?

Also, is humankind at the centre of creation or did it just arise by chance?

I believe the purpose of the universe is so that there can be a humankind, a body of beings God can have a relationship with, therefore I believe humankind to be at the centre of creation (and made in God's own image)

Those are my thoughts on the matter

Bible says that we originated in a different universe where we are to return, this universe, as I understand, is a rehabilitation colony.

 

[Quintessence]

The gods in Pagan religions are not "creator gods" in the sense that is meant by an Abrahamic speaker. That is because the gods in Pagan religions are the world, they are not separate from it. There is no wedge put between "creator" and "creation" like there is in the Bible. With no external/supernatural creator, asking the question "why did the gods create the universe" becomes a bit nonsensical. The gods are the universe or its various forces/aspects.

 

[Katzpur]

Why did God create the Universe?

It doesn’t say in the bible (or – correct me if I’m wrong – in any other holy text from any other tradition either)

Perhaps we can only speculate?

I think he did because he wanted to bring meaning to his own existence

Perhaps he felt bored and lonely?

Also, is humankind at the centre of creation or did it just arise by chance?

I believe the purpose of the universe is so that there can be a humankind, a body of beings God can have a relationship with, therefore I believe humankind to be at the centre of creation (and made in God's own image)

Those are my thoughts on the matter

My belief is that He created this universe, and specifically our earth, with us in mind, and that He created us so that we could have joy.

 

[leov]

The gods in Pagan religions are not "creator gods" in the sense that is meant by an Abrahamic speaker. That is because the gods in Pagan religions are the world, they are not separate from it. There is no wedge put between "creator" and "creation" like there is in the Bible. With no external/supernatural creator, asking the question "why did the gods create the universe" becomes a bit nonsensical. The gods are the universe or its various forces/aspects.

Can Pagan religion embrace the Golden Rule, if yes, Abrahamic religion has no argument with Pagan.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Why did God create the Universe?

It doesn’t say in the bible (or – correct me if I’m wrong – in any other holy text from any other tradition either)

Perhaps we can only speculate?

I think he did because he wanted to bring meaning to his own existence

Perhaps he felt bored and lonely?

Also, is humankind at the centre of creation or did it just arise by chance?

I believe the purpose of the universe is so that there can be a humankind, a body of beings God can have a relationship with, therefore I believe humankind to be at the centre of creation (and made in God's own image)

Those are my thoughts on the matter

1 Peter 1:10 reveals that the prophets seek truth. 1 Peter is such a snitch, revealing this and other things. They are drawn to seek things in the Torah, not just the written Torah but in the doing of it, answering specifically how to love one's neighbor when perhaps the path is unclear. Prophets don't live with boundless knowledge or with certainties. To my knowledge none has ever found the answer to your question.

I believe (based on the usages in the gospel John and the other gospels and that of the Pauline letters and of Peter and James and Jude) that the creations both in Genesis and in John do not refer to the creation of physical things but to the formation of Israel's people and to the formation of the church. This is important to mention, because we know why these things are made.

 

[osgart]

Just trying to wrap my head around this I would say,

The intelligence of the universe is bound by the rules of the universe. It shapes and forms all things struggling to know itself. It creates other life in a fierce struggle with nature and other life to survive and thrive.

It's more like a river of creative force. Forever bound to the forces of nature it gathers information and adapts to the circumstances.