Why did God create?

[robo]

“Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image, and revealed to thee My beauty. “

Thanks for the scripture but it doesnt completely answer my OP.

Who is this "thee" in the scripture quoted? Was there a point in time when only your God was without the "thee" in question?

 

[BruceDLimber]

Who is this "thee" in the scripture quoted?

Each and every one of us--as I thought was clear!

Was there a point in time when only your God was without the "thee" in question?

Obviously, before He created us.

Peace,

Bruce

 

[arthra]

Bruce has posted the "Hidden Word" and also many Baha'is recite daily the following prayer:

"I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

(Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 3)

So the "reason" God created us was to know and worship God:

"Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee"

Are there terrible and awful circumstances in the world we live in? Most certainly. One thing that happens is that people will take photos of these things and share them and that's commendable, but does the photographer have a human responsibility to do something to allevaite suffering? Will he give some water or comfort a suffering child? Will he ask why international relief agencies have not intervened to help? It may be they have been prevented by some reason?

Seeing humanity as one and living a life of service has been demonstrated by saintly people...The question: "What will you do to eliminate suffering?" Has been asked by the great saints and sages for millenia..

 

[tumbleweed41]

maybe a deist gods exist thats a scientist and we are just an experiment

Does this scientist then send infidels to eternal hellfire?

You have a lot to learn.

Deism does not advocate salvation, damnation or even afterlife.

 

[Jainarayan]

Perhaps I can ask you the same question I asked Madhuri. It appears that the Hindu God is not a creator God.

Can your God grant instant salvation for all? Why delay things? Just let us reach the end-state pronto.

Brahman is the Hindu God, the one and only. Yes, Brahman is the creator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishish...Lord.27s_mercy

Quote:
Regarding Lord's mercy

Vadakalai View Some positive gesture is necessary on the part of the jeevatma to deserve the grace of God, because He can be deemed partial if He grants Moksha [salvation] to all both deserving and undeserving.

Thenkalai View Lord's grace is spontaneous. He grants Moksha to anyone who accepts Him alone as the means to attain it and has the ripened desire to attain it.

Personally I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between these two schools of thought. If jivatima makes "postive gestures" for the Grace of God and moksha, then it has the ripened desire to attain moksha.

 

[Iti oj]

Does this scientist then send infidels to eternal hellfire?

Well maybe we are rats and we follow a maze with two exits. One to hell one to heaven secertly they both have cheese waiting for us.

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Ok. As I said earlier, this seems the only plausible way out...

So, your God is not a creator God then.

Why does she not grant salvation to everyone pronto? Why the delay?

I am of the same belief of Madhuri, and what i think is that
Ishwar (GOD) does only what is best. It does not act arbitrarily.

Our (Atman, Soul) nature is such that the only way we can obtain Mukti (salvation) is by dispelling ignorance. And the only way to dispel ignorance is by conducting actions. The only way we can keep practicing doing the right actions is by having an opportunity to take birth and obtain an environment which is best suited to our current level of competence. And Ishwar keeps doing so until we gain mastery and reach Mukti (Salvation). So Its is acting in best possible manner for us to obtain Mukti (Salvation) asap.

So in a way we will only get what we deserve when we deserve it.

 

[Cordoba]

Greetings folks:

Was your God ever happy just by herself without any universe or souls or pain or evil or pleasure or Hitler or earthquakes, etc. etc. to worry about?

If yes, why did she not just remain quiet by herself, all blissful, with no unsatisfied need?

Why did she have to engage in creation?

Good questions Robo, and in summary Love is the answer

When we worship Him, we express our love to Him

God created this universe and what is beyond to be known

One of His attributes is that He is The Most Merciful

His mercy is reflected upon His creation with His provision, His care and His Love

He created us to get to know Him, and to love Him as He loves us

 

[sumonht1990]

To express himself.

 

[garrydons]

Greetings folks:

Was your God ever happy just by herself without any universe or souls or pain or evil or pleasure or Hitler or earthquakes, etc. etc. to worry about?

If yes, why did she not just remain quiet by herself, all blissful, with no unsatisfied need?

Why did she have to engage in creation? Looks like your God is a lonely God who wants company, yes? Why worship an insecure God that cannot just be by herself?

Shalom, in the first place I think it is not proper to call God insecure. To fully understand Why God create is perhaps beyond our reach. God created the world and all the things therein for man to govern. He created man to temporarily live in this world with the plan to live with Him in eternity.

 

[darkendless]

I already made my case in the OP.

But am always eager to learn from those more learned than me...If only they answered questions with answers.

Don't expect answers from Jay, i've never seen a post of his actually contributing. I guess he bribes the mods

I for one cannot understand how such a "loving God" can be so absent in his followers time of need?

 

[Thief]

Greetings folks:

Was your God ever happy just by herself without any universe or souls or pain or evil or pleasure or Hitler or earthquakes, etc. etc. to worry about?

If yes, why did she not just remain quiet by herself, all blissful, with no unsatisfied need?

Why did she have to engage in creation? Looks like your God is a lonely God who wants company, yes? Why worship an insecure God that cannot just be by herself?

I see you're skipping right to the details.....

Difficult to say "I AM"....without echo or reflection.

Lonely?...of course.
Someone had to be First.
Creating a universe in one thing.
Standing alone in the middle of it....another.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Don't expect answers from Jay, i've never seen a post of his actually contributing. I guess he bribes the mods

They're suckers for suckers.

​

 

[Madhuri]

Ok. As I said earlier, this seems the only plausible way out...

So, your God is not a creator God then.

Why does she not grant salvation to everyone pronto? Why the delay?

First, sorry about the late response. Been busy last couple of days.

The Hindu God is a creator God, just not quite in the same way as the Abrahamic God.

The Hindu God creates from His/Her/It's own self. Instead of finding some already existing ingredient outside of its self (which would indicate it is not the only 'original' thing in existence), it uses its own energies in various 'combinations' (so to speak) in order to manifest whatever it wants. The material universes are one such example. So yes, It creates, but it creates from its own Self.

Salvation is not given because the idea is that we are only here because we want to be. The soul was attracted to the material energies for some reason and I think that reason is because the soul innately wishes to experience the drama of life. The soul is liberated from the cycle of birth and death when she truly wishes to escape it (ie/ lets go of all worldly attachments).

I hope that makes some sense