Religion question.
I am not trying to rile people up or start a flame war.
I am non-religious but grew up with a Christian background and left it.
My question is......
There was nothing, then God created everything. Why??????
Was he bored? What is the reasoning given (if any) for creating anything? He knows everything, so before he created it/us he knew most of us would end up in hell, so why bother?
Is there a reason given in the Bible for creation? Boredom? Loneliness?
I am non-religious but grew up with a Christian background and left it.
My question is......
There was nothing, then God created everything. Why??????
Was he bored? What is the reasoning given (if any) for creating anything? He knows everything, so before he created it/us he knew most of us would end up in hell, so why bother?
Is there a reason given in the Bible for creation? Boredom? Loneliness?
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quote:Originally posted by Johnnylikesguns
If you live like there is no God, what are you going to do if there is a God?
Does that scare you?
It should!
I know you don't mean it that way, but what you describe sounds like a hypocritical reason for believing. In my case I am going to tell God I lived my life more rightous than many professed Christians and I tried my best to believe in him/her but with what I was given to work with I could not become a conventional believer.
Then I guess God will do with me as he/she pleases. But at least I will have lived my life and met God as an honest man.0 -
tr fox, the fact that you could react to a hot stove does not disprove free will. That's instinct I suppose but even then, like the thread posted a few days ago about the new tatoo method that involves all that carving, etc., if you elected to do so you could keep your hand on the stove and burn it.....
I cannot prove to you the Scripture contains no lies, but if you are not predisposed to discredit the Holy Scriptures, a simple research will prove to you the Bible has been well preserved over the last 2,000 years and with all the manuscripts to validate, it's pretty obvious it was by divine design to be kept intact. I said unless you are predisposed, the sad fact to me is the number of those who claim the Bible is full of contradictions, etc. Only those trying to discredit the Bible as NOT the inspired Word of God will accept those claims.
The obvious foundation of the Christian Faith is the Holy Bible and IF you don't accept it as true, then there is no debate left for us. I assure you, lots of brilliant minds have tried to destroy the Bible and failed. It's very simply God's history book and promise to His Children and no matter where you or I elect to believe it, it remains absolutely true.
I have suggested those who truly desire to know the truth or have some interest in learning the truth, read any of the works of a writer named Lee Strobel, such as "The Case for Faith". Mr. Strobel was an atheist writer for the Chicago Tribune (I believe) who set out to prove the Christian Faith was a farce. Since he had a determined and honest interest in learning the TRUTH, what he discovered was a Faith in Christ. He has written several books along this same line of thinking, The Case for Christ, The Case for Easter, etc.
I love to discuss "religion" with folks but only to the extent they are interested in "learning" the truth. IF all the want to do is defend their own position with a closed mind to anything else existing, then I try to gracefully depart.
thanks for listening.0 -
Well, call it late night thinking, or whatever you wish.
I, for one, am a free thinker. What I mean by that, and using Gunbroker forums as an example, is I am toatlly open to whatever you all are posting here. All of you. It would be less of me (read: insult to my intelligence) to close off my mind and allow myself to accept only directed input. To those of you who have found Enlightenment, Salvation, Nirvana, Seen The Light, adhere to the Chaos Theory etc. I applaud you. All of you. And I cherish the varied inputs.
My intillect demands nothing less.
I will cease to learn, really learn, if I became focused on any one particular viewpoint. It would mean closing the door on my ability to absorb further knowledge, and that frightens me.
So, folks, please continue with your varied viewpoints. I, for one, consider it [varied viewpoints] as the real knowledge base. Best, Joe0 -
I'm not as eloquent with words as some but I agree with what Bobski and Idsman have said for the most part. We are here to prepare for what comes after this life. Our hereafter is affected by what we do here in deed and faith. I ask for guidence in the right direction every day and the strength to do what would be willed for me. Just try to have a conversational prayer and try to determine what and how to do what I need to do that day and give thanks for all that I have. I feel that if I do that, I'm doing what God expects of all of all of his children. 0 -
Don't take it as blasphemy, we all have our beliefs, some of us more than others. It was proposed to me that the universe was created by God lighting one of His farts. 0 -
very interesting topic! but as a fairly new christian i have found that God created man because He desires to be worshipped. God gave us all free will to choose. God sent "His only begotten Son" to die for our sins past, present,and future! The original topic was a very interesting question but in the grand scheme of things does it really matter? Jesus said "I AM the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE no man cometh unto the FATHER but by me" Not to hijack someones thread but my question here is this, if you were to die right now where would u go? i mean really think about this long and hard. Thats what a man asked me one day and it really made me think. thank God he showed me the WAY in the Bible. As u can see i am fairly new to the GB forums and i hope i am not excomunicated for writing this!! 0 -
The Bible can be validated by old manuscripts but the writings in the bible cannot be validated by facts..No facts exist to prove that the stories in the bible every happened.. You can validate the writing of any book, but you cant validate the contents without historical facts. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by RUGERGUNZ
I am not trying to rile people up or start a flame war.
I am non-religious but grew up with a Christian background and left it.
My question is......
There was nothing, then God created everything. Why??????
Was he bored? What is the reasoning given (if any) for creating anything? He knows everything, so before he created it/us he knew most of us would end up in hell, so why bother?
Is there a reason given in the Bible for creation? Boredom? Loneliness?
Why do people have children?0 -
Why do dogs have Puppies? Do I need to explain the
Birds and Bees to ya??[:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by RUGERGUNZ
I am not trying to rile people up or start a flame war.
I am non-religious but grew up with a Christian background and left it.
My question is......
There was nothing, then God created everything. Why??????
Was he bored? What is the reasoning given (if any) for creating anything? He knows everything, so before he created it/us he knew most of us would end up in hell, so why bother?
Is there a reason given in the Bible for creation? Boredom? Loneliness?
to know the answer, "their" answer, you must peruse the Guide For The Perplexed.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/gfp/gfp003.htm
but of course it's a nonsensical answer to an illogical question, such as "why do automotive fairies make flat tires" when there are no such beings.
if you agree with that, you would appreciate the answer to the question of "why is god a man". go back and read the letter from Freud to Lou Andreas-Salome for probably the best explanation to that and the whole existence of this commingled volcano god.
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=287354
god and moses do look like each other, don't they?
anyways, the current image of the whole god-bible-salvation-heaven-hell thing has been altered, commercialized to suit your tastes otherwise you wouldn't buy it: centuries ago the church wouldn't get the power, and nowadays preachers wouldn't get your money. WHY do you not see a picture of god or jesus or angels that DON'T look like a western european? the religion comes from the middle east, why doesn't god look like somebody from around there?
because it's all made up.0 -
quote:Originally posted by daveald
As a child, did you have a ant farm, why?
To keep the uncles happy?0 -
God did not make man for a campanion to god.. God already had companions according to the tales in the bible.. and God said "Let us make man in our image.. musta been another mystical being there to help otherewise why would the OUR and US be there?
Or maybe he was talking to his wife and needed permission.[:0]0 -
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lets not go there [xx(] 0 -
Religious people dont want to "Go there" because they have no answers to the questions" except "It says so in the bible" 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Zulu7
I say he was lonely.
Here's a question: why is God always referred to as "He?" Why not "She?"
If you think about it, "She" would make more sense. Women bring life into the world as a female God would bring life into the universe
Now I am going to be thinking about perfectly divine breasts the rest of the week. Thanks a lot!0 -
muslims say the christian god is really allah. why doesn't god dress like allah? are the christians wrong about god?
if the muslims are wrong instead, why are there so many of them that have the same feelings about god as the christians do? there are lots more muslims in this world than christians.0 -
LOVE....simple LOVE 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Classic095
God did not make man for a campanion to god.. God already had companions according to the tales in the bible.. and God said "Let us make man in our image.. musta been another mystical being there to help otherewise why would the OUR and US be there?
Or maybe he was talking to his wife and needed permission.[:0]
The thought process on this is the Holy Trinity. God, one entity, but has three separate parts; The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They all are referenced Obviously the Son is the most referenced as he was the sacrifice for beleivers that washed our sins away. The Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit has been referenced. I think the big part he played was writing the Bible. I know men wrote the words on paper, but according to sripture, the Holy Ghost wrote the scriptures through men. And of course God the Father is the top of the food chain.
Guys, you can't explain much of the Bible, and as written previously in this thread, there are things we'll never understand while we are here on Earth. It is an act of Faith on the individuals part to beleive. And that act of faith allows for us to be saved by Grace according to scripture.
Its a tough subject to debate as if you believe, it is a simple act of faith and that is that. If you choose not to believe, there are valid points that you will be able to justify your thoughts on. Only when we step over to eternity will we get the answer on a personal level. The simple fact of this thread and the answers provided and the thought processes going on tell you the Holy Spirit is working. There might have been someone here who found the answer they needed to accept. Only he/she and God knows. Either way, Christians in this thread will most likely have prayed for those that arent believers that have responded and are asking good questions hoping that what we have said has helped or at least not embeded you further in not believing.0 -
"FAITH" the admission there is no proof of what you believe.
quote:but according to sripture, the Holy Ghost wrote the scriptures through men. Here again, using the bible to justify the bible..
That is getting to be lame: you cant answer the questions but keep quoteing the bible as the scourse. And of course, the old "It is beyond mans comprehension" is also a good dodge to get away from the lack of Facts supporting religion..0 -
quote:Originally posted by Classic095
"FAITH" the admission there is no proof of what you believe.
quote:but according to sripture, the Holy Ghost wrote the scriptures through men. Here again, using the bible to justify the bible..
That is getting to be lame: you cant answer the questions but keep quoteing the bible as the scourse. And of course, the old "It is beyond mans comprehension" is also a good dodge to get away from the lack of Facts supporting religion..
Again Sir, the whole concept is belief. Faith. I either choose to believe or not, same as everybody else. Either I believe the Bible is the true written word or not. I understand that it is extremely difficult to grasp some of the concepts and teachings of the Bible. I honestly do. I just choose to believe it as others choose not to. I am certain not to judge or belittle anyone who thinks opposite. I was just trying to answer the question to my understanding which is limited for sure, but its what I believe. Again, only when we step off into eternity will we have the complete answer(s). I know this statement might ruffle your feathers, but the Bible does say what to do in order to be "saved". Romans 10: vs 9 and 10 pretty much sums it up. You either beleive those versus or not. If you don't, and believe the Bible is hokey pokey, that is absolutely up to you. My or no one else's opinion means squat when it comes to stepping over into eternity. God either is or isn't. He has given us instruction or not. You believe, or not. its just that simple.0 -
I do not belittle those that believe, it is just they all have the same answers, NONE. It either "Faith" or "It says so in the bible" and using scripture to prove scripture doesnt work..as said earlier, you can verify that the bible exists but you cannot varify everything is in the bible is true which questions the validity of the bible,, if one thing is questionable then it must all be questionable..It is or it isnt, to quote you. there are over 1000 contradictions in the scriptures,, on verse says one thing another says another thing, only one can be right, so one is a lie and the other the truth, now guess which one is the truth.. Again if one story is wrong, then they are all wrong. they either are or they are not..
I would be most happy to post all 1000 discrepencies for you if you wish.. then let you sort out which is right and which are wrong..[:D]
But I know the answer already,, "FAITH" and "It says so in the bible" only two answers I ever get when asking a question on biblical matters..Evidence is what I seek, Facts, not dodges..0 -
I am absolutely not the one to ask questions regarding Bible and proposed discrepencies contained in it. If you are truly looking for answers to your questions, I propose that you seek out in your community someone who has gone to a Bible College. I don't/wouldn't promote one denomination over the other, but Baptist and Methodist preachers who have gone to a Bible college seem to be pretty knowledgeable on the Bible to include historical events contained in the Bible versus what is documented fact in history. They answer questions I would guess same as yours weekly if not daily. Dude, I couldn't point you to the answers at all, but if you truly ARE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS to your questions, I would say start there and I honestly wish you the best in finding them. If you are truly looking for the answers to your questions, God will give them to you. I absolutely have faith in that. 0 -
I attended The Baptist college in Louisville Ky. All the professors there could do was the same as a preacher, just tell me what the bible said, with no answers to questions ,like I said, "Because the bible says so" and "Faith" are the only answers these people know..
Again using the bible to verify the bible just doesnt cut it.
It just seems strange to me that so many people believe in the supernatural dogma but still cant answer any questions on it without the two same lame answers>..[:(]
Here is another question: why didnt this all powerful god if he wants people to worship him have babies born with the knowledge of him rather than let man brain wash them with mans idea of God..??0 -
Why is it so important for those who don't believe in God to demand proof of His existence from those who do?
If you don't believe then that should be the end of it. Why do you want to debate something that you don't believe? Can't you simply accept the fact that some people do believe and let it go at that? What is the point to the debate?
I remember when we lived in Utah and the Mormon missionaries came to the door one day. My wife spoke to them and when they asked what Church she attended she said "none" because she didn't believe in God. They stared for a second or two and then wished her a good day and left. They might try to convert someone to a different Church but they realized that there was no point in talking to an unbeliever.
If you don't believe in God or religion that's your right. Everyone also has a right to believe in God if they so choose. Those who do believe shouldn't try to push their beliefs down other people's throats and the unbelievers shouldn't belittle the faithful.
Where am I wrong?0 -
quote:Originally posted by SaxonPig
Why is it so important for those who don't believe in God to demand proof of His existence from those who do?
they like to argue and they know believers will do whatever it takes to spread the word.0 -
Jesus loves you. God is good. Forgiveness is free. Hell is hot. Eternity is a long time. Have a great day[:)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Oklahoma223
Jesus loves you. God is good. Forgiveness is free. Hell is hot. Eternity is a long time. Have a great day[:)]
i agree 100%. all i have left to say on this topic is this, if we as beleivers are wrong you as unbelievers are right what have we as believers lost? now on the other hand if we as beleivers are right and you as unbeleivers are wrong look what you lost have lost!
The Bible says this "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" I myself will continue to live by faith for i am not ashamed of Jesus Christ my Savior!0 -
quoate by Classic:
"It just seems strange to me that so many people believe in the supernatural dogma but still cant answer any questions on it without the two same lame answers">..
I've given you many good answers over the last 3 1/2 years Classic.
I've never said to you "because the Bible says so". I've never answered you with a simple "faith" either. Yet you still think that Christians believe in GOD.0 -
Wonderful thoughts, as I have stated up-stream in this posting. Soaked in everyone's thoughts. And you all are so sincere. That's what's important.
...now it's up to me to absorb it all, and become more enlightened. I will never become enlightened, only more and more enlightened. There will always be more questions. At least I hope there will be.
When and if the time comes that I have the "answer", I will have no further need to question.
If I no longer question, I'll have stopped learning. Again, as I have said before, that's a frightening prospect. If it occurs, I hope I'm too brainwashed to realize that it has, in fact, happened. Best to all, Joe0 -
SAV99. However you have never given me fact; Just belief.. and yes I do believe that Christians for the most part believe there is a God.. That is their problem not mine.. All I ever got in answers was the same old circular logic, always goes back around to the two answers,, "Its in the bible" and "Faith" it never goes anywhere else. 0
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