Some people say that it is impossible for men to determine God's nature, his origin, desires, motives, plans etc. But if that is so, how can they still believe in that God? How can those same people say that God has a plan for their life or wants them to conduct their lives in a certain way, when they admit that God's plan and motives are unknowable? Maybe there is an error in my thinking, but I just don't get it. Can someone help me understand?
2006-12-22 08:30:24 · 23 answers · asked by Subconsciousless 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Suppose you were an omnipotent god, and you demand worship, such as the Christian God. Would you give proof of your existence to those who wished to follow you? I imagine for Jehovah that it would be quite simple to perform a continual sequence of verifiable miracles. It would be quite logical in practice too, for it would keep God’s followers from delusion and doubt. There is no such luck with Jehovah though. He demands absolute fidelity without any demonstration of his existence. The only so called record of his existence is the bible. I think it pretty much goes with out saying that not only is the bible 2,000 years out dated, but it is also very unoriginal. Any Christian who proposes that the bible is indeed evidence for God’s existence is proposing a double standard. For there are many books which claim to be actual accounts of a higher power. With this in mind, why not believe in Allah from the Koran? Could it be because your faith is what determines your belief and not your so called “factual” book?
Let’s examine what faith is. The definition of faith is hope for a circumstance or thing that is not proven to be true. There is no virtue in accepting something on faith, since it may very well be false, and it is clearly not virtuous to believe the false. Faith has also been proven through out history, time and again, that it is equivalent to massive hysteria; IE: Crusades, Burning Times, Inquisitions, Holy Wars, etc. On a grand scale faith, thus far, has only proven to be an intellectual weakness, and a significant barrier to scientific and moral progress. With all of this in mind, how can God possibly expect us to view faith as the greatest way to glorify him, let alone demand this of us?
Most importantly, the point to remember here is that if we don’t believe in him, we go to Hell, and this is a greater evil than a lack of the “virtue” of faith or a stunting of science, or anything else conceivable. If God is truly concerned about the good, he will do what he can to keep us from Hell, and withholding vital information from us is the exact opposite of this.
2006-12-22 08:34:45 · answer #1 · answered by thor 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who thinks God's nature is unknowable? The scriptures say that the nature of the Creator is clear from the things He has created. The knowledge of God comes from God and anyone can get it from Him. In order to get this knowledge you have to earnestly seek God. That means being willing to accept the fact that He knows better than you do and to do what He leads you to do. This is the main issue that American's have trouble with. They want to do what they want to do so they are unwilling to listen to God, or even acknowledge that He, being God, knows better than they. So my answer is: Do you really want to know the truth???? If so you have to be willing to seek it and accept it over your own preconceived ideas and will.
This is the truth. God created mankind. Mankind sinned and could not unite with the perfect God. The alternative to that is to fall prey to other, malicious beings less powerful than God by more powerful than mankind - that is the destruction that awaits the imperfect. The bad news is that if you sinned - ever - even once - you are not perfect. The good news is that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived without sin, and faced suffering, death and destruction in your place. Since He was still perfect, death could not keep Him and He rose again. He offers the same salvation for everyone who would join Him. You can have that salvation, but it comes at the price of accepting Jesus Christ and all that entails. If your own will is more important to you than salvation you will not be able to do that. You will find a reason not to. But if you open your heart to begin the process, then the Spirit of God will lead you to its completion.
2006-12-22 08:44:40 · answer #2 · answered by richarddelightful 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God is greater advantageous than nature (the creation), he's the Spoken Voice in the back of all that's and ever would be. Naturalism is a lifeless-end philosophy and would not provoke the techniques in any way. Earth Spirits? Water Spirits? hearth Spirits? All are incorrect solutions to obtrusive questions relating to the character of the Universe.
2016-10-18 21:17:24 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This kind of reasoning is not biblical, and God is knowable. What has happened is that people have allowed false doctrines to shroud God in mystery. For instance, they teach that he is a God of love, but also believe he burns people in hell. ??? They say God is part of a Trinity- that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all equal and the same, and although it's hard to understand, this teaching should not be questioned. What?
God wants us to know Him. He has a name- Jehovah- and his will is that all come to an accurate knowledge of truth. (1 Tim. 2:4) People are looking for a sign that they need to serve God- well, Jesus said that in the last days, the good news would be preached for a witness to all nations before the end would come. Jehovah's Witnesses are a united worldwide brotherhood that teaches the truth about God from the bible. Please talk to them next time they come to your door if you really want to understand God, who is NO mystery!
2006-12-22 08:38:46 · answer #4 · answered by AMEWzing 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God does not tell us everything in order to protect us from people who worship the devil. If we knew God's plan... and devil followers were able to obtain the information... the information could be used against God's people. God does exist and so does the devil. Check out my question "Do you think the birth of the Red Heifers born in the 1990's is proof that the Messiah is coming soon?" There is an important message for everyone.
2006-12-22 08:39:05 · answer #5 · answered by Soul saviour 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are not considering one important factor: Faith. And the plan goes this way. When you were a Child you probably believed that your father or mother were really your father and your mother. You probably still believe it, but you probably never asked for proofs. That is faith, in a way. The God´s plan is a bit like the rules and things your parents had and did when you were a baby or a toddler, you probalby didn´t get why they did what they did, or had those rules, but in a way, you trusted in the fact that they love you.
2006-12-22 08:40:47 · answer #6 · answered by mmsc 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By your criteria you would exclude the existance of all but a few hundred people in the world.
Do you know these things about the vast majority of people on earth: "nature, origin, desires, motives, plans etc."? Does that mean that you don't believe that they exist?
2006-12-22 08:38:09 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We may be at the top of the food chain, but we are not at the top of the spiritual chain. It is impossible to know God's nature in it's totality. As it is impossible to know God's plan in it's entirety. The important thing to realize is it's not necessary or important to know God's nature or plan in it's entirety. It is enough to know the parts that God has allowed us to know. WE are on a need to know basis and a lot of things we simply don't need to know. God put us here to choose "him" or "not him", that is the reason for our existence and part of that choosing is FAITH (not knowledge). If we knew everything, there would be no room for FAITH.
2006-12-22 08:51:56 · answer #8 · answered by hikerboy3 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In order to know any truth, man must place himself in the position of a seeker. With God's guidance, man will understand God's Will. How any limited minds can talk about the Unknowable! That is the job of the Holy Spirit, Who manifests Himself in the position of a Divine Educator. Following is the guidance of the Messenger of the One True God for our time about the first step for truth seeking:
"Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the heavens and on the earth. There must not linger in his heart either the hate or the love of any soul, to the extent that they would hinder him from attaining the habitation of the celestial Beauty. He must sanctify his soul from the veils of glory and refrain from boasting of such worldly vanities, outward knowledge, or other gifts as God may have bestowed upon him. He must search after the truth to the utmost of his ability and exertion, that God may guide him in the paths of His favour and the ways of His mercy. For He, verily, is the best of helpers unto His servants.
(Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 27)
2006-12-22 08:53:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
From the bible, we can learn certain attributes that explain God's nature. For example one can study the Bible and come to the conclusion that God is Love, God is Just, God is merciful. If the Bible is God's word, wouldn't it be wise to study the ultimate author to get an understanding of their nature.
2006-12-22 08:45:35 · answer #10 · answered by brokentogether 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋