Im agnostic, but I was hoping someone who believes could answer these questions?

Question

Okay, I dont believe in god, but im not saying its impossible. And with these questions, im not trying to rag on christianity or offend people, these are just my opinions and views that I often wonder about....

1.If God is so good and kind, then how could he do something as barbaric and sick as sending someone to "hell"? Whatever happened to forgive and forget?

2. How is it possible for one to live forever or be eternal?

3. How can one person monitor every single person on earth and know when they sin?

4. How is it possible to split a body of water?

5. How do you fit two of every animal on one ship? Thats a big ship...

6. I dont understand how Jesus sacrificing his life saved everyone...or whatever it was.

I know that all my questions arent exact but maybe thats because I havent read the bible and im just going by what i've heard. I never read the bible because everything about god and religion seemed physically impossible. I guess I base things around science

Thanks for all the great answers.... everyone. YDoncha, I enjoyed reading yours, it made me laugh : ) and oldag, I will do what you said and read that. Thanks again!

Answer 1

1.If God is so good and kind, then how could he do something as barbaric and sick as sending someone to "hell"? Whatever happened to forgive and forget?

Why do you call it barbaric he sent his messengers and his warnings and gave you the choice to choose what you want knowing the consequences of each choice.

2. How is it possible for one to live forever or be eternal?

When a human build a car it works on gas does the human work on gas too?. What I mean is that the creator does not follow the rules of his creatures. In saying so it applies that God is eternal and he can raise us from death and give us eternal life.

3. How can one person monitor every single person on earth and know when they sin?

In Islam we say that everyone is assigned two angles to write his good and bad deeds so he does not have to follow us personally.

4. How is it possible to split a body of water?

YDoncha answered that and here is a quote “Its not. However, studies have shown that a strong easterly wind can actuallly cause the water of the Red Sea to unveil a land bridge which extends the length of the crossing of the red sea. If the wind changes suddenly....WHAM! Back it comes. Moses got lucky.”
So if you take what he is saying as true scientific findings then the part of Moses being luck is easy right?
It is similar to a story in the Quran that tells that Jacob lost his eye sight and that his eyes became white and that when his son Josef revealed his identity to his brothers he sent them with his shirt to his father and asked them to throw the shirt on his face. When they did he could see again. A fairytale right?
But an Egyptian doctor came with the assumption that what will be in the shirt is mainly sweat and he analyzed the human sweat and found out that one of the components in the sweat makes a white opaque eye transparent again so what do you think about this modern day story?

5. How do you fit two of every animal on one ship? Thats a big ship...

So what does this has to do with anything. In Islam we are taught that the Noah flood is local not universal so he does not have to pick a pair of every and each animal from the whole world, just the locals to his area.

6. I dont understand how Jesus sacrificing his life saved everyone...or whatever it was.

In Islam this is not true. You get what you deserve even if you are a Muslim and you do bad deeds you will go to the hell fire on the day of judgment.

God bless

Answer 2

Wow... long question, so I will do my best to be brief. First, no where in the bible does it say that God "sends" people to hell in the sense that they have no choice in the matter. Actually, god gives everyman a free will to choose their destiny. If they choose to follow christ, the destiny is heaven, if not, they have chosen their destiny as hell.
Second, it is possible if you base the belief in the premise that all things are possible through God.
Third, the answer to thisquestion is based in the concept of omniscience (all-knowing nature of God). Since he is infinite, he can know all things.
Fourth, once again, the answer rests in the nature of God. He is omnipotent (all-powerful) and therefore can do anything.
Fifth, it is indeed a big ship. If you were to do the conversion from the measurements given in the Old Testament, the ship Noah built would have been six times the size of the largest super tanker on the sea today... more than 600 yards long!
Sixth, the concept of atonement is rooted in the paying of a debt. the Biblical concept is that a debt was created because of the sin of mankind, the only way to erase that debt was with the payment of Jesus' life.

Much of what you may have heard about the Bible and religion in general is difficult to understand from the perspective of the skeptic. I would suggest that you begin to read the Gospel of John. After completing it, you will have a more familar basis from which to understand faith. This is especially true of the third chapter. Nicodemus was such a skeptic and Jeus had some very intersting words for him. give it a try before you give up the concept.

Answer 3

.If God is so good and kind, then how could he do something as barbaric and sick as sending someone to "hell"? Whatever happened to forgive and forget? Their actions demonstrate they do not believe God the Father/Jesus.

2. How is it possible for one to live forever or be eternal? Be a spirit, not a physical being.

3. How can one person monitor every single person on earth and know when they sin?
Many possibilities; the one I currently tend to abide by; various angels (who report to God) are with us always; and they relay things to God.
4. How is it possible to split a body of water?
Given that he made 'heaven, earth, and teh seas, splitting the Red Sea should not be hard for him to do.
5. How do you fit two of every animal on one ship? Thats a big ship... Recall also that it was 'early' in man's development; so there may nothave been as many species as there is today.

6. I dont understand how Jesus sacrificing his life saved everyone...or whatever it was. He offered a Perfect Sacrifice for imperfect people.

Answer 4

I am not a true believer of anything made by humans, well that wall seems kinda real, let me see,
1) Good is a perception, for our minds to comprehend a God there must be an Anti God, Evil. That one dude said don't lie,kill,argue or stuff, be nice,help people,forgive them what asks it.
2) Eternity is a big one to grasp or even imagine. Makes my head hurt.
3) Is easy, Good Angels
4) Water division is easy, sorta, look at any dam or watch a tide.
5) I do not think the entire world flooded, it could have, I think that was like a local story, if Italy or an Island off Greece flooded, yeah, I could make that work also.
6) That is a matter of Faith, I do not dispute what people believe,nod and wave, one cannot be forced to accept or deny a God. That would be silly.
Peace happens, if you allow it to.
☺∞☺

Answer 5

Ryu - I encourage a full reading of the Bible - it is the surest path to Atheism, if read with a critical eye...

Basically, the answers to your questions are simple - God is magical and can do anything his followers can claim he is able to. All you need is faith... To answer your questions more fully:

1.If God is so good and kind, then how could he do something as barbaric and sick as sending someone to "hell"? Whatever happened to forgive and forget? Good point. This pretty much sums up why this God either isnt benevolent, or is evil. My life span is 70+ odd years - and 70+ years of sinning is apparently worth ETERNAL damnation. And, He does this out of his Love for us? Of course, you will be given the analogy of God being the parent and you the child...but I dont recall my parents ever toturing me for any length of time, let alone eternity. God = bad parenting skills.

2. How is it possible for one to live forever or be eternal? It isnt. Except in the imagination, when you fear your mortal life.

3. How can one person monitor every single person on earth and know when they sin? He is magical, remember? This is how the results of a football match can hinge on God, while he is simultaneously monitoring the sex lives of gays, and what war Bush should start...

4. How is it possible to split a body of water? Its not. However, studies have shown that a strong easterly wind can actuallly cause the water of the Red Sea to unveil a land bridge which extends the length of the crossing of the red sea. If the wind changes suddenly....WHAM! Back it comes. Moses got lucky.

5. How do you fit two of every animal on one ship? Thats a big ship... Or, its a fake story. Read the Epic of Gilgamesh for the original version upon which it was pirated/copied. Incidentally, in the original versions, it was beleived that Noah was on the lam from debt colletors....

6. I dont understand how Jesus sacrificing his life saved everyone...or whatever it was. Neither do I. I wasnt alive. Oh wait - that whole omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent thing again... Already explained that one... If you REALLY want to screw with your mind, wonder out loud why the Bible says Jesus rose after three days, when he died on Friday and was gone from his tomb on Sunday - for a grand total of two days TOPS...

Answer 6

to answer the first question we ourselves send us to hell through sin. second one is that we live eternal because we are with Christ and his love is forever. the third one is simple we are made by God there for we are him and he is in us dewling through the holy spirit. the fourth is answered simply by faith God gave Moses the power through his faith to split the red sea. the fifth, It took Noah about six years to build the ark and it was an extremely large ship. Finally the sixth, Jesus being the son of God of course he asked God that this be what saves his people thus God made an extreme sacrafice and by giving up his only son he saved his people from thier sins forever. i would suggest that you get a bible and read it for example John 3:16 one of the most famos verses. Also science is all based on therory while Gods mircles have been proven true God is real and he is life trust in him and you will find all the answers you need.

Answer 7

I believe that there is a God that is like a static that surrounds us. It is energy and knowledge and it transcends space and time. It has a male and a female side, which creates love. And this divine being is capable of anything positive. And would never send one of us to Hell. We are God's children. God loves us and puts us here to learn. We don't have to get everything right.
The whole Satan/Hell/Sinners/&Whathaveyou was created by humans. We don't know if the Bible is true. How are we supposed to know that beyond doubt? C'mon...This is something that the CHURCH and organized religions want us to believe. Because if it weren't for the sheer terror created by churches, they would not exist.
I was raised in a Christian home. I went to a Christian school and was sent to church for my entire childhood. I believe that there are truths in the Bible. I believe that there are truths in Islam. I believe that any God-based religion is going to have positive things to contribute. I believe that the Holy Spirit is real and lives in all of us.
But, do I believe that every word in the Bible is a fact? No. In Islam? No. I believe that people have taken the core instinct that lives in all of us (To question the origins of the human race and our creator) and used it as a tool to convince others to believe a certain way out of fear. I don't think it will ever end. I think it will be the death of the human race. And it's a shame. Because in the end, we all pray to the same God.

Answer 8

1. If you are agnostic...then why assume thre is a hell? God is ever merciful and compassionate.

2. You were never really born...you just took on a body. Your body will die, but you will not. You are already eternal.

3. God is not a person.

4. Again, you are assuming the Christian perspective. If you are agnostic...would you not also consider other perspectives?

5. Same as 4

6. Same as 4.

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 9

“With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.” Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27

1. Hell isn't what most churches claim it is. The Bible hell is simply the common grave of mankind. Death is the complete cessation of life, not transmigration of any kind.

"For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, ... Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished ..." Ecclesiastes 9:5-6

2. That is too long for Yahoo! Answers, so here is a link to an article that goes into detail, & has Scripture reference links:

Jesus Saves--How? ...
- Mankind Faces a Difficult Problem
- God Provides a Perfect Solution
- Jesus' Death Has Great Value
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2001/11/15/article_02.htm

3. God has a vast army of angels, different groups of which have different jobs. There are Seraphs, Cherubs, & Angels. The Bible only speaks of 1 Archangel, though. Angels are God's messengers, & have been used by him to communicate messages of various kinds to people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, his judges & prophets. They must be capable of taking information to him as well, if need be.
However, God does NOT have the limitations of his creations! ...

4. That was just one example of a miracle, recorded in the Bible for us, to show how powerful God truly is. He can 'Manipulate' what he has created, which is everything.

>Moses now stretched his hand out over the sea; and Jehovah began making the sea go back by a strong east wind all night long and converting the sea basin into dry ground, and the waters were being split apart. At length the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on dry land, while the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Exodus 10:21,22<

If YOU make something, isn't it reasonable tto expect that YOU could rearange parts of it at will --perhaps to suit a special, one-time, purpose-- & then put it back the way it was? ...
Isn't it reasonable to expect GOD to be capable of doing the same, in principle? For more to consider, see:

Should You Believe in Miracles? :
- Miracles--Fact or Fiction?
- Miracles That YOU Have Seen!
- The Power of God's Word
http://watchtower.org/e/20050215/article_01.htm

5. The ark was HUGE! God gave Noah explicit instructions for building it, recorded at Genesis 6:14-16.

The ark's only functions were to be watertight & to stay afloat, so it needed no rounded bottom or sharp bow to cut rapidly through water; it also required no steering or such mechanisms. It was a rectangular chestlike vessel presumably having square corners & a flat bottom. A vessel thus shaped is quite stable, cannot be easily capsized, & CONTAINS ABOUT 1/3 MORE STORAGE SPACE THAN SHIPS OF CONVENTIONAL DESIGN.

In size the ark was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. Its proportion of length to width (6 to 1) is used by modern naval architects, & gave the ark approximately 40,000 cu m (1,400,000 cu ft) in gross volume. Such a vessel would have a displacement nearly equal to that of the mighty 269-m (883 ft) Titanic of this 20th century. No cargo vessel of ancient times resembled the ark in its colossal size, even slightly. The extra 2 floors contributed greatly to its internal strength. The 3 decks thus provided gave a total of about 8,900 sq m (96,000 sq ft) of space. ...
Who --except God-- could have then provided such wise floorplans?

6. This is also quite lengthy, so here is an article that will answer this question:

Is There Any Hope of Salvation?
- Jesus Saves--How ...
- - Mankind Faces a Difficult Problem
- - God Provides a Perfect Solution
- - Jesus' Death Has Great Value
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2001/11/15/article_01.htm

Remember, the definition of MIRACLE is:

"a MARVELLOUS event manifesting a SUPERNATURAL act of GOD".

Jehovah's Creations and Miracles
http://www.watchtower.org/library/lmn/article_05.htm

Things physically possible for humans cannot ever be miracles.
If God were only capable of doing what Humans are capable of, then he Wouldn't be God in the first place, would he ...

Read The Bible Online
http://watchtower.org/bible/index.htm

Answer 10

Let's go about these questions one at a time:
1. God doesn't want to send you to Hell. He made you and loves you, but he is appaled at sin. He cannot live with sin, so the only other option is to send a person to Hell. As for "forgive and forget", God is more than willing to do that. If you accept Jesus as your Savior, he forgives and forgets your sins.
2. No mortal person can truly wrap their mind around the concept of "eternal". We know it means forever, but how long is that? Never-ending. In heaven, we shall live forever and ever, with God.
3. Another thing we cannot even begin to understand. Four words for you: God is with us.
4. This is one of the biggest miracles. God worked through Moses (one of His chosen servants) to split and divide the waters, letting his chosen people pass by on dry land. There are many pictures of this, of people walking through the middle of the ocean, whales swimming by in a wall of water, but we don't know exactly what happened. People have tryed to explain this, but it is a miracle of God, and He is unexplainable.
5. Indeed, this was a big ship. It is 450 feet long! And actually, there were two of every clean animal, (an animal God had told the people was okay to eat) and SEVEN of every unclean animal (an animal God told the people was not okay to eat)! The ark was the biggest marine vessel ever built.
6. Up until Jesus' time, when people sinned, they had to sacrifice animals to attone for sins. The religious leaders of the time made sure everybody followed the rules God had given Moses (the Ten Commandments). When Jesus came, He set down new rules. When the religious leaders found out about His new teachings, they were very angry, and planned to kill Him. Jesus' crucifixion signified the ultimate sacrifice. He had paid for our sins with His life. But Jesus was God, and one cannot kill God. He rose again, three days after his death, and continued His ministry. Forty days later, He ascended to Heaven, and is there now, preparing a place for us.

I hope some of this cleared a little bit up for you. I encourage you to read the Bible, or at least look into it. I will be praying you come to the One who made you and loves you now and forever.