I just don't get why God would make us so that we needed saving. You can come up with reasons, but if God is all knowing and can see the future, he'd know what was happening and make us accordingly. It's not like we couldn't have freewill and still be good. God could have made us however he wanted.
So why should I
a. want to be "saved" by a God that specifically created me to where I would need to be "saved" by him to be good enough to not burn in hell forever
b. need to be saved if God is good? Why would a good God send anyone, especially someone he loves to eternal damnation?
c. ever want to worship a God that would even allow me to go to Hell, even if I wanted to jump in myself?
Please forgive me, but I really don't understand it. I know people mean well, but it's just not a logical position for someone to put me in.
2007-03-24 20:05:12 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
At the risk of sounding flippant, why not? For what reason or reasons should God have not created the devil even if he was going to fall? Just because God knows what will happen doesn't mean that the person (angel) isn't free to make choices. Satan freely chose to rebel against God. God knew this would happen. Nevertheless, let me offer some possible reasons why God would create Satan even though He knew he would fall and rebel.
It was necessary to have the fall so that God could then have a reason to die for our sins thereby demonstrating that God can and does provide the greatest act of love which is to lay ones life down for his friend (John 15:13).
The fall of Satan provides yet another method for God to be glorified in that God can use sin to prove that sin is "bad" and that God's word about righteousness is true.
If God is to have creatures with free will, then the risk of rebellion is part of that freedom. Satan had that freedom and used it to rebel.
If God had not created Satan and instead another angel fell, then we'd be asking why God made that angel knowing he would fall.
God has reasons that we simply do not know about.
I know my children will act badly at times, but knowing that does not mean mean that I shouldn’t have kids. Part of the risk of freedom is that rebellion will be a reality.
2007-03-24 20:11:14 · answer #1 · answered by Royce W 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I don't reallyknow, except that if you're going to have free will, then some are going to choose wrongly. God made angels and 1/3 of them rebelled and 2/3 did not. So most did not. He made us and only about 1 in10 beccomes a Christian that we know of. This of course does not include all those who die too young or too mentally challenged to understand about sin. But if no one ever sinned than effectively we would be like the animals or robots . They have no free will in the matter. They wil accept a cruel and wicked master too. Animals are nice but they cannot love or worship God just because he is good and they love him. If it's automatic, it cannot really be called love. It must be truly voluntary, which means some people will choose wrongly.. I have two sons. If one of them turns to wickedness I will still love him, but I cannot have him in my house because he might hurt my other son or my grandchildren when I have them. Right now those who love goodness have to live in the same world as those who do not. But it is not right that this should be for always. Most people have an awfully long time to make up thier minds, not just a second or two. So God cannot have any wickedness, cruelty. lies,dishonesty or any other sin or any acceptance or tolerance of sin in heaven. If that were so, then it would turn into a festering earth for eternity. The child abuse, the elder abuse, the cruelty would never be stopped or judged. So is he just going to send away the "really bad"? How bad is "really bad"? Does he send away child molester but let in people who break thier promises or lie to thier spouses? How about people who default on thier guarentees or cheat people. Haven't we all done things that we are ashamed of? I've only met one person who said they had "never sinned in 40 years" No once? No unfair criticism, not nasty things said behind someone's back? Do you believe that's possible? I don't.. I've never met one person (even that lady) who would state they never sinned at all. And if he sent us to reincarnation doesn't that mean our mistakes go one and on forever? How many of us have ever fixed everything that ever went wrong about ourselves? And how do you pay back or make amends for the wrong that you do? Not by doing a good deed. We're supposed to be doing that continuously all of the time anyway!
I don't know all the "why"s. I just know Jesus is real and is who the Bible says he is. But right now, for me it's enough, because I have Him.
2007-03-25 20:33:16 · answer #2 · answered by Amy R 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is a good question. But I question the logic in the last part of your first paragraph. A perfect world has to include choice. Without choice, there is no free will, you just get robots. God's perfect wisdom gave us free will, which by default includes the choice to do evil. We have free will and we have all been bad at some point. There are no perfect people. No matter how hard we try, we can never be good all the time.
We love our children, but sometimes we have to let them make their bad choices and hope they learn from it. God is the perfect Father. He lets us make the choice while giving as much encouragement and warning as He can give us. It's not about Him sending people to hell. It's about letting us have the free will to choose it if we wish.
God's ultimate intention for our lives was for us to find the perfect loving relationship with Him that He created us to have. He created us as someone to share His immense love with. For those who have experienced that love, it is the greatest thing in life. It is what we were meant for.
But He doesn't force it on us. He wants us to choose Him. What good would forced love be? It's like "Say you're sorry to your sister" That isn't a very satisfactory apology is it? He gave us the choice to love Him or not. For those who choose to do so, they get to be with Him forever. For those who choose not to love Him, they get what they chose, life without Him.
I'm not much for the hellfire and damnation trip. The Bible says that God's kindness is what leads us to repentance. It's not about our need to escape from hell, or any of the things you hear so often. It's simply the experience of God's amazing love that draws us to Him. I really don't think about hell, I don't follow Him out of fear. I follow Him because I love Him and am grateful beyond words for what He's done for me.
2007-03-25 19:32:32 · answer #3 · answered by BaseballGrrl 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God created Adam and Eve perfect, they fell to sin, and all their descedents inherit their sinful nature.
a) God created you according to your natural state. This is based upon what you inherit from your parents, and they in turn from their parents, all the way back to Adam and Eve. It is rather like God making a beautiful building and someone setting fire to the lobby. God designed a perfectly good, working, clearly marked Fire Exit, all we have to do is take it.
b) Because God cared enough to send the very best
c) Do you want a Just God or not? Remember, God is Perfectly Good, Perfectly Just, Perfectly Merciful, and that is the way it is, whether you believe it or not. How can a good God not give evil people what they deserve? Remember, God gave even them a way to fix everything, even the evil people can repent, come to Him, and He will save them.
I know that sometimes it does not seem fair, but rest assured that there is a reason and purpose to everything.
If you must know, I believe it is prove to everyone, including the devil, including all those who go to Hell, that God is really, truly good, and that they really truly deserve Hell. I do not believe that even one person will go to hell believing that they deserve heaven. I do believe that all who go to hell will believe and know that God is right, the God is good and loving, that God is Lord, and that they have rejected Him as their Lord.
2007-03-25 03:21:51 · answer #4 · answered by Shawn D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems illogical to you, because you don't have all the facts. You don't understand, for exactly the same reason.
Your question shows that you have almost NO biblical knowledge at all. And because of that, you have no knowledge of who God is, what man is, and what God is doing.
Your question indicates that you only listen to what other people (who also have little or no biblical knowledge) have told you what Christianity is all about.
God is teaching humanity how to live. One of the lessons to life requires that we learn to trust God and rely upon him; it is a character lesson, a spiritual lesson. Spiritual lessons cannot be learned by carnal minded people.
What you have heard about God being "all knowing" is erroneous. God does indeed know all that there is to know, but that does not include knowing everything that will ever happen in the future. He directs humanity's future toward the goal of teaching us lessons, as a teacher directs a class in school.
Free will means we have the choice to do good or do bad (also called sin or evil). He doesn't want to live with those people who want to continually do evil, any more than you want to live next door to a multiply convicted, homicidal rapist. And so, there is a reward for those who learn the lessons of how live peaceful, joyful lives, and a reward for those who don't. The reward for doing good, is eternal life; the reward for doing bad is eternal death -- NOT eternal punishing. God, in no wise, intends to send anyone to burn forever in hell; that is a myth, devised by people who do not know God or the Bible.
Why should you want to be saved?
Salvation means living life for the good of yourself and all others. It means no more wars, no more disease, no more starvation, no more sorrow, no more suffering,... Or are you telling us that you like all these evils?
Why should you need to be saved?
As I said above, it is for YOUR happiness, as well as that of others. Would a good God allow people to live who will only make their own lives, and the lives of others, miserable for all eternity?
Why should you want to worship God?
Because he's the one who offers you everything you always wanted out of life; and he wants you to have it But if you are one who will only destroy his gifts and everyone else's happiness, then it is better off that you be destroyed -- the Lake of Fire (from which errant people get their ideas of hell) is the place where God will destroy the incorrigibly wicked, not punish them.
Free will means that God will not force you to do what is right, he will only tell you what is right; it is up to you to perform it. And once you choose to do what is right, he will also provide help for you to accomplish it.
And it is a loving God who mercifully forgives your transgressions when you decide to change your attitude towards doing what is right.
2007-03-25 04:08:38 · answer #5 · answered by BC 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Do good instead of evil, and you have nothing to worry about. God will understand everything else.
Love those around you, your neighbours. God understands you, he just wants you to love him enough to do the right things.
(HINT: You can do it whatever you believe, the result is still the same)
2007-03-25 03:08:45 · answer #6 · answered by great gig in the sky 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God gave us free will to use not for the pleasure of our flesh.He wanted us to willingly accept Him as our God,follow his rules on our decision, So that when we choose Him over satan He knows that we did it on our own not because God forced us to. It is like making gold pure from impurities, when it is pure it has good quality.God simply want to make us quality people of Him so that when we go to heaven we are not going to do evil things anymore.
2007-03-25 03:20:52 · answer #7 · answered by ysabelle 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
hence the reason I could never be a christian
it makes no sense at all
all the questions you ask are completely legitimate
but....from a different perspective?
a lot of the bad choices we make in this world aren't G-d's fault..and OF COURSE G-d could stop us from making them or fix it afterwards
but the thing of it is that G-d gave us the most precious gift of all.....G-d gave us free-will
and with that free-will comes the responsibility of owning up to your own mistakes, of dealing with the consequences of your own actions
that's why bad things happen to good people some times....because of the free-will of others, who chose to do bad rather than good
2007-03-25 03:24:29 · answer #8 · answered by Rhymes with Camera 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Exactly! you do not need saving... so what has God given you? A mind/consciousness and a will to use it! What are the tools of the mind? I use the words we have created to drive my mind with my will until you find the infinite power of all creation that exists right there inside of you! AMAZING :-) All the power has been given to you, you just have to realize it!
2007-03-26 03:50:01 · answer #9 · answered by James 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Because, because, because. You've been here a while. You have read the answers to these questions. You care not to hear them , nor do you Will to understand. It is as simple as that dearie. The ball is now in your court. The answers will make better sense when you really want them.
2007-03-25 03:16:53 · answer #10 · answered by Arnon 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋