Non-Christian theists: Why would god create imperfect beings?

Question

This question doesn't apply to bible literalists - I am quite familiar with the myth of Adam and Eve. I'm an atheist but am looking for answers from people who believe in a god.

My question is for other theists who believe our mission here on earth is to evolve and grow closer to god. Why? What possible reason could there be for creating imperfect beings who have to strive toward perfection?

Answer 1

I am an agnostic, but I have a non-Christian theistic explanation for you. I have studied Qabalism (Kabbalism), which is Jewish mysticism but from the point of view of the Western Magical Tradition. I will attempt to make what involves extraordinarily complex concepts as simple as I can:
God, by whatever name you prefer to use, is Original Consciousness which escaped Ain (No-Thing, the Unknowable, the Abyss) which is comparable to the naked singularity from which the evolutionary "Big Bang" Universe erupted. Once free, when the God Consciousness engages in creativity, he must work through a series of four Worlds (those of Ideas, Concepts, Formation, and finally the Manifest or Material World). Because the World of Ideas (the realm of God) is perfect, the subsequent Worlds are each less perfect than the first -- being magnifications -- until the Material or Evolutionary World and its inhabitants must necessarily be the least like their ideal predecessors. To my more theistic mind, Qabalism satisfies a quest to meld a Creator with Science, although my nontheistic mind remains skeptical of its validity! As for the reason for us as flawed beings to strive toward perfection, the Qabalistic Deity, who created us ostensibly in his image, accedes that the ideal state is, in fact, attainable and is actually his planned destiny for his Cosmic Endeavor!

Answer 2

The problem here is a personal one: I do not give my children the best, fanciest toys because I don't want to spoil them, and because I want them to learn the value of the dollar. The argument from imperfection overlooks the possibility that the Creator might have multiple motives, with engineering excellence oftentimes relegated to a secondary role. Most people throughout history have thought that life was created despite sickness, death, and other obvious imperfections. One only has to go into a modern art gallery to come across created objects for which the purposes are completely obscure, to me at least. Features that strike us as odd in creation might have been placed there by the Creator for a reason, for artistic reasons, for variety, to show off, for some as-yet-undetected practical purpose, or some unguessable reason, or they might not. We must also acknowledge that the difference between us and God is greater than the difference between us and, say, a bear. Then, imagine a bear in a trap and a hunter who, out of sympathy, wants to liberate him. He tries to win the bears confidence, but he can't do it, so he has to shoot the bear full of drugs. The bear, however, thinks this is an attack and that the hunter is trying to kill him. He doesn't realize that this is an attack and that this is being done out of compassion. Then, in order to get the bear out of the trap to release the tension on the spring. If the bear were semiconscious at that point, he would be even more convinced that the hunter was his enemy who was out to cause him suffering and chaos. But the bear would be wrong. He reaches this incorrect conclusion because he's not a human being. Now, how can anyone be certain that's not an analogy between us and God? I believe God does the same to us sometimes, and we can't comprehend it any more than the bear can understand the motivations of the hunter. As the bear could have trusted the hunter, so we can trust God. And hell isn't a torture chamber. Hell is about relationships, broken relationships. In the Bible, hell is separation or banishment from the most beautiful being in the world, God himself. It's exclusion not only from God but also from those who have come to know and love him. Hell is a punishment for having broken God's standards and is a natural consequence of choosing to be separate from God. Hell is a punishment, but not punishing. The punishment of hell is separation from God and the shame, anguish, and regret that go along with it. The pain may be both mental and physical, but it will be the pain and sorrow of final, eternal banishment from God and the good life for which we were created. Hell is the final sentence that says you refuse regularly to live in relationship with God, and the inevitable result of that choice is to be sent away from God for all eternity. So it is punishment. But it's also the natural consequence of a life that has been lived in a certain direction.

Answer 3

First, I would think it would be kind of boring looking down on Earth and we are all doing the perfect thing, just going about our business, always being perfect.

Sometimes it's the imperfect in people that attracts you to them and no I am not talking about imperfect like serial killer but you know just regular human imperfections. A good example of these little imperfections or sins even would be someone that you love very much, lets say like a father, they have their things that they do that are bad, things that you hate, things that get on your nerves all the time. But when they are gone you look back on those things....and you laugh and you miss them. You not only miss the person and their good side, but you miss the imperfect side also.

Another thing is that God would know where we truely stand. I think that people that are perfect would never doubt, would never show true pain, I think that with God making us this way then God knows that we truely seek after him and want him and are not just doing it to do it like we are just brushing our teeth everyday.

Good question. God Bless.

Answer 4

A creator-like chararacteristic of humanity is the ability to choose responses and attitudes, unlike animals, which are locked into more or less instinctual responses. Humans have the capacity to choose to be just, kind, loving, or to be unjust, cruel, and hateful; choose to act constructively or destructively. There's no such perogative for our animal friends. Humans therefore have as part of their makeup the capacity to choose great evil or great good. We can choose to think and act from a purely materialistic level or from a spirtual level. When we act from a materialistic level, we act imperfectly. That does not mean that the human being in general is inherently imperfect, however, rather that humanity has the capacity to be either..

Answer 5

For the record... God is perfect and created all that He did just so... Perfect! Satan was perfect for who knows? Billions of years, or billions of billions of years in the heavens when he was known as the most beautiful of all angels. Adam and Eve were also created perfect! Most confuse a free will, from a God of love, wisdom, power and justice with imperfection... which is just not accurate! in the least...
What makes you think that God is responsible for the actions of others who decided to use their free will to oppose Him? And that, in spite of the fact, that He promises, (and He can't lie), just write me if you wish to hear more... as no one here does! and acts as though they know better than God! which is only because of that god of 2 Corinthians 4: 4 and James 8: 44.

Answer 6

Well, I think the answer to that is more simple than you'd expect. What's the logic behind all forms of theistic worship? Why even bother trying to be righteous and/or pious? What's the big deal?

Answer: Death.

No matter how you mix and match different aspects of your given theistic religion, you will find that it all comes down to human nature's primal fear of death. This is what truly separates us from all other living beings; we know we didn't always exist, and we know death is certain.

I personally subscribe to theories that suggest the evolution of the theistic God as humankind trying to rationalize their existence, their purpose, and what it means to be mortal.

It's a fear that dwells so deeply in our souls (we can discuss what soul means later) that if at any point our own feeble rationalizations begin to weaken (for example, in the face of evolutionary theory), we start to worry. What we have been brought up to believe begins to crumble, and thus you have no more means of coping with that ultimate, inescapable fate that is death.

This is where the line is drawn. It is at this point where you have a choice. You can either accept the fact that you only have one life to live, and live to its fullest, or you can just pretend it's okay to believe in what isn't real.

Sorry for the extra rant.

Answer 7

It's often said, that humans are perfect imperfections, meaning they are weak, isolated, even down right terrified, but that is what makes the human spirit so unique. If a movie had a perfect hero, it would be boring and no one would want to watch it. A human has character flaws, because it grinds their internal gears and allows for growth and development.

Answer 8

In the beginning the Source of Life created a free agent. Out from Himself, Crafted in His likeness and image but in unfinished stage (physical ) .Trapped in a dedicated space. For a very short time, the Source let the being decides for itself, if it chooses to continue the process of becoming a spiritual being and become a part of the Source.
The process involved is requiring the free agent to reject his physical body to become spiritual. The process we view as suffering, self denial, total submission and obedience. As the being submit himself all through his life, to reshaping and molding with extreme emotional heat and pressure of everyday living. The being becomes a spiritual child just like his Father, as the latter intended it to be.
When the transformation is done, the body expired, the spirit returns to the Source. United and they become one. That to me is the purpose and meaning of why we are here.
No ear has ever heard, nor eyes has ever seen, No mind has ever thought, what God has prepared for those who love Him

Answer 9

well the purpose as I understand it is that we will have a hand in creation, by perfecting it we are adding onto it.

It also is that we will do something that we will deserve any reward that we would receive.

In the same vein, science continues to grow and learn.

We do this in the hopes that it will in some way better and enrich our lives.

The same can be said about improving ourselves.

Answer 10

IMO, I think G-d created imperfect beings so that we could create along with him. While we grow and change, we improve ourselves and the world... we create/fix/heal along side of G-d persae. Thus we are like him and with him.