Can someone please answer a few questions about God?

Question

I know these aren't original, but they are pretty pressing issues, especially in this day and age.

And please, something other than that lame "free will" argument.

As the Greek sage Epicurus (341-270 BCE) said:
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"

So, all of this fine mess the world is in is just part of Gods' marvelous plan for us?

I think I would rather not believe in such a "god" at all.

Answer 1

I never really understood the "free will" thing. Does God just not have control over his own creation? Or does he deem it good to be irresponsible and let his creation run amok? And how can we have free will, truly, if he creates us with all our inclinations and surroundings?

I'll just stick with agnosticism.

Answer 2

"Is he able?"
God's power is LIMITED to that which he deems to be just and merciful (because he is incorruptible). He will be merciful all the day long (2 Nephi 28: 32) but he cannot allow mercy to rob justice (Alma 42: 25). (The Hindus have a way of saying this... when evil begins to overcome good, a Messenger will come to restore the balance.)

"Is he willing?"

ma·lev·o·lent
–adjective 1. wishing evil or harm to another or others...

The Beatitudes were the fulfillment of a progression of laws that God gave to humanity, all with the intent to encourage them to be kind and loving towards each other (See Matthew 5:43-45).

This shows that God does not "wish evil or harm upon another or others" ie, is not malevolent.

Dire warnings are always given before God directs his outraged justice against a people who are completely, stubbornly evil.

For instance, after showing them parables, miracles and direct testimony, Jesus then gave dire warnings to the stubbornly wicked Jewish leadership (See Matthew 23).

This is the same with God. He will love us, entreat us and entice us to do good, then he will warn us, and if we still stubbornly cling to every evil thing, then he certainly IS able to "prevent evil"... he will do so by bringing desolation and destruction on people and nations "hell bent" on doing evil.

For example, see 1 Nephi 17:29-38 (and many other scriptural accounts).

Epicurius' argument is rather lame... God is both unable and able to prevent evil. He is also willing and unwilling to prevent evil. God works by inate, unchangeable laws. If you get to know how those laws work, you will see how Epicurius' argument is nothing but a shallow play upon much deeper truths.

Answer 3

God can do anything He wants, so He chooses not to eliminate evil. Why? Try living in a world where murder didn't exist. Then shoplifting would be an atrocity, because it would the worst anyone ever knew, and people would be pondering why God allowed it. Maybe in some other universe, ours would be considered free of evil, if worse things than we know could happen.

Why do you think that the free will argument is lame? What choices are worth being labeled "free will" except for moral ones? How can we define character without moral decisions? Without character, how can we define worth?

But if that doesn't do it for you, consider this. Without conflict of some form, life would be pointless. Every story has a conflict, or it wouldn't be worth reading. How can conflict exist, unless something unwanted occurs?

Answer 4

One possibility is that God's action in the world is to influence and lure rather than impose and coerce. If so, then it may be that God is doing the best that God can. This is the outlook commonly adopted by process theology, and it is an option that gets mentioned all too rarely in discussions of this topic - so I thought I'd throw it into the mix!

Answer 5

I read none of the answers before mine so as not to distract me from my instinctive answer. It is of my opinion that when God sent someone to massacre another race, it was because that race had grown so EVIL (in greed and blood lust for instance) that he allowed another race to obviate them from the face of the Earth, therefore making God's vengeance, another mans just revenge. Nowhere in the Bible (and yes ((not bragging)) I have read it all) do I remember God charging the King of a prosperous land to annihilate another people which were also a good people as well.

God gave us all the ability to choose between good and evil. Unfortunately ,whether or not we actually get that choice is usually determined by other men.

He is God. He caused these queations in your mind so that you may see the answers given and be able to (hopefully) deduce which of these opinions stirkes closest to home with The Almighty

Rock On.

Answer 6

The thread that binds everything all together is long and winding and can not be followed for God works all things out for His purpose against the powers of this world and man's perversion. Cause and effect is a great tool to move people to stand up for injustice and to spur others to help one another in love and unity. To despise love and unity is to deny ones mother that brought them into this world. How much more does the Father in heaven love his creation to put us in charge of all He created. We have to accept the blame for what we mess up and destroy. God will work around that and bring all things to His feet and separate the weeds from the valuable fruit bearing children of God.

The most worthy pottery is delicate, intricate, put through fire, and then finely painted in wonderful colors to bring the craftsman great joy and pride to call His work. As so our life goes.

man has been foolish sense the Garden of Eden so you just named one much later is all.

Answer 7

I don't have kids, but I do have a cat, and I'd like to think that I'll raise my kids similar to how I treat my cat. I let him go outside. Sure, there's disease, dogs and fleas out there. There's even other cats out there that might be a bad influence on my cat. But, I let him go anyway, because I don't want a pansy cat. Likewise, when I get around to havin' kids, I don't want pansy kids. Kids are supposed to go out and scrape their knees and fall off their bikes and fight with other kids. It's part of healthy development.

I think bad things happen to good people because it's part of healthy development. If the world were 'fair', people would be weak. The most valuable aspects of humanity are our compassion and our ability to work together. What value are these qualities if there's nothing to overcome?

I believe in 'God', but I also believe in evolution. I believe that evolution is the 'will of God'. This implies to me that God wants life to progress. God wants life to go through a healthy development process.

Evolutionary biologists will tell you that humans are social creatures, and that we evolved our compassion and and other sorts of 'polite' behavior because it proved beneficial. I absolutely agree. But, consider that if God started evolution, and created the environment that evolution takes place in, doesn't it make sense to further assume that he/she/it (God) wanted us to be compassionate and generally polite?

P.S.
Not that it's entirely relevant, but I'm not Christian. I suspect that most people won't take me seriously unless I point this out.

Answer 8

apparently some greek decided to get out their rollers and paint themselves into a corner..

the flaw of the argument is that we are viewing God and evil through human terms..

why must it be i an if or but instead of an and...

Why can't God allow evil if it serves it's purpose..

Answer 9

What we call evil is not what God calls an evil. God says, that, thinking anything other than Me, or My Saints, or Their acts is evil. While you are doing duty to this world, if you also attach yourself to that, you are doing an evil.

When you are attached to God and doing duty for the sake of it , you are away from evil.

Answer 10

Funny. Some complain that God is too restrictive. Others complain he's not restrictive enough. So which is it? Would you like God to contol you in puppet-like fashion to prevent you from doing evil? Or would you like him to give you freedom and allow the consequences?

Answer 11

god is not intelligent, its just an energy wich is all capable, and in order to get into that energy we have to feel it as it were ourselves, cause it is.
thats why we are creative creatures who have free will, that is the ability to experience things as we want them to be; so no, god doesnt participate in creating our lives, we participate with that force, so thats why we are responsible for what happens in our lives.
god doesnt even understand words so its better if we comunicate to him with mental images, and we have to stop feelind resentful to something wich is not even a thing but just a force(energy) , and start taking our lives into our own hands, hearts and minds in order to create the kind of life we want.
focus on things you like, and start un-focusing on things you dis-like, example. focus on what you want, a loving partner, a new car, a big home, and start un focusing, not paying attention when you see the news and see all the sh... , dont give them even a second thought, cause what you think , you magnify. Good luck.