Why did God create us? The answer that the bible seems to provide is: for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11) (Colossians 1:16)
According to Matthew's Gospel, the very essence of the Law and the Prophets is to love God and to love others (Matthew 7:12), so loving God is essential to being a Christian.
There are so many of us who use the freedom of choice that He knew, being the omnipotent being He is (Matthew 19:26), would lead us to choose a path that excluded Him. He knows and says that many of us will go to Hell and few will make it to Heaven (Matt.7:13-14) How can I love someone that says He Loves me, but has chosen not to allow me to live forever with Him in Heaven, but has created an environment where I can possibly go to hell? Why doesn’t God just bypass the suffering and create our soul with him in heaven where of course there is only joy?
How can I love someone who has made me and placed me here to struggle and suffer through life for His pleasure?
2007-09-10 03:46:53 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
My question is related to THE 'question of evil'. the best answer I've heard for it is:
God's infinite and unsearchable wisdom found that it was better to create a being in the divine image — with free will — than to create a mere automaton or to create no being at all. Thus God is exonerated from creating evil because God merely created a being that had the possibility of evil, but also had the possibility of good.
logically this is not sound, as the premise is based upon 'God's infinite and unsearchable wisdom'.
Does anyone have an answer that makes sense?
2007-09-10 04:31:11 · update #1
It is actually not that way. We are not condemned for being here.
It is us actually who asked to be here because we want to experience ourselves apart from Him. Remember the first part of the "Prodigal Son" story?
It is a collaboration between us and Him. It is good for God because in that way He is able to experience being Himself. How could He know that He is God if it were not for us? How could someone so big know that He is big if there is nothing smaller than Him to see anywhere? He is full of knowing then, but knowing is not enough. He has to experience what He knows of Himself.
That goes the same for us. We, as the little lights within Him, are eager to know ourselves. We as little lights cannot know that we are lights as long as we are surrounded by the big Sun. A light can only shine if surrounded by darkness.
So, we need to separate. God exploded into infinite cells as we individualized ourselves. As we lowered our vibrating speed, we crystallized into physicality and therefore called upon us limitations so we can be defined. We became what we "Are" while God remained what He "Is Not" - undefined, without limitations, in the unknown. As we try and realize our capacities, we look up to Him for point of reference. As He realize Himself, He bends down to us and embraces all the ways we define ourselves.
So you see, we are separated only in illusion because we can never ever truly be separate from Him, who is the sum of all of us. He is One with us and we are One with Him. How could He condemn something that is a part of Him? Wouldn't that be like condemning Himself?
As we are parts of Him, does that mean we are evil?
2007-09-10 06:19:14 · answer #1 · answered by medea 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to Genesis, God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden BECAUSE he wanted us to be redeemed. The Earth was originally to be a place where Man and God could have perfect relationship. Here's an analogy: You would agree that the more important the person you offend, the larger the consequence is, right? Well imagine offending an infinitely and powerful God. The penalty should be infinite punishment, should it not? However, God loved us so much that he did not carry out this punishment. He gave us this concept called "time" to redeem us so that we may go to Heaven to be eternally with him. Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, so that we would be blameless before God. God has made an environment where you will be redeemed, if you believe in Jesus Christ. The reason why we aren't in Heaven or in the Garden of Eden anymore is because we HAVE sinned against him. How can we hope to spend eternity with God in Heaven if we are still sinners? God cannot stand sin, or even be in its presence. We must be blameless before the Lord, and that is only possible through Jesus Christ. Hell is a just punishment for sin, because sin is the ultimate penalty for offending an infinitely great God.
2016-05-21 02:29:23 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I myself used to ask this question all the time. Having been raised in a Chrtistian, Catholic environment, I decided to expand my horizons and study some of the other religions of the world, including Buddhism, Native American, Hindu, Judaism, Paganism; I even re-examined Christianity, by reading just the 4 books of the New Testament that dealt with Christ's life - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What I came to believe is that all religions, when boiled down to core beliefs and morals, are identical. All have a creation myth, all use parables and allegories to teach right living, and all declare in their own way that we should all love one another. The differences have been what humans have focused on, and in our quest to be "right", and gain control over others, we have espoused the fact that our religion is the right one, and everyone else is wrong. Sometimes, I think that is why we are here - to see beyond the hate and contention, and come to know God personally, in our own way. Even Christ himself said "If ye believe as I believe, greater works than these shall you do." It's funny to note how Christians think it is blasphemous to compare yourself to Christ, yet he himself said that we could all be greater than him if we just believed in God as he did. Leave behind the constraints of Christian dogma, and seek to know God yourself, in your own way. Then, you might find that there is no hell, and the God you come to know does not exist to judge and condemn you, but to love and carry you.
2007-09-10 04:23:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The wonderful result of living a life as a Christian is knowing you will live for eternity in heaven. Looking at the glass half full, God has blessed us with the choice to live righteous, and yes, that may entail suffering, but heaven will result;OR to live "of the world" and be damned. God created us out of love, a father to his children. Why doesn't God bypass the suffering? When we suffer, we rely on our faith in Him to bring us through, once we've overcome, we then have a testimony to share with our fellow brothers and sisters, showing the grace and goodness of God. If we don't suffer, why would we need God to call upon? He doesn't take pleasure to see his children suffer, his wants us to be happy and prosperous, but we must ask Him for it.
MARK 9:23 NKJ
23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
It sounds like you've gone through some hefty life situations that have gotten the best of you, know that God does love you, and can bring you out of anything if you have faith.
MATTHEW 17:20 NKJ
20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Know, my friend, God has blessed us with CHOICE, a concious, to make the best of this life here on earth, or not, and have eternity in heaven, or hell. Also, know that God created ALL things, including Satan. When Satan was thrown out of heaven, God gave him dominion over Hell, hence, good vs. evil. May God bless you, my friend!
2007-09-10 04:15:51 · answer #4 · answered by Mookie 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The only way that you can truly know that someone loves you is if they have an alternative. There's no point to make people just live in heaven because that means they'd have no choice but to love God. By giving us an alternative (not loving God), he is sure that the ones who do love him really do, and aren't just forced into it. It makes love more meaningful.
All hell is is the absence of God. But unfortunately since God = love, kindness, mercy, etc. then hell = awful.
2007-09-10 04:01:13 · answer #5 · answered by Ellenaj 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Maybe the earth is the garden where God decided to plant souls and grow them. (Remember the parable of the harvest?). You can't grow in time unless you have something to grow against, like all kinds of adversity. Maybe suffering is a God ordained way. I have a feeling that God's way is best no matter how it may seem otherwise. The key is to keep faith since we do not know nor can we see the reason why.
2007-09-10 03:56:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
God's amusement with us is not that we suffer, but that we choose. God has given us the ability to decide whether or not we follow His word. He has also given us the ability to be good or evil in every sense of each word. The reason that most of us will go to hell is because of our choices in life.
God loves, man hates, and paradise is what you can make it.
2007-09-10 04:03:12 · answer #7 · answered by Matt F 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He doesn't want to force us to love Him. What kind of love would that be?
And we wouldn't be able to understand the awesomeness of Heaven without having had a life on earth.
2007-09-10 04:13:02 · answer #8 · answered by Devo 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He placed us here to have a loving relationship with Him. As for the struggles in life, they were all caused by us turning against Him and sinning. And we can't blame Adam and Eve for sinning and condemning us all because "all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." Romans 3:23
2007-09-10 03:56:43 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
i have the same question running in my mind too..
adding. out of all the religions where everyone of em says they are the only way and everyone else is going to hell.. then how can anyone know what the real answers are...
if aliens are real and they seen how we play this game of faith and religion then i would guess thats the main reason they refuse to land
2007-09-10 03:59:49 · answer #10 · answered by pokerfaces55 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋