Why doesn't God treat "offenders" (people who don't obey his commandments, laws or will) the same way we treat criminals?
If you kill someone, he limits your will (kind of like putting you in "spiritual leash"). If you rape or torture someone, he limits your will. If you lie too many times, he limits your will.
I know that he wants you to live your life, make your own decisions, save or condemn yourself accordingly, but if your sinful actions effect others, and possibly even endanger their chances of being saved, why wouldn't God choose the lesser of two evils, limiting you so that many others might be spared the harm you would cause?
And remember, he's God, so he could find a way to do it perfectly, right?
2007-10-13 11:27:09 · 15 answers · asked by ZER0 C00L ••AM••VT•• 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Why is no one answering, but I'm getting lots of stars?
2007-10-13 11:33:39 · update #1
MORE ANSWERS!!! NO ONE IS ANSWERING!!!
2007-10-13 11:39:11 · update #2
Jihad Jill, but I'm not suggesting that God lecture them sternly, I'm suggesting that he ought to be taking ACTION to limit their will, to use his Godly power to render them incapable of committing their offenses for a certain period of time (or forever, however God wanted to handle it).
2007-10-13 11:43:39 · update #3
Jihad Jill said:
"Well, they would sort of negate free will, if he threatened everyone to do right or he'd kick their ***... while it would still be a choice to do right OR do wrong and get some appendage chopped of...
It still wouldn't be much of a choice..."
Isn't that what God does anyway? He insists we do right or we get sent to Hell... it's not much of a choice.
2007-10-13 15:30:22 · update #4
Why did so many people show up late in the game only to explain to me what free will is? I know what it is and I already said that I understand that he wants us to believe in and follow him freely... but AGAIN, I want to know why it's better for him to allow people to use their free will to destroy others, to keep them from their chance to be saved?
And by telling me "you just don't get it", you're not answering my question, you're just insulting me... and that will neither help me understand nor persuade me to listen to you further.
2007-10-13 15:33:38 · update #5
This question certainly separates the mindless puppets and the true students of theology. I also think that this is an oxymoron and one of the unanswerable questions that convince me that religion is nothing more than mankind's mechanism of understanding things that are assumed to beyond human understanding and we all must take upon faith to be welcomed into His kingdom after we shed this mortal coil. If you study the origins of not only Christianity but religion itself you are an illogical being if you do not at least seek further understanding of what it is you choose to live your life believing.
Christians base their every arguement on faith in a book that may or maynot have been written by individuals who were inspired, guided, or called upon by him. That is a matter of faith. But the one thing that is based upon unshakable faith is that the Bible like all other literary works was penned by human beings who, if God gives us all free will, COULD have chosen to use that free to serve their own agendas.
2007-10-13 22:17:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you have the wrong concept of our God. Free-will is given to us so we can 'choose' to love Him. So we can choose to follow Him, obey Him and serve Him. We are not 'puppets'.... for God to pull a string or 'cut us off' and throw us in a corner if we don't do as He would wish.
God values our lives to such a great deal that He gave His only Son to die for our sins. How much more value could you ask for? God's concerned about our safety and sanity! That's why Jesus gives teaching after teaching after teaching.
He gave us a brain to reason with. We are to educate ourselves so we know right from wrong. God is a just God. He has even given us the Holy Spirit of Christ to live within us so we have a teacher, counselor, comforter and guide, everyday of our lives. Perhaps you can call that our 'spiritual leash'. It can't get any better than that!
2007-10-13 14:25:35 · answer #2 · answered by Mercedes 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God will not interfere in our lives. It would almost seem that a little 'Divine Intervention' would be necessary sometimes, and certainly appreciated." God will not interfere in His Plan for our lives, because it is already the best possible plan to bring us to heaven with Him. But we certainly can (and should) pray that this plan includes the special favors that we ask of Him. His plan takes into account all of the free-will choices that we make, including how much we pray and how diligently we try to follow His commands.
You have a flawed understanding of God and how he works in our lives. God is not a dispenser of goodies or an instrument to be used to solve our problems. He has given us everything so that we can live in peace and be happy.
2007-10-13 11:46:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Limits your will to do what? Your will to commit the sin or your will to follow Him ? (if you want Him o limit your will to follow Him, then that doesn't really make any sense, it would give them less reason to do good and more reason to do evil) God granted us free will so that heaven will be a perfect place. What kind of place would heaven be if it were full of people that have no desire to be there? That would make heaven more of a hell than a paradise. He gave us free will so that we can do what we want with our lives and not blame Him for our choices. When you force someone to do something, they end up resenting you for it. God doesn't want us to resent Him, He wants us to love Him.
2007-10-13 11:46:17 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If God made sure you knew (by means of physical presence or action) that he was watching your every move, how would that affect your free will?
If your every move was monitored and rewarded or punished automatically based on your moral actions how free would you be?
If you have kids think about how this arrangement would affect them.
Also, the atheist presupposes that God cannot have morally sufficient reasons for permitting evil in the world. But this assumption is not necessarily true. So long as it is even possible that God has morally sufficient reasons for permitting evil, it follows that God and evil are logically consistent.
God calls us to join him in eternity, where there will be no more pain and suffering.
I look forward to being reunited with two of my kids when I get there, to live forever without the evils of this world.
'Behonest' has a good answer.
2007-10-13 11:36:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Supposedly he did treat them like criminals, but people still didn't listen...
Seriously, picture yourself as God and you tried to help them every day but they refused to listen to ANYTHING you had to say...
wouldn't you eventually just get tired of it and let them do whatever the hell they wanted???
Well, they would sort of negate free will, if he threatened everyone to do right or he'd kick their ***... while it would still be a choice to do right OR do wrong and get some appendage chopped of...
It still wouldn't be much of a choice...
besides where would you draw the line???
2007-10-13 11:41:40 · answer #6 · answered by Jihad Jill 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sorry, I just don't see a wanting, hoping, begging God. I see a King who decrees, and subjects who don't even deserve to be in His Kingdom due to a federal guilt under Adam. God owes us nothing, the book of Job should tell you that. The Flood should tell you that. His plagues & taking of firstborn sons should tell you that. Why should we expect a cuddly fuzzball God today?
2007-10-13 11:56:37 · answer #7 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I am an Atheist. (and I know you already know that) HUG*
....but I would say if i believed that to value this life we must suffer. So god would want us to suffer to love him. To realize his twisted love we would need to suffer. So if you do not suffer you won't find joy in the time you don't suffer. Its like if you had everything then nothing would make you happy.
I hope i helped.
2007-10-13 15:56:40 · answer #8 · answered by Lord NeXuS M00N 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
And why wasn't He concerned with the "free will" of Biblical figures? He intervened on their behalf (or against them) all the time. What made Him suddenly decide that free will was so important?
2007-10-13 11:33:48 · answer #9 · answered by Pull My Finger 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I guess few people are answering cos most believers are finding this a tough one. I'm one of the ones who starred your question, but you weren't asking me.
2007-10-13 11:39:31 · answer #10 · answered by Citizen Justin 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋