Is God capable of making mistakes?

Question

If man was created in God's own image, and man is fallible, then God is also fallible, right?

Also, why did God create the devil--Why does God create evil? There aren't two gods, are there (one good and the other evil)?

And why is God an absent father figure--what kind of example is God setting for God's children?

I'm so confused. Did God write the Bible and send it down from the clouds? Or did fallible people write the Bible? And if people wrote the Bible, is it a reliable source? Can I also write a Bible and say I was ghost writing for God, who spoke to me from a burning shrub in my back yard?

Answer 1

Good questions. God certainly changes his mind and says/does conflicting things. Just read the Old Testament, for instance. YHWH reads like a human character - fallible and emotional. There are tons of examples - it's a long book - but to encourage you to read up, here are just a few examples:

He allows his followers to put down every living thing in villages during the conquering of the promised land: animals, men, women, and even children. Then he says "thou shalt not kill"...

God seemingly regrets the great flood and promises never to do it again.

He makes Job go through living hell just to prove a point to Satan. That's either pride or cruelty at work, but either way, both are human qualities.

Also, consider the vast differences between the Old and New Testaments. Why would an all-knowing, infallible being need to change so many teachings? Because like you alluded to in your question, men wrote, edited, and released the bible.

When you get into scholarly analysis, you can distinguish between different editors, different time periods, and you discover a plethora of scriptures and stories which were either cut from or added to the texts.

Answer 2

okay to answer you last question, Christians believe the Bible was inspired. This means that people wrote the Bible, but it was acutally God's words that people just wrote down for him.

As far as your other questions about God making mistakes, I know how you feel. We say God is perfect but then we look at all the imperfections in our world and wonder.

I think that as humans, our knowledge is extremely limited. Perhaps we cannot grasp God's plan and fully understand everything, but I believe when we die, our questions will be answered.

I put my faith in the Bible and leave the confusing questions up to God.

However, I don't want you to think I have a blind faith. I have read many books and talked to many people on the reliability of the Bible and why I should choose Christianity over other religions. By confusing questions I mean like "who created God?" or "Why doesn't God destroy Satan?" Those questions can wait. As long as I know God is real.

Answer 3

The likeness lay in qualities that elevated man far above the animals. Yes, implanted in man from the beginning were the qualities of love, wisdom, power, and justice. He was endowed with free will and a capacity for spirituality. An innate moral sense, or conscience, enabled him to distinguish right from wrong. Man had intellectual capacity, enabling him to meditate on the reason for the existence of humans, to accumulate knowledge of his Creator, and to develop intimacy with that One. Thus equipped, Adam had all he needed to fulfill his role as administrator of God’s earthly handiwork.
Deuteronomy 32:4 The Rock, perfect is his activity For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom trhere is no injustice. Righteous and upright is he.
Over 40 men wrote the bible. 2 Timothy 3:16 Al scripture is inspired by God.

Answer 4

God was the pattern, but we're not gods, so we make mistakes. God is the genuine article, so he doesn't ;-)

As to the Bible: I think fallible people wrote the Bible, and I accept it for what it is - a codification of basic moral laws, with a lot of allegory and history thrown into the mix.

Answer 5

Hey man, you are asking too many questions all at once.
First one only. Our soul is composed of intellect and will. God, therefore, has an intellect and will. Since there is only ONE God, His intellect and will are one. However, our intellect and will are separate. We are, therefore, inferior to God. In other words, we are not made exactly like God.
It is my opinion that, in an effort to create an exact duplicate of Himself, God created satan. But God is so omnipotent that He could not do so. But this only proves just how powerful He really is, and not any kind of fallibility.

Answer 6

In God's image means spiritually, not physically.

God allowed the Universe to be chaotic and living creatures fighting for survival. Good and Evil are just human concepts. They do not exist in Nature.

The Bible, as any other holy book was written by men, although inspired by religious beliefs. It contains historic episodes of the Jewish people and symbolic tales to positively influence our social behavior.

Answer 7

GOD is not fallible, we are ONLY. This is why GOD asks us to surrender our lives to HIM. HE knows that if we try to do things our way, we will screw things up.

Ezekiel 28:15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

2 Timothy 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

I don't expect you to buy into what the Bible says. I am writing this in response to some of your questions.

GOD bless

Answer 8

Yeah, look in the mirror!

What is more reliable than the Bible? What will you believe? Answer that, then look at how fallible that is!

Answer 9

Little Grasshopper,
God does not mistakes only lessons for you to learn.
The lesson here could be to get unconfused you must pick a way or a road, because you are on a spiritual journey and have many questions. I do not honestly believe you can find your way here at R&S but you may get a starting point.

Answer 10

If God makes errors, then he had made a mistake in turning out to be us by way of Adam, and if it is genuine, then we serve a pretend God which deceived us from the initiating, so consequently our in basic terms selection is to have self assurance the devil instead, however the devil himself makes errors, with a view to respond to your question, NO!, God does no longer make errors, and what we predict of is a mistake in our finite minds, is stable to God in his infinite ideas. The Bible says in Matthew 19:26(KJV) - With adult adult males it truly is impossible, yet with God all issues are plausible. That tells me that no count number if he makes errors or no longer he's incapable of doing the oposite of Who he's.