An argument I've never been able to answer?

Question

MMkay, this was one of the arguments I thought of when I was first starting to see the cracks and holes in the bible about 4 years ago:
1. We are created in God's image.
2. God will send us to hell if we don't believe in him and worship him.
But if a human (who is supposedly created in God's image) asked someone to worship him, he would be an egotistical freak, who would be deeply flawed. So wouldnt this make god deeply flawed and not worthy of our praise...?

and another:
1. God supposedly loves us very much
2. He sends us to hell if we don't believe in him

If he truly loved us, why doesn't he spell it out in they sky to believe in him, why does he leave so many holes in his story, why does he tell us to have "faith", if he truly loved us, he wouldn't make us choose when we have inadequate evidence and then punish us for making a mistake. Also, what about someone living in the middle of a rainforest who has never even heard of god? why would he punish them for eternity?

no, I mean why did he just write a book and expect us to believe everything in it? If he made us, why would he give us the ability to question it? why would he hide away and not randomly walk around the streets with us? and all it costs me is my only chance being totally deluded the entire time, and because of it, not living life to the fullest...

I was a fundamentalist christian for about 15 years or so at least... so you people cant say that I just have to accept him into my heart or that I just haven't been willing or anything like that. and you still havent answered my question about the native "savage"...

Answer 1

The real question here is this...

If god created us in his own image, then why is it that we are not allowed to look upon him because it would instantly kill us? One would think that if we were made in his own image, then it would he would look just like the rest of us and that looking upon him would be no different than looking at any one else around you.

Answer 2

If you really believe He's "hiding the ball," then implicitly you believe He is real, and therefore you don't have a belief problem, just an understanding problem. If you think He is not real, why should it concern you how Christians think about God and eternal punishment? Do you think that God, if He really exists, would cheat you of something He owes you? And how did He come to owe you, his creation, anything at all? Everything you have is on loan from Him. Besides, the Bible teaches you do have adequate evidence. You have an internal sensor that tells you this is something you need to worry about, yet repentance from sin and trusting in Him are so hard to do. Why? Rebellion is not the same as making a bad choice due to ignorance. We are all found guilty before God precisely because we all do know it's true. We are just in denial. Also, if we are made in God's image, then our sin is not finite, but infinite in character. As such, the only reasonable punishment, or reward, is eternal, because that is who we are.

Answer 3

1 Yes God made us in his image of an eternal spirit and emotions.

2. Matthew 25:41 Jesus said he made hell only for the devil and his angels.

3. dbu_4424 said it right. If you had everything spelled out and you had no questions then it would not be faith.

4. Someone in the rain forest and a lot of other cultures have a similar story of creation and flood. But they are waiting for the true message that is found in the Bible.

Those people have a story also of salvation. And God will reward them according to their faith. I for one do not believe they will be lost. Of course i could be wrong. But Paul's says they have a law unto themselves. That they judge themselves by. And those people have lived like that for thousands of years with their religious beliefs. But they will hear the truth one day. And they will recognize it as the truth when they hear the same story. And they hear the message of salvation

5. It is interesting that they have similar stories of eternal reward and punishment..

I hope this makes sense and it means something. To make you think about the eerie similarities of ancient tribes all around the world that are similar to the Bible. And they are waiting for the truth that is in the Bible. If not I am sorry. I wished I could explain it better.

Answer 4

First your're basing your opinion on a book written by people some 2000 years ago. Most of these answers you can find if you look into your own heart. God loves everyone. God is everyone. Your soul is made in his image. Not your ego. Ego is what got us kicked out of Eden(if you follow that belief)Ego(from a certain point of view) is Satan. Is it really a stretch to think that God and Satan are just parts of ourselves? What makes the difference?...choice. That all powerful factor that separates Mother Teresa and Ghandi from Charles Manson and Son of Sam. Unfortunately the "you" that we all see in ourselves is our ego. The God is that part that which some would call your conscience, it talks to you, telling you that you that your friend could use a hug, or to call your mom and dad just to say "hi" and "I love you". God is unconditional love and compassion all the time. If you ask someone to worship you(which would be your ego) then you are the false god of the bible. The God in you would never ask someone to worship it. Because it would love with or without being loved back. It doesn't ask for anything. You have the choice if you want to give everything. Oh yea and hell... it only exists if you make it so. Punishment for "evil" deeds comes in other forms. "Do unto others as you would have done unto you" has truth in it. One more thing...just because someone in this world doesn't believe in the exact brand of dogma that you suscribe to...doesn't mean that they don't have their own spiritual traditions. Spirtuality is all over the world in one form or another...open your heart and you will see the truth of it. We are all the same...God sees us as one, it us that see us a separate individuals and judge others for being "different".

Answer 5

Because we are created in God's image doesn't make us gods. God isn't created.....he's the creator and thus only he is worthy of worship.

God doesn't punish for eternity. The punishment is eternal, eternal death, punishment for the evil we have done to others in our lifetime. The Bible says the wages (you earn it by your evil deeds) of sin is death (not eternal life in hell), but the gift (all you need to do is receive it) of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, his son. God has "spelled it out".....literally in the sky. Study astronomy, get a glimpse of the vast, complicated, HUGE universe out there, and compare that to the speck of DNA you and I are on a spot called earth, and then realize he gave his life so that you don't have to die but can live with him forever. If that doesn't spell LOVE, then you don't know the meaning of the word. Even those who have never heard of the Bible or Jesus can know God through his creation. They know basic right from wrong, and are only judged on their knowledge. He gave us the privilege of free choice because he loves us and wants us to love him back WILLINGLY, not as a being who had no choice. He doesn't punish us for making a mistake. He forgives us. However, he can't tolerate evil forever. He has warned us to get away from evil because some day soon he is going to burn everything evil. And if we don't get away from the "burn pile", we will be consumed, too. Yes, consumed....to ashes. Then he will create the earth again and make it new.

Answer 6

God judges us by what we know, or have had the opportunity to know, so the rain forest inhabitants and those who live in other remote areas and those who lived before the time of Christ are judged based on what they were taught was right or wrong. As for God sending us to hell, we might go if we don't repent our sinful ways when we learn better. Jesus was sent to save us, and all we have to do is try to behave more like Him. If we accept Him as the Son of God, and we try to follow His teachings to the best of our abilities, we should have little to fear. I once heard hell described as "the eternal absence of God" which, if God is good, means there will be nothing good to enjoy in the afterlife. As far as flaws go, have you ever had something perfect, and then it was burned, or water soaked or wrinkled? The perfection of the creation was still there, but something altered it after. I have never seen a demand by God that we believe He is there, just a statement that He is.

Answer 7

1. We are created in God's image.
2. Although e were made in the image and likeness of God (intellect and will), We were not made EXACTLY like Him. We are still not God; therefore, we should not be worshipped as such. Satan was the only one who was ALMOST made exactly like God. He thought he came close enough to challenge God by wanting to be worshipped. EXACTLY like God is something else. There is a big difference, even for satan.
1. God LOVES us very much. (Very true)
2. We are all judged by an honest, sincere and informed conscience. In this case only, what you do not know will not always hurt you. A sincere and honest conscience is the key to salvation for everyone whether they know it or not. NO one wll be blamed for what they do not know; unless, one willfully chooses to be ignorant. However, ONLY God is the judge in the end.

Answer 8

we are created in God's image in that we possess the same qualities that he has. For example we have the capacity for love, mercy, goodness...and we can reason on things, unlike animals who rely mainly on instinct. It doesn't mean we are like God, only that we mirror his personality. God can expect us to worship him because he created us. If a human were to create something, wouldn't it make sense that he would want the credit of his invention? He should have the say on how it is to be used and cared for. It's the same with God, he made us and he has basic instructions (in the Bible) on how we should live our lives. These are all for our own benefit. A human would be an 'egotistical freak' if he asked a fellow human to worship him, but this is because it's not his place to do so, he has no right to claim the glory belonging to God as his own.

Second point...God doesn't send people to hell...for anything!! If a father punished his little child by holding their hand on a hot stove, wouldn't you think he was mental?? He would be seen as a cruel, evil man who doesn't deserve to raise his kids. God is not cruel or evil. God is very much a loving God (1 John 4:8) Think of examples from the Bible where God forgave serious sins. David commited adultery with Bath-Sheba and then tried to cover it up. When he couldn't he killed her husband!! But God can read our hearts. He read Davids heart and saw that he was truely repentant so he forgave him.

None of us is perfect, which means we are all sinners. Wouldn't that mean we are all going to hell? What would be the point?

There is lots of evidence that God exists. You just have to look for it. There aren't any holes in his 'story', it's just how some people have interpreted the Bible. There are lots of false teachings out there, you really need to examine them yourself to see if they are true, and not believe everything you hear. You can also pray to God to 'prove' himself to you (be specific) and help you get to know him and he will!! I've studied the Bible myself, if you have any more questions feel free to contact me. :)

Added on...
Jesus became a man and 'walked the streets' with mankind and people still didn't believe in him. If God were to do the same thing, what would be the difference?

And as for the random guy in the rainforest? You can't believe in something you don't know. That's true. They wouldn't be punished for not believing in something they never had a chance to know. It's like a child that dies. Would you expect a 2 year old to understand and believe in God? Not really. But people don't think they go to hell because of their lack of knowledge.

Answer 9

In order to see the kingdom of God we must be born again.
You are not seeing God as He really is.
Once we truly see His astounding mercy for us thru Jesus death on the cross, worship is the natural outflow of our appreciation.
In order to love God, we must first know, realize, and understand the depth of His love for us.
We have our minds on our pleasures, the things of this world, the things we want, and this is why we find it hard to love and worship God.
Thru the course of the bumps and bruises of life we allow our hearts to become hardened, losing sight of the love for one another that we are created to live by. We lose sight of God and His goodness; our minds are preoccupied with getting thru the struggles of each day, so much so that it is all we see and think about.
God does not send us to hell, we send ourselves. We have to love the things that bring eternal life; we have to love being loving, love the good things. Not settle for, or embrace the things of the darkness and a hardness of heart.

Answer 10

God is not a man. We are made in his image and that is speaking of 'spirit'. You have a God given spirit. That is how much He loves you. No other creature on earth does He give this to only you and I.

God has revealed Himself to us in so many ways and He says if you will seek Him will all your heart--you will find him. You do not need for him to write something in the sky--pray with all your heart for the Creator of all the universe to reveal Himself to you and you will feel His touch, His wonderful presence.

You need to get off the sending people to hell thing. That is his business not ours. I read the Bible and I see New Jerusalem is huge and filled will literally millions upon millions of people. That tells me lots and lots of folks go to heaven.

God has chosen us to be His eternal bride forever--that's how much he loves us. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of all humanity--that's how much he loves us. He is willing to forgive us every sin we have ever committed and not hold it against us--that's how much He loves us. There is a lot of love coming your way if you recognize it.