Lord...why so serious?

[MBPrata]

This is one of the most incomprehensible things I've ever thougt about the God of the Bible.

I don't intend to commit the sin of pride, but...for the sake of an example, let's think for a while that you (you, reading this post) were God. As in, an eternal being with gigantic powers and a personality. While it is already fantastic enough to think that something like a "personality" can exist outside our universe, what confuses me the most is...why so serious?

Allow me to explain. So, you're God. You have powers to ensure the supreme value of existence: happiness. Are you happy? Maybe not, but you have the power to "hack" our own consciousness in order to be happy. Instead, for some unknown reason, you decide to create beings that may or may not make you happier. Suddenly, one of them (Satan) disagrees with you due to his free will. Nearly at the same time, let's say, the beings you create in a universe also disagree with you. What happens? Wrath happens. Then there's the threat of hell. There's the getting offended by every single sin they commit. There's the one-human-sins-once-and-will-only-be-forgiven-if-he/she-accepts-Jesus.

What in the world?!

Why on earth you would "you" do this? I mean, you're God! You can have anything you want! You can make yourself the happiest being ever and choose to live full of wrath towards your own creations! Why are you so angry? You can have everything you want! If you're not happy, you can change that with a simple wish! Why so much wrath if you have every single reason the be the happiest being ever?
Shouldn't your ability to be freaking happy give you a peaceful personality? A pacific, forgive-full, relaxed personality which would have hardly room for so much wrath? How can it be that you have so many reasons to be happy and you are, instead, a angry, resentful being? Just...whyyyyyy?

Phew! I have no idea on why God is such an angry being if He can have anything He wants. If I had everything I wanted right now, I don't think I'd feel that angry. Ok, I don't understand everything that implies being a god. But still...why?

[PaulSacramento]

Not to mock your argument but, why NOT?
Put aside the fact that you/we tend to attribute human qualities to God so that we can try to better understand Him, you seem to be implying that God should be your way rather than another, why?

[Byblos]

This is one of the most incomprehensible things I've ever thougt about the God of the Bible.

I don't intend to commit the sin of pride, but...for the sake of an example, let's think for a while that you (you, reading this post) were God. As in, an eternal being with gigantic powers and a personality. While it is already fantastic enough to think that something like a "personality" can exist outside our universe, what confuses me the most is...why so serious?

Allow me to explain. So, you're God. You have powers to ensure the supreme value of existence: happiness. Are you happy? Maybe not, but you have the power to "hack" our own consciousness in order to be happy. Instead, for some unknown reason, you decide to create beings that may or may not make you happier. Suddenly, one of them (Satan) disagrees with you due to his free will. Nearly at the same time, let's say, the beings you create in a universe also disagree with you. What happens? Wrath happens. Then there's the threat of hell. There's the getting offended by every single sin they commit. There's the one-human-sins-once-and-will-only-be-forgiven-if-he/she-accepts-Jesus.

What in the world?!

Why on earth you would "you" do this? I mean, you're God! You can have anything you want! You can make yourself the happiest being ever and choose to live full of wrath towards your own creations! Why are you so angry? You can have everything you want! If you're not happy, you can change that with a simple wish! Why so much wrath if you have every single reason the be the happiest being ever?
Shouldn't your ability to be freaking happy give you a peaceful personality? A pacific, forgive-full, relaxed personality which would have hardly room for so much wrath? How can it be that you have so many reasons to be happy and you are, instead, a angry, resentful being? Just...whyyyyyy?

Phew! I have no idea on why God is such an angry being if He can have anything He wants. If I had everything I wanted right now, I don't think I'd feel that angry. Ok, I don't understand everything that implies being a god. But still...why?

Those questions make sense only when one has no clude who God really is so one fashions a god after their own whim then proceeds to ask such questions. Indeed why.

[MBPrata]

you seem to be implying that God should be your way rather than another, why?

Well, as a regular sinner, I will always have that repressed wish. But that was not my intention. What I am "implying" (I think that word is too strong for what I'm doing, but still...) is that God is probably the only being in the whole existence that can be totally happy and is basically wasting that chance! We, humans, fight like a bear to be happy, try risky experiences in a pursuit for happiness...heck, some of us become insane due to the "obsession" of being happy. And God is just...wasting the chance to be everything we would die for.

So...why?!

[neo-x]

Because you can be bored with happiness in eternity, that's why!

[Stu]

God during the Garden of Eden period was a more happy God, it was only once we sinned and sin entered the world that God was disappointed.

[Starhunter]

MBPrata,

These are the questions you can ask Him, respectfully and honestly. God loves honesty and is not offended at all.
Be wary of carnal institutions of thought which misrepresent God and the gospel.
He is eager that you get to know Him properly, because it will save you. "This is eternal life" said Jesus "that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." John 17:3.

[RickD]

Aseity anyone?

An unchanging God's "happiness" is dependent upon man's actions?

[Rob]

The way I understand it is that God in His triune nature is completely happy and satisfied within Himself. He doesn't need us for happiness at all. However, He loves us so much that he wants us to have the chance to be with Him. I suppose we will never know true happiness until we are.

[PaulSacramento]

you seem to be implying that God should be your way rather than another, why?

Well, as a regular sinner, I will always have that repressed wish. But that was not my intention. What I am "implying" (I think that word is too strong for what I'm doing, but still...) is that God is probably the only being in the whole existence that can be totally happy and is basically wasting that chance! We, humans, fight like a bear to be happy, try risky experiences in a pursuit for happiness...heck, some of us become insane due to the "obsession" of being happy. And God is just...wasting the chance to be everything we would die for.

So...why?!

You seem to be implying that God is not happy, can't possibly be happy because, according to you and your point of view, He can't be happy being the way He is even though He is GOD.
God can NOT be anything but "happy" if by happy you mean content and in no need of anything or if you mean happy in the sense of loving and being loved or if you mean happy in the definition of the word:
feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.

I don't think you are grasping the logical mistake you are making.
If God IS GOD then Happy is exactly what He always is.

[MBPrata]

Because you can be bored with happiness in eternity, that's why!

Hmm...is that a joke? Are you being ironic? If you are, never mind. If you're not...I can't conceive a pure, absolute happiness in which boredom also exists. Boredom is such a stupid feeling, it's the main reason why people, while still loving their mate, stop feeling good when being around him/her.

it was only once we sinned and sin entered the world that God was disappointed.

That would mean good can feel disappointment, which would mean God was not entirely, truly happy.

The way I understand it is that God in His triune nature is completely happy and satisfied within Himself. He doesn't need us for happiness at all.

If that's the case, that's great. But...why creating us, then?

As for RickD and PaulSacramento...I honestly didn't understand your last posts. Not until now, at least...

[RickD]

MBPrata,

You're flawed beliefs about God lead you to wrong conclusions about Him.

You're assuming God is not happy. First off, happiness is a human emotion. Second, by saying God is happy, angry, etc., based upon how humans act, is wrong. Nothing about God is dependent on anything He created.

God is complete in Himself. He doesn't "need" anything.

See if you understand this.

In short, your misconceptions about God, lead to your faulty conclusions.

Your error is not uncommon. It's just not an accurate portrayal of the God of the bible.

[MBPrata]

You're assuming God is not happy.

Well, I don't think God is exactly happy; He seems to have a "wrath" every time we sin. At least, the Bible mentions God's "wrath", which is one of the most negative feelings one can have. Also, pretty incompatible with happiness.

First off, happiness is a human emotion.

Don't get that stuck to words, please; I'm using the word "happiness" because 1) the human language has flaws and 2) it's the closest word we must have for the supreme, eternal feeling of ultimate well-being. So to speak.

Nothing about God is dependent on anything He created.

Then why do His feelings change when we act? Someone wrote, in this exact same forum, that

it was only once we sinned and sin entered the world that God was disappointed.

Sounds like change to me...

[RickD]

MB,

God doesn't have feelings. It's just that humans attribute human things to God, to try to understand Him better.

it was only once we sinned and sin entered the world that God was disappointed.

This is one reason why I mentioned God's aseity. Saying God was disappointed, if meant literally, would undermine aseity.

[MBPrata]

Saying God was disappointed, if meant literally, would undermine aseity.

First of all, if the Bible isn't to be taken literally, everything in the book can be interpreted in several ways, so we know nothing about God or His morality. Second...if God, as you said, doesn't have feelings, wouldn't that mean He's unsensitive? And if that's the case, how can He love us? Or anything, for that matter?