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What is God's purpose?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:07 pm
by hermitville101
I just joined this deallie so I haven't had opportunity to explore everything yet. Hopefully I'm not questioning something that has already been answered. If so just link me in the right direction please.
I was pondering one day and wondered what exactly God's purpose is. I don't want to bias anyone, so I won't say anything about what I've come up with, yet, but I do ask that people think about it a bit and don't give Sunday School answers.
Thanks,
Hermitville
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:23 pm
by Mastermind
How the hell do you expect us(or anybody else) to know? All we can do is guess. My guess is that He does what is needed of His nature. This means the domination of Good. I'll go into more detail tomorrow, I'm way too tired now.
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:45 pm
by hermitville101
I don't expect you to know. I ... well not so much expect, but respectfully request that people think about it. I'm not sure that it is a question that can be answered, at least not with certainty, but it can be speculated upon. Also it seems to me that answering that question would answer, or lead to answers to several other questions. But that of course assumes that an answer can be found.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 1:50 am
by Kurieuo
He was only asking a question Mastermind
.
God can't really have any particular purpose as there is nothing before or higher than Him. We can have purpose, however, because we were created, and so our Creator must have some reason or purpose for us. The same can't really be said of God who has always been.
Kurieuo.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 9:02 am
by Mastermind
Spending two hours typing data into a stupid program makes mastermind a dull boy.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 10:55 am
by hermitville101
My apologies, I should have clarified a bit. I was intending God's purpose for creating us. I mean I don't think it would be some random "I think I'll have fun today" kind of thing considering that we're talking about billions of souls going to Hell, not to mention that He had to send His son to die etc. So it seems to me that there must be a really good reason for creating all of us...
I realized I hadn't clarified at about 2:00 last night, but for some reason I was tired... Stupid human body...always getting in the way of things.
Try typing a program to type data...that's guaranteed to more fun. Probably more work too, but yano.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 11:25 am
by Prodigal Son
maybe he just wanted to express his love.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 11:42 am
by hermitville101
Again I just feel like it had to be more than that. I mean it would have been much easier to create something that didn't require His son to die. He could love that something just as much. Why create love that requires pain when you can do so with out it.
Sorry that's not a terribly good argument, but such simple replies don't sit well with me.
I think you are right in part at least. But it just doesn't seem enough.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 2:33 pm
by bizzt
hermitville101 wrote:Again I just feel like it had to be more than that. I mean it would have been much easier to create something that didn't require His son to die. He could love that something just as much. Why create love that requires pain when you can do so with out it.
Sorry that's not a terribly good argument, but such simple replies don't sit well with me.
I think you are right in part at least. But it just doesn't seem enough.
It wasn't just love it was Fellowship. He wanted Fellowship with the Ones he Created. Read Genesis for example. He walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve calling out to them!
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 3:01 pm
by hermitville101
bizzt wrote:It wasn't just love it was Fellowship. He wanted Fellowship with the Ones he Created. Read Genesis for example. He walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve calling out to them!
But that doesn't explain why He created us. He enjoyed fellowship with humans, and still does I suppose (though that begins to bound God by time and all such messiness...anyway) but He couldn't possibly have needed it. He being God did not in anyway need any thing He made, though I suppose He obviously had to want it.
God had to know what was going to happen when He created us. He had to know all the costs. He sacrificed His son and billions of people to Hell so that he could talk with a few humans. He could talk to angels and they don't seem to require His son. I suppose I should use fellowship instead of talk...same idea anyway... Point is that's some rather expensive fellowship.
Still looking for something more...
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 3:04 pm
by Mastermind
What's the purpose of existance if God just exists. He wouldn't be bored, since infinity is His nature. Perhaps He does all this because it is good.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 3:12 pm
by hermitville101
At the cost of also bringing in evil? It would seem to me that there is far more evil in this world at least than good, but then I'm also convinced the glass is empty... <shrug>.
Point is you still do not explain the costs. It appears far more efficient for God to just exist happily as God without all the foolishness of our existence.
Again, I'm not looking for God's purpose for existing, at least not yet, but it purpose for creating us.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 3:14 pm
by Mastermind
What is good without evil?
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 3:14 pm
by bizzt
Or it could be his ways are not known to us? Who really knows the mind of God?
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 3:18 pm
by hermitville101
True. As I think I stated, I don't know that we can know for sure what His purpose is. I'm simply looking for speculation and thoughts. Just because we can never understand God doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Kind of like we can never be perfect, but that doesn't give us license to run around the world doing whatever sin seems like fun. We are still to try.