Questions from an atheist

[Rafael]

Alright guys. Ive got some questions. Actually, i have quite a few questions. Ill ask one and when I feel it has either been answered or wont be, ill move on to a new one.
First up is:
If god is all powerful and all knowing, why cant he put a stop to "Satan" for good?

God will put an end to satan and his works when the devils work is done - because even the work of the devil will be turned out into a positive thing by God. You don't think God would put man in a garden with a devil for no reason do you? The devil provided a contrast to the light of God as truth and all that is good - including love. Ever think love could truly exist without a choice? No! Love has to be given by a free will, and God did not intend on designing a new type of robot. No, His incredible design in creation was to not only make mankind in His image, but to also share His divine nature with man through His Son and manifestation in the flesh, Jesus. God is not limited, and speaks of Himself in plural throughout the Bible, having such powers over the dimensions that we men are just now starting to imagine of it.
Nobody can paint a self portait or masterpiece using only white on white. It has to be illustrated with a contrast, and the perfect contrast to the light is its exact opposite - black - the absence of light, and the absence of all good is evil. The devil is a fallen angel who led a rebellion against God, drawing away one third of the angels, and mankind lost authority over earth to satan's evil lies in the garden by the bad choice of Adam that God knew would happen but bring about even greater things to those who would love and trust the Creator who has left us the obvious evidences of life and creation in which we exist and have our being in.
Calling God names and using words to desribe Him as unjust is just childish and very narrow minded. God is awesome, and the evil we see on earth is perpetrated by man and the inspiration of the devil to mankind to be lawless and Godless.
Look at Israel today and deny the prophets - if you have even read them. You think the twin towers and the last days is not in scripture? It's there along with the "alien" among them that brings the children of God to there knees in sin and unbelief. Only a small remnant of people remain true against the great deceptions about to come to earth through satan and his power. You think that we have no enemies or that God has none that practice great evil?? How many more can go murdered or starved to death for the newest model of car in the world and not go to trial for judgment of not doing anything to change or help those that die unjustly? How long will God stand by and watch - not forever, according to His word, although He desires that none would die , but all come to repentance. Come on! The scriptures have to be true when it speaks of people having eyes but not being able to see. It is like not being able to see the forest because there are so many trees in the way. God speaks continuously in life to us every second we take in breathe, yet how often we do not contemplate or regard what He says as having anything profoud to say about the world and ourselves in either helping or joining in with the chaos of evil that is only concerned with selfish ambition and egotistical power over others with no regard for their well-being - no real love.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.

I JOHN 3:16-19 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with ACTIONS and TRUTH. This then is how we KNOW that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.

 

[Key]

heres a novel idea: how about a set of moral codes and stories that you dont have to study for years?
It would encourage the religion and make it hard to misinterpret. The bible is anything but perfect.

Now where would be in the fun in "see spot not lie"

Sorry had to poke fun.

The Bible to those that do not Believe will be confusion, it is just the nature of things.

God Bless

Key

 

[hairettic]

well it IS possible that a god exists (just as possible as bigfoot, but thats fairly possible), and you might call me an Atheistic-agnostic.
I cant prove that god doesnt exist, you cant prove that he does.
I disbeleive him as strongly as you beleive him. What I dont believe in is the god that the bible describes. I believe that if he/she/whatever exists, they are what I previously described.
But theres still no evidence. Whatever, Ill ask it.
And whats wrong with vengence?
Ill tell you. Has anything good ever come of vengent leaders? The Iraqi war? Oh wait.....bad example, people still think thats a good thing....
But thats another rant.

ya wanna go looking for big foot? That would be fun. Nothing good comes from vengence. But Love conquers all!

 

[JoyforJESUS]

Alright guys. Ive got some questions. Actually, i have quite a few questions. Ill ask one and when I feel it has either been answered or wont be, ill move on to a new one.
First up is:
If god is all powerful and all knowing, why cant he put a stop to "Satan" for good?

Yes God is all powerful, Can he put a stop to satan? yes, he can and he will. Just not on your timetable. Read Revelations.

 

[JoyforJESUS]

hmmm. so its just to make it interesting then?
Ok, new question.
If he is only testing us, why is the punishment for following Satan (eternal torture) so harsh?

You have the choice. Believe that Christ Jesus is the Way the Truth and the life. No man comes to the father but by faith is Jesus.

Is it harsh, but you make the choice not God. You make that choice by what you choose to do and believe. If you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then eternal damnation is not something that you need to worry about.

 

[JoyforJESUS]

heres a novel idea: how about a set of moral codes and stories that you dont have to study for years?
It would encourage the religion and make it hard to misinterpret. The bible is anything but perfect.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]written upon the heart[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Heb 8:10[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Heb 10:16[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,"


Proverbs 3:1-7

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Accept it or not, that is up to you. It bothers you that you doubt the existance of God because IT IS WRITTEN UPON YOUR HEART. YOUR HEAD DOESN'T WANT TO ACCEPT IT!
[/FONT]

 

[JoyforJESUS]

What's imperfect about vengeance?

“VENGEANCE IS MINE”, sayeth the Lord. From Leviticus in the Old Testament to Romans in the New, both Christians and Jews have been told to never seek vengeance against one another, “but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord”. (Leviticus 19:18)

Every Christian child who ever went to Sunday school learned, “Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good”, and “Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him”. (Romans 12:21/20)


You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3

That means, that God Desires 100% of you. not 99.9%.

 

[JoyforJESUS]

wel lby defenition that god = perfection, it has to be perfect

the weird thing is that we have differnt sets of rules for words and ideas depending on the circle of reality we are dealing with.

No we don't. You might because you choose not to follow God's commandments, You might because you choose not to follow Christ. But they are clear. I also know that I will not attain perfection. Only God is perfect.

 

[Room4all]

If god is all powerful and all knowing, why cant he put a stop to "Satan" for good?

Who said he can't?

 

[Room4all]

If he is only testing us, why is the punishment for following Satan (eternal torture) so harsh?

God allows you to choose and says, since you know the truth and reject it, there is personal responsibility.

If as a child you placed your hand on a hot burner your parents didnt stop the pain. But they probably loved you through it.

God is no different. He will let you make the mistake and love you through it.

When you choose something other than him he still loves you. He mournes your loss. He even sent an intercessor to stand in your stead...... if you choose it.

 

[Room4all]

So, if hell is the punishment for our sins, why do humans take it upon themselves to punish sinners?

I believe you are making the mistake that alot of christians make..... If we are christian we are perfect...
We still make bad choices. Through Jesus, God provided a way to be forgiven but not forgotten.
I will make mistakes. As hard as I try I can't avoid it. But I can go to God and ask forgiveness. You could too. You have the same God and Jesus I do. But you'd have to believe

If god was all powerful, he could certainly take some time to zap a r*pist with a holy bolt of lightning. and if i saw sinners getting zapped everywhere then i might believe in him, but I guess he isnt if he has to employ Humans to do his bidding. Answers?

This isn't in God Nature. It is for this person God sent Jesus.

If you Believed in a God....would this be the kind of God you'd want??

 

[Room4all]

And homosexuals!
basically anybody.
I like the point deshadow makes.
a good deal of the aspects of Xtianity contradict eachother.

They do until you look at from the perspective of LOVE. You are concentrating on what you see in the hear and now.

If you get right down to it, these are desparate times. How could any good come out of any of this.

I think you believe in God...you just don't understand him. I didnt either. But I began to realize if God did exist and he created me, he HAD to LOVE me. And if he loved me, he has to want only what is best for me. Not what makes me feel better now but after all is said and done....what is best for me. And sometimes what is best for me is to struggle or feel pain or disappointment or loss.

That Gods Love perspective and when you look at it like that...it does make sense.

 

[Room4all]

.....The bible is anything but perfect.

How so???

 

[Adstar]

they arent demonstrating that they love evil. you think thomas jefferson and einstein love evil? the evidence is inconcusive and confusing. it doesnt allow us to make a clear cut distinction. i doubt anyone who doesnt think te gospel makes sense is tryig to love evil.

Where thomas jefferson and einstien perfect? No. See your using your thinking to measure good and evil. But it is Gods measure that counts in eternity not ours.

you are setting up new defenitions of words
there is nothing fantastic about the possiblity to be eternally saved or damned. its a really mesed up choice. no matter how good the good side is.

to an outside observer. or to me, i dont think that gods plan seems perfect.

That’s your freedom to believe as you do. But weather ones likes the will of God or hates the will of God makes no difference to the existence of God. You cannot say (like i hear lots of people saying) I do not like God therefore God does not exist. Or I will think up what a nice God would be then believe in my imagined nice God. Something does not suddenly disappear from existence because we find it disagreeable.

No one can use the argument , I hate God so therefore God does not exist.. If you could do that then you could read a WW2 history book and state, I hate Hitler so Hitler never existed.. can you.

dont tell me i dont nkow his plan, its in the bible.

infact christians often tell me to look at it from gods point of view. so we know what gods viewpoint is.

Yes you may indeed have a rough idea about Gods Plans. And you reject them. But you do not know all Gods plans and you do not know the Mind of God, no one does.

and my human compassion, that i presumably got from god, is telling me that its a screwed up choice,

So the compassion that God showed to us through the death of Jesus was screwed up? His plan for salvation of sinners is not compassionate??? I think it is.

the whole thing is screwy, from having a chosen people,

Why not have a chosen people? What’s screwy about that?

to having wants and desires, to testing us,to caring about what we beleive,

So you think God should not care about what we think?

to making a universe as complex as dna and protein synthesis with the ultimate reality being "join me or die with my enemy"

Complex to us maybe but not to Him.

why this whole war between god and satan? why that? is that just "how it is" and too bad for us?

satan wanted to be God but he cannot be God he does not have the capacity to do it. We are free to make the choice between God or satan and that’s good for us.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[JamesTheAtheist]

if what he wants is so clear than why is it misinterpreted so much?
New question: the 10C states "worship no gods before me"
so what about AFTER him? Seriously, if you primarily worship god are you still allowed to worship other gods as well?

 

[JamesTheAtheist]

never mind that last one, newer question.
why go through the process of having to be forgiven?
why cant he just send those who were evil to hell and those who were good to heaven? It seems that if you become a xtian at the last minute, it doesnt matter whether youve been evil or good. Thats like Santa saying that "it doesnt matter whether youve been bad or good if you sign here."

 

[Adstar]

if what he wants is so clear than why is it misinterpreted so much?

Because deception is one of satans games. And one of the weapons used by satan and his followers is to create twisted religion in an effort to sabotage the faith from the inside.

New question: the 10C states "worship no gods before me"
so what about AFTER him? Seriously, if you primarily worship god are you still allowed to worship other gods as well?

It does not mean before as in time. It means before Him, as in worship other Gods in front of Him. We are all before God He sees us all so nothing we do is hidden from His view. Te World is like a stage and He watches the play unfold.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[Adstar]

never mind that last one, newer question.

why go through the process of having to be forgiven?
why cant he just send those who were evil to hell and those who were good to heaven? It seems that if you become a xtian at the last minute, it doesnt matter whether youve been evil or good. Thats like Santa saying that "it doesnt matter whether youve been bad or good if you sign here."

Accepting Jesus is an act of repentance. Accepting Jesus is an acknowledgment of ones wrongdoing.

If you had a daughter who got caught up in drugs. Would you throw her out into the streets and disown her immediately upon finding out she was doing drugs? Or would you have patience with her and try to do all that you could to get her out of it? If you have any love then you would indeed try to help your daughter. You would probably have to suffer her lying and even stealing and her abuse. Love is longsuffering.

God is a loving God and will put up with your sinning all your life in the hope that one day you will come to your senses and repent of your ways and accept your need for God.

But like the drug addict daughter there will come a time where your time runs out.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[HisWordIsMySword]

never mind that last one, newer question.
why go through the process of having to be forgiven?
why cant he just send those who were evil to hell and those who were good to heaven? It seems that if you become a xtian at the last minute, it doesnt matter whether youve been evil or good. Thats like Santa saying that "it doesnt matter whether youve been bad or good if you sign here."

God knew that when he would create man, that Satan would try to destroy him. Satan has been at odds with God for a long time and his desire is to be like God, to not have to answer to God.

God is the creator of all things, and his plan for humanity would save mankind, at the same time seal satan's fate. For like I stated, God knew satan would try to destroy man once he was created.

God knew that man would fall to sin and would die. This gave satan power over mankind by holding the souls of mankind in death. Yet, God had a plan of salvation already in place. For even before he created the heavens and the earth, God had begat his Son, our salvation, Jesus Christ the Word.

And when the devil put him to death, because Jesus lived a life without sin, Jesus defeated the hold satan had over mankind in death and set the souls of mankind free. So that all who believe in him will never die or go to that place called death. For when a man died, his soul was taken to a prison, a place known as hell or death.

So the reason we must ask for forgiveness of our sins is to escape the hold satan has over mankind. That is why God sent his Son into the World so that who ever believes in him, will never die. He was not referring to the flesh, for we all face this, he was referring to the soul.

 

[JamesTheAtheist]

can someone PLEASE say it simply?