Good God... Please answer all four..

Sophrosyne

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What is ludicrous is the notion that anything can happen apart from the causation by First Cause. If one person in a tribe of cannibals refuses to become one, they are precisely fulfilling what God has determined will happen. EVERY TIME.

Your implication that if God causes evil, the evil-doers are not responsible, is bogus, and a chasing after self-determination, which is unGodliness.
It is not bogus because you yourself infer that God controls our choices. If we have no free will to choose then are we responsible for anything we do or is God ultimately responsible for ALL our evil.... If we are not allowed to choose to do evil then God forces us to do so by making us choose to do it and thus our evil is his choice... not ours.
 
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Sophrosyne

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Evil is not a creation but rather requires an intelligence to either act upon it or be acted upon by it in order for it to be considered as such. If what is considered evil is turned around to do good also... is it really truly evil or is it just a conception or opinion that it is such. Flooding on rivers that drown many people is considered evil but for thousands of years flooding along major rivers spilled over a lot of fertile soil that was used to grow crops that kept people from starving. In other words one persons idea of evil is anothers idea of good and neither of them are wrong it is mainly a perspective in the end or narrow focus that determines what is either or neither.
 
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Norbert L

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✝️Could God do evil if he wanted to?
✝️Would it be possible for him to want to do evil?
✝️Is anything God does by definition good.... but if I were to do it then it would be evil?
✝️ Is there a principle of right and wrong that transcends God?
Undeniably when it comes to having the power to resurrect people, He holds all the cards. Is a person the one who is just or the one who is actually of an evil nature when they attempt to frame Him as being the supreme Evil One by denying them their want to life forever?
 
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2PhiloVoid

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✝️Could God do evil if he wanted to?
✝️Would it be possible for him to want to do evil?
✝️Is anything God does by definition good.... but if I were to do it then it would be evil?
✝️ Is there a principle of right and wrong that transcends God?

No, No, Maybe, No.

There you go!
 
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Tellyontellyon

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I do get the feeling that there are people here who think I'm just trying to be smart with them... I'm not.
My own sense of things and from what people are saying is that God doesn't contain or create evil.
Rather, God does what is necessary, even though it may look evil from a position of ignorance (human).
When Good kills, it is not a murder, it is part of something bigger that we cannot really understand... (Doesn't he point that out to Job).
What man calls evil is often simply misfortune.
All mortal life will end and life is a test and a lesson for the Soul.
There is no principle higher or outside of God... God is both the principle and the expression of the principle.. The father and the Son.
At least, that's what I would think if I were a Christian.
 
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Sophrosyne

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Jesus creates faith in us. He's called the author and finisher of our faith.
Faith requires choice just as evil requires it to manifest. If you believe God chooses everything for you them he is evil because he chose many to do evil and reject him and didn't start or finish their faith in him at all.
 
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Swan7

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Hello, I don't know anything about your life or what you may know about God, but I have answered these as best as I can. If you have any more questions, I would like to answer - if I am able.

✝️Could God do evil if he wanted to?
✝️Would it be possible for him to want to do evil?

Learning from God I found that He cannot and will not go outside of Himself. He is Holy and not unholy. He hates sin to the deepest part of the abyss (which is more than any of us humans could possibly understand). That is not to be confused as God hates humanity which He created in His image, that is not so. Other wise, Christ never would have walked this earth to sacrifice Himself for a defense to His name and for many.

✝️Is anything God does by definition good.... but if I were to do it then it would be evil?

What is good? If you mean by the world’s definition then there is nothing good - because it is from the world and not God. God is Good. He is Good because of His Holy nature. What Christ did was Good because He followed His Father all the way to the cross - and even after that. Everything Jesus Christ did was Good in Father God’s sight. Even Jesus Christ Himself denied that He was good and reminded the people that only God is Good. He denied Himself for His Father’s name, an example of denying oneself:
Mark 10:18
Luke 18:19

Being born into the world, we are in a fallen image of mankind because of what happened in Genesis. However, Jesus Christ did make a comment about evil people doing good: 

Matthew 7:11

Luke 11:13

The mission of Christ was for people to believe in Him so we can also share the Victory He already won. The Sacrificial Lamb of God, where no blemish was found. Perfect in every way and Jesus Christ continues to be our High Priest on our behalf (those who believe in Him): Hebrews 4:14.

✝️ Is there a principle of right and wrong that transcends God?

Anything outside of God is sin. Imagine creating a world that is your own and creating everything in it. Would the one that is the creator give up or surrender one’s right of absolute Truth? 

God is Truth and Love. Everything He has created is by His design. Naturally, He should get all the credit - even by the breath we draw did He give His life for all. 

I know no one as loving as this One.


I hope this was helpful to you. 

:yellowheart:
 
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Mark Quayle

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If God controls all our choices then we cannot have faith in him at all.
Why not? Our faith in God doesn't come by our effort, but by the Spirit of God within us —the same faith through which we are saved, by Grace
 
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Mark Quayle

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It is not bogus because you yourself infer that God controls our choices. If we have no free will to choose then are we responsible for anything we do or is God ultimately responsible for ALL our evil.... If we are not allowed to choose to do evil then God forces us to do so by making us choose to do it and thus our evil is his choice... not ours.
God doesn't operate in our arena of morality. He is altogether OTHER from us. Nevertheless, the logic is simple —Since he is First Cause, then all else is effect (i.e directly or indirectly results of that cause). This does not at all imply that those effects do not also cause; we are effects, but we too cause.

It is obvious we are willed beings, and do choose. If you need to call it 'free' to feel better about whether one deserves the consequences they cause, feel free (haha, see what I did there?) to do so. But don't pretend that our choices are not caused one way or another, by God. The chain of cause-and-effect is pervasive.

God uses everything, including us, to accomplish what he controls.
 
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Sophrosyne

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Why not? Our faith in God doesn't come by our effort, but by the Spirit of God within us —the same faith through which we are saved, by Grace
If there is no effort in faith then everyone who is given faith would be saved there would not be any struggle to believe.... period. I don't buy this because I struggled to have faith and it took a long time for me to get over obstacles that were prohibiting me from it. By your logic my "effort" means NOTHING.
 
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Sophrosyne

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God doesn't operate in our arena of morality. He is altogether OTHER from us. Nevertheless, the logic is simple —Since he is First Cause, then all else is effect (i.e directly or indirectly results of that cause). This does not at all imply that those effects do not also cause; we are effects, but we too cause.

It is obvious we are willed beings, and do choose. If you need to call it 'free' to feel better about whether one deserves the consequences they cause, feel free (haha, see what I did there?) to do so. But don't pretend that our choices are not caused one way or another, by God. The chain of cause-and-effect is pervasive.

God uses everything, including us, to accomplish what he controls.
anyway getting off toic here..... this is about evil and you have admitted we do have the choice to believe and accept and because we have choice we are responsible which is exactly what my point is. If we can choose to do evil then it isn't God that is the author of it but our choices because we could choose to not do evil too.
 
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Mark Quayle

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anyway getting off toic here..... this is about evil and you have admitted we do have the choice to believe and accept and because we have choice we are responsible which is exactly what my point is. If we can choose to do evil then it isn't God that is the author of it but our choices because we could choose to not do evil too.
Your words are true enough. Not sure about your use of them/ your meaning, but yes, God is not the author of sin. Depends what you mean by evil, to go any further with that.
 
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Sophrosyne

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Your words are true enough. Not sure about your use of them/ your meaning, but yes, God is not the author of sin. Depends what you mean by evil, to go any further with that.
The problem is the meaning of evil those who tend to hang on that scripture is not what the other translations use. They want it to mean God is the source of evil itself essentially God is both evil and good in nature is what it ends up turning out if you accept their premise.
 
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Mark Quayle

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If there is no effort in faith then everyone who is given faith would be saved there would not be any struggle to believe.... period. I don't buy this because I struggled to have faith and it took a long time for me to get over obstacles that were prohibiting me from it. By your logic my "effort" means NOTHING.
No. You are taking it where it doesn't go, same as your notion that if God causes we don't cause.

Your effort is GOING to happen, if you have been regenerated. But you did not choose for God to change your will. You didn't even want him to change your will. When you did want him to change you, you were already regenerated. THAT is when you noticed you wanted him. THAT is when you were conscious of sin and corruption in yourself, and wanted it removed. THAT is when you repented. You believe and obey as a result of regeneration —not a cause of regeneration.
 
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andreha

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I do get the feeling that there are people here who think I'm just trying to be smart with them... I'm not.
My own sense of things and from what people are saying is that God doesn't contain or create evil.
Rather, God does what is necessary, even though it may look evil from a position of ignorance (human).
When Good kills, it is not a murder, it is part of something bigger that we cannot really understand... (Doesn't he point that out to Job).
What man calls evil is often simply misfortune.
All mortal life will end and life is a test and a lesson for the Soul.
There is no principle higher or outside of God... God is both the principle and the expression of the principle.. The father and the Son.
At least, that's what I would think if I were a Christian.

Hey Friend

We folks are Christians, not because we think we know it all, but because we know full well that we are far from perfect, and we look up to God as our example. The thing is just that we tend to focus on what we believe to be true, instead of first showing our fellow humans some love first, and then start sharing the truth, bit by bit. It's a common mistake among Christians, trust me. I tend to still do the same thing, after 44 years of being a believer. So, please feel free to PM me to talk about whatever comes to mind. I won't judge you, that's a promise.:hug:

Edit:

I see you identify as a Bhuddist, and realize that I have no idea of what Buddhism is at all. Maybe you can PM me and we can share what we believe, if you want.
 
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Dave L

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Faith requires choice just as evil requires it to manifest. If you believe God chooses everything for you them he is evil because he chose many to do evil and reject him and didn't start or finish their faith in him at all.
Faith is not about choice. God gives you faith and it causes you to believe based on that experience.
 
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Mark Quayle

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Of course it is, but where are there passages in the Bible that say that God does this?
Where is the logic, (or Biblical passages saying it is so), that shows God does not cause this?
 
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