Is God Responsible?

Sola1517

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When God is the author of all that is does that mean he is the one that thought up the concept of sin?

Does it also mean that God causes people to sin without tempting them? Is that even possible?

How can God cause people to sin without being the cause of sin?

Bonus Question: Is it possible that God could be the creator of all without being the cause of all?
 

Basil the Great

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You remind me of one of the best films ever created that deals with the Christian faith, "In the Shoes of the Fisherman". Anthony Quinn plays a Russian Pope and his close friend is a priest who is an author and theologian, who proposes the thesis that God is the author of sin and evil. However, the theologian friend is silenced by the Church, due to his controversial views.
 
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razzelflabben

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When God is the author of all that is does that mean he is the one that thought up the concept of sin?

Does it also mean that God causes people to sin without tempting them? Is that even possible?

How can God cause people to sin without being the cause of sin?

Bonus Question: Is it possible that God could be the creator of all without being the cause of all?
Since you are a thinking person let me pose a question for you...is it possible that sin is NOT a thought up concept but rather the consequence of other thought up concepts? For example, I might think up the concept of say chocolate cake...the consequence of too much chocolate cake is obesity but obesity itself is not a thought up concept.

I think that goes to the Bonus question...just like death is the consequence of sin, sin seems to be from the standpoint of scripture the consequence of the law of a very Holy God, a law that we would not have if Adam and Eve would have obeyed the first law of not eating from the tree. A law btw that is based on what is good for us and nothing more.
 
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Easy813

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Dear Sola,
I think that when you write this post, you don't even remember what "sin"means. Sin means refusing to obey. Why would God make people be disobedient to him?
God loves us more than anything and gives us all we need to be happy, all we have to do is accept him and manage to meet his commands.
When we sin, we don't make his will, his will that always lead to our own happiness, that's why sometimes he has to punish us, to make sure we'll come back to him and finally be happy.
Yes, he created anything, but he didn't call sins, as you said, instead He gave us CHOICE, so it's logical that sometimes we make BAD choices...
I hope it helped you,
If not, why not ask HIM directly, I'm pretty sure you'll get your answer,
Big kisses and good evening❤
 
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mukk_in

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When God is the author of all that is does that mean he is the one that thought up the concept of sin?

Does it also mean that God causes people to sin without tempting them? Is that even possible?

How can God cause people to sin without being the cause of sin?

Bonus Question: Is it possible that God could be the creator of all without being the cause of all?
Complicated questions. I'll try and answer with my simple mind. God neither tempts nor can be tempted (James 1:13-15). God didn't create sin as there's no sin in Him at all (1 John 3:5). Sin and death entered the world through the disobedience of Adam (Romans 5:12) and Satan before him (John 8:44). God never causes people to sin, instead people give into temptation and choose to sin (James 1:14). Yes, God is the Creator of all, but not of sin. Some argue that God permitted sin. But He's certainly not it's cause. You'll certainly receive more scholarly responses here. God bless :).
 
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Doug Melven

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Complicated questions. I'll try and answer with my simple mind. God neither tempts nor can be tempted (James 1:13-15). God didn't create sin as there's no sin in Him at all (1 John 3:5). Sin and death entered the world through the disobedience of Adam (Romans 5:12) and Satan before him (John 8:44). God never causes people to sin, instead people give into temptation and choose to sin (James 1:14). Yes, God is the Creator of all, but not of sin. Some argue that God permitted sin. But He's certainly not it's cause. You'll certainly receive more scholarly responses here. God bless :).
Maybe some will come up with a more scholarly answer, but they could only expand on what you have said.
And if they say different than what you have said, IMO they are wrong.
 
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Sola1517

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Since you are a thinking person let me pose a question for you...is it possible that sin is NOT a thought up concept but rather the consequence of other thought up concepts?
Yes. I think it's possible that sin is a demonic creation. And when I say creation I mean distortion.
sin seems to be from the standpoint of scripture the consequence of the law of a very Holy God, a law that we would not have if Adam and Eve would have obeyed the first law of not eating from the tree.
Oh, to me law came after sin. But I do agree that the law is good for us since it leads us to Christ. Ultimately sin is a distortion of God's expectations.
 
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Sola1517

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Sin means refusing to obey. Why would God make people be disobedient to him?
Well, from him and through him and to him are all things. (Romans 11:36)
God loves us more than anything and gives us all we need to be happy, all we have to do is accept him and manage to meet his commands.
Okay, can anybody do that without some sort of error? Because, there is no one righteous. (Romans 3:10)
When we sin, we don't make his will, his will that always lead to our own happiness, that's why sometimes he has to punish us, to make sure we'll come back to him and finally be happy.
Okay, I somewhat agree. But I would tell you that God is not primarily concerned with our happiness, but rather his glory. Once we choose to live in light of this we are truly happy then because we are satisfied.

I will have to ask him.
 
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Sola1517

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Complicated questions. I'll try and answer with my simple mind. God neither tempts nor can be tempted (James 1:13-15). God didn't create sin as there's no sin in Him at all (1 John 3:5). Sin and death entered the world through the disobedience of Adam (Romans 5:12) and Satan before him (John 8:44). God never causes people to sin, instead people give into temptation and choose to sin (James 1:14). Yes, God is the Creator of all, but not of sin. Some argue that God permitted sin. But He's certainly not it's cause. You'll certainly receive more scholarly responses here. God bless :).
I needed someone to confirm the idea that sin was humanity's attempt at creating something spiritual. And it is. Humanity's attempt at trying to be God always falls short.
 
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mukk_in

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I needed someone to confirm the idea that sin was humanity's attempt at creating something spiritual. And it is. Humanity's attempt at trying to be God always falls short.
Well said, and I agree .
 
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mukk_in

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Maybe some will come up with a more scholarly answer, but they could only expand on what you have said.
And if they say different than what you have said, IMO they are wrong.
Thank you brother and praise the Lord .
 
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razzelflabben

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Yes. I think it's possible that sin is a demonic creation. And when I say creation I mean distortion.
I wouldn't necessarily say it's a demonic creation/distortion though demons certainly like to use it and the first glimpse of sin comes from Lucifer's pride but rather that anything good can be used for evil...which come to think about it might be accurate enough to say distorted but I certainly wouldn't say created. I don't know of anything Satan or his minions created.
Oh, to me law came after sin. But I do agree that the law is good for us since it leads us to Christ. Ultimately sin is a distortion of God's expectations.
Maybe you misunderstood me. The only law that Adam and Eve had was to not eat of the tree. That violation brought the rest of the law. IOW's the "law" came after sin but without a law previously to sin there could be no sin. The not eating of the tree had to be a law or there could be no sin in the first place.
 
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Basil the Great

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I suppose that one can make the case that God is indirectly responsible for everything, since He created the Universe and all living things, either directly or indirectly through evolution. However, having said that, free will exists for human beings and we cannot blame God when we choose wrong over right, evil over good and all men and women will have to give an account one day for their lives.

A Catholic theologian in the 1968 film, The Shoes of the Fisherman, tried to claim something like the question posed by the OP. It is a good film by the way. I especially recommend it to the OP, if he wants to see this Catholic theologian's explanation of God's responsibility. However, he got in trouble for his views and was silenced by the Church in the film, not just because of his controversial statements, but because he was a personal friend of the Pope, played by Anthony Quinn.
 
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Jonathan Leo

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When God is the author of all that is does that mean he is the one that thought up the concept of sin?

Does it also mean that God causes people to sin without tempting them? Is that even possible?

How can God cause people to sin without being the cause of sin?

Bonus Question: Is it possible that God could be the creator of all without being the cause of all?
In life, I have noticed a certain law in place. I call it the law of opposites. You know that left can’t exist without right, black without white, up without down, out without in, love without hate, light without darkness, and good with evil.
If God created everything and these are common laws to us, then I can only assume that God did indeed create evil. My reason for saying such things could be shown in the garden of Eden. If God created everything, then the tree of knowledge of good and evil was also created by Him. Why else would it be there?
It backs up my point about opposites, Whilst good existed, evil is also there because the two can’t exist without each other.

It Satan and a third of the Angels could rebel against a perfect loving God, then evil, free will, and a Choice to choose had to exist somewhere.
In the garden of Eden, it was our disobedience that led to the fall of man, but that in and of itself doesn’t mean that evil wasn’t there before fall. Same with my point about the Angels.

I asked God lying in bed one night if He was Omniscient, why did you allow Satan to rebel, and man to have choice to obey or not. “That’s your answer”
It was choice. God allowed man to fall in order to have a choice.
You see having free will is one thing, but if in our free will we only know Good, then we wouldn’t fully understand what good actually is.

As we know from the Bible, God had a Saviour before the creation of the earth, man etc etc. It shows why the tree was in the garden and shows God knew man would fall.
In allowing us to see evil, glorifies Gods goodness even more so.
And if you can’t get your head around anything that I said, here’s a scripture,
“His ways are above ours just as high as the heavens are above the earth”
Ask God for wisdom, It’s exactly what He will give and that’s the answer I got that very night I asked Him a very logical question.
I left man fall so that with his free will, he has a choice. Choice can’t exist if it’s one sided.
God Bless
 
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Dave-W

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I needed someone to confirm the idea that sin was humanity's attempt at creating something spiritual. And it is. Humanity's attempt at trying to be God always falls short.
No. God did not create darkness, as it is the absence of light, which He did create.

Similarly, sin, which in the original Hebrew and Greek were archery terms meaning to miss the mark, is the absence of following His will; which He has revealed. It is the darkness, outside of the light of His word.
 
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Doug Melven

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No. God did not create darkness, as it is the absence of light, which He did create.

Similarly, sin, which in the original Hebrew and Greek were archery terms meaning to miss the mark, is the absence of following His will; which He has revealed. It is the darkness, outside of the light of His word.
God and Scripture would disagree with you.

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

I found this verse while researching the word "Create", Hebrew "Bara".
I was thinking that when He said He created darkness, that it would be the Hebrew word "Asah". H6213
Humans can asah, we can't create something out of nothing. Only God can.
If my understanding is wrong, please let me know.
 
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Dave-W

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God and Scripture would disagree with you.

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
That actually is one of the conundrums we run into in trying to understand scripture which was written from a very different mindset and world view than our own.

In our mindset God did NOT create darkness; but in the ancient Hebrew mindset He did by creating light.
 
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Dave-W

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I was thinking that when He said He created darkness, that it would be the Hebrew word "Asah". H6213
No. In that verse it is a form of bara h1254 Uboreh. "And I create." That word is used twice in the verse, both times set over and against asah:


I form (asah) the light and create (uboreh) darkness,
I make (asah) peace and create (uboreh) calamity;
I, the Lord, do (asah) all these things.’
 
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Doug Melven

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No. In that verse it is a form of bara h1254 Uboreh. "And I create." That word is used twice in the verse, both times set over and against asah:


I form (asah) the light and create (uboreh) darkness,
I make (asah) peace and create (uboreh) calamity;
I, the Lord, do (asah) all these things.’
I have always believed that God created the light, and darkness was a side effect.
Then I ran into that verse.
It looks to me like you are saying I was right before I came across Isaiah 45:7?
 
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