Questions With No Legitimate Answer..

[shaseeksgod]

I used to be a Christian, meaning that at one time, I trusted the Bible 100%, never questioned it, went to church, got baptized, and accepted Christ. There was even a time where I threw all of my secular music cds in the trash. However, I backslid all the way back and I became a spiritualist. I never stopped having the fear of hell since I was brought up a Christian, but I couldn't understand what excuse God could have for certain things.

I fear hell, but that is not why I seek God, nor is that the reason that I am here. I believe that if you simply seek God because you are afraid of hell, being a Christian isn't that much sincere. The reason I want to find God is because I want to know him. I have a desire to know the being behind all of these creations and I also have a couple of questions for him. Another reason I am seeking God is because IF God is 100% good, I want to befriend him. I want a close relationship with him because he is my creator and he would be nice.

However, there are these things that stand between me and God. People say God is not the author of confusion and that all of the answers are in the Bible, yet when I question God, I am told that I shouldn't. There are a billion things I need to go over, but I don't want to be long winded. I just wish my mind could be changed, so that I ca feel like I know and love God. I don't want to be angry at God, but I get angry at him sometimes for sitting on the sidelines too much.

So, I will list my issues with God of the Bible and just God in general.

1.) The story of Adam and Eve: We all understand that God is God, right? He can do whatever he wants to do, he knows all things, and Christians believes he's perfect. We know God gives us free will, speaking from a Christian perspective. Adam and Eve were perfect before they ate from the tree, right? They did not know the difference between good and evil because they did not no any evil, right? God didn't want them to know evil. So, if God did not teach Adam and Eve about evil, then why did he punish them when they disobeyed his rules? That's like never teaching your child to never touch a hot stove, and when they do it, you spank them. If Adam and Eve had no idea what evil was, then how were they punished for something they didn't know they did until AFTER they did it? That makes no sense to me. To top that off, if God had knowledge and the snake had knowledge, then what the heck was the tree doing in the Garden of Eden in the first place? Who was that tree for and why did God place it there? Most people told me, to give Adam and Eve a choice or because God was testing them. Why would God give them the choice if he never intended for them to know evil in the first place? Why would God place the tree there to test him if he is all knowing or if he did not want them to know any evil? The tree was pointless in my opinion and it seemed like God put it there to test them. It's almost as if God's plan was for mankind to fall and need salvation and for this reason, it is just ludicrous to me to love and trust a God that appears to to be the arsonist and the firefighter. So in the end, if my child didn't know that it was wrong to hit someone and he hit someone, and I spanked him, that would not be legitimate on my part.

Secondly, Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden because they were like God and Satan, knowing the difference between good and evil. If knowing the difference between good and evil was prohibited there, then why did God allow the snake to roam the garden? Its almost as if he puts Satan, or whatever demon the snake was , above mankind.

Another problem I have with the story of Adam and Eve, was that
if God wanted Adam and Eve to have "free will" - then why were they made perfect? The theory/motto was that God basically did not want them to know the difference between good and evil, which means he only wanted them to be good, meaning they don't really have a choice because they were made perfect and in God's likeness. So why did God put that tree there then, if he truly did not want humans to know the difference between good and evil?

The problem I have with God here, is that it seems like humans were made for his entertainment. Throughout the Bible, he pokes at humans and lets Satan poke at them too. It almost starts to look like an ego battle between God and Satan. ( Ex:I bet I can do this better than you, or I bet he will obey me. )

Look at Job for instance. God knew how faithful Job was and he knew Job would remain a Godly man. I understand Satan accused Job, but if God is all knowing and already knew that Job surely would stay by him no matter what, then why did God feel the need to prove himself to Satan? I thought Satan was just some evil being who couldn't measure up to God. So why is God trying to prove himself to such an evil character that is so beneath him? Logically speaking, God did not have to put Job through all of that mess. It was unnecessary in my opinion since God is all knowing and Satan is nowhere near close to God. Again, it looks like God's ego is getting in the way.

Another thing, I have to tackle. Jesus Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have an everlasting life. I find many problems with this and it goes all the way back to Adam and Eve.

Again, God could have created the world any way he chose to do so since he is God. He is all knowing meaning he knows our thoughts, the future, the beginning, everything. The whole enchilada. This can even go all the way back to the fall of Lucifer. God must have created the angels according to Christian beliefs, right? Well, God created angels and since he is all knowing, he knew one would rebel and later get mankind to fall. Even though God knew this was coming while in the process of creating Satan, he continued to make him anyways. Again, where is the logic?

That's like me going to pick up a wasp and I know it's going to sting me and cause me to die and because I know I'm alergic to wasps, I know it will kill me and cause my family a great deal of pain, but even though I know these things, I will go and do it anyways.

That's exactly how I view God. He knew Satan would rebel before he even created Lucifer. It's not about free will, it's about knowledge. Why would God create a being he knew in the future would fall? Why couldn't he just have created an angel that was going to choose not to fall. Notice I didn't say create a creature that could not, but one that would choose not to go that route. Instead he continued to create Satan which eventually led to the fall of man, and because of the fall of man, now Jesus has to come and die on the cross, so brutally to save mankind from eternal damnation.

And if that's not baffling enough, Jesus Christ IS God. He is part of the God head. So basically, God started a drama by creating beings he knew ahead of time would mess up, and then sent a part of himself, his son out into the world to suffer for our sins?

It makes it look like Jesus died on the cross for God's mistake in the way beginning before Lucifer was even Lucifer. This makes me think that Jesus' suffering on the cross for us was God's way of saying sorry in a sense. I don't know that's beside the point.

My point is, it is super hard for me to accept Christianity because of these things I named. God is God and could have chosen to do anything and everything he wanted and out of all things, he chose this.

And when I ask questions about it that nobody can answer, they say don't question God. Why ? Because he created me? You are only going on faith, but you don't have ANY proof that God of the Bible in particular is 100% good. And I feel like excuses are made up for God to the point where Christians make it impossible to disagree with Christianity.

If I had a baby, then killed the baby because it disobeyed me, I would get thrown in jail. However, I have proof that I created this baby through intercourse. So why on the Earth does God get a free pass when he does stuff like that? We cry out to God and sometimes he does nothing. He might not do anything at all. Yet, if I saw someone starving in the street and ignored them and let them die, I would be scolded for it.

I hold God up to the standards I hold normal people up to because it's logical. God's thoughts are not are thoughts, clearly, but my goodness! You would think there would be no holes in this story if it were really God.

I've come to the conclusion that maybe God is not perfect, but I'm still seeking because I want to know. I'm lost. I'm not anywhere. I kind of think I'm a Deist, but that's not set in stone...

And those are only a few reasons why I feel the way I do..

 

[aiki]

1.) The story of Adam and Eve: We all understand that God is God, right? He can do whatever he wants to do, he knows all things, and Christians believes he's perfect. We know God gives us free will, speaking from a Christian perspective. Adam and Eve were perfect before they ate from the tree, right?

THey were morally innocent rather than morally perfect. That is, they had no concept of right and wrong. This is what eating of the Forbidden Fruit gave to them.

They did not know the difference between good and evil because they did not no any evil, right?

An animal has no understanding of right and wrong; they are, therefore, morally innocent although they do things that, were a human to do them, would be regarded as heinously evil. I'm not saying Adam and Eve did things prior to the Fall that were morally evil, only that speaking of them as being morally perfect implies that they had an awareness of moral distinctions that they didn't actually possess.

God didn't want them to know evil. So, if God did not teach Adam and Eve about evil, then why did he punish them when they disobeyed his rules? That's like never teaching your child to never touch a hot stove, and when they do it, you spank them.

Adam and Eve knew at least that they should obey their Maker. God would not have given them commands to follow if they were incapable of doing so. Your analogy to the hot stove situation isn't, therefore, a good one. God told Adam and Eve not to "touch the stove" and warned them of dire consequences should they do so. THey knew better than to do what they did.

If Adam and Eve had no idea what evil was, then how were they punished for something they didn't know they did until AFTER they did it? That makes no sense to me.

They did know that they should obey their Maker. It wasn't necessary for them to understand that disobeying God would be evil to know that obeying Him was in their best interests. He had given them Eden and each other and walked and talked with them often. God had seen to all their needs and placed them in a verdant paradise. He could be trusted, then, when He told them that they should not touch the Forbidden Fruit, to be looking out for their best interests. THus Adam and Eve understood what they ought to have done even though they had no knowledge of the difference between good and evil.

To top that off, if God had knowledge and the snake had knowledge, then what the heck was the tree doing in the Garden of Eden in the first place? Who was that tree for and why did God place it there? Most people told me, to give Adam and Eve a choice or because God was testing them. Why would God give them the choice if he never intended for them to know evil in the first place?

The tree was there so that Adam and Eve were not prisoners to God's will. God wanted their love, trust, and obedience freely given. Placing them in a circumstance where they had no inducement or opportunity to do otherwise would have made them essentially prisoners (albeit happy ones), without the freedom to actually choose to obey their Maker.

Why is the opportunity to choose so important? It is important because this freedom to choose is fundamental to genuinely loving God. And it is, above all, our love that He desire from us.

It's almost as if God's plan was for mankind to fall and need salvation and for this reason, it is just ludicrous to me to love and trust a God that appears to to be the arsonist and the firefighter.

Certainly, God in His omniscience knew what Adam and Eve would choose to do. But knowing what they would do and causing it to happen are not the same thing. I know when my cat licks itself it will eventually have to cough up a hairball. Does this mean I caused my cat's hairball? Obviously not.

It is easy to forget that we are not the center of the universe, God is. All of creation is about God, not us. If God did create a situation in which He could display His justice, holiness, mercy, grace and love, though doing so meant hardship and pain for us, well, God would be perfectly within His rights to do so. It's His universe, after all.

Secondly, Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden because they were like God and Satan, knowing the difference between good and evil.

No, they were ejected from Eden because, having every reason not to do so, they still disobeyed God's command. God did not punish them for gaining forbidden knowledge but for failing to trust Him and follow His will. Remember, we aren't talking about a referee in a hockey game who merely enforces the rules, but the Almighty Creator of the Universe. If for no other reason than the simple fact of who God is, Adam and Eve ought to have obeyed Him.

Another problem I have with the story of Adam and Eve, was that
if God wanted Adam and Eve to have "free will" - then why were they made perfect?

See above.

The theory/motto was that God basically did not want them to know the difference between good and evil, which means he only wanted them to be good, meaning they don't really have a choice because they were made perfect and in God's likeness. So why did God put that tree there then, if he truly did not want humans to know the difference between good and evil?

See above.

The problem I have with God here, is that it seems like humans were made for his entertainment. Throughout the Bible, he pokes at humans and lets Satan poke at them too. It almost starts to look like an ego battle between God and Satan. ( Ex:I bet I can do this better than you, or I bet he will obey me. )

This is where people commonly have a problem with God: God's absolute right to do as He pleases with what He has made. We humans have this idea that God is obliged to do exactly as we think He should at all times. We forget that we are all utterly and completely dependent upon Him for our existence. We continue to be solely because He wills it. On a level unknown to us as created beings, God possesses us and has total sovereignty over us. Whether we like what He does with us or not, God really is free to do whatever He wishes with us. So, if He wants to play out the Story of Redemption through us, if He wants to use us ultimately only as witnesses to His glory, power and holy character, He has perfect right to do so. This is, in part, what it means to be God.

Look at Job for instance. God knew how faithful Job was and he knew Job would remain a Godly man. I understand Satan accused Job, but if God is all knowing and already knew that Job surely would stay by him no matter what, then why did God feel the need to prove himself to Satan?

But you and I eons after the story occurred are instructed by what happened. Was God unaware that this would be so? Of course not. Perhaps, then, God was using Job's situation as an opportunity to teach later generations some important things about His Sovereignty. Certainly, God's response to Job near the end of the story speaks very clearly to the matter of God's right to do as He pleases with what He has made and the enormous difference that there is between God and us. This seems to me to be the real purpose of Job's testing, not merely proving to Satan that Job was the righteous man God knew he was.

I thought Satan was just some evil being who couldn't measure up to God.

Not exactly. He was an angel who, lifted up in pride, challenged God and was cast from heaven.

So why is God trying to prove himself to such an evil character that is so beneath him?

See above.

Logically speaking, God did not have to put Job through all of that mess. It was unnecessary in my opinion since God is all knowing and Satan is nowhere near close to God. Again, it looks like God's ego is getting in the way.

This is an interesting criticism to level against God. It speaks to how small, how much like a human, you've made God in your thinking. The Bible, however, makes it very clear that God is far more unlike us, than like us. He is not susceptible to fits of ego or arrogance as we are.

God must have created the angels according to Christian beliefs, right?

I don't know quite what you mean here...Christian beliefs did not exist when God created the angels.

Well, God created angels and since he is all knowing, he knew one would rebel and later get mankind to fall. Even though God knew this was coming while in the process of creating Satan, he continued to make him anyways. Again, where is the logic?

That's like me going to pick up a wasp and I know it's going to sting me and cause me to die and because I know I'm alergic to wasps, I know it will kill me and cause my family a great deal of pain, but even though I know these things, I will go and do it anyways.

Are there only negative things that have arisen from of the Fall of humanity? I don't think so. God has been able, through the events that have transpired since Eden, to show us His holiness, justice, purity, love, grace, mercy and faithfulness. The Story of Redemption that is at the heart of Scripture, has been a showcase of God's divine attributes and character. All that has happened from the fall of Satan from heaven, to the cross of Calvary, to the eventual return of Christ to earth has been about displaying who God is.

Instead he continued to create Satan which eventually led to the fall of man, and because of the fall of man, now Jesus has to come and die on the cross, so brutally to save mankind from eternal damnation.

And in so doing reveal the incredible depths of love and grace God has toward us. WHat greater revelation of God's awesome love could there be than the love He displayed through Christ on the cross?

And when I ask questions about it that nobody can answer, they say don't question God. Why ? Because he created me?

You are certainly free to ask questions but when the answers aren't forthcoming why should you default to a negative opinion of your Maker? Why are you so quick to construe things in a negative way rather than giving God the benefit of the doubt? Doing so seems to indicate that you have a very serious prejudice against Him that will inevitably cloud your ability to judge what He is doing fairly.

If I had a baby, then killed the baby because it disobeyed me, I would get thrown in jail. However, I have proof that I created this baby through intercourse. So why on the Earth does God get a free pass when he does stuff like that?

My dear, you are drawing a very poor parallel between yourself and God here. You don't create life as God does. In fact, were it not for God, you would be unable to give birth at all. You don't have any control over the sex of your child, or its appearance, or even if you will get pregnant. God, on the other hand, has total control over all these things. You did not bring into existence the materials that are necessary to create human life; you did not establish the biological processes whereby a new human being is formed. These things are God's domain. Thus, the comparison you're trying to make between yourself and God just doesn't work. God gives life and as a result He is free also to take it. In this God is unique.

We cry out to God and sometimes he does nothing.

And at other times He acts to help us.

He might not do anything at all. Yet, if I saw someone starving in the street and ignored them and let them die, I would be scolded for it.

Do you know all that God has done for the person starving on the street before you saw them? How do you know that God has not acted often to help the starving person? Perhaps God wants to help that person through you. Trying to judge God from your limited, finite position is not a good idea.

Selah.

 

[RCF]

shaseeksgod,

I am glad you came here. You have some heavy things on your mind. You are not alone in your questions, though. Many of us have struggled with similar, if not the exact same topics you have brought up.

Now, since I am not God, I can't really answere questions from his perspective. However, I have come to understand a few things about God that may be of assistance.

God made a choice. He decided to create. Due to his choice, I am here. I have the gift of free will. I make decisions that have consequences, good and bad.

At some point in Gods existance, God set out to create everything. He did know that His idea could lead to eternal happiness, without sin. But he would be little more than a pet owner if we were not given the ability to make rational decisions for out selves.

It is hard to understand not knowing sin, but knowing of it. I suppose it is kind of like death. We know we will all die one day, but we don't really know death untill we die. We live our lives getting close to death, sometimes intentionally (adrenaline junkies), and as we continuously flaunt death, life can seem to be less of a gift and more of a mundane task (Without direction). Eventually, Adam and Eve, with a little satanic inspiration, went to far. And they were punished, but not obliterated.

As a result, I am here. Yes, I have the task of walking in the light, but I do see where the lighted pathway is, thanks to biblical teachings. And I have suffered greatly, as you have, because God threw us out of an earthly paradise. But, and there is always a but, I would not truly know of love and compassion if I didn't understand the concepts of hate and indiference. I have succeded and failed, loved and lost love. I have held two children in my hands that God created through me and my wife, moments after their births and cried. I watch them grow, wanting to make the decisions for them, but I can't. I talk with them, teach them, provide for them, put them before myself, and love them in a way that is honestly impossible to describe. Everything that I do for them, only gives them a foundation to grow from. As they mature into adulthood, I want them to make good decisions, but the choice eventually, inevitably, will be theirs. If by some chance I could control their actions, forever, they would cease to be themselves. They would be drones instead of the incredible individuals I see developing before my eyes. Guess what, they get in trouble and I have to discipline them. They make me happier than anyone else in the world and can make me more upsete than anyone else. Why upset? Because I know them better than anyone else, and I know that they know better. At least most of the time.

I am thankful for what I have. I don't know what may have been if not for what hapened in Eden, but I know that the most important gift, then and now is love.

I think it was love that caused God to create, and He gives us the chance to experience it fully. Jesus' teachings continuously encourage love: love of family, neighbors, church, enemy, yourself, etc. The list could go on.

I need prayer, biblical reading, family, social structure(fellowship with christians), all things described in the new testament, to keep love going like I should. When I am suffering, these things help renew me.

How sinister would a being be if he had the ability to create life as we know it, but simply wouldn't so that he could escape the baggage of loving: caring, and the pains associated with it. He knew it would be hard. He knew it would cause Him sadness. In spite of the negatives, He made me. I have a chance of eternal love, happiness, surrounded in holiness, thanks to His love.

Thanks for letting me ramble. shaseeksgod, you are in my prayers tonight, thanks to Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. I know you are struggling, but press on. Find the answers you are looking for. That is God's mission for you.

In brotherly love,

RCF