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Refuting this question

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Roman Soldier

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Hello everyone,

I have recently converted back to Christianity, and am aware that I will once again have to defend the idea of the Christian God creating life via abiogenesis and evolution.

There is one question which many ask: "Why did God take so long creating the universe? Why spend billions of years creating the universe if He could have done it quickly?"

Besides the standard argument that God's time is different from the human conception of time, I have always felt that the appropriate refutation of this time argument is that God had other purposes with the universe other than creating humans. Those who make the argument above think that humans are the only important aspect of the universe.

The problem I have with my refuation is that it makes humans seem less important than the rest of God's creation.

Anyone understand what I'm saying? Help?
 

Bushido216

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Humans aren't any more or less important, in my opinion, than any other creation. I belief that little part was human influence on Scripture. Ever see Dogma? You'll know what I mean.

Otherwise, simply say that God created the laws of the Universe and created them to interact the way they do, and called it "very good". It's not the product of those laws, but the laws themselves. Which are good.
 
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lucaspa

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Roman Soldier said:
There is one question which many ask: "Why did God take so long creating the universe? Why spend billions of years creating the universe if He could have done it quickly?"

Besides the standard argument that God's time is different from the human conception of time, I have always felt that the appropriate refutation of this time argument is that God had other purposes with the universe other than creating humans. Those who make the argument above think that humans are the only important aspect of the universe.

The problem I have with my refuation is that it makes humans seem less important than the rest of God's creation.

Anyone understand what I'm saying? Help?
Roman, I suggest you read Chapters 6 and 7 of Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth Miller. Since you are going to have to defend the idea of God creating by chemistry (abiogenesis) and evolution anyway, you are going to want to buy that book! :)

By using a materialistic process to create, God ends up with a universe where our lives have meaning. Where we are not puppets with God pulling the strings either firsthand or secondhand. Our decisions shape the future and have real consequences, which is what you have to have for our lives to have meaning.

Why are humans "important"? Let's go back to the Bible for a minute. Remember, Exodus came before Genesis. That is, the Hebrews knew God from the Exodus before they wrote Genesis 1-3. Why are the Hebrews important and special to God? Is it anything inherent in them? NO! They are special and important only because God chooses to regard them as important. Otherwise, they are as stupid, petty, stubborn, and faithless as any humans. C'mon, they witness all the miracles of the Plagues, a pillar of fire, the Parting of the Red Sea, etc, and what do they do the minute Moses' back is turned? Make a false idol! Give me a break. How dumb and faithless can you be? Yet they are the Chosen People. They can only be the Chosen People because God chose to make them the Chosen People.

Same with people. Are we important in and of ourselves? No. We are important only because God chose to regard us as important.
 
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lucaspa

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Captain_Jack_Sparrow said:
Maybe God isn't omnipotent. Maybe he couldn't create it all instantly.
Logically, God can't be omnipotent. I've heard all the handwaving, but I'm still faced with the question: Can God create a rock He can't lift? No matter the answer, God isn't omnipotent.
 
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rmills

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lucaspa said:
Logically, God can't be omnipotent. I've heard all the handwaving, but I'm still faced with the question: Can God create a rock He can't lift? No matter the answer, God isn't omnipotent.

Can you create space and time from the confines of space and time?

How does God create everything and expect us to understand how? If we understood how, would we then be God?

Really Lucaspa, what qualifications are required to be God? Do you have them? Or will you have them?

:confused: ??
 
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Curt

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2 Tim 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Pet 1:20
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2 Sam 14:14
14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
Job 37:24
24 Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.

Reply

Exod 20:10-11
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
(KJV)

This Scripture should erase any doubt in anyones mind about how long it took God to create this earth.
I believe in The Big Bang theory, God spoke and bang it happened.
 
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Biarien

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rmills said:
Can you create space and time from the confines of space and time?

How does God create everything and expect us to understand how? If we understood how, would we then be God?

Really Lucaspa, what qualifications are required to be God? Do you have them? Or will you have them?

:confused: ??

I'm not lucaspa, but I could throw out an answer that may or may not be something he believes.

Just because God is not omnipotent does not mean He is not powerful beyond anything we can imagine. It just means there are certain things even He cannot do.

Understanding is not equal to having the power to do. Understanding a novel is not the same as being able to write one yourself, and understanding science is not the same as being able to create a universe yourself.

And why do you think that if lucaspa believes God is not omnipotent that he thinks he is or will be God? That's quite a stretch, and a fairly offensive one for any Christian.
 
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JohnCJ

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Captain_Jack_Sparrow said:
Maybe God isn't omnipotent. Maybe he couldn't create it all instantly.
In this space-time, time matter and energy must follow the laws of physics (with the exception of miracles). But there is no way to determine wether or not this is the only space-time, so it is safe to say God is omnipotent.
 
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JohnCJ

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Curt said:
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Pet 1:20
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2 Sam 14:14
14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
Job 37:24
24 Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.

Reply

Exod 20:10-11
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
(KJV)

This Scripture should erase any doubt in anyones mind about how long it took God to create this earth.
I believe in The Big Bang theory, God spoke and bang it happened.

God has all time so time is no question.
 
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JohnCJ

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rmills said:
Can you create space and time from the confines of space and time?

Space-time may not be confined to this space-time. There may be other universes with there own kinds of space time.

rmills said:
How does God create everything and expect us to understand how? If we understood how, would we then be God?

I don't believe man will last long enough in physical for anyways for us to understand 'everything'. Even if we did understand this space-time we would still have to understand what is beyond that. I don't thinks he expects us to understand how so it doesn't matter if we do. If he didn't want us to understand the world around us he would have made us unable to think for ourselves. We would be unable to create our universe and even if we could it would still not make us God.

rmills said:
Really Lucaspa, what qualifications are required to be God? Do you have them? Or will you have them?

:confused: ??

Omnipotence seems to be a qualification...
 
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lucaspa

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rmills said:
Can you create space and time from the confines of space and time?
No, but String Theory says you can get spacetime (one thing, not two) from quantum fluctuations.

How does God create everything and expect us to understand how? If we understood how, would we then be God?
1. He expects us to understand how by studying the physical universe.
2. To use Hawking's phrase, when we understand how, we will know the mind of God.

Really Lucaspa, what qualifications are required to be God? Do you have them? Or will you have them?
That gets back to a question I often pose: Just how powerful, knowing, and present does an entity have to be to qualify to be God? Does the entity have to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, or can the entity be less than that?

If you read what is written and not impose your prejudices, you won't be so puzzled. Most of your puzzlement is because you read into what I write things that are not there. For instance, if you had noticed Orange's quotes in the other thread, you would have realized she was asking about the differences between the two forums on ChristianForums that deal with evolution and creationism.
 
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lucaspa

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JohnCJ said:
Omnipotence seems to be a qualification...
Why? Why does God have to be all-powerful? It seems to me that God only has to be powerful enough to create the universe. That's a lot of power, but not necessarily all-powerful.

Back to the question, and I :sleep: await your handwaving: Can God create a rock He cannot lift? Either possible answer has God not being omnipotent.

BTW, data show that, within the universe, God is neither omiscient nor omnipresent.
 
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JohnCJ

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lucaspa said:
Why? Why does God have to be all-powerful? It seems to me that God only has to be powerful enough to create the universe. That's a lot of power, but not necessarily all-powerful.

If this universe is the only thing God created, and science proves some existence out side this space time, then God would have had a creator.
But judeo-christian belief says God is the creator of all.

lucaspa said:
Back to the question, and I :sleep: await your handwaving: Can God create a rock He cannot lift? Either possible answer has God not being omnipotent

yes as he is imnipotent therfore no he could not lift the rock, but he is omnipotent therefore he could not lift the rock

God is omnipotent therefore he is the rock.

lucaspa said:
BTW, data show that, within the universe, God is neither omiscient nor omnipresent.
No data can prove nor disprove God's existance or knowledge in any universe.
The only proof would be one of faith.
 
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lucaspa

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JohnCJ said:
If this universe is the only thing God created, and science proves some existence out side this space time, then God would have had a creator.
Not necessarily. Instead, you simply have a megauniverse and God created the megauniverse. Why would you make the "if" statement above anyway? Why would this universe be the only thing God created?

However, some day Judeo-Christianity is going to have to face the question: where did God come from? Right now it doesn't have to, because since science has not established God exists, that question is premature. Should science establish that God exists, then that is going to be one of the next questions. Saying "God always existed" is simply begging the question. Now, God could have come into existence by "chance", in which case God doesn't have a "creator".

yes as he is imnipotent therfore no he could not lift the rock, but he is omnipotent therefore he could not lift the rock

God is omnipotent therefore he is the rock.
That's some of the worst handwaving I've seen yet. You said the same thing twice. Either God can't create a rock He can't lift, in which case God is not omnipotent, or He can create a rock He can't lift, in which case God is not omnipotent. Either way, there is something God can't do. BTW, that second sentence can't be true. God can't be the creation.

No data can prove nor disprove God's existance or knowledge in any universe. The only proof would be one of faith.
That first statement is one of faith. You can't speak for all data for all time. All you can say is: right now there is no scientific data to either "prove" or disprove the existence of God.

In terms of knowledge, quantum mechanics and the Uncertainty Principle does prove that there are some things God does not and cannot know. Because those things simply cannot be known. By any entity. Now, God may be omniscient outside this universe, but within the universe God's knowledge is definitely limited. Why God chose to create a universe where His knowledge would be limited is a fascinating question. Again I refer you to chapters 6 and 7 in Finding Darwin's God.
 
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JohnCJ

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lucaspa said:
Not necessarily. Instead, you simply have a megauniverse and God created the megauniverse. Why would you make the "if" statement above anyway? Why would this universe be the only thing God created?]
Because you said "It seems to me that God only has to be powerful enough to create the universe," which would would set the parameter for me to refute, if is assuming 1 universe or space time.


lucaspa said:
However, some day Judeo-Christianity is going to have to face the question: where did God come from? Right now it doesn't have to, because since science has not established God exists, that question is premature. Should science establish that God exists, then that is going to be one of the next questions. Saying "God always existed" is simply begging the question. Now, God could have come into existence by "chance", in which case God doesn't have a "creator".?

If God existed outside of the dimension of time thus putting or stretching his existance outside of this space-time then we would not be tied down to our concept of time.

Revelation 1:8
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

He is the beginning he is the end so for him to 'have his hands' in this space time he would have to know everyting always as demonstrated by the simple picture below.

http://everythingforever.com/hawking.htm
RIGHTANG.GIF


lucaspa said:
That's some of the worst handwaving I've seen yet. You said the same thing twice. Either God can't create a rock He can't lift, in which case God is not omnipotent, or He can create a rock He can't lift, in which case God is not omnipotent. Either way, there is something God can't do. BTW, that second sentence can't be true. God can't be the creation.".
No that was the worst logic trap I have ever seen, I was only humoring you.
God can be the creation as he is 'Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. '


lucaspa said:
That first statement is one of faith. You can't speak for all data for all time. All you can say is: right now there is no scientific data to either "prove" or disprove the existence of God.
Well if 'data' is tied to this space-time you can say he cannot be proven, but 'data' tied to all space time would exits but I don't believe 'we' will be able to find it.

lucaspa said:
In terms of knowledge, quantum mechanics and the Uncertainty Principle does prove that there are some things God does not and cannot know. Because those things simply cannot be known. By any entity.
There is no way to define entity in this context unless you make it up, you have no way of knowing what God can and can't know.

lucaspa said:
Now, God may be omniscient outside this universe, but within the universe God's knowledge is definitely limited. Why God chose to create a universe where His knowledge would be limited is a fascinating question. Again I refer you to chapters 6 and 7 in Finding Darwin's God.
Again you have no way of knowing what God can and can't know.

Man is not omniscient in any space time.
Well I refer you to the Bible

Revelation 1:8
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

God is everything and anything accocitated with anything. :clap:
 
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lucaspa

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JohnCJ said:
Because you said "It seems to me that God only has to be powerful enough to create the universe," which would would set the parameter for me to refute, if is assuming 1 universe or space time.
Ah, I see the problem. It's a communication problem.
1. Any other spacetimes right now are pure speculation. There has been absolutely no testing of them. Therefore you can't use them as evidence to refute my statement.
2. "the universe" was a vague term. It simply meant "everthing material that exists". If you look at the guys speculating about alternate spacetimes, they end up calling the entire group of spacetimes "the universe".

So, the question still remains: God has to be powerful enough to create. Why does God have to be omnipotent?

If God existed outside of the dimension of time thus putting or stretching his existance outside of this space-time then we would not be tied down to our concept of time.
I don't see how that matters in this context. We would still be faced with the question of the origin of God, whether that was in our conventional spacetime or not. We are still contemplating a situation where God does not exist, and then does. What you are doing with "outside of time" is still the duck of "God always existed." That's still begging the question.

Revelation 1:8
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

He is the beginning he is the end so for him to 'have his hands' in this space time he would have to know everyting always as demonstrated by the simple picture below.
This is the view Paul gave of God. But it doesn't imply what you say it does. Paul is simply saying that God was here before humans were around and will be here at the end of time. For Paul that meant the Second Coming. Now, God can also, as sustainer of the universe, be "which is to come" without knowing what is to come.

The Hawking use of imaginary time is a condition shortly after the singularity when all 3 space dimensions and time were the same dimension. What you missed is that this makes a universe without a beginning. In Hawking's words, space is finite but unbounded. There is no creation! The article you quoted doesn't have the entire No Boundary Proposal in it. So, to see you trying to use No Boundary to bolster the case for God is very ironic, since Hawking says that No Boundary removes God as Creator. Instead, the universe has no Creator; it just is.

Now, Hawking's No Boundary also has never been tested. What's worse, it doesn't appear that it can be. It will give a universe like we see, but only if you arbitrarily pick the parameters such as imaginary time. Thus there is no way to test No Boundary because it doesn't have any consequences other theories don't.

No that was the worst logic trap I have ever seen, I was only humoring you.
God can be the creation as he is 'Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. '
We are not discussing whether God is the Creator. We are discussing whether God is omnipotent. Please try to stay on topic. The question shows that logically, God can't be omnipotent. Now, does that matter?

Well if 'data' is tied to this space-time you can say he cannot be proven,
You can't even say it about this spacetime. If we can find a way around Methodological Materialism, we can test directly. Or, if we can propose a method that only God can use and then find the method, we may still be able to make the conclusion.
but 'data' tied to all space time would exits but I don't believe 'we' will be able to find it.
How does having more spacetimes "prove" the existence of God? Why would God be required to get those spacetimes. The current speculations on the origin of those spacetimes don't include God.

There is no way to define entity in this context unless you make it up, you have no way of knowing what God can and can't know.
You go at it from the other end. Can the exact position and momentum of an electron be known at the same time? NO! The information can't be known. In a group of 100 C14 atoms, can it be known which atom will decay next? NO! It can't be known. In a stream of photons hitting a mirror, 95% get reflected and 5% pass thru. Can it be known which photons will go thru? NO! Quantum mechanics don't match our common sense, but the data and math is very clear. The information simply can't be known.

This then leads to the next question, which is theological: why would God created a universe such that He can't know the future of that universe in detail? That's where the fun really is, not arguing against data that is inarguable.

Well I refer you to the Bible

Revelation 1:8
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
This doesn't say God is omniscient, just that He was around at the beginning of the universe and will be there at the ending.

God is everything and anything accocitated with anything. :clap:
Be careful here. You just left Christianity and became panentheistic. God is not "everything". God is separate from His Creation.
 
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