Why did God create us?

[Marek]

I was curious as to what your opinions are concerning God's reasoning when He created the universe. Was He lonely? Did He want to share His goodness with other rational beings? What is the "accepted" answer to this?

An extended response to this question would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Nathan David]

Amusement. "Shake them up and see if they'll fight."

Really, I have no idea. If there is a god, his motivations are mysterious to us.

 

[lucaspa]

I have no idea what the motivation was. I do know the universe is set up so that our lives have meaning. That our choices can and do influence the future.

I can tell you what the motivation was not. It was not to have slaves and playthings or worship.

 

[Phred]

Just once I'd like to see the question phrased as, "IF God created us". Because there certainly is doubt, no matter what your faith.

 

[Marek]

Just once I'd like to see the question phrased as, "IF God created us". Because there certainly is doubt, no matter what your faith.

Sorry - I guess I was relating the question to those that do believe that God created the universe. I figured that those who do hold this belief would have some sort of opinion on the subject, while those that do not would probably not spend much time thinking about it. The question itself was not meant to imply that God even exists. Sorry for the misunderstanding...

 

[lucaspa]

Just once I'd like to see the question phrased as, "IF God created us". Because there certainly is doubt, no matter what your faith.

Yeah, but that doesn't lead to the question. For the purposes of any discussion, there are underlying assumptions you agree to. You recognize that they are there, but provisionally accept them to answer the question. If the answers start becoming absurd or inconsistent, then that can lead you back to questioning the assumption.

IMHO, Marek did just fine. The OP indicated that God creating the universe was a necessary assumption for the discussion.

Unfortunately, we are not giving Marek "extended responses" because we simply don't know and aren't willing to put out a lot of unsubstantiated speculation.

 

[Lonnie]

Well, God said he created us in his image(some where in the bible). I dont think he got lonely. But it would intertain me if I was able to create a whole universe, and laugh at people. And see what they do, and have some of em be your friend, and make them happy.

And creating funny laws like physics, sound, time, and gravity, light, and anythings else too would be fun(atleast for me)

I dont know. I just posted an Idea.

Later

 

[HeatherJay]

Revelation 4:11 (KJV)

Thou art worthy, O Lord,to recieve glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.

If you're looking for a Biblical answer to your question, this is about as good as it gets.

Love, Heather

 

[Marek]

Revelation 4:11 (KJV)

Thou art worthy, O Lord,to recieve glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.

If you're looking for a Biblical answer to your question, this is about as good as it gets.

Love, Heather

Thanks for that. It still kind of makes you wonder why creating us would bring Him pleasure...
I suppose that there are various ways to interpret that thought.

 

[HeatherJay]

Thanks for that. It still kind of makes you wonder why creating us would bring Him pleasure...
I suppose that there are various ways to interpret that thought.

You're welcome. And you're right, there are endless ways for one to speculate on WHY we're so pleasing to God. The Greek word for pleasure in that verse (thelema) means several thing...pleasure, desire, will. So it could be that we just make Him happy. Maybe just because He wanted to. Maybe just because He could do it. Who knows? God's thoughts are not our thoughts.

Oh, and welcome to CF, Marek


Love, Heather

 

[wonder111]

really, we are not that bright, even the most intelligent person in this world wouldn't be able to figure that out. I can't create a human being, the incredible way that our bodies are designed is so complex, we can't even understand how all the parts work.

I'm in awe everyday, whenever I see anything of creation, the sun, the ocean, people, insects, plants everything is perfectly designed. Unfortunately, many of us have abused our free will and messed with this design and still are, is that part of the plan? only God knows.

 

[revolutio]

Maybe God couldn't figure out the meaning of his existence and created us to help aid in his search.

 

[Mike Flynn]

Why did God create?

One way to look at this question is to think about why humans create. The Bible says that we are made in God's image. I believe this means, in part, that like Him (although in a much smaller way) we are creative beings. (I believe that it has nothing to do with physical appearance, BTW.)

Like God, there are two ways for us to create:

1. Procreate: This is the one we share with all other organisms. We reproduce offspring that are the same kind as the parents (so to speak). As a parent I can tell you (while the frustrating times are plentiful), I did not really know what 'love' means (in the Biblical sense) until I looked on my kids for the first time. For God, his 'procreation' is Jesus (please don't think I am implying that this has anything to do with a virgin birth). What I mean is that Jesus is somehow the same 'kind' as God...We are not. So we get a glimmer of the love between God and Jesus in the love shared between a good father and his son.

2. Create: Music, language, art, dance, literature, technology, math, ... The list goes on and on. That is what we are relative to God: a created thing. The 'life' that we have is not real life (compared to God's existence) any more than a painting that we make is really alive in the physical sense. Why do we create all of the things that we do? I'm not really sure. But I believe we get a glimmer of why God creates when we answer that question.


Just a thought...

 

[Sinai]

Judging from the number of times the Bible tells us that God desires our worship and our fellowship, it appears to me that those qualities may be a large part of the motivation.

God created us with sufficient curiousity to wonder about life and its meanings--as well as how this amazing universe came into being. And we were given sufficient mental and intellectual abilities to search for answers, and temporary physical bodies that are able to make and manipulate tools to assist us in our quests. The Bible indicates that God has intervened in human affairs enough to let us know something of Him--but that He gave us a free will so that we could choose to either accept or reject Him.

 

[Mike Flynn]

Judging from the number of times the Bible tells us that God desires our worship and our fellowship, it appears to me that those qualities may be a large part of the motivation.

God created us with sufficient curiousity to wonder about life and its meanings--as well as how this amazing universe came into being. And we were given sufficient mental and intellectual abilities to search for answers, and temporary physical bodies that are able to make and manipulate tools to assist us in our quests. The Bible indicates that God has intervened in human affairs enough to let us know something of Him--but that He gave us a free will so that we could choose to either accept or reject Him.

Yes...but its more than that. If we do worship him...and 'accept' Him as you put it. Then something quite remarkable happens: We become like Jesus. And this is no small thing. We are God's creation...like a statue is a human creation. While a statue has qualities that resemble a living thing, it does not live. We are like that compared to Christ. Christ is a real living thing just as God has real life. We do not have life of this kind (the biological one is just a pale 'image' of the real thing).

When we accept Him, we change from something that does not have real life into something that does. Its as if a statue suddenly comes to life. IOW we get changed from a created thing into a real living being.

Perhaps this is also part of God's motivations.

 

[ElectricStorm]

I don't have all the answers, sometimes my posts seem that way but we've got to put two and two together guys.

God created us giving each one of a task in life, it's our duty to fullfill what we have been given. Whenever I'm having a hard time I usually end up telling myself that life is just a huge test in which we are given. Then once the test is over God tests us, he goes over all of our life, all our past, imagin it? God created us in his image, he created us with brains he's given us the choice of using them the way we should. There are tons of people who have abused everything they've been given... And it sucks, the best we can do is pray for them and let time and faith take it's place. It's God's place to step in and if it's writen, these people will come to Christ, if it's written they won't, then they won't.

I'm in awe everyday, whenever I see anything of creation, the sun, the ocean, people, insects, plants everything is perfectly designed. Unfortunately, many of us have abused our free will and messed with this design and still are, is that part of the plan?

It's happening, which means it is.

 

[Crusader]

Revelation 4:11 (KJV)

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.


If you gave me one word to answer this, I would have to say , “RELATIONSHIP”.

First, our relationship with god would be most important I would think and then the way we have related to others in our lives next.

When it comes time to die and if we are fortunate to remeniss over our lives before we die, what would be important?? I would say, our relationships would be all that is important in that hour. That is the hour when the dust settles (literally ) all we would think about are those we haven’t treated right or those we have loved or our faithfulness to god and all this would come down to one word, “RELATIONSHIPS” that is the meaning of life for me.

 

[LorentzHA]

I have never bought the lonliness argument. A perfect being would not feel lonely, he would, "just exist". The other thing about that is if he was lonley would he not want us with him now instead of, "hoping we find him one day"???

I do not know why God created us? My opinion is that we are but a tiny part of his creation, not the main attraction.

 

[revolutio]

I do not know why God created us? My opinion is that we are but a tiny part of his creation, not the main attraction.

Yeah Monty Python takes main stage.

I just like Voltaire's take on God, which I find very pleasing:
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh."

 

[djns9437]

I was curious as to what your opinions are concerning God's reasoning when He created the universe. Was He lonely? Did He want to share His goodness with other rational beings? What is the "accepted" answer to this?

An extended response to this question would be greatly appreciated!

Why ask why?