Why did God do this to us?

[kopilo]

Theres not much boredom among my friends, who are mostly of the same ethnic background. People would have gradually moved further and further away, space would not be an issue. His plan includes making our lives worse.

I'm sure you have wonderful friends, however most of mine I speak with electronically because well, the majority are all over the world due to travelling away.

Yes people may have traveled but I doubt different cultures would have developed, just take a look at the way england operated to create the commonwealth.
Not adapting to the land, but rather trying to transplant theirs.

 

[kopilo]

The questionableness of God's action is further compounded when you consider that God is supposedly omniscient. Why did He give everyone the same language in the first place? Especially since he would have forseen this would happen. Was this just another of God's "tests" of mankind to see how far we would go? (Again, even though he already knows the outcome?)

Just another of the OT myths which illustrates the incoherent and illogical nature of the biblical God.

Some of us do not believe God exists in our linear time frame because God is eternal, we are only experiencing God's decisions linearly because that's how our world is, that's what we can cope with.

 

[ChristianCenturion]

[GENESIS 11]

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's {let US} make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth



The way I see it, humans were progressing very well. We built ourselves a nice city, spoke the same language and had a tower. Then God comes along, makes us speak different languages and scatters us across the earth all because we were doing well and had a nice city? Isn't that really, really immoral?

Why?
Because of their pride.

God gave them the blessings of speech, intelligence, even their lives and they attribute the glory to themselves and boasted of further plans as to what they will do next (on their own and for their selves).

God simply removed SOME of His given blessings in a kind of "OK boys, you want to credit yourselves, try it with a little of that being actually true."

 

[relaxeus]

Why?
Because of their pride.

God gave them the blessings of speech, intelligence, even their lives and they attribute the glory to themselves and boasted of further plans as to what they will do next (on their own and for their selves).

Maybe, like many people, they lost faith in an idle god that doesn't help them at all. They did pretty well for themselves, considering how hard life was back then. They made a lot of progress and built a city to unite the people in one location. That doesnt sound so bad to me. Then god interferes by making us speak different languages and scattering us all over the place. Not a very positive interference.
I don't find pride to be reason enough to justify for such a reaction by God.

God simply removed SOME of His given blessings in a kind of "OK boys, you want to credit yourselves, try it with a little of that being actually true."

Communication is a barrier that has been broken now, and the human race is progressing very well. We tried it and we managed. I really hope god doesnt come to bring more pain and destruction upon us just because we are doing well. Maybe he learned from his mistakes though. Since Jesus it seems that god hasn't done us any harm. I havn't heard of any, atleast.

 

[ChristianCenturion]

Maybe, like many people, they lost faith in an idle god that doesn't help them at all. They did pretty well for themselves, considering how hard life was back then. They made a lot of progress and built a city to unite the people in one location. That doesnt sound so bad to me. Then god interferes by making us speak different languages and scattering us all over the place. Not a very positive interference.
I don't find pride to be reason enough to justify for such a reaction by God.

Of course that would be the result.
Your own words echo them. They did, they made, I, only to follow with a judgment of God.

Communication is a barrier that has been broken now, and the human race is progressing very well. We tried it and we managed. I really hope god doesnt come to bring more pain and destruction upon us just because we are doing well. Maybe he learned from his mistakes though. Since Jesus it seems that god hasn't done us any harm. I havn't heard of any, atleast.

It would seem that the lesson doesn't get learned by all and repeat is inevitable. Nothing new under the sun.

Try reading Revelation, you will find the same arrogance (we currently see building) repeated, but God's longsuffering has a perfect limit.

I don't demand that you accept the answer given to the OP, but know that someone is telling you that it was answered.

I did think it was a good question and common; how else do you think I had an answer? Guessing? No, not guessing.

There is more in that portion of scripture, but if the easier stuff isn't received, the harder stuff has less of a chance.

 

[relaxeus]

Try reading Revelation, you will find the same arrogance (we currently see building) repeated, but God's longsuffering has a perfect limit.

And once that limit is reached, according to revelation, he will let loose a multitude of disasters and diseases and chaos upon us. You know, if god is so powerful, why doesn't he convert some of that power into something positive for a change? Why doesn't he help bring peace to regions torn by war? Why doesn't he find cures for diseases? Help us bring hunger to an end? It seems that so often when god decides to step into the picture, he just causes pain and suffereing to us, and to what end?

 

[ChristianCenturion]

And once that limit is reached, according to revelation, he will let loose a multitude of disasters and diseases and chaos upon us. You know, if god is so powerful, why doesn't he convert some of that power into something positive for a change?

He does.
But since looking at the world around us seems to be done on such a limited scale, why don't we look at a specific.
When Jesus Christ performed a miracle, did all the people believe?
Now look at how many miracles He did in plain sight?
Was that enough? Sure, enough to get Him crucified.

How about Moses and acting as an instrument in delivering the Hebrews out of Egypt.
After parting the Sea, blocking Pharo, etc. how long was it before the people started to turn away from God and corrupt themselves?
And so on...

Why doesn't he help bring peace to regions torn by war?

For how long?
And who would be the ones bringing about that war?
No, bad solution and one where God is the little Genie dancing for man's entertainment.

Why doesn't he find cures for diseases?

Spoken as not being grateful for each and every cure we have now. Proof positive that it wouldn't be enough.

Help us bring hunger to an end?

You may not understand this, but the trials of this life and even death are of little issue for someone that looks forward to eternity with the loving Father. Some are grateful for what we have, even in hunger.

It seems that so often when god decides to step into the picture, he just causes pain and suffereing to us, and to what end?

Perhaps a wake up call that we are in need of Him, perhaps granting our wishes. Too general to answer and irrelevant in the end.
I'm sure my children consider me in a bad way when I push them to grow or discipline them.
I still love them though and I do those things for their benefit. How much more a perfect Father?

 

[kopilo]

Maybe, like many people, they lost faith in an idle god that doesn't help them at all. They did pretty well for themselves, considering how hard life was back then. They made a lot of progress and built a city to unite the people in one location. That doesnt sound so bad to me. Then god interferes by making us speak different languages and scattering us all over the place. Not a very positive interference.
I don't find pride to be reason enough to justify for such a reaction by God.

This reminds me of a science vs religion joke.

A scientist said to God I can do whatever you do, we have developed technologies and methods which allow us to create anything you can.

So God picked up some earth and turned it into a dove.
The scientist bent down and picked up some dirt.
God said: No, Get your own dirt.

 

[kopilo]

And once that limit is reached, according to revelation, he will let loose a multitude of disasters and diseases and chaos upon us. You know, if god is so powerful, why doesn't he convert some of that power into something positive for a change? Why doesn't he help bring peace to regions torn by war? Why doesn't he find cures for diseases? Help us bring hunger to an end? It seems that so often when god decides to step into the picture, he just causes pain and suffereing to us, and to what end?

You are asking why doesn't the creator make us more dependant on Him.

Try reading the new testament, it's got something called the good news for a reason.

 

[relaxeus]

When Jesus Christ performed a miracle, did all the people believe?
Now look at how many miracles He did in plain sight?
Was that enough? Sure, enough to get Him crucified.

Jesus did a lot of wonderful things, but they didn't solve our problems. Spiritually, I can't think of a better gift. But what about materially? God doesn't help. He lets us handle these things ourselves and look at how many regions in the world can't handle that? Look at how unwilling the richer parts of the world are to give them the things they need. Our people could use some help from God, perhaps to set up a permanent administrative center, perhaps to change the people in charge in the richer countries to start spreading the wealth around. God can do it, can't he? Why won't he?

And who would be the ones bringing about that war?

He didn't help much by making us speak different languages and scatterning us across the world creating a situation ripe for conflict.

No, bad solution and one where God is the little Genie dancing for man's entertainment.

God needs to implement some permanent changes, and not work with spiritual changes anymore. He's accomplished that already. We need his help materially and he needs to use some force to back up his program so we don't say, "Big deal, God? He's not gonna do anything about it."

Spoken as not being grateful for each and every cure we have now.

Im very grateful for the cures we have.

You may not understand this, but the trials of this life and even death are of little issue for someone that looks forward to eternity with the loving Father. Some are grateful for what we have, even in hunger.

Faith is an incredible thing.

I'm sure my children consider me in a bad way when I push them to grow or discipline them.
I still love them though and I do those things for their benefit. How much more a perfect Father?

You discipline your children. Why doesn't God discipline us? Doesn't sound like a good father to me. He just lets us throw toys around and make a mess of our room and doesn't do anything about it.

 

[relaxeus]

This reminds me of a science vs religion joke.

A scientist said to God I can do whatever you do, we have developed technologies and methods which allow us to create anything you can.

So God picked up some earth and turned it into a dove.
The scientist bent down and picked up some dirt.
God said: No, Get your own dirt.

Perhaps in the future we will be advanced enough to create our own dirt . If God can do it, I don't see why no one else could.

 

[relaxeus]

You are asking why doesn't the creator make us more dependant on Him.

Try reading the new testament, it's got something called the good news for a reason.

Thing is, the good news can only go so far. The problem is the people in charge are often corrupted and immoral. The good news is ineffective for them and we have a situation in which pain and suffering continues by the hands of these people. The good news alone can't solve our problems. We need God to do more.

 

[k]

That story is a myth to explain why there are different languages and cultures.

 

[Misty Minister]

Y E S! IMMORAL IS A VERY MILD WAY TO PHRASE IT.

Such an entity should be put on trial for crimes against humanity.

 

[Misty Minister]

The questionableness of God's action is further compounded when you consider that God is supposedly omniscient. Why did He give everyone the same language in the first place? Especially since he would have forseen this would happen. Was this just another of God's "tests" of mankind to see how far we would go? (Again, even though he already knows the outcome?)

Just another of the OT myths which illustrates the incoherent and illogical nature of the biblical God.

The problem of the illogical nature of the Biblical God becomes understandable when research reveals the more ancient texts that Moses, or whoever authored the Genesis story, used. It looks like Moses took a story involving two god like entities and merged them into one god who disagrees with himself.

 

[Misty Minister]

From another perspective, these differences cause problems. Rascism, for one thing. Ethnic wars, another. Confusing and scattering us has hindered our ability to communicate with eachother and we have advanced much more slowly than we would have had God not done this to us. A lot of suffereing has come from this.

We could consider it training for joining the intergalactic interdimentional community. Imagine how difficult it will be to communicate with and work with completely alien lifeforms.
Shucks, we have not even learned how to communicate effectively with Dogs, Birds, whales,

 

[Misty Minister]

Because we were doing well for ourselves, and God, from malice or jealously or whatever the reason, made our lives much harder by purposely making us speak different languages and scattering us across the world.

Imparting motivations to other humans is not too accurate. Imparting motivations to a nonhuman entity would be even more prone to error.

 

[chalice_thunder]

The OP reminds me of a verse by hymn writer, Laurence Housman (1865-1959)

Envious of heart, blind-eyed, with tongues confounded,
nation by nation still goes unforgiven,
in wrath and fear, by jealousies surrounded,
building proud towers which shall not reach to heaven:
thy kingdom come, O Lord, thy will be done.

 

[cobaltburrito]

Because God is an *******?

The way I see it, humans were progressing very well. We built ourselves a nice city, spoke the same language and had a tower. Then God comes along, makes us speak different languages and scatters us across the earth all because we were doing well and had a nice city? Isn't that really, really immoral?

Why? I think it is because suffering or percieved suffering is essential to Christianity.

 

[Moros]

I've heard it explained in this way:

"This is why the Lord stopped the builders: they sought to reach Heaven through their own actions, denying the necessity of God's grace. God wasn't afraid that they'd reach Heaven; if anything, He scattered the people, rendering this failure of an attempt at Heaven impossible, that men might know how to approach Heaven in a way that they might enter it."

Seems reasonable - if you're a Christian willing to admit the Babel story is a parable.