Why doesnt God just destroy the Universe and start from scratch?
The bible said that this almost happened during the times of Noah, because of stupid men following the foolish doctrines of demons. He could have destroyed them all if he wanted to in the blink of an eye, but chose not to.
Whats Gods motivation for allowing all of his foolish creatures to exist, and whats stopping him from not destroying all these things in todays times, which are gradually becoming like the days of Noah. Discuss.
__________________ 2*2 equals for and 2+2 equal for too in base 13. When you give something a base it does not become absolute, because when you can change the base you give it another absolute base with another absolute answer. This is practical knowledge.
Re: Why doesn\'t God just destroy the Universe and start from scratch?
Because God, in a Christian essence, is Merciful. He doesn't take calculated risks and won't sacrifice the few faithful for the many, who in different religion's eyes, commit consistant forms of debauchery.
God promised not to destroy the Earth again after the Flood. Genesis 8:21 "...Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done." Pretty simple actually.
Nope, he says "never again will I destroy all living things". Besides God loves everyone and gives every us the opportunity to repent and accept his love through his son Jesus Christ until the moment of death. Hallelujah!
Re: Re: Why doesn\'t God just destroy the Universe and start from scratch?
He's so merficul he sends plagues, sends the Angel of Death to slaugher children, sends a flood to wipe out his own people, and creates Hell for those who don't follow his Authoritarian rules.
Yeah, he's SO FKN merciful...
The Christian definition of Mercy is certainly a HORRIFYING one.
Actually, I think it's because "God" went and made those pesky laws of physics in his universe. He'd have to violate a whole hell of a lot of his "Word" (i.e. physics) to uncreate the universe so fast. So I'd say we're safe from total annihilation at the hands of an angry God. At least until maybe next weekend.
Every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood? Tch, tch. That kind of absolutist, baseless claim is why I have so much trouble trusting the Bible.
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
I figured some one would make a comment on that part of the verse. I wouldn't say it is baseless though. Children can be some of the most horrible people when compared to adults (although many adults are horrible too). I am going to suppose that you disagree by the logic that many non-Christian humans do good deeds and I would agree with you. But every time we do a good deed I think it is God's grace on our life coming through whether we know it or not.
Sorry, couldn't help myself. And one must remember that a child being horrible, for a time at least, is far more linked to lack of maturity and understanding. An inefficiently developed conscious. It is one thing for a child to be unpleasant due to lack of maturity, another entirely for a person with full mental faculties choosing such a path.
And yes, I do say that a Non-Christian is just as capable of being good as a Christian. And this is the situation I talk about - even the good things done by a non-Christian are being attributed to God and his grace, yet in another thread I have a person saying about how nothing bad in the world is linked to God. Good things = Happy smiley God gets credit. Bad things = The sole responsibility of inherently evil people, nothing to do with God.
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
Yet, when a small child bullies another it is evil not good. More easily forgiveable because of the lack of maturity and understanding but evli nonetheless. God can take credit all good things because he gave a man a conscious, free will, and in most cases a rational and logical mind. When we do good, God is glorified because we have chosen what God would have wanted.
No, not easily forgiven. It is a sign education is needed. To teach the one in need. A child bulling and realising what they are doing is a child that would fit that, a child who doesn't realise the social conventions they are transgressing however is a different matter. And most children are not naturally inclined to bully. Bicker perhaps, but bullying, no.
And I would argue that evil requires intent. A bee is not evil when it stings, just like a tornado that devastates a town is not evil. If a action lacks a conscious understanding then while it is certainly wrong and needs to be stopped it is not the kind of thing that would easily fall into the "evil" category. If one does not realise one will cause pain or harm (and they do exist, and for a time many people are like that to a degree when very young) then it is different then a person who does it despite knowing full well what they are doing will hurt/harm others and that it will not be in line with social rules.
Yes, so God gets Kudos for good things that happen and we do, even those many of us not affiliated with his faith. Yet bad things can in no way be attributed to him?
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
You are like many psychologists I have dealt with. I disagree with you and them in that I believe that basically (not always) once children can talk and communicate they are also able of rational thought and conscious. It is true they need to be taught right from wrong, but they know that their decisions have consequences. Consider a child throwing a temper tantrum knowing that they will get attention. They are in full control of what they are doing.
Oh, I don't disagree that children can rationalise. But a person can rationalize all they want, and never get anywhere if they have no understanding of what they are rationalizing about. Likewise it is hard to understand concepts like consequences is they don't know causation and so forth. A child that, for examples, bites and has never been bitten themselves - have they been told biting is bad? That it hurts? How old are they? It is hard for them to understand the incorrect nature of the act if they lack sufficient understanding of why it is wrong. Usually for many children they learn fast - tell them something is wrong, and they will get it. Or discipline them. But they aren't being evil if they do something that they neither know, or can conceive, would be wrong. However once they get to the point where right and wrong are defined they should have no excuse - I believe mental maturity at any rate can be achieved far quicker then most give credit for.
As to a child throwing a tantrum - the operative words there are "they know" - they are not born with that knowledge. It is often born out of a coincidence - the child discovers that crying gets a result, cry when you want more food - you get food. This becomes a problem with positive reinforcement - parents who crumble to the tantrum. The fact still remains that the child has a conscious understanding that the action is considered "bad" and they do it. A baby that cries when hungry is not being bad is it, despite the act being similar to the older child crying when it wants something. The balance is intent and understanding the right/wrongness of the action.
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From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
Your reasons are why the verse says childhood, not birth. Children are not sinful at birth, but once you know the difference between right and wrong you are capable of sin. I think we have some sort of understanding here.
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Why doesnt God just destroy the Universe and start from scratch?
Aug 14th, 2006 11:17 PM
