A question about Monotheism...

[Marechal Ney]

I have found a part of monotheistic religions, most notably Christianity, that I simply do not understand. As an agnostic, I was hoping that monotheists could enlighten me...(NOTE: I do not want this to become an existence of God debate, please. There's 20 million threads for that already.)

Simply out: Why does God care? Assuming that there is a supreme being...why is he tending to this universe? Is the universe some kind of Boy Scout project for supreme beings? I mean, if a deity did create the universe, according to the Bible it took him a full week of his time...

Since most monotheists assert that God spends a great deal of time with the world (responding to prayers, punishing evil doers, watching everyone at every move they make, etc...), God must have a good reason for doing this. Maybe its a hobby of his; instead of planting a garden, he creates a universe. Monotheism (namely Christianity) usually seems to come up with the idea that God created the universe and humans so that he could judge humans and send some to Hell...if that's the case, how is this deity omni-benevolent?

Now I know that many will reply by saying "We cannot understand the ways of the Divine." Ok, then...so why do you have a religion about it?

No trolling/flaming, please...and if any monotheists have a good answer, please say it.

[basics]

" Simply out: Why does God care? Assuming that there is a supreme being...why is he tending to this universe? Is the universe some kind of Boy Scout project for supreme beings? I mean, if a deity did create the universe, according to the Bible it took him a full week of his time..."

Marechal Ney,

Mon ami, if God took hold of what we consider to be all that is the universe it, all of it, would probably be tiny in His hand. The Scriptures tell us that we were made for His good pleasure things panning out as He wanted them and still wants them. Jesus Christ tells us that there is not one particle of anything, using a bird as an example, that the hand of God is not involved in. Now by any standards that is pretty awesome.

It is written that all creation is doomed to die separated from God by the actions of three beings, two human and one supernatural thus bringing into the story that there is a supernatural active inside creation as well as in heavenly realms. And in the order that God created them it is to the man that the fall from grace belongs because he was the firstborn among humans.

The greater part of the story however, as it unfolds, is that One who is firstborn among all credited humanity comes to take out, if you like, some from fallen humanity, Him being God yet come as a flesh bearing man. I say credited because by graceful election they were chosen way before creation took place, hence we see God's good pleasure working. I mean what human being could ever dream up such an awesome thing to be exacted consistent with time as it is written?

We too have been given the will to seek pleasure, the example probably being the enjoyment of making our own stories about wars and of playing games alluding to wars. But His story is a bit more important than anything we can conjure because in ours we cannot eat of His fruit just as Adam wasn't supposed to. In our games we are the saviours of what transpires but in His there is but One, Himself.

So you call it tending where in fact His Law and natural law do that for Him. But as for communication with Him we cannot do that unless called upon to do it and that comes by but one way just as He intended from the beginning, yea even before. The problem with man's enjoyment or good pleasure is that he does not want any rules to abide by thinking that he is the sole arbiter of his own destiny.

[Squiggle]

The Christian notion of creation is that God did so out of compassion, not out of some necessity to judge...God in his compassion wished for others to know the glory and happiness which is a natural product of knowing God and existing in bliss. Hell and such is nothing more than justice for our transgressions.

[scarybandit]

Simply out: Why does God care? Assuming that there is a supreme being...why is he tending to this universe? Is the universe some kind of Boy Scout project for supreme beings?

The Gods of the other Universes look on this one like the international community looks upon Colonel Gaddafi.

[Turbo]

The real question is whether we care, not whether the Lord cares. We were not created out of hate but out of love. We don't always see the love of the Lord because we are too busy consumed with selfishness and sin to notice.

[CamilleBonparte]

Monotheism (namely Christianity) usually seems to come up with the idea that God created the universe and humans so that he could judge humans and send some to Hell...if that's the case, how is this deity omni-benevolent?

It does? Where is that idea expressed within Christianity at all? I've never heard of Hell being a reason behind creating the universe. The answer is that it has never been expressed that way by well-read theists. You're getting these ideas from your own assumptions about things you clearly have not even the basic understanding of. It is a common trend for atheists.

The fact is that atheists in their criticisms of Christianity are obsessed with the concept of hell. They don't want to face consequences for their actions. But for a Christian, the idea of Hell isn't even on our radar. We have faith in Christ's sacrifice and the gift of salvation, we don't need to think or worry about Hell at all.

[hellas1]

@ Marechal Ney,

Quote:
"Simply out: Why does God care? Assuming that there is a supreme being...why is he tending to this universe? Is the universe some kind of Boy Scout project for supreme beings? I mean, if a deity did create the universe, according to the Bible it took him a full week of his time..."

In regards to biblical Christianity, I can share something meaningful:

For me, Genesis and the 4 gospels are key......Here we go......

Regarding Human beings:

The bible says God is Love.
The bible says that God created Adam and Eve and called THEM "man." It also mentions in Genesis, the 1st book of the bible, that Eve was taken out of man. Adam & Eve were told by God to "be fruitful and multiply" and that God created man after his own image and likeness.

So, Adam was created first, Eve is taken out of Adam and then the two are called "Man" (singular).
Strange huh? Not really...

In the New Testament, Jesus is to be married to a bride, THAT bride is the Church.
The apostle Paul said that marriage between a man & women is a "great mystery" (In Greek the word "mystery" is Misterion, which means a hidden secret). Paul said that Adam & Eve was a type of Christ & the Church being one, as Adam and Eve were called "Man" and as a husband and wife become one.

So, we see that God is concerned with people who bear his image and who were initially called to "bear fruit and multiply."

Regarding the "one week to make everything" business:

In Genesis, God made everything in 7 "Yom" in Hebrew or days in English.
When you carefully read Genesis, you'll see that every "day" is delineated by a evening and morning, not "The sun rose and the sun fell...day 3, etc."
The sun and moon were not created until "Yom" 3 or 4, I believe. NO sun & moon before day 3/4 so how do you "measure" time?!

Here is my suggestion/homework assignment/challenge for you:
Read Genesis and Paul's letter to the Corinthians and find out what they said.

hellas1.5............Scratchin' and Survivin'.....Hangin' in a chow line, GOOD TIMES!

[In3x]

The fact is that atheists in their criticisms of Christianity are obsessed with the concept of hell. They don't want to face consequences for their actions. But for a Christian, the idea of Hell isn't even on our radar. We have faith in Christ's sacrifice and the gift of salvation, we don't need to think or worry about Hell at all.

Firstly, I am assuming god does exist in this post, so you can't come at me with that "atheists know god exists" line that I have seen you pull before.

Do you really think Hell isn't a big deal? Do you think someone should be punished for eternity purely because they don't believe in God? What kind of benevolence is this? Humans could show your God a thing or two about benevolence and compassion.

[SigniferOne]

Do you really think Hell isn't a big deal? Do you think someone should be punished for eternity purely because they don't believe in God?

Of course that isn't what happens at all. You misunderstood the Christian insight completely.

God has nothing to do with the condemnation of man towards Hell, literally nothing. The only one that has to do with that is Man alone. In Christian understanding, men basically head to Hell by default. Why? Paul answers: "There is none righteous among you, not even one". Have you been even a little petty today? Spiteful? Jealous? Covetous? Malicious? Lazy? Indolent? Indifferent? False?

Other religions or worldviews don't really care. But Christianity does not let you off the hook by saying that "somebody else might do it too". Christianity judges you, according to a perfect standard. Christ had set down the law and the standard: "Be perfect as God is perfect". Can you be? I, cannot.

[Tuor]

Of course that isn't what happens at all. You misunderstood the Christian insight completely.

God has nothing to do with the condemnation of man towards Hell, literally nothing. The only one that has to do with that is Man alone. In Christian understanding, men basically head to Hell by default. Why? Paul answers: "There is none righteous among you, not even one". Have you been even a little petty today? Spiteful? Jealous? Covetous? Malicious? Lazy? Indolent? Indifferent? False?

Other religions or worldviews don't really care. But Christianity does not let you off the hook by saying that "somebody else might do it too". Christianity judges you, according to a perfect standard. Christ had set down the law and the standard: "Be perfect as God is perfect". Can you be? I, cannot.

So we're all doomed to fail?

[SigniferOne]

So we're all doomed to fail?

If you set the bar pretty now, no, you can cross it just fine. Christianity's answer is that that's precisely what we have been doing, and why we haven't seen any real problems in the way we do things.

[Cooraan]

What squiggle said.

[basics]

While it is quite true that the sun and moon are not made until later days it does not deter from the fact that time is not measured by them rather by morning and evening into which they both were fitted. If Scripture is to be understood it is done so by getting things into the order that God has laid down, has given to Moses so that it may be written down.

For example if we turn to the last book of the Bible when all things have been gathered in and the New Jerusalem has arrived, it is noticable that there is no sun or moon just as there wasn't when God made the things He did on the first days. Is this significant? Of course it is because as the garden portrays after the sixth day in heavenly terms of time the sun and moon needn't have been there at all. God called the first days as morning and evening because they were time.

[Turbo]

While it is quite true that the sun and moon are not made until later days it does not deter from the fact that time is not measured by them rather by morning and evening into which they both were fitted. If Scripture is to be understood it is done so by getting things into the order that God has laid down, has given to Moses so that it may be written down.

For example if we turn to the last book of the Bible when all things have been gathered in and the New Jerusalem has arrived, it is noticable that there is no sun or moon just as there wasn't when God made the things He did on the first days. Is this significant? Of course it is because as the garden portrays after the sixth day in heavenly terms of time the sun and moon needn't have been there at all. God called the first days as morning and evening because they were time.

You aren't honestly advocating a strict literalist interpretation of the bible are you? That 1 day = 24 hours? The Lord does not follow a timetable based on 24 hours.

[Scipio Africanus Maximus]

You aren't honestly advocating a strict literalist interpretation of the bible are you? That 1 day = 24 hours? The Lord does not follow a timetable based on 24 hours.

He is, but this is not the thread for that discussion.


On topic, the view the OP expressed-that God created humanity just so He can judge them and send them to hell is not justified. A major part of Christianity is the love of God and having a good relationship with Him. Coming from a Baptist background, I've heard many messages about hell. I've also heard countless more about God's love and his desire for a relationship with mankind. This belief that all God does is find faults and send people to hell is at best misinformation and at worst slander.

[Helm]

He cared enough to create all this I suppose, if he didn't care he wouldn't have bothered. Whether the universe really requires some kind of being to create it I'm not sure. It could be a natural process of some description like everything else we're currently familar with. Not that we're at all familar with anything outside our physical dimensions of the universe. iIf such a thing exists and I assume it must exist if the universe is not eternal or self sufficient. It will be far out stuff well beyond our science whatever it entails either way.

[Helm]

If you start using words like "unto" you really ought to put your Bible down for bit and take a breather.

[linhely]

it is noticable that there is no sun or moon just as there wasn't when God made the things He did on the first days. Is this significant? Of course it is because as the garden portrays after the sixth day in heavenly terms of time the sun and moon needn't have been there at all.

[Asterix]

i'm not all that qualified to get into this-but the way i look at it is that God didnt want to be the only thing that had what he had-free will and thought. he wanted another free and independent being to appreciate these things. so he created something so that there would be others with those same abilities, even though they didn't have his omnipotence. however, since we have free will like God intended, we can also be bad people, hence God having to send some of us to hell. It's a two way street, i suppose-you get to enjoy the world but you have to follow certain rules, but you can still choose to obey or disobey.

[Col. Tartleton]

I'm starting to think philosophy is a waste of time that should be spent performing meaningless actions without purpose or end.