Answered Questions

[ronedee]

1. Does God love you?

No. Love is an exclusively human emotion which occurs when the happiness of one person is essential to the happiness of another. Since an omnimax Being cannot experience the subjective state of 'happy', it cannot love.

2. Does God answer prayers?

No. Answering a prayer would entail that God has changed a facet of the universe on behalf of a particular penitent. Since God is, by defintion, immutable, God is logically unable to change or to effect change.

Did God create the universe?


No. If God is perfect, then God is, of neccessity, complete (incomplete things cannot be perfect). The only defintion of completes that is coherent is something that is finished, that has no lack. One could argue, I suppose, that God and the universe are coeval, but that doesn't permit God to perform a creative act.

4. Is God both merciful and just?

No. Mercy and justice are qualities in conflict - if God evinces mercy, then God has abrogated justice, and vice versa.

5. Is God necessary?


No. There is not, and never has been, a phenomenon that, in the final analysis requires God as an explanation.

Is God afraid of anything?

Yes. Kaiser Soze.

Boru

If you don't know God, or think He exists... how are you able to answer these questions?

Isn't it like you walking into a dark room and then explaining the features and furnishings to the people that live there?

I would say you were pretty clueless about anything to do with God.

You should be asking those who do know Him, for True answers.

[ITChick]

If you don't know God, or think He exists... how are you able to answer these questions?

Isn't it like you walking into a dark room and then explaining the features and furnishings to the people that live there?

I would say you were pretty clueless about anything to do with God.

You should be asking those who do know Him, for True answers.

Bit of a problem that as nobody knows god. Our theories on what this imaginary entity would be like if it exists are as good as yours.

[pineapplebunnybounce]

How about when you pray for someone's health or for someone in trouble? How does that fit with this?

(...)

This is the outline of actual 'prayer'.' Which according to Paul in 2 tim is different from supplication/petitioning god for wants and desires. Which again is not a sin, but has been separated from actual prayer. By Christ in his model prayer and through the identification by Paul.

Ok, so this petitioning god for wants and desires, does it ever work or is it a waste of time?

[ronedee]

Bit of a problem that as nobody knows god. Our theories on what this imaginary entity would be like if it exists are as good as yours.

As "good as" ours? Re-read my analogy please.

[Thor]

Bit of a problem that as nobody knows god. Our theories on what this imaginary entity would be like if it exists are as good as yours.

As "good as" ours? Re-read my analogy please.

Yup. I can "know" an imaginary being just as well as you.

[Drich]

(...)

This is the outline of actual 'prayer'.' Which according to Paul in 2 tim is different from supplication/petitioning god for wants and desires. Which again is not a sin, but has been separated from actual prayer. By Christ in his model prayer and through the identification by Paul.

Ok, so this petitioning god for wants and desires, does it ever work or is it a waste of time?

It works when what your asking for is in His will to give it to you.

However if you pray the Lord's prayer and learn to want what God wants, the the petitioning prayers become less frequent. I am to the point where I have found a contentment (more so than I did before, I still want stuff.) that allows me to be happy with what I have.

Don't get me wrong I still ask for health and I still do want things, but my life no long revolves around obtaining what I want.

---

The Babble also tells you to cut off the hand of a woman who grabs the gonads of someone who is attacking her husband.

Next....

To an Old testament Jew, yes. For the rest of us we can have our junk juggled (by our wives of course.) without cutting her hand off.

Really? Then what about all those people who pray for help in a natural disaster?

Again We have one example of what a prayer looks like. all else is petition/supplication.

You're admitting that your deity won't assist them?

Just because a petition is not what Christ identified as a Prayer, does not mean God will not hear nor answer it. God will Always answer prayer in the affrimitive. God however is not bound to any thing to give you what you want when you want it.

Which answers the question "why God did not answer 'your' prayer. (Because if you were asking for stuff, you were not actually praying.)

Not to mention that I'm sure I can find testimonials from people who prayed for help and they'll swear "God" sent it.

I do this all of the time. I see a need and then ask God to help me fill that need. I say something like Lord I feel you want me too help this cause out, but I do not have nothing to give nor do I know how much to give. So I will say Between this time and this time all money that we take in will be counted and say 10% of that will go to a particular cause.

I did this recently, and had just what was needed by an organization with in a few hours, even though I gave it a week.

Again it is not s sin to petition god for anything. Just know He is not bound to anything to give you what you want.

If this is true, then no one should be praying for medical cures or for help in finding a job.

Why? I do not see your logic.

Christ simply says anything you ask for in prayer will be granted. You just need to understand anything you take to God is not considered a prayer. Prayer has a specific formula.

Petition can be anything. In turn God is not obligated to give you what you petition for.

Because that's how the vast majority of believers describe your deity.

I would think those who are Hell bound will not find God just or merciful. Just and merciful describes God from the perspective of those who will be with Him in Heaven.

[Faith No More]

You should be asking those who do know Him, for True answers.

I could find ten people that claim to know him, ask them each the same question and receive ten different answers.

[Drich]

You should be asking those who do know Him, for True answers.

I could find ten people that claim to know him, ask them each the same question and receive ten different answers.

THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT!

Christianity is the Freedom to do you personal best!

It is not a list of rules or nor the absolute standard the Jews received. Fore the Same attonement covers your sin when you willfully disobey, covers you when you are doing your absolute best and simply fall short because you do not have the capacity to completely comprehend.

We've (You and I ) have talked about this 1/2 a dozen times

[Minimalist]

(Asking God to usher in His Kingdom)

Fucker's a little late with that one, huh?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

A couple of points:

1. No, I don't need to know every facet of the universe to grasp that God is not a needed explanation for anything. Since naturalism has an overwhelmingly successful explanatory track record, it would be up to the religionists to demonstrate that naturalism is wrong, and that God is required as an explanation. But I'll be fair - name a natural event or phenomenon that cannot, positively CANNOT be explained by natural means. In other words, give us a verified phenomenon to consider whereby God is the only possible explantion. Take your time.

2. The questions in my OP are simply what the vast majority of religionists believe to be true about God: that he is all-powerful, all knowing, merciful, just, and so on and so forth. My answers are an attempt (and I say with all humility, a pretty fair one) to show why these beliefs are not logically tenable. As another poster mention, it doesn't matter that I lack belief in God when I wish to point out that the qualities attributed to him are nonsensical. In the same way, one is not required to believe in Father Christmas in order to point out that reindeer can't fly.

3. Kaiser Soze, hemorrhoid sufferer, riding in an iron chariot, would clearly render God paralytic with fear.

Boru