I am a better person than God!

[rskovride]

 The pastor should have answered you like this,...

Every Christian I've ever met says that the other Christians are doing it wrong. Thanks for the correction, but how am I or anyone else to determine who it right and who is wrong?

[Minimalist]

G-C insists he's right because he read it in a seriously-edited old book of primitive bullshit.

Oh wait...that's just what the other dumb shits say.

[SteveII]

This is what I mean when I say it's absolutely absurd to say that God must have good reasons for not intervening. Because it's actually an admission that God is morally inferior to us as he doesn't even get the basics right.

Why doesn't God intervene to stop awful things? "Because reasons". Why can't he give us freedom to do what we wish with a few exceptions where he invervenes in cases to prevent such horrible things? "Because reasons". Why can't God allow us to do whatever we want but imbue us with a nature that never wants to rape and kill? "Because reasons."  Why must God allow innocent animals and small children to suffer when they aren't even capable of responsibility or guilt, they're nothing but victims in all these cases? "Because reasons.". Why did God do such a poor job of creating moral beings in his supposedly moral image? "Because reasons."

There's no excuse at all. This God is supposedly able to do anything that is logically possible. God could intervene in less than a split second to prevent these things without causing any harm and destruction. God could have created us so we were better beings that never wished to do such things. If God is real he chooses to allow these things. The very second anyone thinks there's any possible justification that God can have for allowing these things to happen when he has the ability to stop them immediately with ease... is either just an admission that the theist in question has incredibly immoral beliefs or that they are egocentrically giving themselves to an immoral God out of fear of hell and hope for heaven.

Checkmate, theists.

There is no logical problem with the concept--let's call that the intellectual Problem of Evil (PoE) (which has largely been abandoned by professional philosophers). You objection is based on empathy/emotions or the emotional PoE. I fully agree and understand that this is one of or the biggest obstacle for an open-minded person to have when considering the God of Christianity. However, I do have a couple of points about a Christian perspective on this issue (adapted from a podcast I listened to) that provides more context to your "because reasons" above. 

a. The chief purpose of life is knowledge of God, not happiness.
b. We are in a state of separation/rebellion against God and his purpose and as such spiritual evil can prevail for a time.
c. This life is but a blip when considering eternity and God has that perspective that we often don't see/remember.
d. The knowledge of God is of immeasurable importance--and far outweighs finite suffering.

Regarding God can do "anything logically possible" is not quite right. If God created people with free will, then he has by definition, subordinated his ability to control everything. Freewill entails a sinful world. Free will entails that God has subordinated control of some things. Constant intervention or limits on ability is plainly and simply no longer free will.

[The Grand Nudger]

Does a cop remove a criminals free will by stopping a crime in progress?  Seems to me like that would be a surprise to the prosecution.

[Amarok]

Is a lifeguard morally in the wrong for saving someone trying to drown themselves on purpose ? We would call them a monster if they did not . So no respecting free will is not an excuse for doing nothing .YOU'RE as guilty as the perpetrator if you can help but choose not too .

[Angrboda]

God can't lie, cheat, steal or any other sin, He has no desire for sin, He hates sin.

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:8-9

[vorlon13]

Numbers 14 (KJV)
30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.


Sounds like a lie to me. More lies:

1 Kings 22 (KJV)
21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him.
22 And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
23 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.


More lies:

2 Thessalonians 2 (KJV)
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.


Pants on fire:

2 Chronicles 18 (KJV)
22 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.


1 Kings 22 (KJV)
23 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

I am better too.

Not only would I prevent rape, but if I was God, I wouldn't need to. I wouldn't have made rape possible in the first place.

The problem with the biblical God character is that if he's real then it's impossible to know what is reality or what is a delusion.  If  he's real then what does it matter if people appear to be suffering?  They might not be real and their suffering is simply to see what the real people will do.  That was the scenario in the story of Job.  

All of our ancestors were rapers and rape victims.  If that had not happened countless times we simply wouldn't exist.  So if you like your current existence it's because of what your ancestors did.  Today people don't have to do such things but everyone alive owes their existence to what their ancestors did and suffered at the hands of others.  We are vicious animals.  Sometimes we control our savagery and other times we bathe in it.  Never think that you will always control it. It's the lucky person indeed who will never go ape-shit crazy at least once.

[Godscreated]

 Everyone's sin, sin in general, the world was curse because of sin and all these things that go wrong with our bodies is because of sin.

To answer the bold by me, God is all powerful but that doesn't mean He is required to use it, especially in the way you think He should. You say God can do whatever He wants as if He has the desire to do all things and you are wrong, God can't lie, cheat, steal or any other sin, He has no desire for sin, He hates sin. Also you speak as if the future has a multitude of possibilities, again you are wrong there is only one future no other will ever exist. God does have a plan that will result in what He knows to be true and that plan is as unchangeable as God is unchangeable. 
 God made no rules to limit himself, God has been, is and always will be who He is. God is absolute and complete as He is and never needed any rules for himself. God is limited by His nature if you can call it that. From God's perspective He isn't limited because He doesn't have any desire or reason to do certain things, He is who He is, someone we can always trust to be the same day after day.

God want intervene when it would go against His absolute will (plan). God may not intervene when something asked isn't against His absolute will. God acts in situations as He sees fit, when it will be a benefit to a person in the long run, then I could be wrong and He does it out of pure compassion, it's He omniscience that will determine those things and I have to accept that as does everyone, believer or not. 

Then you are standing in the wrong spot, Jesus said let those who have ears hear and those who have eyes see. You have to be on the right side of the tracks to view God's work. I'm watching my mother slowly passing on, she had been suffering for sometime and a little over a week ago I asked God to relieve her suffering if He wasn't going to heal her. Two days later that happened, she isn't suffering now and she soon will not be with us. Yes I dread that day because it will hurt tremendously, but I know and cherish the knowledge that she will be with our God.

GC

Punishing people for the immorality of others is seriously messed up.

Who says there is punishment when people get sick, I did not, I said that God cursed the earth because of sin and we have to deal with it because all mankind sins.

I'm not suggesting god murder or cheat or steal, I'm saying there are all sorts of perfctly moral ways to prevent death and disease. In fact it's hard for me to come up with immoral ones. It just doesn't follow that the little baby's greadx5000 grandfather ate an apple, and now she/he dies of bone cancer.

Those that die of illness baby or old person does so because this world is no longer the perfect creation it was, with sin (all sin) comes the corruption of all things.
 

Or even has any difficulty whatsoever. While I wouldn't want this outcome, why doesn't god "punish" everyone equally? We're all descendants of Adam and Eve. If It's because some people had greatx100 grandfathers that were really terrible people, that's even more unjust punishment. I suppose to god terrible could mean worshipping a god that was the only one they were exposed to.

Again you assume that sickness is a punishment and that is not necessarily true. The punishment that nonbelievers should be concerned about come after death and that punishment will be just and equal to the persons life.

If you are saying there is only one future because god never changes his mind, that's at least consistent with Christian doctrine. But still this is necessarily the future god wants, if he is really all powerful. If it isn't he clearly isn't all powerful. It would be like if I say I can lift any weight I want, but really I'm only lifting 150 pounds at best, and I say it's because I'm mad at the manufacturers of CAP weight plates, when there are countless others that manufacture of barbells/dumbells and weight plates, even if the fact that I'm mad at them mattered at all.

No this wasn't the future God wanted, God wanted the perfection of His creation to continue for eternity. However God was not going to force anyone to live perfectly and thus with the disobedience of Adam and Eve that perfection was lost to corruption of sin, this wan't what God wanted it is what He accepted because He gave man free choice. 
Like I said in my last post, God is all powerful but there is no requirement for Him to use His power other that what He sees fit. God doesn't bend to human desire, His omniscience overrides our puny brains. 

If god really has no choice, whatever the reason, that's a huge constraint on his power.

God has all kinds of choices and can do many things that He desires, God's power is limited by who He is, God can't go against His nature. A sample of God's power at the end of time is he will destroy the entire universe and recreate one that is as perfect as the original before man fell to sin.

I am sorry about your mother. There are few things as hard as watching a loved one suffer this way.

 

 Thank you, she is no longer going through the suffering she was and you're right it is hard to watch a loved one grow closer to death each day. But this too is part of the curse man brought to this world and I dislike it as much as anyone else.
GC

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 The pastor should have answered you like this,...

Every Christian I've ever met says that the other Christians are doing it wrong. Thanks for the correction, but how am I or anyone else to determine who it right and who is wrong?

First of all I'm not sure what they would mean by doing it wrong. Christians do many things an elaboration would help. No one denomination has it all right if the did then they could call themselves a god. That's were the Bible comes in, one must understand what it says and when someone finds what they think is a contradiction they need to study and look deeper because I assure you there are no contradictions in the Bible. I've had to look for a long time using lots of prayer to come to an understanding of what appeared to be a contradiction. Let me say this when someone says all the other Christians are doing it wrong ignore them they do not have a clue, they are spouting self righteousness and god says no one is righteous out side of Him.

GC

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God can't lie, cheat, steal or any other sin, He has no desire for sin, He hates sin.

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:8-9

He called to them as an earthly father would to his children, with love and concern. God knew where they were, just as an earthly father know where his child hides when it has done something wrong. That is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible, they had just screwed up everything and God shows a Father's love for them.

GC

[Angrboda]

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:8-9

He called to them as an earthly father would to his children, with love and concern. God knew where they were, just as an earthly father know where his child hides when it has done something wrong. That is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible, they had just screwed up everything and God shows a Father's love for them.

GC

So, his utterance was a deceptive one. QED.