(November 11, 2010 at 2:53 am)Captain Scarlet Wrote:(November 10, 2010 at 11:47 pm)Godschild Wrote: God saw the fall of Lucifer and Adam before they ever did.What has foresight got to do with realising a possible material world without suffering? He may of known at a point in time it would turn to shit after he realised paradise, but it still meant HE COULD AND DID realise it. Hence he can do it and suffering is not compatiable with the greater good and an all good being. The best you can argue to is that the being that did this was capricious at best or evil at worst.
Early christians recognised this and the marcianites tried to develop a new theology based purely on Jesus' teachings effectively saying the OT was the work of a lesser god. They maybe had a point, becuase you now have to twist and turn and airbrush out the bad bits and capitalise the good bits.
Certainly He has realised a perfect place, if He had not we would not know about the new world He will make for us. This new world does not yet exist because God is not finished with the old one. So as of today there is no perfect place for mankind. Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them and all believers and when He is finished He will return to take us to a new and perfect place.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
