(July 24, 2011 at 5:35 pm)thebigfudge Wrote:(July 24, 2011 at 5:31 pm)whateverist Wrote: While you're answering for all of christianity, I'd like to suggest that you guys change your stance toward god.
Here's a thought experiment to get you going. Suppose you were god. Lets say you just got tired of hanging out in the nothing and decided to create some stuff. That was fun but you thought, wouldn't it be cool to have some stuff that could do stuff, make decisions and join me in appreciating all this cool stuff I made. To help you capture the gap between god and us, lets suppose a dog or gerbil was the best you could do toward creating a life form to hang with. The critters all stand up and look around gawking at each other and all your other cool stuff.
Now it's an interesting question why god would make in HIS own image a creature such as ourselves without giving us some of the super powers too. Then again if a gerbil was the best I could do, I guess I wouldn't want it armed and dangerous. Question for later, are we the best god could do at creating HER own likeness, or did IT just want to surround HIMSELF with insignificant little sycophants?
Okay, here is where you come in. What would you want from your little critters? If the gerbils started prostrating themselves before you with upraised paws, would you be pleased? If the dogs started howling your praises while urinating submissively and abasing themselves in every way possible, would that please you? Or might you possibly want them just for companionship? (It isn't easy but I'll ignore the bride/bridegroom analogy.) If it was company you wanted, wouldn't you just want to whack the piddly little puppies with a rolled up scroll or something? Mark Twain thought it was strange that people thought of god as wanting our praises. If you give a damn about god, try to be worthy in your own right so that you will make good company. (Even if none of it turns out to be real, you will at least have been a better person to know in this life.) If someone you think is god suggests you sacrifice a son to please god, get a back bone. Tell to HIM to piss off. Maybe SHE is just testing you.
In short what ever you can imagine you would want from your creations, become that. Be worthy or not as the result of your own deliberations and god may even scratch you behind the ears. But rushing head on to do whatever stupid thing some would-be-authority would have you do just to secure your eternal ticket wouldn't please any god I could imagine.
If you insist that the all knowing/all powerful god you worship only can be the one described in your special book, then go on and lick HER boots. Maybe heaven is like a bunch of fawning puppies mewing around some giant moral moron. Could be.
Again that whole statement is baloney. The pre-requisite to the entire thing is to "imagine"
Your God has no basis all you have is belief in a sadistic manual. which is factually wrong, morally atrocious and ultimately disturbig.
If you want us to believe, Prove God. It should be easy." just pray for our conversion" You know the truthfull word of God ( the Bible) says anything is possible with prayer. If i don't convert within the next 10 mins I can safely say you have failed
God leaves the choice up to you on purpose. Thats the point of free-will. What would be the point if we did everything God tells us to only because he's made us do it. He want willful obedience.