(October 29, 2011 at 8:23 am)ElDinero Wrote: Firstly, I'm glad you are sticking around. I was worried you were going, and I think you could learn a lot here.
Now, looks like you've had a bit of a rough time, and I hope you're through it. However, with that said, the fact that you found solace and comfort in your beliefs doesn't take a single step towards whether it is true or not. As I said before, do you care if the things you believe are true, or do you not? It's very important to establish this.
As for what you've got to lose, you're touching on a thing called Pascal's Wager. It's worth looking up but basically it runs that if you believe in God and you're right, you reap all the benefits (heaven etc). If you believe and you're wrong, nothing happens. But if you don't believe and you're wrong, you face the consequences (hell, perhaps). So why not believe?
There's a few problems with it, but the main one is that if you choose to follow that line of thinking, you're going to have to believe in every God that has ever been mentioned. After all, what if Allah is the one true God and you've been worshipping the Christian God the whole time?
I think I could come up with several other things in answer to the question of 'what have I got to lose?' as well, if you're interested, but I'll leave it there for now.
First, yes I am through all of the rough times thanks for caring. And yes I do care if its true or not. And for Pascal's Wager that's a really good point that I have a responses myself.
I've studied a lot of different religions and at least the basics of almost all of them. And I'm convinced, no matter how much my fellow Christians would disagree, That Jews, Christians, and Muslims all follow the same God. Even the Qur'an touches on this idea: "And remember Allah took a Covenant from the People of the Book, to make it known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it" (3:187 AYA) The "people of the book" mentioned in this verse are the Jews and Christians whom the Qur'an commands are to be respected for they honor the same God. In a way by being Christian if Judaism or Islam are true rather than Christianity I'm still covered. However, that still leaves out what if Hinduism or the Norse Mythology is right.
As for the last comment. Yes, I am very interested in the other answers to "what have I got to lose?"
(October 29, 2011 at 9:31 am)Rhythm Wrote: God is a triggerman by either translation.
This is true. In the "calamity" translation God is still the one who created it. However this brings to question: Is creating the calamity a moral evil?
Well to this I would ask: Is slapping your child's hand when they touch something they aren't supposed to? Sure it's a calamity to slap your child's hand, but it's not a moral evil because its discipline. In those verses the calamities happened because people were doing stuff they weren't supposed to, in this sense God is slapping their hands.
(October 29, 2011 at 10:00 am)Blam! Wrote: We get this so-called sin from "Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil" as known as "Tree of Conscience"
"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." -Gen 2:9
I don't want to copy-and-paste large amount of verses here so, I'll just post the references. "God-is-creator-of-everything" verses:
Psalm 104:24, 30, Psalm 24:1‑2, Hebrews 11:3, Isaiah 44:24.
According to Genesis 1: 11 ‑ 12, this verse stated god created tree - if you consider Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil one of these "tree" creations.
So here's the question: if God, indeed, is creator of all creations in the existence then, Where do you think this "evil" come from? One of his creations, perhaps?
Yes, God being the creater did create everything in existence including the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, as stated earlier, evil is not something you can create. Evil, in sense doesn't even exist it's simply a lack of good.
Take cold for example, it doesn't exist it's just how we describe an absence of heat or atomic movement. However, even though it's non existent, we still have knowledge of it, just like evil.
