God's will.....who needs it?

[Matt85]

so if it's gods will if one of us survives what is it if the others die?

If God has a "will" for everyone does that mean we have a choice on anything?

[Ryft]

Well said, Arcanus. Back when I was a theist, my interpretation of God from my studies of the Bible wasn't all feely-touchy-nice, and certainly was above what mere humans considered 'good' and 'right', which I have long held as relative terms. Yes, God aced 151 people and allowed one to live. Does that make the survivor special? Well...

1. If moral terms are relative, then your interpretation of God's character is relative. Ergo, God is not morally reprehensible; rather, he merely offends your feelings. If moral terms are relative, then they are biographical, in which case your position says something about you and nothing about God.

2. It makes the survivor 'special' if being selected to survive death is better than being selected to die.

I would quote you and talk about specifics, but it would be like searching out specific noodles in a plate of spaghetti and I've already had lunch.

With your permission, I'd like to add that to my sig.

Have you even considered the obvious, which is that God probably doesn't exist?

This is the fallacy known as Complex Question, which is in the question-begging family. "You commit this fallacy when you frame a question so that some controversial presupposition is made by the wording of the question" (link).

[Rhizomorph13]

1. If moral terms are relative, then your interpretation of God's character is relative. Ergo, God is not morally reprehensible; rather, he merely offends your feelings. If moral terms are relative, then they are biographical, in which case your position says something about you and nothing about God.

2. It makes the survivor 'special' if being selected to survive death is better than being selected to die.

With your permission, I'd like to add that to my sig.

Arcanus,

Feel free to sig me. And to answer your points:

1. Actually my view of God is that he is imaginary, a thing we created to help us interpret the sometimes hallucinatory nature of our perception. It is a real whopper of a re-frame job. I never said I was offended. The father reacted as I might if one of my relatives lived through some horrible event only I would avoid all the pap about "will" and "God". I would, of course, be seen as an ungrateful bastard by some, but oh well.

2. Random events are random.

Rhizo

[Ryft]

Actually my view of God is that he is imaginary, a thing we created to help us interpret the sometimes hallucinatory nature of our perception.

I was not addressing what your view is. I was addressing your cited comment, which described your view at some particular point. So either you were never a theist and should correct the record, for a theist is someone who believes God exists independent of the human mind, or my criticism stands and calls for a response.

[Rhizomorph13]

Arcanus,

I've held many beliefs over the years, I don't have to defend the ones I no longer hold.

Rhizo

[Ryft]

I've held many beliefs over the years, I don't have to defend the ones I no longer hold.

I am not suggesting that you should defend beliefs you no longer hold. I am suggesting, however, that past evaluations of your beliefs and the results thereof contribute to the beliefs you hold today. It is meaningful, then, to critically examine whether those evaluations were faulty or not. But you are of course at liberty to refuse such examinations.

[Anto Kennedy]

So you will worship a fiend because a fiend is the only option, if you want to worship? Have you even considered the obvious which is that god probably doesn't exist?
As for die or be thankful, what do you mean exactly?

---

How is God a fiend?

Die or be thankful means: it's either this or nothingness, If you don't like this life; choose nothingness.

In the beginning there was nothing, the fact that we even have the opportunity to live is worth celebrating.

[dagda]

In the beginning there was nothing, the fact that we even have the opportunity to live is worth celebrating.

Nothing comes from nothing-nihil ex nihilo. The bible and logic suggests God had something to work with in the beginning, but that is just being pedantic.

[chatpilot]

In general and this is strictly referring to the biblical deity, Gods will is irrational and nonsensical.

[Purple Rabbit]

In the beginning there was nothing, the fact that we even have the opportunity to live is worth celebrating.

Nothing comes from nothing-nihil ex nihilo. The bible and logic suggests God had something to work with in the beginning, but that is just being pedantic.

Then what about the Casimir-effect which shows that the spontaneaous creation of matter out of nothing is all over the place and can be measured?