Are Christians really monotheistic? Really?

[immortalitylost]

It has really disturbed be lately when I have been talking to Christians, my father in particular and one of his very studied friends in the church. I can't get the thought out of my mind that Christians aren't really as monotheistic as they claim to be.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Christianity, It's just this new realization that has been bugging me as of late.

The problem, is that when you hear Christians talk about God it's always in the context of good. Their mindset is that God is in charge of only the good things in life, and the devil is in charge of the rest.

I'm sorry, but in my mind that is giving the devil waaay too much credit, and sorely underestimating the power of God.

Sure, I can understand why people wouldn't want to associate God with all the bad things that happen in this world. I get it. Your cat dies, or your friend gets robbed. You don't want to associate God with that. Must be the devil.

Why?

What makes people think that God being responsible for every bad thing along with the good would somehow tarnish him, make him less? I don't get it. God is beyond anyone's reproach, and If he is ALL powerful, like Christians claim to believe, then what makes them think that he isn't in charge of the terrible stuff also, along with the good.

That's what ALL powerful means, if I'm not mistaken. Power over ALL.

What Christians have done is make two gods. God, the more powerful, in charge of the good of course, and Satan, the lesser god sidekick in charge of all that is evil.

Since when were God and the devil even marginally close to equal?

Since when did Christianity turn into a divine boxing match?

(In the red corner, creator of all, ruler of the earth, protector of the innocent.... IIIIIttttt's GOD!!! And in the blue corner, ruler of all that is evil, defiler of maidens....leeettts hear it fooor SATAN!!!)

God is all powerful. ALL. And if Christians can't handle that, then too bad for them. It doesn't give them the right to change the facts so that they can feel better. That does no good for anyone!

If you believe like this, don't call yourself monotheistic. And don't make fun of polytheists either. Because even if you don't acknowledge it, you are one.

 

[iBrian]

In animist polytheism, there are spirits in the world who can intercede on your behalf. In Catholicism, they become the names of Saints.

 

[GlorytoGod]

It has really disturbed be lately when I have been talking to Christians, my father in particular and one of his very studied friends in the church. I can't get the thought out of my mind that Christians aren't really as monotheistic as they claim to be.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Christianity, It's just this new realization that has been bugging me as of late.

The problem, is that when you hear Christians talk about God it's always in the context of good. Their mindset is that God is in charge of only the good things in life, and the devil is in charge of the rest.

I'm sorry, but in my mind that is giving the devil waaay too much credit, and sorely underestimating the power of God.

Sure, I can understand why people wouldn't want to associate God with all the bad things that happen in this world. I get it. Your cat dies, or your friend gets robbed. You don't want to associate God with that. Must be the devil.

Why?

What makes people think that God being responsible for every bad thing along with the good would somehow tarnish him, make him less? I don't get it. God is beyond anyone's reproach, and If he is ALL powerful, like Christians claim to believe, then what makes them think that he isn't in charge of the terrible stuff also, along with the good.

That's what ALL powerful means, if I'm not mistaken. Power over ALL.

What Christians have done is make two gods. God, the more powerful, in charge of the good of course, and Satan, the lesser god sidekick in charge of all that is evil.

Since when were God and the devil even marginally close to equal?

Since when did Christianity turn into a divine boxing match?

(In the red corner, creator of all, ruler of the earth, protector of the innocent.... IIIIIttttt's GOD!!! And in the blue corner, ruler of all that is evil, defiler of maidens....leeettts hear it fooor SATAN!!!)

God is all powerful. ALL. And if Christians can't handle that, then too bad for them. It doesn't give them the right to change the facts so that they can feel better. That does no good for anyone!

If you believe like this, don't call yourself monotheistic. And don't make fun of polytheists either. Because even if you don't acknowledge it, you are one.

its all in the Bible. its not that Christian have done this that or the other but it what the Bible says.

try reading the new testament, you will then understand what they are talking about.

 

[wil]

It has really disturbed be lately when I have been talking to Christians,

Namaste Immortalitylost and welcome to the forums.

'when I have been talking to Christians', I'm not quite clear, are you a Christian? At times your sentiment appears you are and at others are not.

One thing you should know Christians are quite the varied group, we've got the whole alphabet and more of denominations and intracies in beliefs.

I for one don't believe in any critter called the devil. I do believe G!d is good. And a lack mentality, a closing off to G!d is what we call evil, and rather than blame ourselves or our own inadequacies or our own bad choices, we prefer to blame the devil, it's convenient.

 

[path_of_one]

I follow Christ and I also don't believe in Satan as a sort of ruler over evil.

Satan is in the Bible, but only in the Jewish sense (which is totally different from the standard Christian view of Satan today). The Devil as we know him today was created over the years by bringing together the Jewish idea of Satan with several different Pagan gods along with Zoroastrian concepts, from what I understand.

I consider myself panentheist, not monotheist, but there's my 2 cents for what it is worth.

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste immortalitylost,

thank you for the post.

whilst this isn't my normal bailiwick i hope that my response may be of some interest.

It has really disturbed be lately when I have been talking to Christians, my father in particular and one of his very studied friends in the church. I can't get the thought out of my mind that Christians aren't really as monotheistic as they claim to be.

indeed. Christianity, per se, is not monotheistic it is Henotheistic. Henotheism means that a religion worships only one deity...only one deity is worthy of worship yet acknowledges the existence of other deities.



Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Blue Letter Bible - Search Results for NIV

Henotheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you believe like this, don't call yourself monotheistic. And don't make fun of polytheists either. Because even if you don't acknowledge it, you are one.

hopefully you can see how Christianity, per se, isn't polytheist.

of course it is possible that a being could identify themselves as a Christian and also as a polytheist or anything else really... yet that doesn't reflect upon the tradition itself.

metta,

~v

 

[Dondi]

Satan is one of God's creations, a fallen angel. He is not a lesser God. However, that doesn't preclude him from trying to thwart God's plans. In the beginning, Satan (or Lucifer as he was called, was the highest angel, but fell because of his pride. He was cast to earth to be ruler of this world, along with 1/3 of the angels. What makes him seem powerful is the system of angels that he set up around the world (Idon't know how many angels there were in the beginning, but Revelation 5:11 have the heavenly host numbering upwards of 100 million [10,000 times 10,000]). If this represents the number of angels that did NOT fall, then Satan's army of fallen angels would number at 50 million (1/3 of 150 million total). Formitable, to say the least. How powerful each angel is, is unknown, but reading the bible indicates they are much more powerful than man and very intelligent, yet limited. Still, an army of fallen angels this strong and this numerous make a formitable foe. There are indications that it is an organized system spanning the globe (See Ephesians 6).

Assuming all this is true, then what seems to be a single powerful being named Satan is really a system of angels bent on disrupting all that is good. My belief is that the battle is not directly between God and Satan, but rather warring for the soul of Man, in which each side battles for the affections of Man, which is a trickier thing if Man is an autonomous creature. The Book of Job seems to suggest this.

 

[Quahom1]

It has really disturbed be lately when I have been talking to Christians, my father in particular and one of his very studied friends in the church. I can't get the thought out of my mind that Christians aren't really as monotheistic as they claim to be.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Christianity, It's just this new realization that has been bugging me as of late.

The problem, is that when you hear Christians talk about God it's always in the context of good. Their mindset is that God is in charge of only the good things in life, and the devil is in charge of the rest.

I'm sorry, but in my mind that is giving the devil waaay too much credit, and sorely underestimating the power of God.

Sure, I can understand why people wouldn't want to associate God with all the bad things that happen in this world. I get it. Your cat dies, or your friend gets robbed. You don't want to associate God with that. Must be the devil.

Why?

What makes people think that God being responsible for every bad thing along with the good would somehow tarnish him, make him less? I don't get it. God is beyond anyone's reproach, and If he is ALL powerful, like Christians claim to believe, then what makes them think that he isn't in charge of the terrible stuff also, along with the good.

That's what ALL powerful means, if I'm not mistaken. Power over ALL.

What Christians have done is make two gods. God, the more powerful, in charge of the good of course, and Satan, the lesser god sidekick in charge of all that is evil.

Since when were God and the devil even marginally close to equal?

Since when did Christianity turn into a divine boxing match?

(In the red corner, creator of all, ruler of the earth, protector of the innocent.... IIIIIttttt's GOD!!! And in the blue corner, ruler of all that is evil, defiler of maidens....leeettts hear it fooor SATAN!!!)

God is all powerful. ALL. And if Christians can't handle that, then too bad for them. It doesn't give them the right to change the facts so that they can feel better. That does no good for anyone!

If you believe like this, don't call yourself monotheistic. And don't make fun of polytheists either. Because even if you don't acknowledge it, you are one.

The moment Lucifer (Satan) declared his independence from God, he pulled away from God. Just like the moment Man declared independence from God he, pulled away from God.

One, knew better (having access to all there is), and the other did so in ignorance.

So, what we have are two created beings, both thinking they know better than God. Neither are God, but both are fallen. One knew what he was doing, and the other didn't have a clue. Justice favors the ignorant, if the ignorant do not have the ability, capacity and intent, to commit the crime.

Since Lucifer had all three before his choice, there is no reprieve for him and his kind.

Since Man was ignorant of what he was doing, there is respite. We have been granted a second chance, but Satan is like the elder sibling who deliberately scorned the master...and instead of taking what is deserved, he is hell bent on dragging his junior down with him (the ultimate revenge..."if I can't have what I want, I'll make sure you don't get what you want").

There is however, only one God. Three personages (that we still don't understand), one Godhead.

And God takes all (good and bad), to make for the ultimate good of his plans and purposes. That means he can use the devil to do his ultimate good will.

 

[Thomas]

The problem, is that when you hear Christians talk about God it's always in the context of good. Their mindset is that God is in charge of only the good things in life, and the devil is in charge of the rest.

The point is that God is not the cause of 'bad' things. God wills only the good, even if we don't always see it that way. God never wills the bad, for its own sake.

The devil is not in charge of bad things, the devil is the impetus behind evil things — but we perform the evil, not the devil. There is a huge distinction between bad and evil. It's to do with the nature of evil, which itself derives from freedom.

With freedom comes the responsibility of its exercise.

What we perceive as bad might be, in the end, a good. A lot of 'good' things are actually detrimental to one's health and well-being, for example. And in many cases we know that, but continue to serve what we perceive as ourselves, even when it is we who suffer the consequence.

Sure, I can understand why people wouldn't want to associate God with all the bad things that happen in this world. I get it. Your cat dies, or your friend gets robbed. You don't want to associate God with that. Must be the devil.

I know may might say that, but really, it's an over-simplification. There s such a thing as natural law, and thus consequence. So tragic things happen — that is in the nature of the finite, which is imperfect ... but that does not make it, nor the world, evil. We have to distinguish where, if at all, the evil lies.

The Book of Job is an extended meditation on that very issue. The Wisdom Books of the Bible likewise tackle the point.

What Christians have done is make two gods. God, the more powerful, in charge of the good of course, and Satan, the lesser god sidekick in charge of all that is evil.

Rather I would say that God wills only the good, even if I perceive that as detrimental to my well-being (in which case I am in error, not God).

The devil, however, wills the contrary to good, with intent to see the good brought to nothing ... that is twice evil. In the first instance because what is contrary to the good has no place in the order of things, so it is inherently destined to fail, and again because he seeks to engage us in his failure, and by this knowing deception, cause us to fail also.

In Christian terms, it is not the act, it is the reason behind the act.

In storybook terms, the devil made a monumental cock-up, and suffers the consequence of refusing to acknowledge his error. Rather, his only delight is in continuing to strike back at the good, by seeks to draw other into the same error — the only good he can give rise to, is the fall of others — something not unheard of in human psychology — 'if I can't have it, I don't want you to have it, either.'

Pax et bonum,

Thomas

 

[immortalitylost]

Alright, I'll try to clean up some of the mess and questions that my original post has left. I'm not the best at making what I'm thinking translate into words sometimes.

First though, I'd like to say that I meant no offense to people who believe this way even if it sounded like I did. I just get a little heated sometimes when something bugs me. If I offended someone, well I can't really help it, but it wasn't my intention.

I know all Christians do not believe this. I am simply refering to those that do. The rest of you need take no offense. And I hope you don't. I don't like it when people don't like me...

Now to answer a question...

'when I have been talking to Christians', I'm not quite clear, are you a Christian? At times your sentiment appears you are and at others are not.

I'm not really sure how to answer that. I'll try my best though.
Do I believe in Jesus Christ? Yes. I believe in his teachings. I do not trust the game of telephone that is in most of the bible, all the little details, but the general message, I believe in. So in my mind that does make me a Christian.

I am not however religious. Like I said, all the little details and the infighting, and the bible verses that can be interpreted to mean almost anything in the right hands. That I will never believe in.

Just my opinion, but there it is.

Namaste immortalitylost,
indeed. Christianity, per se, is not monotheistic it is Henotheistic. Henotheism means that a religion worships only one deity...only one deity is worthy of worship yet acknowledges the existence of other deities.

I wasn't aware of the term. It could apply. It is true that most Christians don't worship the devil, make sacrifices to appease him. Thank you for that.

Whatever the term may be, people that separate the good and the evil under the control of two deities are not Monotheistic. In this scenario one god does not have power over all things. If he has no power over evil, then he can't have power over ALL.

The point is that God is not the cause of 'bad' things. God wills only the good, even if we don't always see it that way. God never wills the bad, for its own sake.

This is exactly what I'm talking about, I'm sorry to say. Why isn't God the cause of 'bad' things? Why not evil things? Isn't he in charge of everything? Since when did everything not include bad or evil? God made the universe. He could have made it any way that he liked, but he chose this way. If he made it this way, and he is all powerful, wouldn't you guess that everything is just as he wants it? Are you implying that God doesn't have full controle of what he created? Why do so many people underestimate God?

What we perceive as bad might be, in the end, a good. A lot of 'good' things are actually detrimental to one's health and well-being, for example. And in many cases we know that, but continue to serve what we perceive as ourselves, even when it is we who suffer the consequence.

Now it sounds like you get it.... That's exactly true. Bad things happen for a reason, and God is in control of everything, the bad things, the good, everything for it's purpose. Everything is as God wants it to be. How could it not be so?

But by bad I don't mean what we perceive as bad, like getting up early, or following a diet. And not what we perceive as good. Like getting desert even if we are full, or lazing about on the couch all day, or procrastinating because you don't want to do something.

I mean more hardcore stuff. Hurricanes. Bombs. Hitler. Bad stuff like that. And Charities. Vaccines. Love. Good stuff like that. Things that we intrinsically know as good and bad.

God created the world with all of it. It's hard to swallow, but he knows better than us what is truly right and wrong for this planet. He created it.

So tragic things happen — that is in the nature of the finite, which is imperfect ... but that does not make it, nor the world, evil.

I never said that the world was evil. Nor is God for creating evil in it. I am only stating that God has dominion over all things, and all includes bad and evil. That's it.

We have to distinguish where, if at all, the evil lies.

Since when is that our job? Evil is here, it happens. It's a part of this world. There is no need to find out who is to blame for it. It's a part of life. Always has been. It's just the over-analyzing of the concept of evil that compels us to find someone at fault for it. We don't find evil fair.

Rather I would say that God wills only the good, even if I perceive that as detrimental to my well-being (in which case I am in error, not God).

Do you mean that God wills you to do things that you perceive as good, but that are detrimental to your health? What? How in the world does that make any sense?

God want's exactly what he created. Are you implying that God created the world and evil slipped in there through the cracks without God realizing? And what, he was just like, 'Oh darn, I didn't want that to happen.'? How can something happen that God doesn't want? Which puny god has that happen?

In storybook terms, the devil made a monumental cock-up,

That's funny.

The devil is fallible, he is allowed to make 'monumental cock-up's'. But when God created Satan, surely he knew what was to come. I can't really see God being all 'How is this happening? I didn't want this!'. God doesn't make cock up's.

That's why he's God.

I hope that clears up a few things. Thanks for your opinions, it's nice to debate this with someone besides my dad. He's the only one around here that will even listen long enough to have something to debate.

See ya!

 

[Saltmeister]

Alright, I'll try to clean up some of the mess and questions that my original post has left. I'm not the best at making what I'm thinking translate into words sometimes.

Oh Mr Hart! What a mess!

First though, I'd like to say that I meant no offense to people who believe this way even if it sounded like I did. I just get a little heated sometimes when something bugs me. If I offended someone, well I can't really help it, but it wasn't my intention.

I haven't been around here for a while, so this is the first time I've spoken to you. Welcome to the forums.

I do not trust the game of telephone that is in most of the bible, all the little details, but the general message, I believe in. So in my mind that does make me a Christian.

Game of telephone? What's that?

I am not however religious. Like I said, all the little details and the infighting, and the bible verses that can be interpreted to mean almost anything in the right hands. That I will never believe in.

People mean different things when they say the word, "religious." I am "religious," but not in the way that is normally implied by "religious." When I say "I am religious" I usually mean that "I have a religion." But for a lot of people, being religious implies more than having a religion. It implies a political agenda and the promotion of an ideology. It implies telling other people how to behave, or having ideals about how to live. That is not my concept of what it means to be "religious."

So far as I am concerned, you are religious. You're just not political about your religion.

Like I said, all the little details and the infighting, and the bible verses that can be interpreted to mean almost anything in the right hands. That I will never believe in.

Fundamentalist Christians have been socially, culturally and politically conditioned to believe that there is only one right way of understanding the written tradition and that this understanding must be forced on everybody. Everybody who does not participate in the movement is a traitor to the cause.

But luckily, we're not all fundamentalists. You are right. The Bible can be interpreted to mean almost anything. It is supposed to be like that. An interpretation comes from an individual person's life experiences. Life experiences give us an idea of what we should consider important. Different people put an emphasis on different things. Consequently, they think that some interpretations are more valid than others.

Nobody can deny the "truth" in their own life experience. What many Christians, particularly the fundamentalists, don't realise is how heavily this experience they have influences how they interpret the written tradition.

The fact that people will have different interpretations is actually not a problem. The problem is when they despise or reject other people's interpretations. Because everybody's life experience is valid for evaluating the quality of their own lives, every interpretation has some validity. The question is whether that interpretation is socially, politically, emotionally and psychologically constructive, and many interpretations are not socially, politically, emotionally and psychologically constructive.

Fundamentalist Christians just don't understand this reality. It's a major colossal error on the part of fundamentalist Christianity.

Isn't he in charge of everything? Since when did everything not include bad or evil? God made the universe. He could have made it any way that he liked, but he chose this way. If he made it this way, and he is all powerful, wouldn't you guess that everything is just as he wants it? Are you implying that God doesn't have full controle of what he created? Why do so many people underestimate God?

I think he would only want to be in charge of everything that is important. For ethical reasons, there are things that he would not want to control.

Now it sounds like you get it.... That's exactly true. Bad things happen for a reason, and God is in control of everything, the bad things, the good, everything for it's purpose. Everything is as God wants it to be. How could it not be so?

I mean more hardcore stuff. Hurricanes. Bombs. Hitler. Bad stuff like that. And Charities. Vaccines. Love. Good stuff like that. Things that we intrinsically know as good and bad.

Hey, if God wanted to control the world in such a way that there was no "evil," and there was no evil in the world, he'd be stopping people from doing evil things. We wouldn't be able to learn about what it means for humans to do evil things because God stops them from doing it.

You're suggesting that humans don't have an intrinsic right to be evil. How can we learn what it means to be accountable and responsible for our own lives if God keeps interfering?

Would you like it if your mother or mother-in-law kept interfering with your personal life? If God was your mother, and the kind of mother who is a superwoman who tries to make everything right, you either wouldn't be aware of your faults, the problems in your life or even if you did, you wouldn't know how to correct them. Your superwoman mother is putting herself in the front-line fighting your battles for you.

God created the world with all of it. It's hard to swallow, but he knows better than us what is truly right and wrong for this planet. He created it.

I could perhaps invoke my superwoman mother analogy again . . . if you want to be a hero, you don't let parental interference get in the way.

The devil is fallible, he is allowed to make 'monumental cock-up's'. But when God created Satan, surely he knew what was to come. I can't really see God being all 'How is this happening? I didn't want this!'. God doesn't make cock up's.

That's why he's God.

This is more of a question of what is or isn't God, as well as a question of whether God made what he intended to make. He intended to make an angel with self-awareness and free will. He did that. What that angel does then is his own business. An honourable God respects people's individuality, and God respected the devil's individuality. The devil has a right to think evil thoughts and develop evil intentions.

But we all know that if we just allow people to do what they like, you'd have a lot of chaos, fighting, violence, destruction going on. It doesn't matter if it happens in our society or in heaven or whether it involves humans or angels. The principle is the same. There has to be a sense of ethics. Not everything is holy, good, honourable and constructive.

This is where I should perhaps use the analogy of a democracy. Democracy recognises people's individual rights, but it is not license for people to do whatever they like. There are some things that would violate other people's dignity, such as stealing, lying, murdering or being a terrorist. A democratic political system must set limits so as not to have people think that they can do whatever they like.

Now think of heaven as a democracy. God allows the devil to do whatever he likes as long as it doesn't violate the laws of heaven or the "Heavenly Constitution." As you would probably know, the Constitution of any democratic political system is the most important Law System in that country. Likewise, God is the Constitution so far as Christianity is concerned.

So far as God is concerned, the devil wasn't a mistake. God did exactly wanted he wanted to do. He created life.

Let me get back to the democracy analogy. The purpose of democracy was to create a system that made it difficult for any one person or group to dominate politically, socially or economically. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. There is corruption, fraud, cronyism, bribery, racism, discrimination, etc. A democracy doesn't eliminate all the vices in a social, economic and political system. It's just designed to make it harder for people to engage in such unethical behaviour.

Just like in a democracy, I would think that everybody in heaven has rights and responsibilities. They may also have a private life. This may seem like an anthropomorphisation, that I am using human society as a way of extrapolating divine reality, but what if this were true? God is an individual and the devil is also an individual. Both have their limits of authority.

I am not joking or kidding around. This is a real suggestion for argument and debate.

He's the only one around here that will even listen long enough to have something to debate.

He's been around here?

 

[Thomas]

Why do so many people underestimate God?

It seems to me it is you who underestimates God with your idea of a deterministic universe in which the notion of 'freedom' and 'choice' and 'love' is a fallacy.

Think about it: If you believe God wills bad and evil things, then by that argument you have no way of knowing if everything you believe in is a lie ... you have no way of knowing whether what you believe in is true or false. You can trust nothing.

God created the world with all of it. It's hard to swallow, but he knows better than us what is truly right and wrong for this planet. He created it.

I aree. But I believe God chose to make His will known to man, whereas, according to you, the whole thing might well be a monumental trick. He might, according to you, plan that the whole thing goes bad ...

So it seems to me you are in a complete mess, not being able to say anything about anything with any certainty, because God might well have you running a fool's errand, just for the heck of it.

Thomas

 

[immortalitylost]

Hello to you too Saltmeister! You don't mind if I leave off the numbers, ne?
Well I'll try to answer some ?'s and whatnot, and I appreciate you bringing up some constructive criticism and subjects for debate. Who doesn't love good debate?

Well, here we go then...

Game of telephone? What's that?

It's a game where people stand in line. One person whispers something into the next person's ear and they try to pass the same message all the way to the end. It doesn't usually work out so well...

People mean different things when they say the word, "religious."

When I said religious I mean following the practices and rituals of a religion, and believing completely in the teachings therein. I feel that most people nowadays aren't really religious in those terms.

Hey, if God wanted to control the world in such a way that there was no "evil," and there was no evil in the world, he'd be stopping people from doing evil things. We wouldn't be able to learn about what it means for humans to do evil things because God stops them from doing it.

Whoa there killer, calm down! lol What I said was that God created evil, and put it in this world for a reason. Evil has a purpose, and it is his purpose. Evil is one catalyst for spiritual growth, for instance. I was just trying to get the point across that God created evil, because he created everything and that we can't judge why he did that, but I'm sure that he knows what he's doing. Better?

You're suggesting that humans don't have an intrinsic right to be evil. How can we learn what it means to be accountable and responsible for our own lives if God keeps interfering?

God doesn't interfere. He put evil here as a learning experience. Like I said up there.

God is an individual and the devil is also an individual. Both have their limits of authority.

Well, the devil is one thing, but I don't see God as having limits of authority. He is all powerful. He created everything. Who's going to hold him to limits even if he were to have them? So I can't agree with you there. But I see what you're trying to say.

Thank you 4 posting!

 

[immortalitylost]

I don't just 'believe' God wills bad and evil things. I say that God is in charge of everything! Good! Bad! Evil! Wonderful! Everything! God created it all, so why would he make something that he didn't want? Freedom, choice, and love would feel and be just as real to us even if God knew everything. Your favorite flavour of ice cream tastes just as good if your closest friend already knows what your going to pick before you even enter the ice cream shop doesn't it?

And how do I know if everything is a lie? It's not my job to know. It doesn't matter what I think. I can trust in God's plan, because I trust in God. Acknowledging his power really doesn't put a hamper on that for me. And what he plans is entirely up to him, as is the judgment that his creation is good or bad. As a matter of fact, so is the definition of good and bad. God can have me running any errand that he wishes. He put me here, it is up to him what he does with me. I am but a pawn.

 

[immortalitylost]

Btw, that last post was in response of Thomas. Thomas doesn't agree with my views...
and that totally wasn't obvious, lol.

 

[pattimax]

Henotheism means that a religion worships only one deity...only one deity is worthy of worship yet acknowledges the existence of other deities.



Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.


Joshua was referring to idols. These are made by God
A deity is any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force. So yes, the acknowledgement is there, but why worship something that was created?

 

[Thomas]

Since when were God and the devil even marginally close to equal?

Never. So why does evil flourish, if God is all-powerful, and that is not what God desires?

Thomas

 

[citizenzen]

Never. So why does evil flourish, if God is all-powerful, and that is not what God desires?

Thomas

In science, when results do not match the theory, the theory needs to be reconsidered.

Maybe you need to reconsider what God is.

 

[pattimax]

In science, when results do not match the theory, the theory needs to be reconsidered.

Maybe you need to reconsider what God is.

And what is your time span for these "results"?

Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that God has no intention of reconsidering you?

 

[citizenzen]

And what is your time span for these "results"?

At least once in the history of the Earth might be nice. But why rush things? What's a few billion years to God?

Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that God has no intention of reconsidering you?

While I have no idea what this means, I do find it interesting to use the word "fact" in a religion based on faith.