Originally posted by @vivifyThere is I believe at least one here who believes that, I am not one of them. I believe God has given us choice and we are making them daily. I believe God is the only one who could such a thing.
Ever head of the doctrine of election? It's basically God picking who will be saved and who won't be, not the human beings in question:
" It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort".
Yet again, this is an objective case of God being full of himself.
Originally posted by @eladarIf God forces all of our choices on us then punishes us for those choices He made for us,
The God of predestination.
that would be evil in my opinion. If God knows the choices we make, and allows us to make
them good or bad, that makes our choices our own, and God is not evil, because of the
choices we make, we are.
Originally posted by @kellyjaySo you believe it is the created's position to judge the creator. You believe God should be judged by man's point of view.
If God forces all of our choices on us then punishes us for those choices He made for us,
that would be evil in my opinion. If God knows the choices we make, and allows us to make
them good or bad, that makes our choices our own, and God is not evil, because of the
choices we make, we are.
Originally posted by @kellyjayThis is all good.
The question at hand is "Does God have a need?"
Do you remember the story of Hannah one of the rival wives of Elkanah (First Samuel) ? She was vexed because she could not have a child. She was taunted and made miserable by Elkanah's other child bearing wife.
Now Hannah made a vow to God. She said IF... God would give her a son she would lend Him to God as a consecrated priest all his days.
God was poor, in terms of not having a consecrated priest . The Bible says -
"And she made a vow and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your female servant and remember me and not forget You demale servant, but give to Your female servant a male child, then I will give him to Jehovah for all the days of his life, and no razor will come upon his head." (1 Samuel 1:11)
There is no question that Hanah felt her sore need. But did not God also have a need for His purposes ? Think of how poor Eli the presiding priest was, and his miserable priestly sons. Think of how great the priest Samuel was and what he accomplished for God.
Hanah keeps her promise when she has the baby boy Samuel.
"It was for this child that I prayed and Jehovah has granted me my request that I requested from Him.
Therefore I, for my part, have lent him to Jehovah, all the days that he lives, he is lent to Jehovah. " (1 Cam. 1:27,28)
Didn't God have a need there ?
Originally posted by @fmfYeah I mean if 'he' was eternal then he wouldn't need to be a 'he' .
So eternity feels like a very, very long and lonely time to the putitive creator of the universe, who is supposedly without beginning or end, and who exists in a dimension that transcends time, and all this has a similar emotional effect on him as it has on humans. Are you sure?
Does his sense of loneliness differ in any way from the loneliness felt by humans?
Christians dont seem to get that