1. If God exists, why wouldn't He create what He wanted fully formed rather than let whatever would be evolve from nothing over billions or so years?
2. If God exists, why would God take 13.72 billion years to create a world when He could do it in 6 days?
3. If God exists, why would God make man in the image of God, rather than just let whatever evolve from a primordial pool.
01 Jul 14
Originally posted by RJHindsOne answer to "2" is rather obvious.
1. If God exists, why wouldn't He create what He wanted fully formed rather than let whatever would be evolve from nothing over billions or so years?
2. If God exists, why would God take 13.72 billion years to create a world when He could do it in 6 days?
3. If God exists, why would God make man in the image of God, rather than just let whatever evolve from a primordial pool.
If he wanted to create the universe as it is today - he could have.
But then tomorrow you have the same question:
Why did he not create today instead of yesterday?
ad infinitum
If you believe in a Creator then he could have created the Universe at any
point in time.
01 Jul 14
Originally posted by wolfgang59If God exists and wanted to create something, He had to start some time. Maybe in the beginning is a good time. So I say it is better early than late.
One answer to "2" is rather obvious.
If he wanted to create the universe as it is today - he could have.
But then tomorrow you have the same question:
Why did he not create today instead of yesterday?
ad infinitum
If you believe in a Creator then he could have created the Universe at any
point in time.
01 Jul 14
Originally posted by RJHindsIf God exists and the Christians have it more or less right then there is a final judgement. For the final judgement to have any meaning we must have a choice about faith, in order for that to be a meaningful choice we need a universe which could have come about on its own. If it were obviously a creation then there could be no choice about belief.
1. If God exists, why wouldn't He create what He wanted fully formed rather than let whatever would be evolve from nothing over billions or so years?
2. If God exists, why would God take 13.72 billion years to create a world when He could do it in 6 days?
3. If God exists, why would God make man in the image of God, rather than just let whatever evolve from a primordial pool.
What do you mean by create a world? In the account you subscribe to people lived for implausibly long time periods and then there was a global flood - so the world we know today took rather more than a week to produce. In the Scientific narrative the universe was created in an instant and then evolved into what we have today.
Possibly the notion that we were created in the image of God is a human conceit? Or, maybe this is at a spiritual, rather than physical, level.
01 Jul 14
Originally posted by DeepThoughtI don't see how we can have a choice about faith.
If God exists and the Christians have it more or less right then there is a final judgement. For the final judgement to have any meaning we must have a choice about faith, in order for that to be a meaningful choice we need a universe which could have come about on its own. If it were obviously a creation then there could be no choice about bel ...[text shortened]... image of God is a human conceit? Or, maybe this is at a spiritual, rather than physical, level.
01 Jul 14
Originally posted by BigDoggProblemIt all depends on your definition of 'choice' and your understanding of free will.
I don't see how we can have a choice about faith.
If 'choice' implies random decision making, then you typically do not have a choice about belief.
If 'choice' implies using your brain and prior knowledge to decide something then you do have a choice about belief.
Faith is similar, but I think typically proceeds much more from an emotional sort of decision making than the more rational process that leads to belief. But it is actually more of a choice than belief is, in that it more heavily depends on your own internal psyche than on direct evidence.
01 Jul 14
Originally posted by BigDoggProblemIt's a good point, that was why I had the conditionals in the first sentence. It's hardly fair to condemn someone to eternal suffering, or oblivion, or whatever is meant to happen if there is no choice in what we believe.
I don't see how we can have a choice about faith.
01 Jul 14
Originally posted by DeepThoughtWhat is required for punishment of any kind to be fair?
It's a good point, that was why I had the conditionals in the first sentence. It's hardly fair to condemn someone to eternal suffering, or oblivion, or whatever is meant to happen if there is no choice in what we believe.
