Question 1

Originally posted by galveston75
Could you show me the scriptures that show God knew that Jesus was going to be a sacrifice before the earth was founded?

The info was from Jaywill on the Question 2 thread.

Originally posted by galveston75
Do not most parents give their children free will to decide on some things in life? But if the children do not conform to certain rules laid down by the parents, there are usually consequences aren't there?
Why would our creator not have guidelines for us to follow? And if you think about all the laws and regulations that God could have placed on them, he only had one. Do not touch the tree. That's it.

Kids need guidelines and rules to help keep them safe and mature(properly?) emotionally and physically . These rules are slowly lifted as the parent sees fit. Now the problem I have is with the definition of "adult" What makes us an adult? Turning 18, 21...or 50 maybe.
I believe that a proper adult is someone that has come to terms with their own spirituality within their daily lives. Who makes correct decisions for the benefit of the whole (others). Who is responsible for their actions at all times amd who has learned to use the free will God gave them for the best possible good.(Of course it does not depend on age)

i know I certainly dont live up to my defintion of an adult. How many people do you know that would? (I could count them on hand🙁 )

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Kids need guidelines and rules to help keep them safe and mature(properly?) emotionally and physically . These rules are slowly lifted as the parent sees fit. Now the problem I have is with the definition of "adult" What makes us an adult? Turning 18, 21...or 50 maybe.
I believe that a proper adult is someone that has come to terms with their own sp ...[text shortened]... defintion of an adult. How many people do you know that would? (I could count them on hand🙁 )

Yes we all need guidelines. In my case it's the ones that say 55 MPH.... Lol.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
The info was from Jaywill on the Question 2 thread.

Ok..Thanks.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
i also thought of my wife, but i did not dare say it 🙂

Just out of curiousity, is there a way to edit past posts? You never know, she might stumble upon it. 😳

Originally posted by wolfgang59
I guess it depends on your definition of "perfect".

But I think most people would agree that something that can go wrong was never built "perfectly" from the start. I think that is a huge problem for believers and cannot understand why they have created religions with such a flaw.

Does anyone know of a major religion where the devil is not created by god?

Originally posted by wolfgang59

But I think most people would agree that something that can go wrong was never built "perfectly" from the start.
This is a difficulty for believers, but they argue that free will is more important than ruling out evil. Free will is a greater good than the absence of evil, according to Free Will Theodicies.

Originally posted by Lord Shark
Originally posted by wolfgang59

[b]But I think most people would agree that something that can go wrong was never built "perfectly" from the start.
This is a difficulty for believers, but they argue that free will is more important than ruling out evil. Free will is a greater good than the absence of evil, according to Free Will Theodicies.[/b]

Yes I agree it seems desirable to have a religion which allows free will even if the penalty is evil.

My OP was how did Satan originate (is he needed as part of Christianity?)

I know the Lucifer story but it seems that not everyone identifies Lucifer with Satan. Is Satan real to most Christians or a personification of evil ssimilar to santa Claus being apersonification of Christmas.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Yes I agree it seems desirable to have a religion which allows free will even if the penalty is evil.

My OP was how did Satan originate (is he needed as part of Christianity?)

I know the Lucifer story but it seems that not everyone identifies Lucifer with Satan. Is Satan real to most Christians or a personification of evil ssimilar to santa Claus being apersonification of Christmas.

I think some Christians think of Satan as a created being who fell, others see Satan as a metaphor, as you say, for evil which is characterised by the absence of good. I don't know which camp has the most adherents world wide.