Can God change his mind??

Weird question, eh?

Well, lately a few people i know in real life and on messageboards have mentioned biblical prophecies, revelation, beast, The End, and all that.
Ok, some 2,000 years ago a guy had a vision inspired by God, saw the end of humanity. A few people after him saw similar things.
But lots of time has passed since then. What if God decided NOT to do that to humanity... what if he just changed his mind?
Lots of things in prophecies fit in the world how it was in the 60s and 70s during the cold war, when a very strong posibility of an all out war actually existed. The world how it is now isn't the world how it is supposed to be before The End, some things fit in, but many don't.

hence my question: what if God changed his mind?
Would that make him a liar?

Note: this is not another atheist-questioning-religion-thingy, this is a believer-questioning-human-interpretation-of-religion-and-human-logic-and-understanding-thingy

Would this not be the same as you changing your mind?
Prophecy or not..the logic is the same.....
If you told a friend that this Friday you would do something for him and didn't because you forgot, or something else came up or you had second thoughts or whatever the reason.....would this not be considered a lie...that you told your friend a lie.....that you were lying......that you, in essence, lied......would you not be considered by others as a liar?




regards
seekerof

True, but you are forgetting who God is, an all-powerful all-knowing being. That includes the knowledge of the future. Therefore he would know that he will not do the whole Apocalypse thing, but he still sent visions to men.
If you think in linear terms, then it is like you said, God simply changed his mind. But if you think in God's terms, he told a lie 2,000 years ago... just something to think about in case The End doesnt happen

Can he somehow do it without being a liar? Yes. He could have intentionaly sent that vision purely for educational purposes, to somehow make us do the right thing because it will all pay off someday when we die...

Ahhh, yes, God's prerogative.
In the case that you speak of....it's called God's own time schedule....not yours, not mine, not Man's to dictate "when"....so if it takes another 2,000 or 20,000 years to fulfill or come to fruitition, then it is on God's schedule, if He/She has one.......
'Time' to God is not measured by our own concept's of determining 'time.'

regards
seekerof

*15,15*
clip, God cannot change his mind.
You are right not only is he...
ominpitent,
omniscient,
omnipresent.

He is also...
every faithful,
ecer true,
every just,
ever righteous...

The meaning of Yaweh is I am
But that wasn't just just "I am" that he was saying.
He was saying I am God, I am Chirst, I am the Messiah, I am all knowing, I am all powerful, I am everywhere, I am ever loving, I am...
He meant basically I am everything in every way in every possible combination.

God cannot change his mind.
He knows all, therefore he knows what will happen.
God is just, therefore those who do not believe in him will perish (not literally, they simply go to hell).
Because God is truth, he cannot change his mind.
God knows what will happen, everything is predetermined.
No matter what choice you make, God already knows you will make that choice, even though you are "free".
That's part of why life is constantly debated...
Is it yours of God's?

- Tass*40*

The God in the Bible changes his mind loads of times.
He condemns people but let's 'em off or changes their punishment when they repent or do something good.

It's 'cos he's a merciful dude!!!

If God were to change Her mind, wouldn't thay show that God isn't as perfect as She's made out to be? But then again, since we are made in Her image, and we change our minds all the time...

Is your definition of "perfection" in your human terms or as applied to God's definition of "perfection"?
Again, the finite mind of man is once again trying to understand and fathom the Infiniteness of God.......ain't going to happen.....

regards
seekerof

Can Ganesh change his mind? How about Allah or Buddha? Maybe the Mother Goddess recinds her decisions occasionally...

God's mind can be changed... but ehan the question is raised:

"Would we be told God went... 'ehh, I suppose not'"

We are taught that God is perfect, from Sunday school on up. Imagine what would happen if we learned God was indecisive?

Every religion does not have an end time relevation.
Nor can any religion fully comprehend "God".

In my eyes God is something that has no physical form. Hes the one and only ultimate being, He is those whole universe.

Who is to call him a liar, and who is to say that those who "heard" Gods words were telling the truth and continue too.

You can never ever explain what god is, words cant describe him.
He is just GOD and that is all thier is too it.
Deep

There is only one God, he is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer.

"You are the Creator, O Lord, the Unknowable. You created the Universe of diverse kinds, colours and qualities. You know your own Creation. All this is your Play."

"The Formless Supreme Being abides in the Realm of Eternity. Over His creation He casts His glance of grace. In that Realm are contained all the continents and the universes, Exceeding in number all count. Of creation worlds upon worlds abide therein; All obedient to His will; He watches over them in bliss, And has each constantly in mind."

This is stated by Guru Nanak in our Japji( Sikh Holy Book)
God is God, He can change his mind whenver he feels free too.

Who are we to Question Gods authority?

Who were we we Question our parents when we were told not to cross the street as children.
Just as our parents promised us gifts if we were to follow their rules, we were punished for not.

To call God a Liar is ingnorant and naive.

Deep

and not the mind you have come to refer to as the word "mind"...
yes, the father is static, i believe...

Originally posted by bigsage
and not the mind you have come to refer to as the word "mind"...
yes, the father is static, i believe...

I would have to agree.

The idea that God would even go through a process of decision making like we do, shows how far the human mind being Finite truely is from understanding Infinity, Oneness, or Wholeness.

I pose another question to help clarify my point. Since choosing of anykind must at minimum present two possibilities to allow for choice to be present. (or one Alternative to the present course to say it another way)
"How could God truely make a choice between Right or Left when coming to a fork in the road?"

Given the fact that God is Infinite(Beyond even the sum of all his/her/it's smaller parts) in any and all meanings of the word Infinite. Wouldn't God already know and be both Right & Left at the same time and at every moment of time that could exist in both directions? Not to mention both directions from begining to end and every step between and beyond would be of God also.

(Edit: moved the word "smaller")

[Edited on 7-10-2003 by mOjOm]

Ding!!
Point to Leveller!
You got it on the nose.

God can and does change his mind. he doesn't WANT to bring doom on people, he wants the best for them. So even if they DO deserve it he is willing to forgive them if sincerly asked. Happens frequently in the bible. ....

Originally posted by Leveller
The God in the Bible changes his mind loads of times.
He condemns people but let's 'em off or changes their punishment when they repent or do something good.

It's 'cos he's a merciful dude!!!

Very interesting replies there.

True, we cannot understand the actions of a perfect being, but that same being gave us inteligence and reason, so we ask questions, think, wonder.
Thats what I am doing. I didn't call God a liar, I just wanted to see how many different perspectives there are on this from different religions.
The Christian worhiping of one God in personified through Christ, God is personified. In other religions, including my religion Islam, God is an entity, all-powerful, all-knowing ONE entity, and there is noone else like him. So, he CAN do whatever he wants, his actions do not depend on human understanding of them.

If the Apocalypse doesnt happen what are all those who believe in it going to think about God? Would they accept it as something they can't understand, or would they doubt the word of God in the future?

I know this is a purely philosophical question, I just think about things like this somethimes when I'm bored

were that we would not be engulfed by water again...
so in his infinite wisdom i would not forsake the inevitable...
i try to keep my word with him in my actions...
and if it is my time it was a necessary action...

Originally posted by Leveller
The God in the Bible changes his mind loads of times.
He condemns people but let's 'em off or changes their punishment when they repent or do something good.

It's 'cos he's a merciful dude!!!

Leveller is exactly right. Read the story of Lot. Shoot read the story just prior to the flood.

But, the original post is asking if God PROMISES something would He back out and not tell us...would He be liar. That's different. Of course, my answer to your question is No, He wouldn't.