Does God Care?

Originally posted by MysticPearl
Take a look at the world around you.

Does it look like it? Your God is either sleeping on the job, or a liar, because if he was as powerful and kind as some suggest, the atrocities we see daily wouldn't be occurring, as he'd either be powerful enough to stop them, or would have had the foresight not to let them happen in the first place.

edit on 11-1-2012 by MysticPearl because: (no reason given)

Do you have any kids? Or had any pets? Did they ever get sick, or hurt, or hungry? Why? Because you can't do everything for them. It's part of growing up. We are still a baby race.

Remember, view the issue from all perspectives, or you will be worse than blind...you will be blindly confident.

Originally posted by domasio
If there is a God as outlined in the Christian faith, then yes, I think he does care, he just won't get involved ever again until Armageddon.

He clearly said that the free will we were given will play out until the end of days, and after Noah's Ark he wouldn't interfere in anything anymore.

I don't know what to believe, but if there is a God, I would hope he isn't one that would just sit back and watch people suffer because one person ate a piece of fruit that they were told not to.

I have an interesting response to that. Tell me, if you removed the steering column from a car and then turn it on, where will it go? Forward, or backward?

It goes nowhere. Just as with Adam and Eve. They were spiritually in neutral. They had no reason to commit evil, for no evil opportunities were presented...until they were given a choice by God. Yes, God gave them that choice as a test, because his advisers insisted that spiritual progress was needed.

Once they ate that fruit, polarity was achieved. Positive and negative. The steering column was obtained. Before, they weren't sinners because they never had the opportunity. Nothing is a clearer indicator of a golden heart than actually being faced with a bad choice and refusing it.

They were punished, yes...but it was a clever punishment. In learning of the consequences of bad choices, they were able to progress spiritually. Unfortunately, some people are unable to resist bad choices. They are too attracted to the easy solution.

In essence, God did kick them out. But it was the act of kicking a baby bird from a nest...for they were children. They were grown children in need of experience, for spiritual progress.

Originally posted by PurpleVortex
"Care" is not in the right context here. Whether you think he does or not, would it matter? You have an important "tool" to use in any situation, you guessed it right, free will. The way i see it is that he cares, he just wants us to decide, even the idea of his existence.....makes life a little bit more interesting huh. If i tell you ALL the knowledge in the universe and everything you can possible want to know about, what would you strive to learn after you know everything? anyways, he cares. peace.

It is not a matter of striving to learn...see, every situation happens differently. To know every possible situation and scenario and resulting effects in every possible tangent in the world is to have your head filled with helium and blown up. It would be impossible. However, to know almost everything...it would cease to be a matter of learning, so much as helping. Once you have the knowledge, it's what you do with it that counts.

But caring, as I have said before, makes all the difference. If He/She/It does not care, then we are royally f***ed. End of story.


p.s. the He/She/It thing is a result of my refusal to define God specifically as a male or female. I'm over the whole "God is male, God is female, God is black, white, a dog"...whatever.

How to get salvation:

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13) [Putting others ahead of yourself through actions of love - altruism]

In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

reply to post by Starchild23

Originally posted by Starchild23
The chaos and destruction we witness every day on this planet belies that concept, leading to the inevitable question of "does He/She/It REALLY care?"

But then according to that, you just jumped from one assumption to another, no?

What do you define as chaos and destruction? What makes you say that the chaos and destruction witnessed on our planet every day is something significant? What makes you say "chaos and destruction" is at such a level with humanity that it belies the concept of a caring deity? Who is to say that certain actions have not transpired that will eventually lead humanity to newer and more illustrious heights? Heck, while asking such questions, who is to say that "chaos and destruction" are attributes not in keeping with a caring deity?

What do we accept as proof of 'care'? A total lack of any and all problems for every individual ?

If a newborn could speak, rather than only cry, don't you imagine that they would be wwaailing,
"Why did you hurt me? You threw me out of my warm nest, now
I am cold and miserable! Don't you care?"

Much like a newborn, we do not yet see the full picture.....we think this womb, this nursery is IT...........

reply to post by frayed1



Hmm...you have a point. However, I have a point in return. You ask what caring is. We certainly cannot pinpoint the exact juncture at which caring must withdraw until next needed, but we are HUMAN. God is OMNISCIENT. Thus, God knows exactly what to do.

You forget, God is Superman and Chuck Norris and the Matrix's Architect combined and pumped up with gamma radiation. It doesn't matter if we can't find a solution; God can make the solution obsolete.*



* According to the definition of omnipotency.

reply to post by Starchild23

Oh, and in saying that God's relationship with us and the universe does not include caring, you have consigned your entire race to a life of meaningless misery. Good work interpreting a single line of Revelations to turn the whole Bible on its head.

I never said God does not care, God does care but id God had complete control of everything, and the world is the way it is, it would indicate that He does not care a whole lot.
And no, I did not turn the Bible on its head, there are other examples where God is not in complete control.
I think that the general concept would be that if there is a way to solve problems that is doable, God will figure out a way to do just that, but within bounds set by circumstances beyond His control.

reply to post by Starchild23

It goes nowhere. Just as with Adam and Eve. They were spiritually in neutral. They had no reason to commit evil, for no evil opportunities were presented...until they were given a choice by God. Yes, God gave them that choice as a test, because his advisers insisted that spiritual progress was needed.

You are making big, giant assumptions.
The Lord did not put the tree there as a test.
In fact, God did not put the tree there at all.
The tree was there and The Lord was powerless to remove it.
That is the true meaning of the story, and verified by Jesus himself.

reply to post by babloyi

Originally posted by Starchild23
The chaos and destruction we witness every day on this planet belies that concept, leading to the inevitable question of "does He/She/It REALLY care?"

But then according to that, you just jumped from one assumption to another, no?

What do you define as chaos and destruction? What makes you say that the chaos and destruction witnessed on our planet every day is something significant? What makes you say "chaos and destruction" is at such a level with humanity that it belies the concept of a caring deity? Who is to say that certain actions have not transpired that will eventually lead humanity to newer and more illustrious heights? Heck, while asking such questions, who is to say that "chaos and destruction" are attributes not in keeping with a caring deity?

edit on 13-1-2012 by babloyi because: (no reason given)

"What makes you say that the chaos and destruction witnessed on our planet every day is something significant?"

I rest my case.

reply to post by jmdewey60

The Lord was powerless to remove it

How can you take belief in such...you limit your eye greatly.

Just because it is written?

Originally posted by jmdewey60
reply to post by Starchild23

 

Oh, and in saying that God's relationship with us and the universe does not include caring, you have consigned your entire race to a life of meaningless misery. Good work interpreting a single line of Revelations to turn the whole Bible on its head.

I never said God does not care, God does care but id God had complete control of everything, and the world is the way it is, it would indicate that He does not care a whole lot.
And no, I did not turn the Bible on its head, there are other examples where God is not in complete control.
I think that the general concept would be that if there is a way to solve problems that is doable, God will figure out a way to do just that, but within bounds set by circumstances beyond His control.

By which you mean to say, God is not omnipotent. Congratulations. You have once again managed to refute the entire Bible.

reply to post by jmdewey60

The guy is saying Jesus was just an ordinary person like us but said some interesting things.

Actually, it says that you are much more then just a ordinary person. That no one is just ordinary.

Originally posted by LeoVirgo
reply to post by jmdewey60

 

The guy is saying Jesus was just an ordinary person like us but said some interesting things.

Actually, it says that you are much more then just a ordinary person. That no one is just ordinary.

That may be but not a good format to get through to Christians so you may want to just present those ideas in a more easily digestible form. The book has been around for a long time so you expect someone has attempted to re-word it a bit for people not familiar with these concepts.

reply to post by jmdewey60


You could attempt to reword your posts in something more english so I don't have to read three times to understand the first sentence.

Does God Care?,

Been asking myself that question a lot lately. Supposedly yes He does ... but then I look around and see all the suffering and all the unanswered prayers and all the unfairness of who gets sick and who doesn't ... and I do wonder. I can't help it. I KNOW there is a God .. but I can't help wondering if He is really paying attention to each and every one of us ...

Originally posted by Starchild23
Some of you may be familiar with the man who wrote "Conversation With God".

There is a particular quote in there (which I shall paraphrase) : You think I care what you do...

Who here thinks that God cares what happens here, and just wants us to learn from our mistakes? Also, I desire to know why you think God created man to begin with?

I read the trilogy and I realize that this message is one of God not caring what you do. I would argue against that because then there would be no hell, assuming you are free to do whatever.

I am thinking to myself, who is God and what is God like?

God maybe like light on earth, but we cannot get to know the personality of God because it is too far above us, but we will and can know the personality of God in ourselves.

It's too much for me...

reply to post by greyer


That would actually be a thought for the "Definition of God" thread, which I have also authored.

reply to post by FlyersFan

.. but I can't help wondering if He is really paying attention to each and every one of us ...

That's a difficult one to figure out from ordinary observation.
I believe things would be worse without God.
Now this may be a very outrageous thing to say because it imagines the possibility of there not being a God. Where some people would take offense since (to them) of course the universe could not exist without God. Well that may be, in a certain respect, where it would be too evil to make a universe without a God.

reply to post by jmdewey60


I know there is a God. I've had a few close encounters. Not the kind where you are in a church and work yourself into a frenzy. I mean the kind where the soul is touched by the divine. It's very different. That being said ... Is He a GOOD GOD? Just because He is God .. does that mean He's automatically GOOD?

Everyone says yes .. and the near death experiences people have say yes ... so I'm trying to hang on to those testimonies by people who have had NDE and keep that in mind when I'm having a difficult day ... It's the best I can do.