What was God doing before "In the beginning"?

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
reply to post by coop039

 

Another thread I was reading got me thinking about this.
I am in no way trying to bash Christians, Im just wanting to know what your thoughts are about this.

Before God created the heavens and earth, what was he doing? Was he alone in a vast nothingness? If he created everything who or what created him? is there a race of gods? Do they all have their own planets that they watch over? Just what was he doing? What was before god?

Im sure I will get the "he was in heaven with the angels" response, but Im wondering what was before that. If he created everything (heaven and angels included), What was he up to before all that?

God is the ultimate realtity.
What we perceive as OUR reality is simply a projection of the ultimate reality, i.e God.
Asking what our maker did before the beginning (of our universe) is like being a clay pot and wondering what the potter was doing before he made his first batch of clay pots.

lol...good analogy.

Also, when it is said "In the beginning....", that is merely a reference to OUR beginning because of our perception of linear time.
God actually has no "beginning", so technically, that means there is is no "before" the beginning. No beginning, no before. It is one of the mysteries of heaven that man is truly incapable of fathoming while in this dimension.

This physical dimension in which we experience in the flesh of our body, is defined by time.
Our spiritual dimension in which we will experience in the substance of our essence (or soul, or spiritual body, etc.--whatever you want to refer to it as), is defined by eternity.

Having said all that, what I'm basically saying is what I already previously said: "No beginning, no before."

Now, having said that, I have pondered this very same question on many nights when I can't fall asleep or when driving, or anytime I am doing something mundane and my mind begins to wander among miscellaneous unanswerable questions. Something I'm fairly sure we all do, or have done.

Regardless, the question remains unanswered in my mind, thus always available for me to ponder again when I find myself in mind-wandering circumstances.

reply to post by coop039


I wasn't even addressing you... Check the original comment. It was not addressed to you...

"In the beginning..." is all humans get and all God intends us to know of His actions. If you are a Christian than you could say God was preparing the conditions for the big bang. Many will say "oh well you can't have it both ways you cant be a creationist and believe in science" Why not?

What does the Bible REALLY say? It doesn't mention any white bearded man on a cloud, thats just how our feeble minds perceived God. All is says was the universe was void and without form. Thats a perfect description for pre-big bang conditions.

So God was busy at work preparing the universe... God is the God of science, the atom, the molecules that make up our world, not some dude on a cloud....

Or so a Christian might say...

reply to post by lonewolf19792000



So what was he doing BEFORE?
There no need to quote long biblical texts.

Most Christian views are that with the creation of this world came time. So, before thewre was time, there was "un-time". God still exists in "un-time", which is why he is Omnicient, Omnipresent, all-knowing. As soon as the universe was created, there was a before (only un-time) and after (un-time and time), and the only real difference was that there is now something to look at.

reply to post by stupid girl


So, before the big bang, in this spiritual universe, god is the only inhabitant? No other beings? hes alone? for how long? Surely something brought god into being.

Originally posted by coop039

Originally posted by MeesterB
This may seem like a deus ex machina answer, but Christians believe that God created all things, including time. He is outside of time and doesn't experience time like we do, so it doesn't make much sense to imagine Him sitting around before man came along.

I'm not trying to be snarky with my answer, but God is outside of every box man tries to put him in.

So at one point for some time he was all alone in a vast nothingness? How did he come exist?

Try to imagine reality without time. What would it be like to exist if time wasn't a thing?
Yeah, pretty difficult.

I believe God is eternally self sufficient and has no beginning since "having a beginning" implies time.
Why would have a creation? Well, that's a good question.
I try to study what He does with his creation to discovery why.

reply to post by coop039

reply to post by IsThisThingBugged

Originally posted by IsThisThingBugged
You must be very unconfident in your own believes. I have noticed you take ever opportunity to but down others...

Actually, I'm quite confident that I don't know the answer to this question. I'm very confident and comfortable not knowing, when most around me are desperately trying to make up stories about the beginning of this existence we find ourselves in, and the purpose of this life. Beyond the scientific knowledge we have today about our beginnings, my position is that we don't know.

I don't know who you are or why you think I'm putting someone down. I gave a sarcastic answer to the question, but no one else had even posted, so I'm not sure who you think I was putting down... If you take my opinion personally, that's your issue, not mine.

Your attempts to be a bully are unbecoming...

Well, it's a good thing I'm not trying to win friends and influence people, then. I really don't care if you find me "unbecoming". It wouldn't be the first time and I'm sure it's not the last. I'm not bullying anyone. I'm stating my opinions, just like everyone else. If you feel "attacked" by my opinions, that's really not my responsibility.

reply to post by IsThisThingBugged

I left ATS for 2 years and this guy/girl STILL starts every religious thread by insinuating that every religious person is a baffoon...

I'm not insinuating anything about ANYONE! I'm giving my own opinion. Man created God. That's my opinion, not a personal attack!

Just couldn't believe there hadn't been some mature growth within her/his own positions that name calling was still being used...

What name did I call anyone? Never mind. If I'm bullying or name-calling, PLEASE report me.

I was raised in a very religious home and I have formed my opinions about religion, just as everyone has. Just because mine disagrees with yours, doesn't mean I'm attacking anyone.

Originally posted by coop039
reply to post by lonewolf19792000

 

So what was he doing BEFORE?
There no need to quote long biblical texts.

He was existing, thats all we need to know. Doesn't matter what He was doing before, all that matters to us is His offer of Salvation. You're asking us questions you should be asking Him. So next time you see Him, ask Him.

Originally posted by coop039
reply to post by stupid girl

 

So, before the big bang, in this spiritual universe, god is the only inhabitant?

Dunno.

No other beings?

Possibly.

hes alone?

Maybe. Maybe not.

for how long?

See my previous post. You can't measure something that doesn't exist.

Surely something brought god into being.

You would think so, using our logic and understanding. However, a Creator is not subject to the same parameters as that which it creates.
So, we are told that God always was. Even though that is not really something that we can comprehend right now. He said "I AM"....which connotates a perpetual act of "being". He was, is and will be. He is in an ever-evolving state of existing, of being what He is.......by that very definition there can be no beginning or ending of something that is in a perpetual state of "IS".
Can ya dig it?

Originally posted by coop039
reply to post by stupid girl

 

So, before the big bang, in this spiritual universe, god is the only inhabitant? No other beings? hes alone? for how long? Surely something brought god into being.

As i stated on the first page through Prophet Isaiah, He said there were none before Him.

consciousness at the macro scale creates universes and has always done so, no beginning

If god is infinite then how could there ever be a creation period? He'd have to have waited infinitely long to create us which is impossible and doesn't make sense.

reply to post by 3NL1GHT3N3D1


That's assuming that there was time before creation. If there was no time then it was all now and forever, at the same time. Closest we come to understanding that is waiting as a 5 year old, or watching a pot boil.

In the Greek, Biblically, there's this verb addition that basically means "this is always now", and is Aorist tense. It means that this action is always taking place.

reply to post by coop039

What was God doing before "In the beginning"?

Hard to say for sure, but I have a few guesses.....


Maybe this:


or this:


possibly this:


or this:




Something else I have wondered is:
What does that Big Black Bible Book have to say about Dinosaurs?
Were the Dinosaurs around before the beginning?

reply to post by MeesterB

Originally posted by MeesterB

This may seem like a deus ex machina answer, but Christians believe that God created all things, including time. He is outside of time and doesn't experience time like we do, so it doesn't make much sense to imagine Him sitting around before man came along.

I'm not trying to be snarky with my answer, but God is outside of every box man tries to put him in.

BUT, what created God, before he was able to create all other things?

What was it like "outside of every box man tries to put him in."

reply to post by BrokenCircles


You'd have to wrap your head around the idea that God wasn't created by another God. There isn't a heirarchy of Gods creating Gods.

God is at the outermost extent of all existence, which is infinite. You can keep looking further and further, zooming out from the earth to the solar system to our galaxy to our cluster to the universe and whatever lies beyond, you will only see more and more forms of existence but never God itself, because the existence which it holds within itself is infinite.

Just imagining something being beyond infinity is enough to make your head explode. That is why we make up these charicatures of God, such as an old man with a beard or a blue dude with six arms or whatever, to put a familiar face on something barely comprehensible.

I don't think any man would no what God is doing unless he considers himself to be God

reply to post by BrokenCircles


That baby GIF is great. I had a hard time watching it thought the tears of laughter the first few times I saw it.

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I don't think we COULD understand.