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Author | Topic: Was Jesus A Legitimate Child? | |||||||||||||||||||||||
iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
quote: If she was born again she would be the bride of Christ - who is God. Meaning she would have indeed been married to God. The question is, I suppose, was Mary born again? Edited by iano, : No reason given.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
quote: If it is true that God is the definition of good (or standard against which you measure other things to see how good they are) then I can't see how the word "merely" belongs in your statement. Edited by iano, : No reason given.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
quote: If the Bible said that God created Jesus as his son then that would appear to be the case. It doesn't say that however.
quote: An eternally existing God couldn't create another eternally existing God. Whatever he created couldn't, thus, be God (if "eternally existing" is a feature of what God is) Edited by iano, : No reason given. Edited by iano, : No reason given.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
Yes Jesus is God (the son). But he wasn't created by God (the father).
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
Bluejay writes: This seems to create more problems than it solves. When somebody says, "God is good," they mean it to imply that He is treating them well and taking good care of them, etc., and they put their trust in Him because of this. This seems to create more problems than it solves . If this is what they mean and everyone has a different version of what being "treated well" means then one mans good God is another mans bad.
But, if "good" is just a synonym of "God," then it doesn't actually mean that God is going to take care of them, or that His rules are correct and just. "Just" (merely?) a synonym? From their perspective they might not feel God is taking care of them. Indeed God might not be taking care of them (in a sense they would like). As to correct and just? They go the way of good. Synonymous with God
In fact, it would mean that He could apply any standard He felt like applying to any situation He wanted, and we couldn't actually trust Him to deliver on any of His deals or to be fair and just in His judgement. True to say that goodness, fairness and justice can be defined either one-God-centrically or (your preferred option it seems) 6-billion-homocentrically. That he could doesn't at all mean he does - it would all depend upon the nature of God I suppose. Perhaps he acts according to his nature - just like everyone else.
God is giving Himself personal privilege (adultery) where He has explicitly forbidden us the same, but this behavior is still "good" because it is the behavior of God. If, as the Bible suggests is the case, the law was given so that sinners would become conscious of sin. And God is not capable of sinning (because sin would be defined as acting against Gods will - which God patently cannot do ) could you tell me how God comes under the juristiction of his law?
I do not believe in such a God, and I would rather go to Hell to spite such a God than to do what He demands just so I can spend eternity in blissful Heaven. You don't seem to be talking about a God who saves you for free - without you having to do a thing to be saved or to remain saved. In which case we are not talking about the same God. Edited by iano, : No reason given. Edited by iano, : No reason given.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
quote: Too late, I'm already in.
quote: The ability to relate with others and enjoy doing so are functions of your being made in the image of God. He is relational and he enjoys - thus you (currently) do. Once that image is removed from you there is only you the sinner left. It's the removal of what you take for granted which will go to making Hell Hell. "Lakes of fire" is, I strongly suspect, a way to convey the horror of such an existance
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
quote: Too late, I'm already in. I'm merely a beggar pointing other beggars to the source of food.
quote: The ability to relate with others and enjoy doing so are functions of your being made in the image of God. He is relational and he enjoys - thus you (currently) do. Once that image is removed from you there is only you the sinner left. It's the removal of what you take for granted which will go to making Hell Hell. "Lakes of fire" is, I strongly suspect, a way to convey the horror of such an existance Edited by iano, : Edit lest I sound triumphalist
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
quote: I wouldn't say that. No more than God not being able to create an object too heavy for him to lift reflects negatively on his omnipotence. Omnipotence is not a term that confers (upon God) the ability to perform the ridiculous.
quote: I am working off the notion that eternity doesn't include time. To be created necessitates an existance / realm (if not a time-involved one) without the created. That God exists eternally means (I take it) that God is uncreated.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
Straggler writes: By ridiculous you seem to mean logically contradictory. In which case you are saying that God is limited by logic? I would suggest that he is logic in the same way that he is goodness. I'm not quite sure whether you could say he is limited by logic - as if logic was something separate from him and to which he must bow. He would be limited to acting according to what he is. He can't be what he isn't.
I am working off the notion that eternity doesn't include time. To be created necessitates an existance / realm (if not a time-involved one) without the created. That God exists eternally means (I take it) that God is uncreated.
Logically something created, something with a "beginning" cannot be eternal? Right? That is what you are saying? I'm not quite sure how to read this sentence. Could you re-write it?
Thus the obvious conclusion from all of this is that God's "omnipotence" is indeed limited and bounded by logic? Thus logic must be seperate, external to and in some way "superior" to God. See comment up top
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
Straggler writes: You are claiming to know the mind of God?
Buzz writes: Straggler, sometimes I think you're pretty sharp and other times I wonder. I SAID, to the extent that he wishes. The Bible is full of what's in the mind of God. Read/study it and go figure. May I?
quote: quote: Edited by iano, : No reason given.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
You have already said that whatever God does is good. So presumably by this definition whatever God chooses to do is also logical? Agreed.
What is it, if not logic, that stops an omnipotent, eternal uncreated God from creating another eternal and uncreated God? If it is not logic that is limiting a supposedly omnipotent God's actions what is it? If God is logic then that is what prevents him from doing as you say. This has no negative bearing on his being omnipotent. Nor need we suppose that God is limited by something outside himself.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
Buzz writes: The Bible does say that who is not for God is against him and who resists him will end up in torment.
Straggler writes: This, to my mind, is evil. Aparently by your definition of good and evil my compassionate and moral opposition to eternal damnation makes me evil and destined for damnation. If those who end up in Hell end up there by insistance of own will then surely you wouldn't find that a bad thing. Surely you would prize a persons God-given right to exercise their own will unto that end if they so chose. And find God permitting that they be allowed do so, a good thing.
How can you meaningfully justify that as being "good"?
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
Then surely an omnipotent God can indeed create another eternal and uncreated God because, by definition, if he does this it is no longer illogical? Not if logic (a feature of God) won't permit this to occur. Gods omnipotence isn't diminished by his inability to act inconsistantly with himself.
Does God define what is logical? Or does logic define what Gods available actions can be? That is the question. I am suggesting that God is logic. That logic is sourced within him in the sense of it being part of his nature. He defines it by being it. But can't change the definition because he can't change his nature. He is who he is.
God can break the commandments (for example) but still be good because his actions define good. God cannot break a commandment because he doesn't fall under the juristiction of his commandments. For example: murder is unrighteous killing. Unrighteous for the simple fact that another persons life is not my possession to take. Everyones life belongs to God therefore God is entitled to place me under the juristiction of a law forbidding my taking anothers life. But God killing is a different matter. He can wipe out nations in the blink of an eye and it will be righteous (in every sensible-thinking persons eyes) because those peoples lives belong to him. He is taking back something (a life) that belongs to him and which was only ever temporarily loaned to a person. Now I know that a this-life-centric view allied with some sentimentality will tend to decry such a position - it often can't be helped. But if you consider for a moment that our existance in this world is about the deciding of our eternal destinations - and the temporal destruction of nations doesn't at all mean those peoples eternal damnation - then it may help you over the stumbling block. God kills everyone at some point Straggler - so there is no point in getting too worked up about it.
This seems inconsistent. Hopefully this explains it a bit?
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
If by "insistence of own will" you mean conscious objection to that which they believe to be evil. Then yes I do consider it to be a bad thing. This doesn't sound logical. We might dispense with good and evil for the moment and simply say that you stand at the opposite end of the spectrum to God on these matters. Now suppose that Hell is merely a place where all traces of God are absent. Surely that would be a good thing from the perspective of a person who stands at the opposite end of the spectrum to God and wants nothing to do with him. That that necessarily entails the removal of those aspects of the image of God (in which we were made) - which will make Hell a living Hell - is a heavy price to pay for your will expression. But if you find that good then surely it is good that God permits your wills expression to this end
The punishment does not fit the crime. If indeed there is any crime morally speaking in opposing eveil actions perpetrated by God. What evil actions of God? As suggested above, the punishment might simply consist of God granting your will and removing himself from your presence. You might not be aware of it Straggler, but you should know that your being made in his image means you can do some of the things that he can do: you can enjoy relationships, appreciate beauty, create things, love what he finds good, hate what he finds evil, etc, etc. That image removed (at your behest) then Hell won't actually contain all the interesting people.
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iano Member (Idle past 1970 days) Posts: 6165 From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Joined: |
The inconsistency in your thinking remains. Whilst you say God is both logic and good you do not seem to be applying the same thinking to both these aspects of God in relation to his actions. It would help your charge of inconsistency stick if you gave an example of an action of his for us to look at
The fact that God is good in no way seems to restrict the actions of God. There is nothing conceivably that God can do that is evil (according to you). Thus God defines what is good and what is evil. It might help is we clarify good as "that which occurs inside the boundary that God finds acceptable" and evil as "that which occurs outside the boundary of that which God finds acceptable". He is the standard by which you compare other things to see how good/bad they are. Of course the standard can't but be the standard. You'll agree with him on some points: murder is evil and will disagree with him on others (perhaps): sex outside marriage is evil. He defines, you measure up or not in relation to that.
However the actions of God are limited by what is illogical according to you. We can conceive of things that God cannot do because they defy logic (e.g. create the uncreated). Thus logic defines what God can and cannot do rather than the other way round. Logic is not defined by God. In fact logic appears to bind and restrict the possible actions of God. But if everything is sourced from the nature of God then logic too. Logic is the way it is because God is the way he is. If you said that God is limited by his own nature then I'd agree. If you want to pose another god who isn't sovereign then fire away, we're not talking about the same God.
Whether or not you are being consistent or not can be determined by your ability to answer the following questions: *drum roll*
Can you think of something God cannot do because it is illogical? Create a free-willed being who is sure to obey God.
Can you think of something that God cannot do because it is evil? Lie.
God cannot break a commandment because he doesn't fall under the juristiction of his commandments.
Whenever questions of morality lead to 'lawyer speak' with clauses, exceptions, jurisdictions etc. etc. it is usually a sign of hypocrisy in action. When those who preach a form of morality that does not apply to themselves then the authority of that morality is inevitably diminished. But this is probably another topic. You seem to have dodged the point altogether. If I own a cake, I am within my rights to demand of you that you don't eat it unless I give you some. That I do so doesn't diminish my right to eat my own cake. This is playground common sense Straggler, not the stuff of lawyers
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