Eternal Life (thanks, but no thanks)

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The saved person is one who has (effectively) decided that God's way for them is the way they want to go, that it's the destination they want to arrive at. Once that overarching decision has been made there is no need to revisit it or "grow up and leave home" from it.

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If they truly understand God, then once that decision has been made they are quite capable of crossing the road without supervision. They have matured.Why do you feel that God wants perpetual children? Why do you think he got so upset with the Israelites? Why do you think he planned to write it on their hearts? I'm sure it's rather annoying to keep telling humans to behave day after day, decade after decade, century after century, millennium after millennium.Even humans know it isn't healthy to keep our children from maturing. That's how the planet works. Why would God want anything different?I think religion has the need to keep people as children, not God.

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"Peshat is what I say and derash is what you say." --Nehama Leibowitz

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They don't truly understand God. They understand sufficient of God to understand that they want and need more of God.

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That's religion talking. They aren't allowed to understand God.

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Haven't you forgotten another stage in the above process - which you suppose to parallel the eternal kingdom? Death. If death isn't a part of God's kingdom then why suppose adulthood?

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Ah the afterlife. I'm not talking about the afterlife. Jesus made it clear that all will be different in the afterlife. I'm talking about current physical life. An all powerful God shouldn't have to spoonfeed his followers.

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Besides, the picture isn't that we don't grow - it's just that we can never become God: he'll always be more powerful, always wiser, always the one who provides the sustenance which we need.

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I agree we can't become God and that God will always be more powerful than us. I agree that God is what sustains us.

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The picture given from Hebrew times is one where the son, on engagement, builds an dwelling onto his fathers house and comes back with his bride to reside under his fathers roof.

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Source please. The son may be under his father's roof, but does he function as an adult or a child?

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I think you'll find logic to the contrary inescapable. Unless you suppose we can get around to sustaining ourselves. Or perhaps get to looking after God in his dotage

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God sustains us, not religion. Religion keeps people needing religion, not God.Edited by purpledawn, : No reason given.