AgTalk Home
AgTalk Home
Search Forums | Classifieds (8) | Skins | Language
You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )

Talking with my brother in law about God
View previous thread :: View next thread
   Forums List -> Kitchen TableMessage format
 
HuskerJ
Posted 2/20/2024 08:03 (#10631709 - in reply to #10631623)
Subject: RE: Talking with my brother in law about God



East of Broken Bow
Chris - 2/20/2024 07:07

It's always interesting.

He thinks that there's a paradox, i.e. if God is all powerful then he could stop evil and if he can't then he's not all powerful.  He also thinks that if he can stop evil and doesn't then God isn't good.

I can't get through to him the concept of free will.  We've also talked about Yin & Yang, how can there be good if there is no evil?  How can there be light without dark to compare?

But he does have one question I can't answer.  If God knits you in the womb and can know what you will do because He knows all time then why make you if you are going to H3ll and do evil?  We've talked about God knowing the future because to Him time is like a book, he can look at any page, one far ahead of where you are or one before you exist.  That means He can see what you will do.

He also argues that there is no real free will because we like a child are only offered choices God gives us.  We don't have infinite choices to be or go or do.  I'm not sure how to answer him.



OK, first I am not any kind of Biblical scholar, but I do read and study the Bible some.

As to God stopping evil: Yes, I think he could. Evil causes harm to people and people often wonder why God would allow harm to come to his 'children'. I'm a father myself, and I watched as my kids got skinned knees and elbows, doing something I could have 100% prevented. They were learning how to ride a bike. However, those few scratches and bruises were nothing compared to the accomplishment they achieved after overcoming the initial spills. I think in some ways, God takes joy in seeing his children overcome evil. We also must keep in mind that at this time, the Earth is the stomping grounds of the devil. God is not so concerned about our temporary time here as he is our eternity, and a good way for us to get there is to overcome the evils in this world.
To the question of if we have free will because God knows where we will be: I have a theory, and it is just my theory and opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it.
I never read it as saying that God controls everywhere we go, so much as knows where we are headed.
Let me try to give an example. You might watch the neighbor kid tearing up the roads and say to yourself 'That boy won't slow down until he winds up in the ditch'. Well, soon in the future, you wind up pulling him out of the ditch. I think of it much the same way. God sees what is going to happen, and we have the free will to go that way or not (just like the neighbor kid had the free will not to drive so fast) but knowing us like he does, he knows what's going to happen sooner or later.
Top of the page Bottom of the page


Jump to forum :
Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread

(Delete cookies)