Why is this existance (life) defined by it's opposite? What I mean is that evil defines good, evil defines the parameters of "what is good." Can we know good, without evil? or is "good" intrinsic in it's nature? God is good so we say, but for God to be "God" is not God an infinite being? What is the nature of a infinite being? is there a intrinsic nature to God? Is not an infinite being composed of infinite realities? It has always bother me that the Bible defines God and the parameters of God, but God is a infinite being. How can God be defined by finite beings in nature and understanding? Is it that because God is composed of infinite realities that good and evil exist at all? What started me thinking about this is that quantum mechanics states that there are infinite realites, and I was just thinking of the ramifcations of this statement?
Can religion exist with out evil being present? If everthing here in the world was "good," would we have all these different religions trying to explain the world and the way it is? I have always wonder if good and evil where composed of the same medium. By this I mean, take for instance light. The color of the light is "white", but shine light through a prizm, waaalu, you have a spectrum-- light is broken into different colors, the colors of the rainbow. This existance ( present reality) is the prizm that is dividing good and evil into it's seperate entities that we percieve?
4 comments:
The phrase “God is good” in relation to Him being good is not found in the text of the Bible. “God is holy” and there is a big difference.
This may just be semantics – but that is the issue. Everything about God is Him being holy. Everything that He is, does, says, and act is holy.
What God created in Genesis 1 and 2 was perfectly holy and good. There was no evil – inherent or intrinsic. Evil came in Genesis 3 as a result of man’s wrong choices. God did not create evil – he gave God man a free will to choose. Evil is a result of choosing what is not godly and righteous. That was the mistakes of Adam and Eve. As a result of their choices, we, unfortunately, are born with that sin nature.
Religion is man-made. It is man trying to make things right with God – which is totally impossible. Man is incapable. Christianity is a relationship whereby God made things right with man through the sacrifice of Jesus dying on the cross and 3 days later resurrecting from the dead. You are right – good does not exist outside of the realization of evil – but I would not say they are different sides of the same coin.
Where does evil come from? Satan? God created Satan and Satan created evil? So Satan could do create something God could not create? Since God knew the outcome of creating man, then why do it? Since we are born with "sin nature" then we have no freedom of choice. Why do we have to choose between God and Satan in the first place. I did not ask to come here, did you? Why is man in the middle of this cosmic war between God and Satan? Besides how a created being believe that he can defeat the creator that created him in the first place?
In the Bible it says that God is light and in Him there is no darkness(I John), but in Psalms it also states that God is in the darkness or that the light and darkness are both alike to God (Psalms 139)
I do not see how evil or anything in the universe was created without God's hand or approval.
God is holy; is God limiting Himself by articulating that He is holy? If God is limiting Himself then He ceases to be all powerfull, right? Be defining God as "Holy" and the charteristics of being holy then God become finite.
Evil was not created – and certainly not by God. Evil came from the choice that Lucifer made in him thinking that he could be like God. Lucifer did not create evil – it was a result of his wrong attitude – pride. There is certainly nothing that Satan can do that God can’t do – except make wrong choices and decisions - anything perfect and holy that would be against His character.
God created man for fellowship – not a robot that would have to worship Him. He gave Him a choice to worship or not. Why did He do it, if He knew it would go awry. I don’t know. I just have to rely on my crutch of faith and believe that God knows what He is doing.
We were born with a sin nature – but I do have a choice of whether to do good or evil. I do have that choice.
Why do we have to choose – because God gives us that choice and that choice will determine where we will spend eternity. See, life is not just these 70+ years on earth – it is a warm up for eternity.
1 John is written with allegory – the good deeds being “light” and the bad deeds being “dark.” Psalm 139 is written about His God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience. The light and the darkness is just that light and darkness. God is everywhere – its not talking about deeds – good or evil.
Just because evil exist does not mean God created it – or ordains it to happen. Jesus was crucified – pretty evil – but out of the evil deeds of man – 3 days later came victory over death. I have been able to thank God that mom and dad got divorced – not the action and all of its results – but what I went thru and struggled thru and how I came out on the other side has allowed me to counsel other teens about staying faithful to the Lord – it is possible not to rebel and sow wild oats. Am I thankful for the actual divorce – no!!!! – 1000 times “no” – but God was able to bring good into my life thru it. God allowed it, knew it would happen – but He didn’t make anyone sign the papers.
God is holy – this is not a limitation on Himself – it is a description about everything that He is! His actions are holy – His love is holy – His grace is holy – His power is holy – His discipline is holy – Everything about Him is holy – His infiniteness is holy.
How can evil come out of anything that a holy God creates? He is everything. Nothing exists that didn't come from Him. Including the ability to choose against Him. If he is holy, if he is love, it would not be possible for evil as a concept to even exist, ever. His creatures would be formed of whatever it is he is. Making wrong choices could not be possible because he can't make them, so how could he create anything that could? And if he can, where does he get off blaming us for the very nature he created us with?
What does holy mean? What does perfect mean?
The Bible talks about there being such a thing as fellowship with God, but not that that's what he created us for. Paul says we're called into fellowship, but nowhere that I can find does it say we were created for it. It does say we were created for His pleasure. What would that mean, to be created for a God's pleasure?
Who gets to choose what is an allegory and what should be taken literally? Why do people believe Adam and Eve are literal characters? I believe they are allegorical characters. Whereas saying that God is light, especially considering the properties of light, makes quite a bit of sense to take literally, though it could also be allegorical.
No need to reply. I'm just voicing the kinds of questions I have, but I know there aren't any answers.
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