Questions about your God.
I realize that open ended questions are "better" than closed ended ones. So please assume that all the questions end with a request: "Please comment."
1. Did your God foreknowingly create a system where billions of people end up suffering forever?
2. Is your God gorgeous?
3. Does your God ever have orgasms?
4. Does your God like you?
5. Is your God into having people eat him/her?
6. Does your God have a problem with masturbation?
7. Does your God think you are gorgeous?
8. Did your God create mosquitos on purpose?
9. Does your God approve of genocide? Ever?
10. Does your God ever say or do really stupid things?
11. Do you have a secret, personal, or pet name for your God?
11. Feel free to write and answer your own question about your God ___________________________________________________.
14 comments:
Meg here!
1. NO
2. YES
3. YES
4. YES
5. YES
6. NO
7. YES
8. YES
9. NO
10. YES
11. YES
11. Is your God kind? YES
more anonymous to answer here than on FB....but as I know no one on your FB friendlist, I wonder why that is an issue for me?
1) I hope not.
2) Yes.
3) Yes.
4) I hope so, but sometimes I wonder.
5) Yes, in so much as God wants people to be filled with herself/himself.
6) No.
7) Mostly, and I wonder about God's sanity in this.
8) Yes on creating them. "On purpose" with the implication that s/he created them with full knowledge that they would be disease-carrying fiends, I hope not.
9) No.
10) In my opinion, yes.
11a) No.
11b) Does your God learn? Yes.
Meg, Mec,
thank you so much for sharing!
Mec--sounds like you do some of the same similar somewhat hard-on-yourself stuff that I do--I'm noticing your answers to 4 and 7. Thanks for your honesty =)
1. I think God created systems which are good, but which obviously fail millions of people. I'm not sure how to decide whether that is God's fault.
2. Define gorgeous.
3. No idea.
4. I think I drive him up the wall.
5. No, but I think he is into eating with people.
6. Not particularly, I'd think the creator of the universe has a few more important things to worry about.
7. Define gorgeous.
8. Yeah, that is a tricky one. Cockroaches are another.
9. No, despite what we might read.
10. Well certainly some time things appear inexplicable, hard to tell whether they are stupid or just inexplicable.
11. Not really.
12. What does God ask of us? To love the unlovely, to give up the things we hold by 'right', to hold onto a hope of a better world, to attempt the impossible, to fail joyfully. Against such things the law is impervious.
1. Did your God foreknowingly create a system where billions of people end up suffering forever?
Yes. It is hard, but true. God is glorified in his judgement.
2. Is your God gorgeous?
Ine one sense, yes. God is beautiful, and Christians long to gaze upon His beauty (Psalm 27:4).
3. Does your God ever have orgasms?
No, God doesn't have the necessary muscular equipment because God is Spirit.
4. Does your God like you?
Yes, because He likes Jesus, and I'm in Jesus.
5. Is your God into having people eat him/her?
No, not really. Christians feed on Christ in a spiritual sense, especially in communion, but I wouldn't call it being "into having people eat him."
6. Does your God have a problem with masturbation?
God has a problem with sexual immorality. I believe masturbation falls under that, but the Bible isn't specific enough for it to be law.
7. Does your God think you are gorgeous?
See my answer to question 4. God loves to gaze upon Christ, and in doing so I am gazed upon with the same love.
8. Did your God create mosquitos on purpose?
Yep. And everything else.
9. Does your God approve of genocide? Ever?
Yes, sometimes. He has done so in the past, but the Bible makes it clear that genocide is no longer part of His plan.
10. Does your God ever say or do really stupid things?
No, because God is all-knowing and all-wise.
11. Do you have a secret, personal, or pet name for your God?
God has revealed many names by which we can call Him - especially Yahweh in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we see God personified through Jesus Christ.
12. What is greater - a God who panders to people's opinions, or a God who becomes a person to show them His opinion?
IMO, the latter.
Joe,
re: 1. I'm not sure how to decide that either.
regarding gorgeous--I've realized a lot of people mean something different than I mean.
I wonder if your thinking that you drive God up the wall is related to the fact that other people sometimes drive you up the wall?
"stupid or inexplicable?" Definitely stupid! =)
Vaughn,
thank you for your honesty regarding 1.
re: 3--doesn't Jesus have the equipment?
re: 4 and 7--so ... does your God like you, or anything about you, as in specifically you--stuff not related to being in Jesus. Like the way you prefer _____ ice cream over _____ ice cream, or that you ... slow down for green lights in a sort of dweebish way which drives your wife crazy (for instance) (You understand I'm talking about your idiosyncracies, and naming one of mine as an example of what I mean).
What do you mean when you say the Bible makes it clear that genocide is "no longer part of his plan"?
1. I am trying to fire that God. But my inner fundamentalist is not quite dead yet, despite a decades-long battle.
2. God is the source of all beauty. Every time I see beauty, I see God reflected. God designed us with the ability to perceive beauty in this world that we might see Him reflected.
3. God designed us to be sexual beings. Orgasm is the most intense physical pleasure. But it can be so much more than that--an expression of the bond of love between two souls. I believe that we are in God, He is in us, and that He lives through us, so yes, as we experience orgasm, so does He.
4. Yes, absolutely, despite the dying voice of my inner fundie desperately telling me otherwise
.
5. Con or tran? Not exactly. For me, the Eucharist is sacramental time where space is made for me to identify with His incarnation and atonement. It is also a time to touch a 2,000 year-old heritage with an imperfect Church.
6. Not exactly. I think it may sadden Him when a person's life is dominated by sexual addiction though.
7. I guess that would depend upon the criteria for gorgeous.
8. Or did they just evolve with His consent?
9. If the Hebrew scriptures are historically accurate records of God's interaction with the human race, then yes. But man, that just doesn't seem consistent with any kind of loving God. It's a God who starts out the day asking, "Hmmm, what do I feel like today, genocide or grace?"
10. No, but people often attribute incredibly stupid things to Him. Slavery, war, complementarianism, etc.
11. Several. If addressing Him in a spirit of adoration, I prefer Adonai. But the inner fundie still wants to call Him, Lord God. But that sounds like I'm talking to a judge.
12. What's the deal with prayer? The more people, the better? Only pray for things that might happen anyway, but not miracles, like cancer totally going away without treatment? Or are we only supposed to pray that God will give us "courage, peace, strength, endurance," and all that intangible stuff? Kind of like prayer is divine antidepressant medication? Is there a better answer to why God allows suffering than the free will/love argument?
I posed the "mosquito question" to a pat-robertson-type. Of course, it yielded a yes answer. When I asked about the disease and suffering issues that mosquitoes bring, the person answered "thinning the herds". How bountiful the mercy and grace.
Vaughn,
thank you for your honesty regarding 1.
No probs, Ben. Do you prefer Ben or Benjamin?
re: 3--doesn't Jesus have the equipment?
Ah... zing! You got me on the Trinity. Heh. Jesus definitely has the equipment. And Jesus is like us in every way, except without sin, so I'd guess that He can.
re: 4 and 7--so ... does your God like you, or anything about you, as in specifically you--stuff not related to being in Jesus. Like the way you prefer _____ ice cream over _____ ice cream, or that you ... slow down for green lights in a sort of dweebish way which drives your wife crazy (for instance) (You understand I'm talking about your idiosyncracies, and naming one of mine as an example of what I mean).
It's a good question. My depravity means that in and of my own efforts, there is no good reason for God to like anything about me. But I am made in God's image, and those things that reflect that image really do please Him. So yes, my enjoyment of a good cigar or a banana split do please him, and He loves seeing me enjoy what He's given me.
Also, freaky that you know about my slow driving. I've heard "you can make it!" so many times...
What do you mean when you say the Bible makes it clear that genocide is "no longer part of his plan"?
Well, genocide in the Old Testament was used by God to establish a theocratic state, Israel, which set up the stage for the coming Messiah, Jesus. Now that Jesus has come, the theocratic state of Israel has been "realised" (there's probably a better word that I just can't think of right now). The kingdom is here, but awaits a final fulfillment in the return of Christ.
vaughan, I've got to disagree with you in at least two ways.
Total Depravity is a non-biblical myth, in my opinion. I don't see any occasions in the gospels where Jesus recoiled from sinners. Quite the reverse in fact.
In observation it seems to me that there are positive things to like about almost anyone. It just doesn't seem to be the case that people are unable to achieve anything good outwith of God (at least outwith of the Christian community, if you see what I mean).
Second, it seems from the prophets that God is very concerned when wealthy people enjoy life whilst others suffer. I just don't believe in this idea that the spiritual ideal is to float around and feel fine all of the time.
vaughan, I've got to disagree with you in at least two ways.
No problems, Joe. I'm happy to chat.
Total Depravity is a non-biblical myth, in my opinion. I don't see any occasions in the gospels where Jesus recoiled from sinners. Quite the reverse in fact.
In observation it seems to me that there are positive things to like about almost anyone. It just doesn't seem to be the case that people are unable to achieve anything good outwith of God (at least outwith of the Christian community, if you see what I mean).
I think you might have misunderstood the idea of total depravity, mate. Total depravity doesn't say that people are as evil as they can be, but that every action of every person is tainted in some way by evil. Jesus was certain that the people who he hung around with were evil (Read Matthew 7:11 - a real smack in the mouth!).
The gospel says that when Jesus hung around with totally depraved people it wasn't a sign of the goodness of the people, but of the overwhelming goodness of God.
Second, it seems from the prophets that God is very concerned when wealthy people enjoy life whilst others suffer. I just don't believe in this idea that the spiritual ideal is to float around and feel fine all of the time.
I totally agree - I don't understand why I might have given you the impression that I thought otherwise...
In fact, what I was saying earlier is the greatest motivation for helping the poor. If the kingdom is here now, then it is the job of the church to implement the values of the kingdom (including helping the poor, sick and needy) until the kingdom is finally fulfilled in Christ upon his return.
Joe, Vaughan,
Just wanted to say I love the tone of y'all's conversation. I've recently been having a hard time maintaining this tone in other places on the net. Thank you! very civilized of you.
OK, fair enough. There are obviously many different understandings of depravity. It appears I have been exposed to a rather Augustine understanding.
With reference to the other stuff, I meant that I don't think God is particularly impressed with our consumption of cigars and bananas if we don't appreciate the slave labour that went into their production.
Sorry for being a little random ;)
OK, fair enough. There are obviously many different understandings of depravity. It appears I have been exposed to a rather Augustine understanding.
Oh, maybe I've been misunderstood. I'm with Augustine and the Reformed tradition on Total Depravity. But Total Depravity doesn't say that unregenerate people don't do good things, just that they can't please God savingly with those things, and that they are unable to respond to God without His intervention.
Jesus hung out with totally depraved people because he is good, not because they were.
With reference to the other stuff, I meant that I don't think God is particularly impressed with our consumption of cigars and bananas if we don't appreciate the slave labour that went into their production.
I'm pretty sure that my bananas come from Queensland, Australia, and my cigars are pretty un-slaved. But I'm willing to drop 'em if they are!
Sorry for being a little random ;)
Don't worry, my wife is always bugging me about my random-ness.
I'm going to be away without internet access for two weeks, so sorry I can't keep going with this conversation. I'll be happy to see where it goes, though :)
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