LinearAq writes:
However, God knows everything about his customers...likes, dislikes, all the buttons that can be pushed to convince them or motivate them. Why doesn't He always make a sale?
In response CTD writes:
Sure, and why not twist their arms until the give in, huh? Might as well. It all goes back to free will. For whatever reason, God prefers thinking people to robots. I see no call to second guess Him on this preference. At any rate, considering the sacrifice He made, He takes it very seriously.
1. How is convincing someone of the value in serving God considered twisting their arm or making them robots?
2. What aspect of God providing strong unambiguous evidence of His reality to the world negates our free will?
3. Did Satan have free will when he rebelled against God or was he without free will since he had direct knowledge of God's existance?
4. In light of the fact that Jesus supposedly knew that He was going to be raised from the dead and be at God's right hand forever, how was his going to the cross such a big sacrifice? Sure it hurt but all of us go through some pain for some gain.
LinearAq writes:
How does this fit in with a merciful God? No matter when it happens, it makes no sense for God to make anyone believe a lie, especially one that permenantly turns them from being saved.
CTD responds:
It fits perfectly. The mercy is fully in play the whole time. It consists of providing a way. God has given you everything you have. He owes you nothing. How is He going to respond to continual mockery? He's seen many men tortured and killed, in order to preserve the message of salvation for you. He is a loving God and loves each and every one of them. They are mocked as well. Doesn't love require Him to be angry?
He provides us a way of salvation, professing that He does not wish for any to perish, and then makes some believe that the salvation He provided is not real...and you say that fits with a merciful God?
His love does not require Him to be angry if His followers are tortured and killed. His mercy and His requirement that we forgive others their trespasses, require Him to be forgiving. For him to be unforgiving and angry makes a mockery of his mercy and removes our need to forgive others to please Him.
CTD writes:
And just why would you turn away the love of truth anyhow? Just how much enjoyment did you get out of those sentences? Try this: next time you're planning on having a good time sinning, take note ahead of time how much you expect to enjoy it. Then ask yourself the next day how it matched up. Experiments like that can be real eye-openers. Scientifically, sin sucks.
First, you have not shown that I have turned away from the love of truth. Interestingly, many seekers of truth don't come to the same conclusion about God that you do, despite their sincerity in the quest. I am one of those.
Further, I don't usually go around planning "sin" like some kind of engineering project. I also don't see some actions/thoughts as sin while you might.
Next time you go to a healing prayer meeting, why don't you make a list of all the healings you want to occur. Then check it out in the next week or month or year, and see how successful it was. That can be an eye-opener also. I am sure you keep a prayer log...I did.
Strange that no matter how altruistic my prayers, they rarely had positive result.
mockingly CTD writes:
Here's another one for you to consider: if there is any God, how are you even going to open your mouth on Judgement Day? Won't you fear to make the situation worse by offering excuses like that, which you know are unsound? "Oh yes, I would've believed if you forced me to! That's not fair! Buy me a Playstation!"
But no. No Playstation for you. The TV shows something else: a humble man being tortured and nailed to a cross. The show lasts for hours, and when it's over He approaches in person, nailprints and all. What do you say then?
Oh look! Pascal's Wager! I am so very surprised!
What will you say when the Great I Am asks "Why did you fall for that nut case who said he was my begotten son? Don't you know there is only one God?
As an aside, since you claim to follow Christ's teaching, do you feel that belittling and insulting someone who is misdirected, is the best way to follow that teaching? Ye shall know them by their fruits.
™ Version 4.2
