Defying God

[Milton Platt]

Another way is that some of God's messengers, if they are messengers, have been misunderstood quite a bit, due to a lack of clarification. Each new messenger does little new at times. So an omniscient God would be well aware he has a PR problem but chooses not to act.

An inefficient, inarticulate god. Interesting.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

An inefficient, inarticulate god. Interesting.

I've actually been kind of going into that stream of thought for awhile. An alternative is for me to just not focus on the Abrahamic God and think of other possibilities for everything.

 

[questfortruth]

If you defy or resist the Abrahamic God, is your fate as bad as Luke's in Return of the Jedi before the Emperor, except there is no Vader to save you?

By resisting God, one resists the Life. "Those who hate Me, love Death" (to my memory, Bible).

 

[Trailblazer]

I don't believe that is so. we can make choices, but that is not the same thing.
However, if what you saying is true, then one would be more powerful than a god.....because the god's will was superseded by the person making the choice. Of course, the god you have in mind may not be omniscient and omnipotent.

That is what I mean by free will, that we can make choices. I did not mean we are entirely free to make any choice we want to because free will is constrained by many factors.

I believe that God is omniscient and omnipotent, so God can override any free will choice we choose to make, in which case the action we were about take would not come to fruition. Obviously, God can override anything we choose to do because God is more powerful than we are, but that does not mean God always (or even usually) uses His power to override our choices. God gave us free will to use so God does not generally interfere with it.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

That is what I mean by free will, that we can make choices. I did not mean we are entirely free to make any choice we want to because free will is constrained by many factors.

I believe that God is omniscient and omnipotent, so God can override any free will choice we choose to make, in which case the action we were about take would not come to fruition. Obviously, God can override anything we choose to do because God is more powerful than we are, but that does not mean God always (or even usually) used His power to override our choices. God gave us free will to use so God does not generally interfere with it.

It's a slippery slope for me. If God can alter reality, he can do things like hide fossils, go back in time and uncommit other people's crimes, etc. I've never really seen an instance of God ever taking it this far, that I'm aware of.

 

[Stevicus]

If you defy or resist the Abrahamic God, is your fate as bad as Luke's in Return of the Jedi before the Emperor, except there is no Vader to save you?

I don't see any indication that one's fate has anything to do with how one lived one's life or whether they defied God or anything. I guess it might make a difference in terms of whether someone goes to Heaven or Hell, but we have no way of knowing that in this life. But there have been plenty of good people who met a bad fate, and plenty of bad people who appear to have been richly rewarded for their actions.

 

[Trailblazer]

It's a slippery slope for me. If God can alter reality, he can do things like hide fossils, go back in time and uncommit other people's crimes, etc. I've never really seen an instance of God ever taking it this far, that I'm aware of.

God does not go back in time and change things that already happened because those things that have already happened now exist in the material world. Because they were fated (predestined) by God to take place, God is not going to undo them, because that would be akin to 'undoing' His own Will, and it would be indicative that God made a mistake and decided to change His Mind; but God is infallible so God never makes mistakes. I hope that makes sense.

God can alter what was fated (predestined) to happen in the future though, since it has not yet happened in the material world. God only alters a fate that is impending (conditional), not a fate that is fixed and settled. Although God could alter a fate that is fixed and settled, since God is omnipotent, altering such a fate would cause more harm than good, and that is why God never alters such a fate.

One way impending fates are altered is by prayer and entreaty. It is important to note that God 'can' alter them, but God does not always alter them. God only alters them if it is for our benefit.

 

[Segev Moran]

If you defy or resist the Abraham God, is your fate as bad as Luke's in Return of the Jedi before the Emperor, except there is no Vader to save you?

You cannot really resist the Abrahamic God.
It'll be like rejecting breathing.
What will happen if you do that?
Your lungs will "punish" you?
God is not a person or "someone", at least not based on the Jewish religion.

 

[Trailblazer]

You cannot really resist the Abrahamic God.

No you cannot do it successfully, you can only try.

 

[Tim Kuepfer]

I've actually been kind of going into that stream of thought for awhile. An alternative is for me to just not focus on the Abrahamic God and think of other possibilities for everything.

What is it about the God of Christianity that you find objectionable. Why would you want to resist this God?