God is not responsible for the woes brought on us by our first parents and Satan.
Sure he is. He and he alone decided that everyone on earth who followed A&E would suffer because of what they did. IMO, a just and loving god would not visit the punishment of sins committed by two people upon the rest of humanity. Would you do this to your children, assuming you have any; your first born disobeys you so you not only punish him, but all your other children as well? Is this what loving and just parents should do? If god can't bring himself to do what mere mortals do does he really deserve anyone's respect? Just because he's the big pooh-bah doesn't exempt him from doing wrong, as much as Christians dearly wish he was.
Neither, I believe, is he obligated to help us,
After having burdened the rest of humanity with the sins of A&E I certainly think he would be. Unfortunately for us and all other creatures . . . . . . . . .
but the Bible reveals his loving purpose to do so. (John 3:16)
"Loving purpose"? Give me a break. From what I gather from Christian statements his purpose is far more grounded in receiving adoration, praise, and unearned "thank yous."
God would have been fully justified in destroying Adam and Eve immediately, in which case we would not be having this discussion.
Perhaps, but instead he decided to let A&E produce millions of people he then saddled with grief and various miseries. Any human who did such a thing would be labeled a sadist, at best.
Instead, we all have the opportunity to live forever on an earth transformed once again into the paradise God purposed.
Whom do you know who has lived forever on an earth transformed once again into the paradise? Going strictly by fundamentalist reckoning, this so-called paradise has been in the offing for thousands of years, and so far nada.
So I think I'll trust God's thinking rather than men's.
Your choice of course.
Much of the suffering, today as in times past, is caused by wicked or foolish people.
Then everyone must be wicked or foolish because I have yet to meet anyone who's exempt, which essentially comes down to: everyone will suffer to some degree or another. So it's really a matter of god's old decision of making sure everyone suffers for the single misdeed of A&E.
Then, after violating God's expressed will, they blame God for the misery they themselves have caused.
You do recognize, do you not, that many people, particularly young children and those who never heard of the Christian god's "will" are not exempt from his overreaching wrath. Loving entities don't do such things. Only retributive, vicious, sickos do.
We know that man's rebellion had a bad effect on all earthly creations, including animals.
Yup. The animal part being the focus of the post you're replying to here. Nice to see you finally got around to addressing it.
Having said that, God never purposed for animals to live forever.
Okay, but I take such presumptions for what they are, just that: presumptions.
The life and death cycle of lower animals appears to be God's arrangement of things. As the Creator of life, he certainly has the final say. (2 Peter 2:12)
So it appears, but none of what you've said here explains why god would punish all other creatures for the wrong of two people. Not that I expect you to have a cogent answer, but I think it's a valid point that goes to the heart of the nature of the Christian god. Two people disobey god, so in turn he makes sure that from then on all living creatures will be open to suffering, and some to a debilitating and even gruesome degree.
But go ahead and "praise god from who all blessings flow" and ignore all the misery he's also responsible for. Your choice.
