I have some deep question about God, help!

[dybmh]

Keep honestly looking and don't be afraid of what you might find - BSM1

@A94 , this is very good advice.

May I point out that even though it is constructive for children to recognize there are consequences for their actions; most people do not make good rational decisions when they are afraid.

If there are elements in your religion which seem to encourage fear as a motivational tool; try not to focus too much on those elements.

Everyone is different. Some people need frequent reminders of negative consequences in order to suppress their selfish tendencies.

For other people, those same reminders can render too much fear.

Almost all religions encourage charity, good works, and making the world a better place for future generations. Maybe this is a direction you can take for connecting to and understanding the All-Loving God concept.

 

[PureX]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?

What makes you think God is "all loving"? Just because someone said so? How would they know any more about what God is than you do?

Maybe God is indifferent. Or maybe death is an illusion, and our life, here, is just a form of spiritual gestation, from which we emerge into our real and intended manifestation of being after the body is dropped away. And why do you believe there is a "hell"? What evidence do you have that causes you to believe that proposition? And if you have none, then why maintain it?

(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Suffering is part of life. NOT, apparently, part of death, however. All you see is the suffering on this side of the door. But what about the end of suffering on the other side? (After all, once the body is jettisoned, so is the suffering.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?

It's not, it's a religious myth intended to control people's thoughts and actions. Why are you accepting this stuff as fact?

The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

Unconditional love is not achievable by we humans. The Bible is referring to an idealized absolute, not an actual condition that we experience.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?

These are all questions that the Bible authors INTEND for you to ask. And to keep asking, .... NOT for you to answer. The Bible God is first and foremost an inexplicable, unknowable, incomprehensible deity. The purpose of the text is to make the reader confront this inexplicability head on. Not to find the answers, but to be humbled.

Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?

Why are WE choosing to live in a world like this? After all, most human suffering is being inflicted on us by our fellow humans. We could stop this at any time simply by choosing to do so. Yet, instead, we blame God for giving us free will, that we then use to abuse ourselves and each other.

Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?

A lot of people want to believe in this sort of scenario, for their own reasons. Why are you believing in it if you find it so preposterous? And if you don't believe in it, then forget about it!

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

My suggestion to you would be to stop fussing over an uninformed Bible-God and start developing an idea of God for yourself. What would God be like if God were what you'd HOPE God to be? And if God were the embodiment of that hope, how would it change the way you live?

Because what really matters here isn't who's god-ideal is true (none of us will ever know so long as we remain human), what maters is how YOUR god-ideal effects who you are and how you live your life. Does it increase the quality of your life, and of the lives of those around you? Or does it decrease them? And how can you change it to gain a better result?

The 'truth of God' is not available to us. So lets drop that pointless pursuit and seek the next best thing: the value derived from believing in "God X".

 

[PruePhillip]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

If you refer to the God of the bible then I can offer this.
God has given people choice. That's the biggest thing - choice. God
commands we love one another: forgive, care, not get angry, show
compassion, understanding etc.. But people go to war against each
other and in the ensuing misery wonder why God allowed it.
God asks that we don't live for ourselves. People get mired in gambling,
alcohol, drugs etc and wonder why God allows it.

Hell is separation from God. There are metaphors of fire, darkness
etc. but it's separation. And it's the same separation that people chose
in their physical lives. And what you have done to others will be done to
you if you don't feel any desire to repent.
That's tremendously fair IMO.

 

[robocop (actually)]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

I will try to answer your questions. Things that cause us to have painful death, naturally and manmade, help us to love the victim and give us opportunity to grow scientifically in preventing them.

In the LDS religion, no one goes to Hell unless they know everything and fight God to the death. Anyone who didn't have an appropriate understanding of the gospel to make a fair decision in this life but would have made a decision towards my church if they had known it to be true will have the chance to join up with Jesus Christ after death... they will go to Heaven. But those who reject Christ in baptism or belief will still get a better afterlife than our planet.

Satan was created by God because He loved him, but they are competitors.

It was deliberate that in Earth life we would not know everything about God's plan exactly but we would have the dignity to choose for ourselves to follow Jesus Christ.

 

[sooda]

I will try to answer your questions. Things that cause us to have painful death, naturally and manmade, help us to love the victim and give us opportunity to grow scientifically in preventing them.

In the LDS religion, no one goes to Hell unless they know everything and fight God to the death. Anyone who didn't have an appropriate understanding of the gospel to make a fair decision in this life but would have made a decision towards my church if they had known it to be true will have the chance to join up with Jesus Christ after death... they will go to Heaven. But those who reject Christ in baptism or belief will still get a better afterlife than our planet.

Satan was created by God because He loved him, but they are competitors.

It was deliberate that in Earth life we would not know everything about God's plan exactly but we would have the dignity to choose for ourselves to follow Jesus Christ.

In Judaism "satan" is not a sentient being but a metaphor for the evil inclination – the yetzer hara – that exists in every person and tempts us to do wrong.

 

[robocop (actually)]

In Judaism "satan" is not a sentient being but a metaphor for the evil inclination – the yetzer hara – that exists in every person and tempts us to do wrong.

Thank you I love Judaism. I really think our two ideas are symmetric.

 

[Fool]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)


Thank you.

mankind created hell and suffering through selfishness, or service to self.


Gen 6:5-Gen 6:6 KJV And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.


in other words that man turned away from unconditional love to love for self vs all as self.

 

[Audie]

Well, there is a simple answer that deals with all of your questions at once.

Ciao

- viole

May I offer that answer?

 

[dybmh]

May I offer that answer?

Does your answer include the word, manifest?

 

[Audie]

Does your answer include the word, manifest?

I dont know if I can work that in. Why do you ask?

 

[dybmh]

I dont know if I can work that in. Why do you ask?

cause of this....

People get all weird with their language when they
are being holy. And they just cannot help tossing in "manifest"

ever since, the word manifest has been followed by 8 rapid backspaces in all of my posts.

edit: oh yeah... except this one... and the last one....

 

[Remté]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

What do you presuppose all loving means?

I think you will have to find one religion that answers your questions. You don't mention your religion.

In Islam this life is a probation, a test and hell is where you get to if you fail the test.

Why people die needlessly I suppose in all Abrahamic religions the answer is that it is part of God's plan that cannot be understood by any man.

In Islam similarly there was no mistake about Satan getting into Eden. He had God's permission to lead people to wrong.

 

[QuestioningMind]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

It is questions such as the ones you have posed that has led me to conclude that there is no valid reason to believe that any god or gods exist. There are theist who will attempt to explain some of the inconsistencies you see in the bible, but from my experience they generally have to twist logic and reason into a pretzel in order to do so. All you really need to do is hone your BS detector and when you find claims that sound like BS, trust your instincts.

 

[viole]

May I offer that answer?

Go ahead.

Ciao

- viole

 

[osgart]

I would consider thinking it through on your own grounds first. Dont drown out your own voice in it all, then you can stack up all the God speech, and see if its justified according to your own sense of justice.

After all, what we live bye must agree with who we are, or desire to be. Then you can compare other forms of justice to your own sense. See whats out there!

Seek it out to its ends. Where does it come from? Where has it been? Where does it lead? Objectivity! Reasonability!

Consider if you are right, wrong, or something else entirely is the answer!

What if there is no answer forthcoming?

Who is going to decide? You, God, or someone else.

And who is going to be responsible?

I always say, every decision i make is my very own.

I believe that the God question is about choosing God's ways over my own ways!

Then the identity of God should be clear, and not blind. Prove out the ways considered. Put God to the test!

To follow i know not what, or whom makes no sense to me.

 

[Audie]

Go ahead.

Ciao

- viole

Ok-494

". just really, honestly looking for answers"

You seem much troubled, as well you might be.
I am sorry it is so, and I would be happy to show
an elegantly simple solution to all of it.

I see a lot of "lo here" and, "lo there", from other posters.

You say you are-

just really, honestly looking for answers.

Here is my answer, offered in all sincere honesty.
As is so often the case, the answer is not
what you the one you thought you were looking
for.

You are looking for things that are not there.

There is nothing to discover except that this
god, like all other gods, all religions, is just
the product of imagination.

Open you mind a little and just for a bit,
consider that as a real possibility. It is the
most real thing you are going to see here.

.

 

[nPeace]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

What I have learned from a study of the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses, is that God does not torture anyone in a place called hell.
People simply die, and return to the dust, but there is a hope of living again, by means of a resurrection, which God promised - Genesis 3:19; Acts 24:15; Psalms 37:9-11; John 5:28, 29

I also learned from the study, that God does not choose to know everything, and therefore, just as he does not know who will gain salvation - who will choose to serve him, from who would not, he allowed Adam and Eve that same freedom, and did not seek to know what choice they would make - 2 Peter 3:9; Zephaniah 2:2, 3

Regarding why God allows suffering, and why he did not destroy Satan, I learned that an issue was raised that required time to settle it, and the salvation of man also required certain procedures that required time. However, God promised to undo all the wrong done - wiping the tears from all faces, and remove suffering forever. Genesis 3:1-5, 15; Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:3, 4; 1 Corinthians 15:26; Romans 16:20

From what I am seeing, all things are occurring, just as stated in the Bible. For me, it holds the answers to all our questions - including the ones the world can't seem to solve.
Matthew 7:7, 8
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

I prefer hearing the NWT
Matthew 7:7, 8
7 “Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you; 8 for everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking, it will be opened.

 

[WalterTrull]

There is nothing to discover except that this god, like all other gods, all religions, is just the product of imagination.

This makes me so sad.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Edit. Oh. By the way. Welcome.

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

I would have to think about your questions. There are some parts of the site that can help you more specific like Scriptural Studies, or Christian DIR (if you are a struggling christian). You can go to Religious Question and Answer as well as Interfaith. That and Seekers forum is a good place to help out.

Since you're asking about the bible view on touch questions rather than scripture interpretation and debate, I think maybe ask a mod to switch to an appropriate forum.

My questions would be...

1. What is your interpretation of god
2. How do you see the bible?

I'm sure god won't send you to hell given the only way we would know about hell is to die first. A lot of evil in the world is not outside us but in all of us (if you want to use the term evil); so, maybe to help with that is to address and repent of concerns etc that's bothering you. Another thing is maybe go to a support group or people you trust as well.

This site is a wealth of people. I'm sure there are many people that will be positive about your questions and understand where you come from. I'd say the "deep answers" come from you, though (and, cough, god)

 

[Jung]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

"If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?"

Very good question and one you will not find an acceptable answer to from any religious people. In fact, all your questions are good and all are legitimate questions. Before abandoning Christianity to become an agnostic I wrestled with the same questions and read everything I could find for answers. The only answer that makes logical sense is that the "God" of the Bible is a fictional character.

"(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)"

It is good to bring these things out to the light of day and look at them logically. Jesus is pictured in the Bible as being especially loving and kind to children yet we know that thousands of children are abused, raped and killed every day. Former pastor and writer Dan Barker says that all you have to do is visit a children's cancer hospital to know that there is no God. The Black Plague killed an estimated 75 to 200 million men, women and children if Eurasia in the 14th century was caused by Yersinia pestis, an organism carried by the fleas that infested Rats and other ground rodents. The Bible claims that God is the creator of everything. Why would a loving, compassionate God create Yersinia pestis?

"Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused."

Hell is nothing but a convenient way to enslave believers to keep supporting the church(s). Fear is a great motivator.

"If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?"

Then how would religion amass the billions of dollars needed to build cathedrals and mega-churches? It's all about the money and that's the way it's always been.

"He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?"

Why is there a Satan to begin with? Why did a sinless God create a being that brings only pain and misery? The whole concept is ridiculous.

"Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?"

That's what any compassionate person would have done.

"Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?"

Don't try to make sense of religious doctrine, you might spoil the dream of the righteous.

"I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then."

There is absolutely no way eternal hell can fit with a loving, compassionate, forgiving, heavenly "father."

"Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

"