If you were God, what would you do differently?

[Scott C.]

I think there is an actual God and he is cruel as hell!!!

I have context for seeing a tough life as part of an eternal plan for our long term growth, under the guidance of a God who loves us. And by the way, I believe Hell is a rehabilitation center for those who will eventually learn to love and will be redeemed and enjoy some degree of eternal glory forever.

 

[dianaiad]

What did I leave out?

Any possible chance that any of the folks you were manipulating would learn anything at all for themselves.

 

[dianaiad]

If you were God, what would you do differently than the current God who allegedly has the power to do anything? I'd feed the hungry, heal the sick, give pedophiles a sexuality where they were attracted to adults, protect the innocent, give everyone a healthy sexuality where they weren't plagued with the desire to harm or dominate others, and heal the mentally ill.

There would be no atheists because I would speak to everyone with clear instructions. Hell would be a rehabilitation center to prepare people for Heaven. I'd show people I loved them by enlightening and healing them, anoint world leaders with the knowledge of how to make decisions that would be best for the world and their people, leave people with a book of instructions that didn't contradict itself, and would answer people's questions about that book so that there wouldn't be confusion, misinterpretation, and division that creates thousands of denominations (what we have today).

Everyone who turned to me would receive clear answers. They would know their calling, vocation, and who their spouse was to be. There would be no unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases, and urine and feces wouldn't stink. What did I leave out?

What would I do differently if I were God?

Probably nothing.

Who was it who said that if Satan were put in charge of heaven, he'd have to start acting like God? Now, very different people have very different beliefs about God, but I think that the first thing one must ask is...what is the whole point of OUR being here?

What is it we are supposed to do, or learn, or accomplish in our mortal lives, if there really is a God?

Once you figure out what that is, THEN you can start second guessing the Deity Who put us here to do it. I know, I know, those are two rather interesting and perhaps arbitrary premises; first, that there IS a God, and second, that there IS a reason for us to be here. However, you have begun with one of those premises, even if it is strictly for the purpose of discussion.

So....

Me, I believe that this life is very temporary, sort of like a very realistic training simulator. When we die, we are simply leaving the training and beginning the next phase of eternity, having, hopefully, actually learned something important. Any tragedy/illness/problem we had to deal with is fixed, and all our lost loved ones will be found. It's vital that we learn as much as we can here, to do as well as we can, and to care for others who are also here with us; to behave as if this is all the 'school' we get.

However, we all have the ability to make our own choices here, and the consequences of those choices affect us and those around us. Your questions, in other words, are, erhm...cop-outs.

You don't HAVE to be God to feed the hungry or heal the sick. You don't have to be God to be kind to others and to help them cope with challenges you, perhaps, don't have (like inappropriate sexual urges). You don't have to be God to treat other people as you would want them to treat you.

So don't worry about how you would do things differently if you were God. Just do things differently because you are you.

 

[Deeje]

I think there is an actual God and he is cruel as hell!!!

Is it God who is cruel or is it his adversary?

I believe we need to put the blame at the feet of the right "god". (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4)

We can learn about our situation from the story of Job. Job ch 1, 2) We are all in his situation, having our lives compounded with problem after problem and not seeing who is really responsible for our suffering. Job thought that his troubles were coming from God, but they were coming from an unseen enemy. Despite being deceived about the source of his trials, Job kept his integrity, believing that if God allowed this to befall him, he had to have a good reason.

From Job, we learn that God's adversary is looking for excuses to make us give up on our Creator...as if God made some kind of dreadful mistake in giving us free will. Do we love God because of who he is.....or only because our lives are problem free? God had blessed Job abundantly up until satan made him the target of a test....a very severe test.
God allowed Job to answer the devil's accusations on his own. (Proverbs 27:11) It was a true test of integrity and loyalty.

Satan made the challenge that if humans had all their material blessings taken away, that they would leave God and even curse him. Satan told God to take everything he valued away from Job and see what would happen.......since the Creator knows our limitations better than we do, he allowed satan to test this man of faith, knowing that he would not fold under a severe test. Job held onto his faith, despite losing all his material possessions and even all 10 of his children in one act of spite.

When God held Job up as the shining example of one who could not be broken, satan said the test wasn't severe enough....Job wasn't touched in his own flesh. So satan said that "a man" would do anything to save his own life...even curse God and sell his soul to the devil. Again, Job passed this test with flying colors, but satan hadn't finished with him....in his agony, he provided three "comforters" who suggested that he must have deserved this punishment in some way. Job knew that he had done nothing wrong.....so we can imagine how demoralized he would have been to face such a accusations as the most faithful man alive in the estimations of his God.

Job had to pass this test of his own free will so God never revealed to him the source of his suffering. If we are all in Job's position, but not in ignorance about who is the cause of our trials, are we doing what the devil said we would do?...cursing God for our problems?.....or are we holding onto our faith because we know that we are all being tested in the same way?

What was the end result for Job?
Job 42:12-17:
"So Jehovah blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the beginning, and Job came to have 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 pairs of cattle, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also came to have seven more sons and three more daughters.....
16 After this Job lived for 140 years, and he saw his children and his grandchildren—four generations. 17 Finally Job died, after a long and satisfying life."

Was it for nothing that Job's trials are recorded in the Bible for our benefit? We too can qualify for a huge reward in the coming "new earth". (2 Peter 3:13)

The apostle Paul wrote....
1 Cor 10:13:
"No temptation has come upon you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out so that you may be able to endure it."

No one knows our level of endurance better than God does. But he has to know us, and we have to know him. Not many are known by God because they choose their own way of believing. Jesus said his 'sheep would hear his voice'....but he also said that the majority of people in these last days are on the wrong road. (Matthew 7:13, 14) We have to seek out the road to life, which is not easy.

Endurance is a quality that will result in the reward God is offering. As Jesus said...".....the one who has endured to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:13) How do we build in ourselves the necessary qualities?

The apostle Peter tells us:
"For this very reason, put forth all earnest effort to supply to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, 6 to your knowledge self-control, to your self-control endurance, to your endurance godly devotion, 7 to your godly devotion brotherly affection, to your brotherly affection love. 8 For if these things exist in you and overflow, they will prevent you from being either inactive or unfruitful regarding the accurate knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We have the tools and the knowledge to endure to the end of this world, presently ruled by the devil (1 John 5:19)......all we need to do is find out what God's will is and do it. He doesn't ask for more than we can individually manage. When we give to God our faith and endurance, and support his side of the issue, he will reward us abundantly....just like Job.