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What Is God's Purpose?

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
One can only wonder why an eternal omniscient omnipotent god needs a bunch of homeys 'serving' him.

Omniscient omnipotent and eternally needy ?

Not to mention perverse. Omniscient and omnipotent, yet creates flawed beings whose flaws earn them eternal damnation.

Nasty.

What is to say he needs us to? Rather than wants us to?
 

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
My kids are my creation. I love them. I would die for them. But I wouldn't want them to serve me like some kind of slaves. I don't demand they worship me or even have to have some twisted "belief" in me. I accept them as they are, even when they do wrong. I still love them and want the best for them, and I incorporate and give them what they need, even when they've ****** me off. Never would I put them in a painful or demeaning punishment just because they didn't "believe" in me.

I sure hope God isn't a lesser person than that.

Why does it make God lesser if he does not live up to your personality as a human? What if he wants us to serve us for the greater good, whatever that may be? :)
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Do you believe a lot of people been treating God as a slave or a pet? As in, we use God for our own passions and desires. What are your thoughts?

Is that what God is really here for? Our expectations of God? Is there a higher purpose? If there is a higher purpose, why do we even begin to judge God on how he serves us?

God as servant?

Well there is that catch phrase....ask what you will...
and it will be done unto you as you believe.

But that could lead to rampant digression.

But then again....aren't we suppose to be serving Him?
 

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
Like Kthulhu?

I'm not going to say no, in case some people prefer that. But, I wasn't referring to an elder god of any sort.

OK, fine.
Let me rephrase the original sentence ...
"One can only wonder why an eternal omniscient omnipotent god wants a bunch of homeys 'serving' him."

Well, there's nothing wrong with that, maybe there is from a human perspective, but humans are no more than that - humans.
 

Ouroboros

Coincidentia oppositorum
I'm not going to say no, in case some people prefer that. But, I wasn't referring to an elder god of any sort.
So let's say the purpose of humans is nothing more than to be food for God (he eats our souls, or something like that), I still can hope that this is not the case but God is better than that, even if his "eating us" serves some "greater good" for the Universe and him/her/it (and/or all other gods). Even if we're just made to be slaves, I hope that this is not the case. Screw the "greater good" if it equals greater suffering for humanity.
 

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
So let's say the purpose of humans is nothing more than to be food for God (he eats our souls, or something like that), I still can hope that this is not the case but God is better than that, even if his "eating us" serves some "greater good" for the Universe and him/her/it (and/or all other gods). Even if we're just made to be slaves, I hope that this is not the case. Screw the "greater good" if it equals greater suffering for humanity.

Why name us slaves of God if he wants us to worship him? Technically, we offered to worship him in retrospect, we are the ones that built churches, we are the ones that built philosophies to understand him more. We didn't ask for him to worship us, we wanted him to know that we wanted to worship him.

In return for this life he gave us, he would like us to believe in him, credit him for the things he's done.
 

sojourner

Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
OK, fine.
Let me rephrase the original sentence ...
"One can only wonder why an eternal omniscient omnipotent god wants a bunch of homeys 'serving' him."
It's a reciprocal relationship -- like love. We serve because we have been served. Love returned for love.
 

Amechania

Daimona of the Helpless
It's a reciprocal relationship -- like love. We serve because we have been served. Love returned for love.

Lovely sentiment, Sojourner. I wonder how many of us equate love with service? Or sacrifice? The Gospel of John says, "God is love." To slave for love is a great virtue and no vice, IMHO. I wish I could believe in your Love God.
 

DawudTalut

Peace be upon you.
Do you believe a lot of people been treating God as a slave or a pet? As in, we use God for our own passions and desires. What are your thoughts?

Is that what God is really here for? Our expectations of God? Is there a higher purpose? If there is a higher purpose, why do we even begin to judge God on how he serves us?

Peace be on you. According to Holy Quran, God is the Lord, the Gracious, the Merciful and the Master of Day of Judgment. All noble attributes belong to Him. He made everything. He has set our purpose; worship Him which include following His commandments which tell to pay His rights and rights of fellow human beings.
More About Allah
 

chinu

chinu
Do you believe a lot of people been treating God as a slave or a pet? As in, we use God for our own passions and desires. What are your thoughts?
If any child is requesting parents, it doesn't mean that parents are slave :)
Is that what God is really here for? Our expectations of God? Is there a higher purpose?If there is a higher purpose, why do we even begin to judge God on how he serves us?

Yes, God is here for our purposes, higher thinkings higher purpose, lower thinking lower purpose. But, nobody says that my purpose is lower because one always think that my purpose is the highest of all, thus.. all purposes are higher for everyone.
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
"For behold, it is God's work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

God is our Father and we are his children and we have the potential to be like him.
1 John 3: 2-3
"1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."

Phillipians 2:5-6; 3:14
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

2 Corr. 12:1-7
1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

and Rev. 21:7; 3:21
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
 

Egor

A Veridican for Christ
Do you believe a lot of people been treating God as a slave or a pet? As in, we use God for our own passions and desires. What are your thoughts?

Is that what God is really here for? Our expectations of God? Is there a higher purpose? If there is a higher purpose, why do we even begin to judge God on how he serves us?

God doesn't have a purpose. God is existence for its own sake. We have a purpose. Our purpose is to become Christ, which is God, conscious of Himself from within His creation.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Do you believe a lot of people been treating God as a slave or a pet? As in, we use God for our own passions and desires. What are your thoughts?

Definitely. Nor is that even wrong necessarily, although I think it is unhealthy to do so while believing otherwise.


Is that what God is really here for?

Often enough it is indeed, although many people fail to realize that.

Many others do have a somewhat more transcendental conception of God, though.


Our expectations of God? Is there a higher purpose? If there is a higher purpose, why do we even begin to judge God on how he serves us?

We can't help it, and gain nothing in attempting to be what we are not fit to be. It is only natural for (most? all?) humans to judge and expect things, including those supposedly related to God.

It is only a problem or a big deal if we become too tangled by our own expectations, though.
 

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
Do you believe a lot of people been treating God as a slave or a pet?

No.

As in, we use God for our own passions and desires.

No again. But maybe I'm missing something. Can you give me examples of what you mean.


Is that what God is really here for?

No again. We should be detaching from desires not using God to fulfill them.

Our expectations of God? Is there a higher purpose?

Yes. We are to realize we are all part of God/Brahman.

If there is a higher purpose, why do we even begin to judge God on how he serves us?

That would be people at the lower stage of spirituality.
 

Blackdog22

Well-Known Member
Do you believe a lot of people been treating God as a slave or a pet?

Not sure what the ratio is, but sure. I think plenty of people pray to God, and at the very least, hope for things and for good reason. The Bible is filled with promises and guarantees if you ask God. For example:

John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

When you take into account faith healings, and what Jesus said to expect from those, its sensible to see why people expect something Jesus told them to expect.

Is that what God is really here for? Our expectations of God? Is there a higher purpose? If there is a higher purpose, why do we even begin to judge God on how he serves us?
I have no idea. He hasn't told me.
 
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Blackdog22

Well-Known Member
In return for this life he gave us, he would like us to believe in him, credit him for the things he's done.

Do you not find it bizarre that a being would ask that you "Believe" in him? What a weird requirement. The only reason you would ever make such a requirement is if there was something about you that was unbelievable. It speaks to a very vulnerable God or belief imo.

For example: When was the last time you had someone ask you to believe in them in a conversation? We have no reason to not believe in each other because we know we exist. It would be an odd request and people would likely wonder why you needed people to believe in you so badly. Its the kind of request someone who was unsure if they existed or not would make.
 
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BurnPhoenix

New Member
If there is a higher purpose, why do we even begin to judge God on how he serves us?

This probably won't help but I agree with your comment above.

My beliefs do not assume there is a sentient power behind everything, however, I do believe that what power there is is incomprehensible to us and by labelling it we do in fact restrict it to abiding to some degree by our own morals and understanding of the universe.

From what I have learned about various gods, especially those of the monotheistic religions, they are so powerful that their actions can not be judged by mortals because the reality of it is mind blowing.

With regards to there being a higher purpose: I don't believe everything happens for a reason, only that there are lessons to be learned down every path.
 
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