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Ragtime
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17 Feb 2009, 2:01 pm

Mankind is so altogether unpleasant and hostile, that why would God -- a morally-perfect being -- wish to visit with us in the flesh, like one of us? Can you think of a motivation? I can't. Most of us dislike lying in the dirt among cockroaches and worms, and trying to commune with them on their level. Yet we blame God for not visibly and audibly showing up in public amonst comparably lower lifeforms to Himself since the Incarnation.

People keep writing that they don't believe in God because He doesn't show up. Wouldn't it be a strange preference of any perfect being to want to show up on Earth often? The Incarnation accomplished something -- something of paramount importance to us as humans -- so it had a distinct purpose. But why would God simply hang around us for fun, as many who don't believe in Him apparently expect any existent God to?


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Last edited by Ragtime on 17 Feb 2009, 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ruveyn
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17 Feb 2009, 2:07 pm

Ragtime wrote:
Mankind is so altogether unpleasant and hostile, that why would God -- a morally-perfect being -- wish to visit with us in the flesh, like one of us? Can you think of a motivation? I can't. Most of us dislike lying in the dirt among cockroaches and worms, and trying to commune with them on their level. Yet we blame God for not visibly and audibly showing up in public amonst comparably lower lifeforms to Himself since the Incarnation.

People keep writing that they don't believe in God because He doesn't show up. Wouldn't it be a strange preference of any perfect being to show up here?


If it is true that God made us He would want to know where he went wrong. So he would hang around to find out why.

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Ragtime
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17 Feb 2009, 2:13 pm

ruveyn wrote:
Ragtime wrote:
Mankind is so altogether unpleasant and hostile, that why would God -- a morally-perfect being -- wish to visit with us in the flesh, like one of us? Can you think of a motivation? I can't. Most of us dislike lying in the dirt among cockroaches and worms, and trying to commune with them on their level. Yet we blame God for not visibly and audibly showing up in public amonst comparably lower lifeforms to Himself since the Incarnation.

People keep writing that they don't believe in God because He doesn't show up. Wouldn't it be a strange preference of any perfect being to show up here?


If it is true that God made us He would want to know where he went wrong. So he would hang around to find out why.

ruveyn


Accepting your premise (God went wrong) for the sake of argument, why would an infinite being be so nearsighted that He would have to be standing right next to us in order to observe us? :?


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Chibi_Neko
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17 Feb 2009, 2:36 pm

I don't think god would hang out with humans at all.
The reason I think this is because the bible depicts him as vengeful, jealous, sexist, racist, and all round intolerant.

That being said, why is it that god cannot get over these flaws when there are people on earth that can. If anything, if god tried to mingle with humans, they would be lecturing god on how to improve himself.


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anna-banana
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17 Feb 2009, 2:54 pm

I think God would appreciate a good conversation with humans who know how to hold an argument.

I highly doubt that he'd find any pleasure in socilising with those who blindly believe in anything he says- yawn!


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MissConstrue
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17 Feb 2009, 2:58 pm

I think the problem with humans is they base the context of god as being a man or human or something like themselves which is incredibly scary when I think about it.

If there is such a god.....I'd hope it'd be more intelligent than humans. Like maybe space aliens or something.


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Ragtime
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17 Feb 2009, 3:07 pm

Chibi_Neko wrote:
I don't think god would hang out with humans at all.
The reason I think this is because the bible depicts him as vengeful, jealous, sexist, racist, and all round intolerant.


But your description of Him would tend to support Him choosing to hang out with humans, not refute it.
Many humans have all of the bad qualities you mention, and they're quite sociable. Evil does not socially isolate humans from each other. (That would be Asperger's.) In most cases, evil does quite the reverse.


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Last edited by Ragtime on 17 Feb 2009, 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ragtime
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17 Feb 2009, 3:10 pm

anna-banana wrote:
I think God would appreciate a good conversation with humans who know how to hold an argument.


Wait... First, are we referring to the God I posited in the OP, the one of infinite intellect? If so, I can't see how your statement could be true.

anna-banana wrote:
I highly doubt that he'd find any pleasure in socilising with those who blindly believe in anything he says- yawn!


Indeed. He created the brain, after all, so it stands to reason that He would enjoy seeing people use it.


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slowmutant
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17 Feb 2009, 4:27 pm

Quote:
Mankind is so altogether unpleasant and hostile, that why would God -- a morally-perfect being -- wish to visit with us in the flesh, like one of us?


Love.

See JOHN 3:16



sartresue
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17 Feb 2009, 4:59 pm

Just a slob, like one of us? topic

I suppose s/he could be in disguise already. :P

Just because God is "perfect" I do not believe s/he could create perfection outside of the Almighty self. And if God is so "perfect" then s/he knows our thoughts and ways before we speak. So why hang out on earth?

As a kid I could imagine God looking down from a cloud upon us and just being curious. No thoughts of intervention/visitation. God just looks, stares, maybe wonders why all this happened. :P


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Eggman
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17 Feb 2009, 4:59 pm

I sure wouldn't!


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MissConstrue
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17 Feb 2009, 5:52 pm

If I was god, I would be looking away going..... "Oh god, what have I done?" :wall:


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17 Feb 2009, 6:24 pm

Perfection is such an undefinable quality that positing a perfect being probably conjures up a different entity in each person that conceives it. Assuming a perfect being is perfectly aware of all its actions and consequences it is totally illogical it could create such a chaotic social creature as a human being. The obvious fact of human imperfection would deny it as being created by a perfect being.



claire-333
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17 Feb 2009, 6:48 pm

Ragtime wrote:
Most of us dislike lying in the dirt among cockroaches and worms, and trying to commune with them on their level. Yet we blame God for not visibly and audibly showing up in public amonst comparably lower lifeforms to Himself since the Incarnation.
If there is a God, then I really dislike the notion that it views us in the same manner as I do insects and worms. If I were the original creator of worms, I might have a very different view of them.



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17 Feb 2009, 7:08 pm

Ragtime, you seem to have forgotten about John 3:16.

That verse is the answer to your question and it is quite succinct.



ruveyn
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17 Feb 2009, 8:31 pm

slowmutant wrote:
Ragtime, you seem to have forgotten about John 3:16.

That verse is the answer to your question and it is quite succinct.


Does that mean God goes around banging up young Jewish maidens? Shame on Him!

Then He sacrifices His own kid? If I did that I would be arrested, locked up and they would throw the key away. Shame, shame, double Shame!

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