If God wants to destroy evil...

[Zarathustra]

God created everything that has been, is, and is going to be in existence. He created the Earth and the Heavens. He created the Lake of Fire in which he casts sinners. He created Good, and He created evil. Does not the old adage says "I have created you, and so can I destroy you"?

If God wanted to, couldn't He, in theory, destroy evil with no need for the battle of the apocalypse?

[stevencarrwork]

Then what exactly did he make us to do? We are told that he refused to make us incapable of sin, because that would make us automatons. Agreed.

Not agreed. God is perfectly capable of creating beings with free will, who he infallibly knows in advance will never rebel aganst him.

In fact, Christians assure us that there are loads of such created beings in Heaven.

Are cats and dogs incapable of sin? Are they mere automata, like an android would be? Are we allowed to torture machines (like cats and dogs) for fun? Why not, if they are incapable of sin?

[stevencarrwork]

This is why when we begin to discuss God, we impose the limitations we perceive and try to apply them to Him. God’s perception is not time based, and therefore there really is not “deciding not to know the outcome from the beginning”.

It is very helpful.

If God does not know something, he is not omniscient.

God is supposed to be omniscient. Therefore, God does not exist.

[Bro Dave]

This is why when we begin to discuss God, we impose the limitations we perceive and try to apply them to Him. God’s perception is not time based, and therefore there really is not “deciding not to know the outcome from the beginning”.

It is very helpful.

If God does not know something, he is not omniscient.

God is supposed to be omniscient. Therefore, God does not exist.

God's "knowing" differs from our knowing, in that ours is time based. We perceive linear progressions defined by "before" and "after". Since God operates outside both time and space, as there are His creations, "before" and "after" really have no meaning.
We currently struggle with apparent absurdities of Quanatum mechanics, because that too begins operating outside you time/space experiences. We really "know" nothing! That is to say, science is based completely on assumptions, and relative observations. It has not one single provable absolute fact.

Bro Dave

[Bro Dave]

Actually, the point is that you do not know what I know. God speaks constantly to each of his children. The problem is, many spend all their time listening to a distorted 2000 year old mis-translation of what was handed down to them.

Are you implying that if we had a version of the bible as it was meant to be understood that things would improve?

What I'm saying is, our ability to understand has grown exponentially since the Bible was compiled. That which is true, will always be true. However, our understanding of that truth will indeed continue to grow. That is why the UB is the 5th update mankind has received. There will be more in the futue.

Bro Dave

[The Happy Humanist]

Then what exactly did he make us to do? We are told that he refused to make us incapable of sin, because that would make us automatons. Agreed.

Not agreed. God is perfectly capable of creating beings with free will, who he infallibly knows in advance will never rebel aganst him.

In fact, Christians assure us that there are loads of such created beings in Heaven.

Are cats and dogs incapable of sin? Are they mere automata, like an android would be? Are we allowed to torture machines (like cats and dogs) for fun? Why not, if they are incapable of sin?

It was more like an "agreed for the sake of argument." In fact you'll see that I have argued your way in the past. While I cannot imagine both having "Free Will" and being incapable of sin, it is evidently possible for God to create such beings, and so the main question being posited here is why God did not choose to do so in the first place.

[concerro]

Actually, the point is that you do not know what I know. God speaks constantly to each of his children. The problem is, many spend all their time listening to a distorted 2000 year old mis-translation of what was handed down to them.

Are you implying that if we had a version of the bible as it was meant to be understood that things would improve?

What I'm saying is, our ability to understand has grown exponentially since the Bible was compiled. That which is true, will always be true. However, our understanding of that truth will indeed continue to grow. That is why the UB is the 5th update mankind has received. There will be more in the futue.

Bro Dave

Who is the one updating these books and how does God plan to make them popular enough so everyone gets a chance to read one.

[Bro Dave]

What I'm saying is, our ability to understand has grown exponentially since the Bible was compiled. That which is true, will always be true. However, our understanding of that truth will indeed continue to grow. That is why the UB is the 5th update mankind has received. There will be more in the futue.

Bro Dave

Who is the one updating these books and how does God plan to make them popular enough so everyone gets a chance to read one.

The "who" of it, is the local universe administration. Jesus authorized this revelation before he left us, realizing it would be needed as our technological growth outstriped our spiritual understanding.
Actually, the 5th epochal Revelation, The Urantia Book, is the only revelation that was text. Jesus brought the 4ht, Melchezidek the 3rd, Adam and Eve, the second, and our defaulted former planetary Caligastia the first revelation. The UB, once it established, should serve for at least a thousand years.

Bro Dave

[Bro Dave]

What I'm saying is, our ability to understand has grown exponentially since the Bible was compiled. That which is true, will always be true. However, our understanding of that truth will indeed continue to grow. That is why the UB is the 5th update mankind has received. There will be more in the futue.

Bro Dave

Who is the one updating these books and how does God plan to make them popular enough so everyone gets a chance to read one.

The "who" of it, is the local universe administration. Jesus authorized this revelation before he left us, realizing it would be needed as our technological growth outstriped our spiritual understanding.
Actually, the 5th epochal Revelation, The Urantia Book, is the only revelation that was text. Jesus brought the 4ht, Melchezidek the 3rd, Adam and Eve, the second, and our defaulted former planetary Caligastia the first revelation. The UB, once it established, should serve for at least a thousand years.

Bro Dave

[bernee51]

What I'm saying is, our ability to understand has grown exponentially since the Bible was compiled. That which is true, will always be true. However, our understanding of that truth will indeed continue to grow. That is why the UB is the 5th update mankind has received. There will be more in the futue.

Bro Dave

Who is the one updating these books and how does God plan to make them popular enough so everyone gets a chance to read one.

The "who" of it, is the local universe administration. Jesus authorized this revelation before he left us, realizing it would be needed as our technological growth outstriped our spiritual understanding.
Actually, the 5th epochal Revelation, The Urantia Book, is the only revelation that was text. Jesus brought the 4ht, Melchezidek the 3rd, Adam and Eve, the second, and our defaulted former planetary Caligastia the first revelation. The UB, once it established, should serve for at least a thousand years.

Bro Dave

One would assume then that this "local universe administration" has a bit of power then..technological and otherwise. Why have they not come down here and cleaned up the mess the experiment has made.

What comes to mind is the response of the Vogon Construction Fleet commander who, when asked why he was destroying the earth (to make way for a new hyperspave freeway) and the inhabitants hadn't been consulted., replied something along the lines of... "The plans have been posted on Alpha Centauri for the last 200 of your years...if you don't care enough to take an interest in your neighbourhood, don't come crying to me."

But then again the Vogons do have a way with words, some of their poetry is amazing.

I am particularly taken by this:

O Feedled Gruntbuggly,
? ... Thy nacturations are to me!
As plurdled gabbleblochits on a lurgid bee.
Groop, I emplore thee, my foonting turlingdromes.
And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles
or I will rend thee in gabberwarts with my burglecruncheon,
See if I don't!.

[Bro Dave]

One would assume then that this "local universe administration" has a bit of power then..technological and otherwise. Why have they not come down here and cleaned up the mess the experiment has made.

Our Master Creator Son is in charge of the administration, so yes, there is sufficient power and authority to do what needs to be done.
Since the Lucifer rebellion, and the default of our planetary administration, we, along with 37 other planets whose administration defaulted, have been in isolation to prevent a further contamination. This has been a couple hundred thousand years, in our time perception, but a pretty short time in universe perception. The “mess” you refer to is indeed being dealt with.

From the tone of your reply, I can see you are simply poking fun, but my answer is completely sincere. Much is unfolding at this very moment, as we are being brought “back on line” as it were. Out of what appears to be tumoil, will come the time of peace our little planet has needed and yearned for, for so long.

Bro Dave