Omnipotence and Omniscience

[JoeMama]

The allegedly all-knowing, all-powerful God has the knowledge and power to impart to all of human-kind a certain understanding and ability to achieve salvation, doesn't he?

So, why hasn't he yet done so?

[1213]

The allegedly all-knowing, all-powerful God has the knowledge and power to impart to all of human-kind a certain understanding and ability to achieve salvation, doesn't he?

So, why hasn't he yet done so?

Why do you think He has not already done it?

[JoeMama]

[Replying to 1213 in post #2]

If God had already done this, there be just one religion and just one belief about what one must do to be saved.

[POI]

The allegedly all-knowing, all-powerful God has the knowledge and power to impart to all of human-kind a certain understanding and ability to achieve salvation, doesn't he?

So, why hasn't he yet done so?

It couldn't be because he doesn't really exist, could it?

[1213]

[Replying to 1213 in post #2]

If God had already done this, there be just one religion and just one belief about what one must do to be saved.

The reason for many religions and beliefs is that some people just want something else.

[Clownboat]

The reason for many religions and beliefs is that some people just want something else.

This seems to be the reason for all religions, not most.

No human knows what happens to us after we die for example. It is a human tendency to fear what we don't understand. Therefore, humans invented religions to explain these unknowns, taking away the fear by supplying something else (as you said).

It is folly to pretend that one of these explanations (religions) is more relevant compared to another as they all stem from humans explaining the unknown. Eventually rulers found religions to be a useful tool to control the masses. Even to the point of getting their populations to commit genocide. A powerful tool indeed, which led to religion being spread and decimated via the sword.

[TheHolyGhost]

The allegedly all-knowing, all-powerful God has the knowledge and power to impart to all of human-kind a certain understanding and ability to achieve salvation, doesn't he?

So, why hasn't he yet done so?

He has, long ago. I guess you are one of the countless, that got left out.

[William]

[Replying to Clownboat in post #6]

No human knows what happens to us after we die for example.

This appears to be untrue.
While we cannot say for certain what the ancients experienced which might be different to what humans experience today, we can assume there is no difference.

There are stories entering the public domain of the internet and these are reporting in graphic detail (and more more often than not are consistent with other reports of) experience people have had re NDEs, OOBEs, lucid dreaming, plant induced et al.
Therein, "what happens after we die" is clearly documented and are understandable as well.

It is a human tendency to fear what we don't understand.

Re that, a great proportion of those reporting such experiences also cease to fear death, since they have been made aware of that which was previously unknown to them. Further to that, it does not appear that a personalities beliefs (atheistic of theistic) are a major factor in what is experienced and how that affects their interpretation of said experiences once they return and report.

This is also a type of "repeatability" being had. There is a sameness to all the reports.

Therefore, humans invented religions to explain these unknowns, taking away the fear by supplying something else (as you said).

This is based on an untrue claim that "No human knows what happens to us after we die" since many humans do know, having experienced such.

Given the assumption that similar things (NDEs, OOBEs, lucid dreaming, plant induced et al) happened to the ancients too, and that their beliefs were shaped according to how they interpreted said experiences and Animalism became a thing, followed by paganism (the earliest push toward control through religion) and finally organised religion and these primarily invented as a means of controlling the beliefs of those who had the experiences and reported them, and/or those who did not have the experience but believed in the reports.

This is where we can pinpoint how religious ideas evolved - when fear of death is no longer something one can manipulate masses with, then "demons and hell" will serve that purpose just as well.

The internet has provided a means through which those who have the experiences can report them openly without having to suffer the suppressive mechanisms religion has traditionally had over this populace.

[1213]

No human knows what happens to us after we die for example. It is a human tendency to fear what we don't understand. Therefore, humans invented religions to explain these unknowns, taking away the fear by supplying something else (as you said).

Funny thing is that according to the Bible, cowards go to hell. So, I don't see how fear would be the driving force of it's development.

It is folly to pretend that one of these explanations (religions) is more relevant compared to another as they all stem from humans explaining the unknown.

The problem with that is, religions usually lead to even more questions, whole debate sites are formed around those questions.

Eventually rulers found religions to be a useful tool to control the masses.

That is also interesting claim, if we consider that Christians were persecuted and killed in the beginning.

[TRANSPONDER]

No human knows what happens to us after we die for example. It is a human tendency to fear what we don't understand. Therefore, humans invented religions to explain these unknowns, taking away the fear by supplying something else (as you said).

Funny thing is that according to the Bible, cowards go to hell. So, I don't see how fear would be the driving force of it's development.

It is folly to pretend that one of these explanations (religions) is more relevant compared to another as they all stem from humans explaining the unknown.

The problem with that is, religions usually lead to even more questions, whole debate sites are formed around those questions.

Eventually rulers found religions to be a useful tool to control the masses.

That is also interesting claim, if we consider that Christians were persecuted and killed in the beginning.

Really? I had never become aware that a lack of bravery was the arbiter for hell. Care to explain that? I also don't think much of the suggestion that discussion is not a good thing. Blinkered insistence that one is Right and refusal to discuss is the answer does not commend itself to me.

I have come to wonder whether the persecution of Christians is as bad as Christian propaganda claims it to be. I credit few of the martyrdom stories it has sprouted from the early days. But however, when it became accepted, it became the power itself, and began the uneasy alliance between religious authority and political. Seen in France and Italy where the pope was chased out of the Vatican, the British civil war (religious as much as political) and in fact in the US right now which is in fact a battle between religious fundamentalism and secular democracy and has been even before the days of Obama when the Christian flag was flown above the stars and stripes.