Well, in his created world how did things become pious and sinful? — Vanbrainstorm
So if God (since you don't understand what all-power means) in your view can cease to exist while making the "appearance" of his existence remain, you have no proof God has ever existed in your life time. — Gregory
It's just as likely, in your view, that you are a goblin and the rest of us elves, because God can make it appear so. — Gregory
There are two possibilities. A. He created pious and sinful things. B. Things became pious and sinful through the choices they made. A. is problematic because why would an all good creator create sinful things? B. however, begs the question though. If they made choices that made them sinful God would know before hand and God knows its creation has the potentiality to be sinful. — Tobias
God can make himself ignorant of anything he wants to. And it seems positively disrespectful to pry into the private thoughts and desires of free agents. So I think it is perfectly reasonable to think that God doesn't know how free agents will exercise their free will. Not becasue he 'can't' know, but because he doesn't want to. — Bartricks
So it is more important for God to allow free will than to protect the victims of violent acts? — SolarWind
We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces. — Carl Sagan (The Demon-Haunted World)
So it is more important for God to allow free will than to protect the victims of violent acts? — SolarWind
Bart Bot minds. What was the meaning of your question? — Bartricks
Your claim is debatable, that's all. — TheMadFool
Is it? Which bit? — Bartricks
God is shorthand for 'a person who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent' such that if you have those qualities you are God. It's like Dr. If you have a PhD, you are a dr. — Bartricks
If God decides to relinquish one of the Os is he still God? — khaled
But why think God would know how we'd exercise our free will? God can make himself ignorant of anything he wants to. And it seems positively disrespectful to pry into the private thoughts and desires of free agents. So I think it is perfectly reasonable to think that God doesn't know how free agents will exercise their free will. Not becasue he 'can't' know, but because he doesn't want to. — Bartricks
One of the main reasons why we doubt our free will is our nature - our preferences not something we chose.
God is seen as having a nature viz. benevolence, in fact God's omnibenevolent. No free will!
However, God's also omnipotent i.e. he can defy his nature. Free will!
The paradox: God has free will (omnipotent) & God doesn't have free will (omnibenevolent) — TheMadFool
So, for the second time, you are referring to an imaginary "God"!we do not need to concern ourselves with whether God exists. — Bartricks
But there is a space between decision and action and I am sure that God - being omnibenevolent and all powerful - would intervene to protect innocent victims from a free agent's violent acts. — Bartricks
So you really believe that throughout history there has not been a single case of an innocent victim being tortured to death because God would have intervened?
Please name the planet on which you live. — SolarWind
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