Posted on 11/22/2004 11:12:20 AM PST by stuartcr
I read the Book of Job this weekend, and I have a question regarding the reasoning behind Job's trials. I believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, which includes knowing what we are going to do. Going on this premise, my question is why did God, knowing the outcome, subject Job to all that he went through? Why did He allow satan to do the things he did to Job? The only thing I can think of, was to prove a point to Job?
This is one of the reasons why I don't believe we can apply our logic to anything that has to do with God. I think we accomplish what we are supposed to, whether we know it or not.
"I Thought Another Calvinist vs. Arminian Riot Was In Order"
Or for simplicity's sake, how about just "Bait Sold Here"
My #40 was this...'No, because I believe that whatever happens, is the way it's supposed to happen....just as God designed it.'...not, 'I believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing...just as God designed it'...as you have quoted.
How do you know that man is a self made soul in the sense that who we are and what we do is partially based on all of our previous decisions, is a fact? Every decision ever made, was known beforehand by God.
I impute to God, the responsibility for all that has happened, is happening, and will happen...because He is the creator of all things, and is all-powerful. I don't question Him or blame Him...I believe that this is just the way things are.
I don't believe that I am free to act, because I believe that God, being all-powerful and the creator, has a plan for all of us, and we act according to His plan. He knows the consequence of my actions for generations to come. If God knows what I am going to do, how can I not do it?
If God did not know beforehand what I was going to do, then He would not be all-powerful and all-knowing. This is the premise I go on...I, and many others may be completely wrong, and maybe God isn't all-powerful...I have no way of proving this, thus I have a belief, and that is all any of us have. I have never said I was right, I said that this is what I believe.
Playing the lottery is not the same as being the creator of the lottery, the creator of those playing the lottery, the creator of the numbers, the creator of the universe, etc.
I do not understand. We are humans, God is not.
I really don't think that we can accurately apply human analogies to God's behavior.
How do you know this?
It seems that with God knowing what I am going to do...then I have no choice in doing anything other than that. Whether I choose to do good or evil...has already been decided/known by God. I believe that if God knows something..then that is the way it will be. I may think I have chosen, but I can only do that which God knows is going to happen.
Correct, this is my opinion/belief. I don't believe that anyone can affirm any of this as fact. What is, is...regardless of how anyone believes.
I know very little about Calvinism and Arminians...but I have done a lot of fishing.
So you believe that in reality, G-d has stacked the deck, which of course is the same thing Satan is trying to assert in the book of Job...thanks for wasting my time.
There is a crucial difference between knowing what will happen and causing something to happen. Our Father in Heaven knows each of us so thoroughly and perfectly that none of our decisions will surprise Him. However, He is not a micromanager or puppeteer. If all our choices were really his choices, how could He either reward or punish them? This would certainly be unjust, and God is just.
That's the best we can do, as human beings, stuartcr.
Of course God stacked the deck, He made the deck and He knows how all the cards are going to fall. Satan is just a necessary part of the story, as are we.
When I first started posting here, I knew little about it too, but I learned pretty fast. You seem to lean pretty Calvinistic, as I did too once. Hopefully you will get over it like I did and see there is no scriptural support for God being the author of sin.
but I have done a lot of fishing.
Fresh or salt? I like bass fishin myself. Occasionally I have been known to dust off the fly rod.
Why do you assume there is reward and punishment? I believe the concept of justice is a human concept.
Since God knew this experience would be recorded and read my millions of His children, I'm sure part of the reason for it was for us to benefit. Job's experience becomes a reality check for any of us who feel persecuted or downtrodden. We could always have it worse, and we have a great example in Job as to how we should respond to our own difficulties.
Scriptual support is not an issue with me.
Mostly salt, but I have been tried some fly fishing, and want to do more.
I know, we just do what we do, and thank God for what we have.
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