God is the creator of the universe
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God created the universe
God created the world, meaning everything we can perceive and everybody you will ever meet. I think a look around tells us He is incredibly creative as evidenced by the number of species we continue to catalog; the perfect balance of the earth's life-sustaining capabilities unique in the unfathomable vastness of the universe; and that the universe appears to be equally infinite through a telescope or a microscope. God also sustains all life, and the plane of existence we are in, through His awesome powers.
God created DNA
People have a tendency to take Him for granted or outright ignore Him when all is well. There are some who deny He exists. According to them, human beings and all life came to be through some sort of random, cosmic accident; even though it is virtually impossible mathematically for this theory to be true. God says He spoke this universe into existence in an instant and the Big Bang Theory confirms this.
People exist in time and space that is full of great mysteries. Faith is required to believe in any worldview. Darwin speculated that humans evolved from monkeys and that all living things evolved from other simpler forms of living things. Most children are taught in public schools that this is fact, but theories are not the same as facts. I wonder why, in at least six thousand years of written observations by humans, no one has ever seen anything change into anything else—not even once. And why do primitive forms of life such as alligators persist? God said He formed the first man from dirt and biology confirms we are made of dirt (and water). Science now agrees all humans had one common ancestor.
God formed each person in the womb
Mankind's highest calling may be the search for Truth—or the search for God. God says He is Truth so that would make either search the same search. God says He is Love and very few people disagree that Love is the most important thing in Life. God says He is Life and we know how important Life is to all species of living things. The will to live is the most powerful force on earth.
God says He formed every person in the womb to be who He wanted them to be and each with a purpose He planned out for them to accomplish. He granted people free will to accept their purpose or not. I have friends who think everything we do has been planned out for us and everything that is going to happen has been planned out by God—all predestined. Others think God just watches as events unfold and doesn't interfere. Some think certain people have been pre-selected before they were born to live forever in Heaven after they die but that most people are born to burn up in Hell after death and that there is nothing any of them can do to change this destiny. Others hold that Eternal Life is available to all human beings—and that it can be had and then lost through "backsliding."
Love, Hope and Faith
Does God ever change His mind? In particular, can fervent prayers cause God to change His mind? It is one thing to say that God knows what is going to happen—even if He did not directly cause it to happen. On a cosmic scale this would be because space and time were created for us to experience but He exists where there is no time so one could say everything happens at once for Him. In a simpler way, maybe He knows what we are going to do because He knows us so well. I know that if I open my front door right now my dog will bolt out and run down the street because I can usually predict his behavior. Is God ever surprised?
I don't believe everything is predetermined because if it was we would be similar to robots or worse: pawns in some kind of celestial game. It seems to me the middle path makes the most sense, that some things are predestined and some things are decided by the free will of human beings; that sometimes God allows people to decide their own fate and sometimes He steps in to alter that fate; that sometimes He changes things based on prayer and sometimes He doesn't. For instance, if one had a saintly person in their family who prayed incessantly for the Salvation of a particular child or grandchild in their family God could decide to honor His Saint by taking an active role in forcing the action in that case. If God wants you, He is going to get you. You can go quietly (recommended) or you can resist and force may be applied. If a whisper works, great, but with some people God has to shout to get their attention and this shouting can be quite painful to experience. It does seem as if God has His favorites and that sometimes that is because of the relationship He enjoyed with a parent, grandparent or other ancestor. It also appears that God favors entire nations that honor him—Divine Providence. God enjoys the relationships He develops with people and works through those who love Him to bring Love, Hope and Faith to the world.
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ArchDynamics- You are most welcome and thank you for your comment. The "political roll" is coming soon.
I would like to make a comment here about our relationship to God,and how we relate to each other.
verse in the bible,where Jesus says to his desiples,he who would do his fathers will,is his mother,father,sister,brother.
I see that warning up there that this hub contains copied material. Yes, it is copied form my own website www.thejameswatkins.com
Is that wrong?
someonewhoknows- Yes, feel free to make your comment.
I always thought that verse debunks Mariology.
Bravo...Once again your vast intellect continues to astound me. Something that has always alluded my mind is how God never had a beginning...who put God where he is? How was he born? How can something never have a beginning and just always be? My tiny little mind just cannot process this. We, as humans, have been trained since birth that everything has a timeline. Beginning, middle and end. It is hard to sway from this school of thought. Enough about mt trivalities, once again, congrats on another very good hub. I was so sorry to hear about your cousin, so glad you got to visit that one last time. Johnnie
Johnnie- I appreciate your kind words.
And you pose a very good question, not the least bit "trivial." I think the answer is in your comment. In the dimension in which we live, everything is born and dies—so that is all we know. This makes it hard to grasp an Eternal God who has always been. It could be that God does not experience Time at all. I believe God always was and always will be.
The Heavenly Realms cannot be expressed to us in words. They are ineffable. If you spoke to a baby in the womb—and the baby understood what you were saying—and described this world to it, you could describe cars and trees and houses and blue skies but it could not be grasped by a baby who has only known embiotic fuid. You have to experience this world to understand it (partly, of course) and we will have to experience Heaven and God more directly to better comprehend those places and persons.
Predetermined may not be the best word to use. God created us therefore, he knows our choices before we make them. He gives us the tools which are found in his Word, but it is our choose whether or not we use them. God does not force himself on us, he does give us the opportunity to come to him but he never forces. He is always around us and his display of love is always present but it our choice of whether we choose to hear and see.
Just because a person is born blind does not necessarily mean he can not see if he can see the love and sacrifice of Jesus.
While it is true some people are easily led to Christ, others are not and therefore encounter more trials and storms; but some of these never walk the path to Christ and curse him daily. It is because of the freewill God gave us that he does not nor will he ever force us to come to him.
I sometimes wish he would because the world would be a better place, but in the end we who believe will be together with our Father in heaven.
Do you think that Amanita Muscaria were considered the original soma ?
Amanita Muscaria- Carisoprodol? Oh, original. Psilocybin?
Shauna.Gould- I look forward to seeing you there.
Johnnie I appreciate your comments about God ,and time,I'm sure all of us have had the same thoughts. I 'm also just as astounded by some websites I've come across such as Galacticdiplomacy.com
someonewhoknows- That's pretty wild! Thanks for the link.
Good hub! Plenty of food for thought and fun feed back. As you point out, Predestination is a common theme in scripture and the word predestinated is used specifically 4x in Romans and Ephesians. But because God ordains whatsoever comes to pass does not make us robots. When we choose we do so according to our nature and within the bounds of our appetites there are certain free will choices that we make every day but the Lord himself is the only one that can change that nature and give us the ability to choose HIM. Even the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord... He turneth it withersoever He will. Prov.21:1 God's Righteous Sovernty is a great comfort to His sheep.
Larry— Welcome! And thank you. I am glad you visited. I cannot disagree with a word you said.
Half of my Christian friends are Reformed Protestants (Calvinists in varying degrees). Then I have many friends who are Evangelicals, Baptists, and Pentecostals (Arminians, even if they do not know that word) and quite a few Catholic friends, too. I am seeking a middle way.
One thing they share is orthodoxy.
Hmmm ~ I always thought Evangelicals, Baptists and Pentecostals were considered "Protestants" ~ something new for me to study up on! I figured if they're not "Catholic", they must be "Protestant"??
Ms. Bradshaw— You are absolutely correct. They are Protestants. There is a split among Protestants though with Calvinists (or Reformed Theology) believing in Predestination (and they have solid Scripture to back it up); and Arminians who do not believe in Predestination (also with solid Scripture to back them up). I am going for a middle way here with some things Predestined and some not.
Yes, I do the same when it comes to teaching about spiritual gifts, as some Protestants believe they are not in use today ~ i.e. tongues (translating 1 Cor 13:10) as "that which is perfect" to mean the written, complete Word of God (Bible); and yet Pentecostals believe "that which is perfect" is Jesus Christ upon His return (when we shall see Him face to face). A footnote in the NAS confirms the latter, but I do keep a middle ground in teaching this subject.
Ms. Bradshaw— I am blessed to have experienced a broad range of Christian worship services, from Pentecostal to Catholic. I was pleased to be at every one of them. Every part of the Body of Christ performs its own function. Thank you for visiting my Hubs. It means a lot to me that you did.
My JOY!!
" ...that the universe appears to be equally infinite through a telescope or a microscope." I love that. Well put. And thank you for your comments on my writing ;)
sarahtrudeau— Welcome to Hub pages! You are welcome. You have an amazing story right on your profile page. Your own story is fascinating. I look forward to reading more of your words.
Great topic and hub that gets us together even with differing views. God is love.
Chris Eddy111— Why, thank you very much! God is Love! I appreciate your remarks.
Very well thought out and logically explained hub! I really enjoyed the part about Love, Hope and Faith!
Happy Father's Day!
k@ri— Thank you very much for the compliment and the Father's Day wishes! :D
It seems that James Watkins the rock drummer is also interested in the origin of the cosmos! Okay, if God created the universe, who created God? Did he simply pop into being? Or did he evolve? Now that would be the ultimate evolution, wouldn't it?
Kosmo— No one created God. He is not a created being. For us humans, in the world created by Him for us to exist in, everything has a birth and death. But in his dimension there is no start or end. He always was, always is, and always will be. No, He does not evolve. He was, is , and will be always the same. It is hard to wrap our arms around but it would be pretty tough to explain human life to an amoeba, too.
Thumbs up on this one too. :)
quicksand— I do appreciate it!
He surely is amazing, isnt he? To just sit back and look at everything and think he would do all of it in only 6 days is incredible. He can do it and he did it! Great read
johnb0127— Thank you, my friend. God will amaze us every waking moment if we will just do one thing: Acknowledge His presence.
Yes, and he will also reveal himself to us if we put our faith in him.
AMEN!
Creationism is a wonderful topic! God is a wonderful topic! I am a believer in both and you do a great job spreading the word spiritually, intelligently and practically using biblical, scientific and logical methods. Don't stop now, I think you have a calling!
Kebennett1— Thank you once again! I think you are my # 1 fan! I couldn't have a better one and I appreciate you very much. :-)
James...good to see you back! You covered the basics here well. A little bread for thought. Jesus said "In my father's house, there are many mansions." The house of God is the universe. The mansions are galaxies. God is populating the universe with his children.
One can either believe the above or they can believe their father is a monkey. I would much rather have a galaxy than a banana tree.
Tom Cornett— Thanks, Tom. I'll take the mansions over the banana any day! LOL
I appreciate the witty words, bro'.
James,
I thought your commentary on The Big Bang and DNA were brilliant. As an engineer these two scientific facts fully support the existance of THE CREATOR. Physics and Cosmology both support that before The Big Bang time did not exist. The non existance of time is infinity or eternity. The Big Bang was a singularity at which such time was created by The Creator along with all of the ensuing Universe.
It is my personal belief that before this singular event God was all of existance and remains so to this moment. Thus everything in this universe is a part of the Creator. Thus His desire to reunite with each and every one of us.
DNA is His great programming tool for living things of all sorts. Random, no way it's clear proof of God's Creation.
Still waiting for the room full of monkeys to write War and Peace per the evolutionst.
Tom Whitworth— Exactly! You are a far more learned man than I am so it is pleasing to receive this affirmation from you. Your comment encapsulates what I was driving at perfectly. Thank you very much for these words.
Monkeys? That might be a long wait. I don't think they can even rap yet. :)
Great hub James! I just stopped by for a little inspiration. I'm glad to see you're back in full swing on HP. Keep up the good work! Blessings...
Born Again 05— Thank you! I'm glad if I could help. I'm back in business. Thanks again.
It`s 12:08 a.m. Sunday morning 10/4/09. I thought to read. What marvels God uses your mind to create.I aspire to hit your level James. I am amazed how it flows out of you with such ease.What can I say? I am truly awed.
Rick Marlow— You are in the archives, Brother. This was my very first Hub! :) I'm glad you came to read it. It still gets a few reads every day, six months later. That is encouraging.
I am grateful for your laudations but I had a little help from the Man upstairs with this one. He guided my hand. :-)
Thank you for your gracious words.
James,
I loved seeing your added pic of DNA (awesome image). I need to start using images in my Hubs and may go back through and add some, they're very effective in yours.
Speaking of DNA and other cell studies, evolutionist-scientists have tried to convince everyone possible that studies of these reveal evolution but this is a bias-interpreted view. DNA in fact reveals incredible, intricate design that has meaning and purpose.
I have never denied an extremely ancient earth and have many articles on this subject from a Biblical perspective. At the same time I believe, in a literal six-days of direct creation by God who spoke all things into existence.
I'm stepping out now in saying this but... I have believed for many years, after having been a believer in the theory of evolution as a youth and young adult, that it is the biggest hoax that has ever been perpetrated on mankind.
Man was a direct creation and God who created him in his own image, “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul”. This could not have been done, had he been a microscopic speck in a puddle because a single cell does not have nostrils!
Didn’t mean to rattle on, you got my inspired juices going! Fantastic Hub!
JimLow— Yes, I would recommend an image for every 100 words (more than I used here). or so. It breaks up the page and makes it more interesting visually. And can add to the story, too.
I agree with you. The Bible does not lie. God did create Man at one moment—not evolve him out of apes. I also agree that this is the greatest hoax ever—perpetuated by Satan himself (through men, of course). Think of how it has devalued human life, leading directly to the rise of Atheism, Marxism, Eugenics, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and the societal troubles we have in America today.
I love your comments. No prattling here. Feel free to say whatever you want. Thank you for the compliment, too.
There is alot to you, you have done a lot of work on Hubpages.
Thank you for your comment.
cindyleedavis— Thank you, dear. And you are most welcome. Welcome to HubPages!
Great photos, James.
James, I like what you've done here. Keep it up! :)
I am facinated by God's creation's! All things work together for the Glory of God! I have a hub "Everything in Balance" speaks of the same. Enjoyed!
Tina Irene— Thank you, dear. I apologize for not responding sooner. I have been in Israel!!!
Lowell's Notes— Thank you for saying so. Lord willin', I'll keep plugging away.
I see you already have over 100 fans. That's great! We are both ex-musicians, too. We have a lot in common, my friend.
TimeHealsAll— I am going to read your Hubs soon. I am so glad you enjoyed this one. Thank you for letting me know that you did.
A very thought-provoking hub.
Taylor Finch— Thank you very much for saying so. Welcome to HubPages!
James A. Watkins, Wonderful thought provoking hub! Another "Iridescent Gem" of the many beautiful array of articles you share here on The hubpages!
As you say: "Mankind's highest calling may be the search for Truth—or the search for God. God says He is Truth so that would make either search the same search. God says He is Love and very few people disagree that Love is the most important thing in Life. God says He is Life and we know how important Life is to all species of living things. The will to live is the most powerful force on earth." God is AWESOME! As always in HIS Love & Blessings!
DeBorrah K. Ogans— This was the first Hub I wrote. Maybe I peaked too soon! :)
"Iridescent Gem" I do like that. Thank you for your kind words. Yes, God is Awesome. And yes: Jesus Loves Me!
Always a pleasure to come across some work that is useful, thankyou for the information keep the good stuff pouring in
Truly inspiring, and just what we all should be questing within ourselve, If everyone was on the same wave length what a fiber optic path would be shot across this Great Universe. Thank you for your Hub.
Low Power Microscope— Thank you for your kind compliments. They are much appreciated. :-)
Amez— Thank you. I humbly accept your compliments. And you are welcome. I love your words here. Amen.
James
If God created everything then he also created a mess.
He created evil and unfairness.
There is no guarantee that those people that suffer the most in life will go to Heaven, nor that people that have the most in life will not go to Heaven.
God of the Bible, unfairly called the Garden of Eden a failure. Also, if Adam and Eve didn't fail in the Garden of Eden, there would have not been any Heaven for them.
God should have called Adam, Eve and humans a complete failure after Cain Killed Abel.
Since then there were numerous times that he should have terminated this experiment.
God's reactions to Adam, Eve and Humans is not rational. Too harsh in the Garden and too patient since then.
OpinionDuck--- Thank you for visiting what I believe was my very first Hub. :)
Maybe we have simply made a mess of it. The presence of evil shows us that we have free will. There is no evil in the universe except among people and demons. That is because people and demons exercised their free will to rebel against God's purposes. Had this possibility not existed we would be robots without free will for the definition of evil is to do that which is against the will of God. The fact the one of the first brothers killed the other does forecast much about the human race--and we have not disappointed the forecast.
I think it is good to seek God, to understand Him, to love Him. But to tell Him who to be or what to do is in the spirit of rebellion in and of itself.
it's always is nice for some to be open and up front about their beliefs, i admire you for writing this hub.... you are very diverse. Glad there are such brilliant writers on hub pages, when i am in the mood for reading, thankyou
poetlorraine--- I calls em as I sees em. :)
You are welcome. Thank you for reading and for your well received compliments.
James
It was that free will that you mention, that got us here and banned from the Garden of Eden.
Evil is not free will, Evil is the flip side of Good.
Didn't all the people that follow God's word and preach for others to follow God's word, give up their free will and become those robots that you mention.
They have traded in Free Will for Faith.
All those with Faith therefore don't exercise Free Will, they exercise the word of God.
The Devil and the Fallen Angels have all seen God and been in his presence and at one time in His Grace, yet they chose to follow Satan and not God. Is that Free Will, or is Free Choice or is it something else?
Maybe if people were in the same place as Satan and the Fallen Angels, they might see things differently.
My opinion...
OpinionDuck
Evil and Good. There has to be some form of yardstick against which to measure in order to define what is evil and what is good.
For people who believe in God that yardstick is God's word. God's people accept His word as being the yardstick or law by which they agree to live. They accept this out of free will, and therefore when they chose to live according to God's word they are acting out of free will. So God's people are not slaves to God (or robots as you put it) but rather are simply in agreement with God's word. Yes it is by faith that they live believing in God's existence, but they have not exchanged faith for free will. Rather they are exercising their free will to decide for themselves if they agree with God's word and to follow it.
Now everyone has their own standards and those who do not believe in God will set their standards against some other yardstick, most likely this will be whatever they believe to be acceptable to them. If they abide by their own standards then in line with your thinking they too become salves (robots) to the standards they set, even if these standards change at times. But inevitably they would argue that they are free and they act out of free will. So in this respect there is no difference between those that choose to obey God's word and those that do not. The simple truth then is that either everyone is a slave or everyone is free, and very few people would say they are slaves to what they have CHOSEN to abide by.
As for Lucifer, he also had free choice, as did the one third of Angels that chose to follow Lucifer. Lucifer became envious of God and wanted some of what God had and in his pride and arrogance he tried to take from God the world that He created along with His children. Lucifer chose to do this out of free will, the fallen Angels chose to go along with Lucifer. A free choice made out of the free will.
James
A fascinating hub and there are some thought provoking gems tucked away in there ! One point in particular that I'd like to delve into is where you suggest that "...if God wants you He is going to get you."
I agree that God's overwhelming desire is to have each and every one of us believing in Him, accepting Him and to have a personal relationship with Him. God wants to give everyone of us opportunities to hear His word and to experience the fullness of His glory in our lives. But accepting Him has to be out of free will, a free choice.
Certainly if God wanted to He could very easily MAKE every person accept Him as God but it is not His will to do that because it would not be out of our free will, and that above all else is what God wants.
Yes God does work miracles, Yes He speaks to anyone who wants to listen and hear Him. But to those who by choice continue to be blind to his miracles and deaf to his word, even though God wants them, He is not going to get them.
The Devil and the Fallen Angels have all seen God and been in his presence and at one time in His Grace, yet they chose to follow Satan and not God. Is that Free Will, or is Free Choice or is it something else?
Maybe if people were in the same place as Satan and the Fallen Angels, they might see things differently.
Free choice but not from hearsay, it was from being there and experiencing all that no human has been able to do.
Have you ever looked at a food menu that has pictures of the food, but when you order the food it comes out looking not that good.
Satan and his followers have seen and tasted the food.
BTW, will you have free will in Heaven?
OpinionDuck--- Absolutely not! People who exercise their free will to strive to come to know, understand, love, and obey God are far from robots. This is not the easy path. Having faith is not a loss a free will but the highest use of it. As far as the devil wanting to be his own god, people make that same choice every day by the millions on earth today, do they not? That is faith of a different color. I do appreciate your opinion. You are a seeker and that is the kind of person I like.
James,
Still seeking,
My point about Satan was that he knew God personally, yet he didn't see a God, and neither did a third of the Angels. One has to believe that compared to humans, Satan and all the Angels are Gods, at least super human.
Their choice was not made on faith, but first hand knowledge about God and Heaven. No human can make a judgement about God with the same perspective as Satan and his fallen Angels.
Like the Big Bang Theory, we know nothing about God, Satan and the Angels before the event. We don't know anything about their creation, just like we don't know what happened before the Big Bang.
The human Kingdom of God mimics his own Kingdom, and the common thread to both Kingdoms is they both are written with the hand of man. Therein could lie the key to understanding the mysteries of God.
I also respectfully disagree with your comment that obeying God is an expression of free will. There is no free will when obeying someone, or God. You cannot both obey and excercise free will. In Heaven, everyone there will be doing the same thing, obeying God, otherwise they wouldn't be there in the first place.
The US Constitution was written by men for man. It was written to be the core values of this county. It was also intended to be dynamic and move with the times and the needs of the country. Boy, that dynamic concept didn't really work out well for us and the county.
The fact that there are two Bibles, could indicate that man is not meant to change these documents, not in writing, not in interpreting and not in any form.
It is hard for even a small group of people to agree on where to have lunch, so how is the world going to be able to agree on the meaning of the Bible(s)? They haven't done that well so far.
The Bibles need preachers to digest the meaning of its words, sentences, verses, books, all because only the words existed in its original form.
Contrast that with, how many preachers does it take to get the message in its entirety, when you put your hand on something hot enough to burn it?
God did that with the Great Flood, but with all of the catastrophic events of floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and the like, it is more like throwing the baby out with the bath water. No clear message can be found because these events don't discrimminate good or bad.
I would feel really bad if someone lost their faith after reading my opinions, I am only using the limited power of the brain.
Ok, I know what some of you are thinking, you should be ashamed of yourself.
just kidding.
Globetrekker--- Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
Thank you for your excellent comments. I enjoyed reading your wise words. Yes, as you says everybody is equally slave or free to their beliefs. Everybody, even Atheists, has a world view and a set of values and beliefs. And these ideas are based on something. It is a bit tiring to hear over and over again that only the ideas of Christians must be some kind of slavery but the ideas of Atheists or Agnostics represent some kind of freedom. That is plain silly.
Globetrekker--- As to your second comment: I surely appreciate your point of view. My view comes from my grandmother, God rest her soul, who was herself a prophetess and a saint. She told me a long time ago that yes, there is free will BUT if someone like her prayed vigilantly for me, for my salvation, and if God spoke to her one night and promised her personally that I would be joining her in heaven, that it would come to pass regardless because God always keeps His promises and He is able to do anything He wants--including that. :D
Luckily for me.
OpinionDuck--- I don't have enough information to explicate what happened with Lucifer and his demons. Free will in heaven? Great question. I'm not sure I know the answer to that. I'll be glad when I find out. :D
Hi James -- Thanks for your kind feedback on my comments. Yes I agree that God keeps his promises and if God makes a promise that something will happen then for sure it will, which is fortunate for all of us. This has opened up a whole new question in my mind as to whether God makes a promise based on what he has pre-ordained, or whether he interceeds to make something happen in line with his promise. I think I need to give that one some time !
James
Still seeking
With your admission of not knowing about Lucifer and his demons, isn't it then possible that Lucifer, the demons and Angels are the same type of beings. Taking that premise one step further, one could make a valid argument that God is also that same kind of being.
Is there anything that you know of to invalidate the premise that God and Angels are not the same type of beings?
OpinionDuck--- Satan surely did see a God. He just got too big for his britches. Satan knows who God is. I have never seen it expressed that Satan's rebellion was about God. It was about Satan.
Of course it is Free Will. If you tell your kid not to play in the street and he does it anyway, he has exercised Free Will. If he doesn't, he has still exercised Free Will. The idea that to obey is not Free Will is ludicrous. If you have a choice to disobey--which you obviously do--then you have Free Will, period.
I am sorry that the meaning of the Bible is unclear to you. Regardless of what I know or don't know about Satan's rebellion, the meaning of the Bible is very clear to me. Sure, there are fine points that people needlessly argue over. As you say, people will argue over anything and they do.
Globetrekker---You're welcome. I am glad I have caused some rumination. I definitely believe that God intercedes because of prayer. There are many examples of this in the Bible.
OpinionDuck--- I think that Lucifer, angels & demons are the same type of beings, or at least were. Just as Stalin and Mother Theresa were both human beings, Satan and Michael the Archangel are the same type of beings. God is not the same type of being. No angel ever created a universe. No angel can impart the breath of life.
James,
The issue is not about Lucifer's britches, it is about the reason that a third of the Angels agreed with him. This shows a lack of faith by these Angels in God. And unlike stories, they experienced God in his own environment and on a continuing basis. From this experience they chose to follow Lucifer.
Maybe God, Lucifer and the Angels are beings that cannot be destroyed, in which case God cannot get rid of him. In any case why should humans be the pawns in the battle between God and Lucifer. That battle happened before we existed. There was no reason for any higher lifeform other than Adam and Eve to be in the Garden of Eden, be it Satan or something else. In fact the story of the Garden of Eden sounds like a metaphor for the Lucifer britches comment that you cited, so God is going to punish mankind for something that was similar to what Lucifer did to God.
Even the story about Cain and Abel is a metaphor of Lucifer's jealousy, with Cain playing the part of Lucifer.
Humans have remained consistent over recorded history, none of the events in either Bible has changed how they act as a species. There is only minimal containment of Evil in the world through the belief in God, and from the laws of society. in fact, the trend towards Evil is waxing rather than waning.
Even religion is breaking down, with the Holy Jihad and Islamic Extremists, a gays in the clergy.
If the game of life is called, as mentioned in the Bible, then the score at that time would show Evil was winning. God would have lost, and the game needed have gone on for as long as it did.
The Bibles are not only unclear to me, they are vague, ambiguous, contradictory, and static. The Bible poses much more questions than it answers, and that is why Faith is required to believe it.
I think that religion and the Bibles are necessary for humans, even if it might now be true. Good is an acquired behavior, while Evil is dominant and is inherent in human beings.
For example, one bad apple can turn a barrel of good apples bad, but the converse is not true.
People need laws to keep them from being Evil.
my opinion and still seeking...
OpinionDuck--- The question I would ask is not why but why not? Not why me Lord but why not me? What kind of world would you have created? This is the school of the soul. What school could be more instructive than planet earth?
Augustine followed a line somewhat like yours as you articulated Original Sin. I would recommend the City of God. Here is a nice brief recap:
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1201.htm
The Bible is very clear to me. God created the world in which humans live. Everything about that our finite minds could never comprehend. God created the first pair of human beings. God made covenants with man on several occasions--with Adam, with Noah, with Abraham, with David, etc. The history in the Old Testament shows us--because all people understand being shown more than being told--that man was unable to follow simple rules of conduct. Jesus died on the cross as atonement, a sacrifice, for the sins of those who believe, those who believe in God, who believe that Jesus is their savior, who trust God, who have faith in God, who allow God to transform their hearts, who love God and their fellow man, with love being an action verb. For these who take the narrow path, eternal life will follow with no tears, no night, no hunger, no pain, no sorrow.
James
??
Yes??
James,
The issue is not about Lucifer's britches, it is about the reason that a third of the Angels agreed with him. This shows a lack of faith by these Angels in God. And unlike stories, they experienced God in his own environment and on a continuing basis. From this experience they chose to follow Lucifer.
Maybe God, Lucifer and the Angels are beings that cannot be destroyed, in which case God cannot get rid of him. In any case why should humans be the pawns in the battle between God and Lucifer. That battle happened before we existed. There was no reason for any higher lifeform other than Adam and Eve to be in the Garden of Eden, be it Satan or something else. In fact the story of the Garden of Eden sounds like a metaphor for the Lucifer britches comment that you cited, so God is going to punish mankind for something that was similar to what Lucifer did to God.
Even the story about Cain and Abel is a metaphor of Lucifer's jealousy, with Cain playing the part of Lucifer.
Humans have remained consistent over recorded history, none of the events in either Bible has changed how they act as a species. There is only minimal containment of Evil in the world through the belief in God, and from the laws of society. in fact, the trend towards Evil is waxing rather than waning.
Even religion is breaking down, with the Holy Jihad and Islamic Extremists, a gays in the clergy.
If the game of life is called, as mentioned in the Bible, then the score at that time would show Evil was winning. God would have lost, and the game needed have gone on for as long as it did.
The Bibles are not only unclear to me, they are vague, ambiguous, contradictory, and static. The Bible poses much more questions than it answers, and that is why Faith is required to believe it.
I think that religion and the Bibles are necessary for humans, even if it might now be true. Good is an acquired behavior, while Evil is dominant and is inherent in human beings.
For example, one bad apple can turn a barrel of good apples bad, but the converse is not true.
People need laws to keep them from being Evil.
my opinion and still seeking...
Check
OpinionDuck--- Mate
Jaems
you didn't make a move, so it can be your mate.
But nice try.
James Watkins & Opinion Duck need to play chess or checkers! Settle this dispute via game boards, as life is merely a game of survival, experience, and conquest...but can, at times, be fun to play... Ha-ha!
OpinionDuck--- I think you sent me the same commentary twice.
James
I did send you the same comment twice, and I certainly didn't check my typing on my last comment.
Twice, because you really didn't respond to it.
I think my computer is corrupted, I have to wait to type the next character, hence so many typos.
May have to quit making long comments.
It does come and go, and right now it is more responsive, but not quite right.
Sorry about that.
Obscurely Diverse--- The world is a stage and we are but the players. Thanks for coming by and leaving your witty words. :)
Obscurely Diverse,
If the world was a stage, I would have to join a union.
Clearly, I am not getting union wages.
Thanks
Opinion Duck,
The world provides the stage within a global union of humanity, and from that union, there is a chance to live a life. If you deduct monetary obsession from your last comment, you would be speechless and without strife. Ha-ha! :)
James,
I was again looking over Genesis, and it should be the cornerstone of religion. Unfortunately, it is very light in the details and no much agreement by the researchers of Genesis over the years.
Start with Cain, Abel and Seth, as they appear to be late bloomers. Adam, they say was about 130 years old when he and Eve had Cain. Considering that the Jewish Religion believes that a boy becomes a man at the age of 13, Adam was ten time that age when he became a father.
The math is a little unbelievable, it would be more likely if it was a 130 months, instead of years.
BTW, we also don't know how long after the 6 days of creation that Adam was created. Nor do we know how how after that time, that Eve was made from Adam. These events are not totally in the same passages in Genesis.
Sorry, the computer was running fast today, longer comment.
Obsurely Diverse,
Like the play on the word Union.
BTW, the duck is never speechless, however, sometimes the speech is unintelligible to humans. :)quack
Ha-ha! Opinion Duck, I'd throw you some bread crumbs if I seen you in a pond. Quack-quack, LOL! Okay, you need to visit the forums or something; I think you'd have a blast. You can find some real opinionated viers, there. I'd hate to see James W.'s 'comment field' on this hub, end up looking like forum threads, so I'll depart. Thanks, Ducky. :)
Obscurely Diverse
Thanks, I think that I will take your drift, and wait for James to do another hub, that might be appropriate for further quacking.
James,
Thanks for your usual hospitality and I will await for the enlightenment of your next hub.
OpinionDuck--- That's OK. I thought I did respond to your commentary. Let me look at it again . . .
In my response I asked you four questions, which you did not answer. I wanted you to clarify your thoughts on these issues before I responded further. I also thought the link I provided would have answered many of your questions.
I then proceeded to write fourteen lines of my own thoughts about the issues you raised but you say I didn't respond. This I find puzzling.
As far as the dominance of evil in a world ruled by human free will, surely there is a lesson in this that you can realize. God tells us that it will be this way.
The Bible does pose many questions. Any good book makes one think and answer questions. I am glad my tiny article has made you think and pose questions, too. Thank you for the engagement.
OpinionDuck--- This is a non-union stage, my friend.
Obscurely Diverse--- Yours are interesting comments. Thank you for your participation.
OpinionDuck--- Very light on the details? I don't think so. God gave us the details He wanted us to have. That is His prerogative. It is not to be read like an encyclopedia. It is to be studied prayerfully. A finite human mind can only udnerstand (and have time to study) a finite amount of information. God chose what He wanted us to know. We can't know everything with three score and ten to learn it. Rather than focus on what He didn't tell us, we are wise to focus on what He did tell us. After all, what He did tell us must be important to Him over and above what He didn't tell us.
I have no problem with believing that the first generations of humans lived to be hundreds of years old. Why not?
OpinionDuck--- You can say that again. :D
Obscurely Diverse--- This has been an interesting discussion. But as you, I have new fields to plow.
OpinionDuck--- You are most welcome. Thank you for your readership and ongoing conversation. You are an interesting person.
Well written and thought provoking. Thanks.
lefseriver— Thank you very much for your kind compliments. You're welcome. It's nice to hear from you again. :-)
See about- http://digg.com/d31GlVu as i see it that encouraging the spirit of discovery and sharing of fundamental knowledge about “the Universe and our place in its midst” Yet, remaining a question may be arisen that the field of single dimension or dark energy or a black hole or a source or originating cause or first cause or omnivorous or nature or creator how occurred?
Shahidur Rhaman Sikder— Thank you for visiting my Hub. I appreciate the link you provided. You also ask a very good question. I can't say I know the answer.
If you people really wanna find God then please don't ever try to find anywhere else because he's always within your heart morons.search HIM in there right inside of your heart and focuse yourself on to this divine and eternal energy flowing through your blood vessels and try feel him...Why always make question that he doesn't exist???
He's the time...going so slowly...whatever the way you choose,may be you're a Christian or may be Hindu or may be Muslim,whatever you are is doesn't really matter trust me...you don't need to perform superstitious rituals just focus on that matter I just said...
Avik Mukherjee— You are right—God is in the hearts of even morons. I surely agree that God exists but not all agree. I perform no superstitious rituals myself, but they are a comfort to billions of people.
Thank you for visiting my Hub. I appreciate your comments.
Loved your insights surely you are Gods chosen one to enlighten some of us who are willing to learn, show us the path to enjoy Gods Blessings in the true sense.What according to God is GODS WORDS ...In a normal life WHERE ONE IS BUSY WITH WORK ,CHILDREN,etc how does one get close to the Almighty...how does one know whether they are doing the right things cz in this world what may be right for one is wrong for another ....please explain to me in very simple words.thanks.
ArundhatY— Thank you for reading my little article and for your kind compliments.
In answer to your question, I suggest you read this Hub.
Dear James A Watkins, see- God/creator is at once and always omnipotent, omnipresent, omnivorous or united in all things. See into- “Wonderful Creation” http://bit.ly/9L85W7
Consequently, if you don't understand about the facts, ask me any question or put up to note sheet about the information.
Shahidur Rahman Sikder— I surely agree with you that God is indeed omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. I did follow the link you provided to your blog. Thank you for reading my Hub. I appreciate your interest.
IF GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE, THEN WHO CREATED GOD?
Earlier it was impossible for us to give any satisfactory answer to this question. But modern science, rather we should say that Einstein, has made it an easy task for us. And Stephen Hawking has provided us with the clue necessary for solving this riddle. Actually scientists in their infinite wisdom have already kept the ground well-prepared for us believers so that one day we can give a most plausible and logically consistent answer to this age-old question. Let me first quote from the book “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking:
“The idea of inflation could also explain why there is so much matter in the universe. There is something like ten million million million million million million million million million million million million million million (1 with eighty zeroes after it) particles in the region of the universe that we can observe. Where did they all come from? The answer is that, in quantum theory, particles can be created out of energy in the form of particle/antiparticle pairs. But that just raises the question of where the energy came from. The answer is that the total energy of the universe is exactly zero.”
Here the question stops. So the clue is this: if we can ultimately arrive at zero, then no further question will be raised, and there will be no infinite regression. What I intend to do here is something similar to that. I want to show that our God is a bunch of several zeroes, and that therefore no further question need be raised about His origin. And here comes Einstein with his special theory of relativity for giving us the necessary empirical support for our project.
God is a Being. Therefore God will have existence as well as essence. So I will have to show that both from the point of view of existence as well as from the point of view of essence God is zero. It is almost a common parlance that God is spaceless, timeless, changeless, immortal, and all-pervading. Here we are getting three zeroes; space is zero, time is zero, change is zero. But how to prove that if there is a God, then that God will be spaceless, timeless, and changeless? From special theory of relativity we come to know that for light both distance and time become unreal. For light even an infinite distance is infinitely contracted to zero. The volume of an infinite universe full of light only will be simply zero due to this property of light. A universe with zero volume is a spaceless universe. Again at the speed of light time totally stops. So a universe full of light only is a spaceless, timeless universe. But these are the properties of light only! How do we come to know that God is also having the same properties of light so that God can also be spaceless, timeless? Scientists have shown that if there is a God, then that God can only be light, and nothing else, and that therefore He will have all the properties of light. Here is the proof.
Scientists have shown that total energy of the universe is always zero. If total energy is zero, then total mass will also be zero due to energy-mass equivalence. Now if there is a God, then scientists have calculated the total energy and mass of the universe by taking into consideration the fact that there is also a God. In other words, if there is a God, then this total energy-mass calculation by the scientists is God-inclusive, not God-exclusive. This is due to two reasons. First of all, even if there is a God, they do not know that there is a God. Secondly, they do not admit that there is a God. So, if there is a God, then they have not been able to keep that God aside before making this calculation, because they do not know that there is a God. They cannot say that they have kept Him aside and then made this calculation, because by saying that they will admit that there is a God. At most they can say that there is no God. But we are not going to accept that statement as the final verdict on God-issue, because we are disputing that statement. So the matter of the fact is this: if God is really there, then total mass and energy of the universe including that God are zero. Therefore mass and energy of God will also be zero. God is without any mass, without any energy. And Einstein has already shown that anything having zero rest-mass will have the speed of light. In other words, it will be light. So, if God is there, then God is also light, and therefore He is spaceless, timeless. So from the point of view of existence God is zero, because he is spaceless, timeless, without any mass, without any energy.
Now we will have to show that from the point of view of essence also God is zero. If there is only one being in the universe, and if there is no second being other than that being, then that being cannot have any such property as love, hate, cruelty, compassion, benevolence, etc. Let us say that God is cruel. Now to whom can He be cruel if there is no other being other than God Himself? So, if God is cruel, then is He cruel to Himself? Therefore if we say that God is all-loving, merciful, benevolent, etc., then we are also admitting that God is not alone, that there is another being co-eternal with God to whom He can show His love, benevolence, goodness, mercy, compassion, etc. If we say that God is all-loving, then we are also saying that this “all” is co-eternal with God. Thus we are admitting that God has not created the universe at all, and that therefore we need not have to revere Him, for the simple reason that He is not our creator!
It is usually said that God is good. But Bertrand Russell has shown that God cannot be good for the simple reason that if God is good, then there is a standard of goodness which is independent of God’s will. Therefore, if God is the ultimate Being, then that God cannot be good. But neither can He be evil. God is beyond good and evil. Like Hindu’s Brahma, a real God can only be nirguna, nirupadhik; without any name, without any quality. From the point of view of essence also, a real God is a zero.
So, why should there be any need for creation here, if God is existentially, as well as essentially, zero?
But if there is someone who is intelligent and clever enough, then he will not stop arguing here. He will point out to another infinite regression. If God is light, then He will no doubt be spaceless, timeless, etc. Therefore one infinite regression is thus arrested. But what about the second regression? How, and from whom, does light get its own peculiar properties by means of which we have successfully arrested the first regression? So, here is another infinite regression. But we need not have to worry much about this regression, because this problem has already been solved. A whole thing, by virtue of its being the whole thing, will have all the properties of spacelessness, timelessness, changelessness, deathlessness. It need not have to depend on any other external source for getting these properties. Thus no further infinite regression will be there.
H. S. Pal
Himangsu Sekhar Pal— Thank you for taking the time to post this fantastic message here. I savored each word, as I nodded my head and thought "yes!" You are surely a wise one. It is my privilege to treasure these words and provide a place for them to be exhibited forever on this page.
James
James A Watkins, Himangsu Sekhar Pal & All are- With due respect, I would like to stress upon viz. request yours esteemed organization to exactly evaluate and uphold the sketch of the present universe in the midst of mankind of the Universe. There is no denying the fact that it is possible to feel or assess it through the depth of our brain and nothing else i.e. no other means. Hence, it is crystal clear that our very brain is the only specimen or sample or cent-re or key of the Universe.
“Earth is present before us, likewise just at this time it is again submerged into the depth or the past from another place of space” In this way- we are looking everything has creation yet same event or very moment, from the nature is nothing creation in the universe thought that imagination. That is to say- at this event whatever shall be received through imagination for any borders on the spiritual of the universe shall be vanished at this very moment i.e. nothing creation- in reality- early and play of imagination i.e. in everything of the nature’s plan is the imagination. Hence, we can take the decision that- happening of lifeless position is something happen- Nature’s plane is another universe from her another imagination through that 3rd Universe. So see- Allah/God/creator is at once and always omnipotent, omnipresent, omnivorous or united in all things.
Yes Mr. Pal- Remaining a question may be arisen that the field of single dimension or dark energy or a black hole or a source or originating cause or first cause or omnivorous or nature or creator how occurred? In or under no circumstances: In that case there is no answer because it is not possible to take our imagination power or philosophical reflection before it.
Shahidur Rahman Sikder— It is my belief that something more than a mere physical brain exists in human beings—a soul, a mind, a spiritual self that transcends the matter which makes up a brain.
I am not certain what you mean by your emphasis on "imagination." In fact, your entire post is hard for me to understand. I will pray for enlightenment.
Thank you very much for coming back to visit. I do appreciate your extraordinary commentary.
Hello. Great commentary. Truth is the most noble pursuit. There's so much to consider. Christ jesus said you'll know the truth and the truth will make you free. First. What is truth. Second. What is free. Third. What do I need to be free from. It is clear that jesus was referring to himself when he said you'll know the truth. So one should thoroughly be familiar with how all scripture points to him. Then how creation points to him. Then how the father points to him. Then how the holy spirit points to him. Then how history points to him. Then how opposers point to him. Most importantly one must know all the symbols that point to him. For the vast bulk of knowledge about jesus is hidden in occult knowledge. May we never be satisfied till we come into the full knowledge of the truth that is hidden in jesus. Amen!
m.t.— Hello! Thank you for visiting my Hub. I sincerely appreciate your thoughtful, insightful comments and I am grateful for the compliments.
I so enjoyed your outstanding ruminations. You wrote: "Truth is the most noble pursuit. There's so much to consider. Christ Jesus said you'll know the truth and the truth will make you free."
Amen! Well done!
You are absolutely right , GOD only created the universe and for Him nothing is impossible . No one created God , He was from the beginning................ and Jesus will come again to save God's children from sin..................
ronnie— Thank you ever much for these spirit-filled comments. I am glad we are in agreeance. I appreciate this visitation from you. God Bless!
this universe has been created by strong centralised force...I agree that and we humans dont have capacity to know completely about it...hence we give it a name and call it as "GOD"....so instead of thinking how or what he would be (even christianity express that no one should test the ultimate lord)..we can play the role given to us in a good way without doing bad to others..:)
murli— Thank you very much for taking the time to read my article. I appreciate your thoughful and insightful remarks.
I agree with you totally that we should fulfill our true purpose in life and not do bad to others. Wise words indeed.
I am grateful for your visit and your comments. :D
Typical question "If God created the universe, who created God?"
My question "If a hot mass created the universe, what created the hot mass?
Think people!!
Stella B.— You are right on! Thank you very much for sharing your wise and discerning words.
I appreciate the visitation! God Bless You!
James :-)
ArchDynamics 3 years ago
My thanks to James as he continues to educate us and remind us of what's important.
Just wait until he gets on a political roll ... I guarantee you THAT will be exciting.
So, stay tuned Boys and Girls!