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I'm going to come off sounding stupid here, but is there a bible verse that directly states that God is all knowing and all powerful? Because if not, then Nozick's definition would still be workable w/in the bounds of Christianity and the movie analogy would work much better...

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I'm no totally sure but I believe there is. I find Nozick's definition more plausible but if we use his definition there is no point in listening to god because eventually we could become equal too or surpass god, if Nozick's definition applied. Now I believe this then answers the question of “is Christianity based on the principle of god being all powerful and all knowing” because if god wasn't, Christianity would have no foundation for their religion. The only thing Christianity would be teaching, if Nozick's definition were true, is the most powerful rule with an iron fist, which is contradictory to a loving "god."

True. You can't be all-knowing and all-powerful, because then you can't choose not to know, which means your power is limited...Gah. Another guy I've been reading lately is Robert Nozick. His definition of God stipulates not that he be ALL knowing or powerful, but only much more so than any other being is or will be. There's a bunch of other stuff, but that's the jist of it. I'm going to come off sounding stupid here, but is there a bible verse that directly states that God is all knowing and all powerful? Because if not, then Nozick's definition would still be workable w/in the bounds of Christianity and the movie analogy would work much better...

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Do you know why God put you here?

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god? why would god put us here? why wouldnt you put yourself here, your soul choose what life you live? why does god have to choose everything?

my life? no purpouse. i have no reason for living. i might as well give up. everything thats happened to me? why let history repeat itself? why not just die?

hehe, im interrupting all your conversations

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So he can see our futures, but he can't make our choices for us. Now, that doesn't explain why he would create us in the first place, if he knows we'd make the wrong choice. Maybe he doesn't look? That sounds kind of silly, but maybe he gives everyone a chance, and creates them before he knows what's going to happen to them in eternity? I mean, he wouldn't HAVE to have that knowledge, right? Couldn't he choose what to know and what not to?

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See but here lies the problem, this would be example of god not be all knowing because if god is all knowing god would know its own fate and god would already know that it would choose to stop the "movie" so to speak. So god would not have free choice, which I found a very interesting thought when I first thought about this. So it seems that one cannot be all powerful and all knowing at the same time. Also the idea of free-will and all knowing are contradictory as well, they cannot exist together.

Okay, djmagnusa, this doesn't exactly answer your question, but it sort of ties in.

I've recently been reading C.S. Lewis, and he speculates that this "all knowing" of God's results from being able to see all of time at once, because he exists in greater dimensions than we do, one of which is time. The entire universe is like a movie to him...he can rewind it or fast forward it, but when he gave us free will, he gave up the ability to change it. So he can see our futures, but he can't make our choices for us. Now, that doesn't explain why he would create us in the first place, if he knows we'd make the wrong choice. Maybe he doesn't look? That sounds kind of silly, but maybe he gives everyone a chance, and creates them before he knows what's going to happen to them in eternity? I mean, he wouldn't HAVE to have that knowledge, right? Couldn't he choose what to know and what not to? Ack, I'm rambling, but I hope that made at least a bit of sense. Also, apologies to C.S. Lewis if I've screwed up your theory. Love, Jen.

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If god is all knowing and all powerful, what is the purpose of creating man and then creating a heaven and hell for punishing and rewarding their supposed choices in life?

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As a Christian, I've wondered this very thing.



Dialogue is good, people, keep it up!

Good questions...

Honestly, I have no idea why I'm here on this earth. Why I am me, why I am living...Maybe we're in some sort of grand plan or maybe we're just here for the sake of being here. It's a question that is worth thinking about...

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but I find it hard to believe that God mapped out every last moment of my life. Love, Jen.

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This idea is related to a problem I have with certain religions. What doesn't seem logical to me are some aspects of the Judeo-Christian religions. In particular the idea that god is all knowing and all powerful. If god is all knowing and all powerful, what is the purpose of creating man and then creating a heaven and hell for punishing and rewarding their supposed choices in life? The idea of having all knowing god is contradictory to idea of having free choice because ultimately if god is all knowing, it would know what you would do with your life, so their would be no point in giving people a life, god already knows what you are going to do with it, so why not send people straight to either heaven or hell? Also this gives me the general impression that the god in question is kind of a sicko. I have this impression because why would god create a being that it already knows would suffer eternal pain and misery, this would imply that this god is a Sadist!!!!!
I’m not trying ruffle anybody feathers here but this is just a question that i have been thinking of lately.

I believe that we all have a common purpose, to leave the world better than it would have been if we had never lived. However, I'm not to sure about specifics at the moment, due to questions of religion, ect. I think that some events and actions were "meant to be" but I find it hard to believe that God mapped out every last moment of my life. Love, Jen.

I don't believe I was "put" here so to speak. My parents fulfilled their natural purpose by having children and ultimately that is what all living things purpose is, to make sure their species lives on. Some people might think this is a depressing idea, but I don’t believe it is. Of course I’m talking in a worldly sense here.

My life has no purpose, unless I choose to give it one. I was simply born... I have no preordained reason for living, nor do I have a set destiny. No god decided "Hey, this guy is going to do x with his life because purpose y is already being fulfilled by someone else in my grand plan" or something along those lines. Everyone determines the course and the purpose of their lives through their actions and their reactions to the actions of others.