Lighthearted Questions about God

I've always wondered a few things about this omnipotent being and have never gotten a decisive answer to these questions, fortunetly this site has many intelligent members who may be able to answer some of my questions.


If God is so powerful, can he create a hotdog so big that not even God can finish it all?
The problem here is...
-God has the power to do anything
-If he can do anything, then he can create a hotdog so big that he cannot finish it
-However, if he cannot finish it then the first and most important rule about God is false.

A man in a secluded village far from civilization dies, he's a good and decent human being but has no contact with the word of Christ, or any religion for that matter. Does he go to hell or heaven?

Slightly different situation to the above, he HAS heard the word and the influence of other religions but he's not a very religious man. Yet, the person is still a good person in society. Does he go to heaven or hell?

[edit on 21-6-2005 by SilverDeath]

Hotdog question: You have to understand, God's not a big hot dog guy. Now twinkies, that would be a different issue! Interesting little conundrum you've got there, though. I think you have to ask, though, does God eat, which I would assume would be no. If He had to eat, that would mean he is mortal -- must eat = need to process energy; no eat, no energy, no God. So He could create a hotdog so big that not even God could finish eating it all with just one molecule of hotdog (I'd love to see the chemical structure of that molecule!)

A man in a secluded village far from civilization dies, he's a good and decent human being but has no contact with the word of Christ, or any religion for that matter. Does he go to hell or heaven?

Heh, wierd, was just talking about this very thing with a friend over dinner before I was able to alleviate my ATS craving. There is a passage in Peter that kind of answers this. I'm not sure where it is, I just caught it for the first time a few days ago and have to go find it again. It says, though, that after Christ ascended, the people from the Flood were judged and 8 were found worthy to come to the Kingdom. Though they knew nothing of Christ, and had been condemned to die in the flood, there was salvation for 8 of them through Christ. I can't say I know how that works or anything, just that it's there.

Slightly different situation to the above, he HAS heard the word and the influence of other religions but he's not a very religious man. Yet, the person is still a good person in society. Does he go to heaven or hell?

This one's a lot easier to answer. It is stated that if you know, God wants you to be hot or cold; He despises luke warmness. By knowing all about religion and the like, but not being very religious, he is being lukewarm. However, at the same time, if he believes in Christ as his Savior and salvation, he's forgiven for that. But on the other hand, not being very religious, he may not confess his sins to God...Or even reach out and take the gift of salvation. So it depends on the qualifier of "very", I suppose.

Oh yeah, also, what the heck do I know, I just found that passage in Peter for the first time the other day, and I'm trying to come across as knowing what I'm talking about

Originally posted by SilverDeath:
If God is so powerful, can he create a hotdog so big that not even God can finish it all?
The problem here is...
-God has the power to do anything
-If he can do anything, then he can create a hotdog so big that he cannot finish it
-However, if he cannot finish it then the first and most important rule about God is false.

Can GOD create a rock so big He can't pick it up?

The point is that God cannot do something that is a violation of His own existence and nature. Therefore, He cannot make a rock so big he can't pick up, or make something bigger than Himself, etc.

...if He did something that violated his nature, like make a rock so big He can't pick it up, He would also not be true since that would be a self contradiction. Since truth is not self contradictory, as neither is God, if He were not true, then He would not be God. But God is true and not self contradictory, therefore, God cannot do something that violates His own nature.

An interesting paradox, which simply doesn't take into account GOD's nature.

A man in a secluded village far from civilization dies, he's a good and decent human being but has no contact with the word of Christ, or any religion for that matter. Does he go to hell or heaven?

I have to say yes. GOD is infinitely fair and just, same for a child of an age before which they do not "know to refuse the evil and choose the good" (Is7:16).

Slightly different situation to the above, he HAS heard the word and the influence of other religions but he's not a very religious man. Yet, the person is still a good person in society. Does he go to heaven or hell?

from: www.biblequery.org...

For those who reject God’s way, there are varying degrees of judgment. In Mt 20:15, Jesus said it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than it will be for those towns that actually saw Jesus and yet rejected Him.
2 Peter 2:21 says of evildoers, "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." Jeremiah 42:19-22 also shows that if you are not determined to obey God, you are better off not asking what God’s will is. So in judgment not only is the amount of evil a factor, but also how much truth a one has.

Have to admit this is a tough one for me too. Have a hard time believing that Ghandi(ex.) will not be in Heaven. But i know that GOD is fair, just and loves us all beyond my/our limited understanding, judgement is His and not ours. Thank GOD

[edit on 21-6-2005 by Rren]