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Originally posted by OmegaLogos
A) Omnipresence : God said through Jeremiah,
Am I only a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth? (Jeremiah 23:23,24)
In Psalm 139 David wrote,
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. [Psalm 139:7-12]
B) Omniscience: Scripture declares that God’s eyes run everywhere (Job 24:23; Psalms 33:13-15, 139:13-16; Proverbs 15:3; Jeremiah 16:17; Hebrews 4:13). He searches all hearts and observes everyone’s ways (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalms 139:1-6, 23; Jeremiah 17:10; Luke 16:15; Romans 8:27; Revelations 2:23)
C) Omnipotence: in Revelation 19:6 it is stated "...the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" the original Greek word is παντοκράτωρ, "all-mighty".
Originally posted by OmegaLogos
I have more scriptural weight to my argument directly against your 1st point and here goes ....“…And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie.” & “God lets an operation of error go to them, that they may get to believing the lie.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).
Originally posted by OmegaLogos
You then say and again I quote "i agree, but if someone lies, those scriptures simply show that he knows about it. im not sure that would mean its his fault" without qualifying why it wouldn't be his fault, having being the creator of the ability to lie (ie Omnipotence)!
Then you say "it is possible that titus is not literal but simply saying god chooses not to lie, so much so you can even say he cant". I agree that this could be so but could you try and provide some evidence that it isn't literal?
....Thanks for the information but I hate to point act that GOD is ENGAGED in all 3 of these either by active (deceives) or passive(allows) actions and holds responsibility via all 3 perfect Omni-states of being! Also being a conflicting scripture (and so close to each other!), doesn't this say something about the veracity of the bible or the book of Titus (ie its possible falsity)?
no, thank you. i love it when there are topics i dont have much experience in and its nice not to be attacked.
Personal Disclosure: Thanks for engaging my post so enthusiastically
Originally posted by OmegaLogos
reply to post by miriam0566
Disclaimer: I'm a theist but not of the Abrahamic faiths. I have minor biblical scholar and scriptural skills. I'm very sorry but I forgot to include the link in my previous post and now I can't edit it but I will include it Here! wiki Article on Gnoticism!) and I apologize again for my slack editorial skills.
Personal Disclosure: I love your very honest reply. and I suggest you check out the link I have provided (yes its there this time! lol) as its shows a version of the Christian GOD that can be flawed and so explain all the pain and suffering but I don't personally subscribe to this point of view but I do offer it up as I see it matching closely you points of view on GOD. Please get back to me and let me know if the view expressed by the wiki article does indeed match what you know and/or are learning about GOD.
some things to note.
- eating the fruit is of little consequence. therefore it is likely it symbolized something. it is my understanding that it symbolized independance and that by literally eating it equaled saying to god "we would like to do things on our own from now on"
- i suspect the test was simple so that noone could claim that is was harsh. noone can say that not eating a fruit is difficult or unfair.
- they were told the consequences from day one. if they eat from it, then they die (non-existance, not hell). so noone can claim that god tricked them.
- adam and eve were lied to. they believed the lie, but after found god was telling the truth.
- the bible does not shy away from describing sexual encounters so it is unlikely that the fruit represents sex.
it is of my opinion that the church adds this sexual overtone to the situation because they do not fully understand the significance of the event (ive heard a pastor put forth the same thoery). this is where one must begin to see why god permits the bad things that happen today, unlike the church who simply says that "gods ways are mysterious"
if you listen to the challenge satan made, he started by implying that god was a liar "yea, hath god said", other translations say something like, is it true?
then eve tells the satan the law, after satan outright lies and says "ye will not die, For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
this part is very very significant.
ive actually heard alot of people on this forum that say good and evil are just constructions, made up. this scripture proves them right. but now who determines whats right or wrong? up to this point god did. adam and eve were in subjection. but now satan is saying that if you eat the fruit, they will be as gods... determining right and wrong for themselves.
this is a rebellion. they, like alot of people today and throughout history, are saying we do not need a god to tell us what to do. the obvious reason why is because they feel that they can do it better.
you know the rest, they sin and now life is not the paradise it once was, but why? why would a god of love allow us to go though pain? the answer lies in the challenge. if adam and eve are like gods and can do better, they were given the oppurtunity to prove it. all mankind can prove it for themselves. that is why the world today is largely alienated from god.
/rant
Are you aware that the Titus scripture you quote (titus 1:[2]In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; ) therefor negates these three basic states of a perfect of GOD!
1) Omnipresence : being where ever a lie is! Being the Liar!
2) Omniscience : knowing all lies and how to lie!
3) Omnipotence : having the ability to lie!
I believe this breaks the 3 basic tenets for a GOD! Do you have any answer for this apparent dichotomy in the GOD you present (the God of Titus 1:[2]) and the GOD that he himself presents in the Bible which is as follows I believe (please correct me if I am wrong or misleading!).
Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ.
im coming to the conclusion that if god has limits, its because its self imposed.
Originally posted by pause4thought
The chief attribute of the one, true, eternal God is infinite moral perfection. There is therefore no dichotomy: the ability to lie would require the ability to be inconsistent, not to mention deceptive.
Originally posted by OmegaLogos
Thanks for your reply miriam0566. I like your POV about GODs limits being self imposed. You suggest an overall underlying reason how and/or why he/she would limit him/herself so as being untold ramifications and so I ask could you suggest why GOD would be limited by ramifications of any type?
I'm really enjoying this conversation with you miriam0566 but I feel we need to get back on topic which is "Can GOD make a stone so heavy he/she can not lift it?" and I believe that yes it can and I state why in previous post to this thread. What do you think the names of all these stones may be? (lets start with lying as you pointed that one out before). Finally if GOD has all these stones he can't lift then how does he do anything (i.e isn't he too weighed down by all those stones?).
As to the suffering bit I can see your POV here as well but question why it has to be such a necessary evil. I think I need to clarify this a bit and here goes....why make us choose under duress? How does this not torpedo YHVH/GODs moral high ground?