If you could ask God one question, what would it be?

[The Professor]

I think those verses mean God knows everything that is going on. I do not think God knows everything we are going to do before we do it.

 

The Bible gives us multiple examples where God was going to do something, then he was surprised by the reaction of people and changed his mind.

 

@B-Ball-fan You mentioned Mary ascending into heaven in human form, do you know where that belief comes from? I've heard the same but have never found out why the Catholic Church taugh it.

 

I'm confused. Are you saying God is "Knowing" but not "All Knowing"?

[The Professor]

Did Oswald really act alone?

I'm not God but I think I can answer that one.

 

Yes, he really acted alone.

 

If you ever have the time to read Vincent Bugliosi's 1,600 page book "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy", you will have no doubts. It took him 20 years to research and write it but he did a great job with the finished product.

[Science Friction]

I'm not God but I think I can answer that one.

 

Yes, he really acted alone.

 

If you ever have the time to read Vincent Bugliosi's 1,600 page book "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy", you will have no doubts. It took him 20 years to research and write it but he did a great job with the finished product.

 

Read my mind.

[PP1]

I'm confused. Are you saying God is "Knowing" but not "All Knowing"?

 

I think he knows everything that is going on right now and everything that has gone on in the past. I think he can force things to happen in the future and probably has. But I look at stories in the Bible where he seems surprised by our actions and changes his mind based on things that we do. That tells me that does not necessarily know everything that we are going to do before we do it. Otherwise what would be the point in me praying and asking him to heal my father if his cancer or praying that my sons grow up and become good Christian men

[B-Ball-fan]

@B-Ball-fan

 

When I look at the Bible I can see two possibilities about what happens to people when they die. Since your original question surrounded the idea of getting messages from relatives that have passed on (sorry by the way) then I think you will appreciate this response.

 

The first possiblity comes from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus and it is the idea that when you die you immidietly go to Heaven or Hell and a huge gulf or chasm separates the physical world from the spiritual world. I do not believe this but I am in the minority, most Christians believe this way.

 

The second possibility comes from the book of Thessalonians where Paul speaks of Jesus coming back, the dead rising first, then those of us that are still living meeting Jesus in the air while the lost are left behind. This is what I believe and .

 

So in response to your question, I think it is impossible for people to die and then send messages to the living because both of these options negate the possiblity of ghosts, spirits, or communication from beyond the grave.

 

I believe people actually do see or experience things that they genuinely believe are ghosts or supernatural manifestation, but I believe these to be hallucinations or the work of the devil.

 

But once again, it is a question for God and not for me.

 

I would be surprised if we care about any of this though when we see God. I wonder if we will even be aware of our past earthly existence. I wonder if we will even recognize or know the difference between our spouses, children, neighbors, or strangers. Those are all earthly, physical, and human relationships that may not exist in heaven.

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond, and knowing that you make it your life's work to think deeply about these such things, I'm grateful for this opportunity to share ideas with you.

 

In my case these experiences have only strengthened a spiritual faith within me whereas I'm certain, considering my past of agnostic leanings, that if they had never happened I would likely have solidly considered myself to be completely agnostic, and therefore ponder no further to seek answers.

 

I was once so close to that assessment that during my lifetime nothing could enlighten me, yet these experiences instilled in me a hope that previously was not there for me.

 

When I doubted a God, the message was "No, I'm right here". When I doubted a Heaven, the message was "It's a joyful and beautifully loving place". When I doubted an afterlife, the message was "I may be gone, but I am still very much alive and my love is unconditional and eternal".

 

All very positive comforting things that filled me with hope when previously I had only doubt.

 

It all came to me as a positive force seemingly meant to enlighten, and give comfort and hope, whereas if it were otherwise, or not at all... I would likely have believed in, hoped for, and expected nothing.

 

If this wasn't just my imagination playing tricks on me, then I can only assume that it was a God/Love force reaching out to me to comfort and enlighten me, for if it were a negative force it would have been more effective for its purposes it would seem, to have left me alone with my doubts and disbelief.

[rockmom]

Everytime I read this thread title, I do it to the tune of Joan Osborne's "What if God Was One of Us".

[B-Ball-fan]

Everytime I read this thread title, I do it to the tune of Joan Osborne's "What if God Was One of Us".

 

That's funny... I was just in the grocery store today singing "What if God smoked canibus" while walking down the soup aisle. :lol2:

[rockmom]

That's funny... I was just in the grocery store today singing "What if God smoked canibus" while walking down the soup aisle. :lol2:

 

:lol2:

[Randy Parker]

I think he knows everything that is going on right now and everything that has gone on in the past. I think he can force things to happen in the future and probably has. But I look at stories in the Bible where he seems surprised by our actions and changes his mind based on things that we do. That tells me that does not necessarily know everything that we are going to do before we do it. Otherwise what would be the point in me praying and asking him to heal my father if his cancer or praying that my sons grow up and become good Christian men

 

I think God knowing and God causing are two separate things. I believe He knows all things, yet we still have free will.

 

I can't begin to understand how that's possible, but I am also bound by time. I only know in terms of past, present, & future.

 

But if God created time and is not bound by it, that would seem to change things. We measure time with timelines, but God takes that timeline and bends it into a circle--no beginning and no end.

 

Maybe I am wrong, but that's how I see it.

 

Interesting discussion regardless.

[PP1]

 

We measure time with timelines, but God takes that timeline and bends it into a circle--no beginning and no end.

 

Maybe I am wrong, but that's how I see it.

 

Interesting discussion regardless.

 

Interesting point. But it is still hard for me to get past the fact that Go plans on certain things, but then sees how certain people react, and then changes his mind. Unless God was bluffing from the beginning, he must have not anticipated a particular reaction.

 

But you could be right.

[The Professor]

I think God knowing and God causing are two separate things. I believe He knows all things, yet we still have free will.

 

I can't begin to understand how that's possible, but I am also bound by time. I only know in terms of past, present, & future.

 

But if God created time and is not bound by it, that would seem to change things. We measure time with timelines, but God takes that timeline and bends it into a circle--no beginning and no end.

 

Maybe I am wrong, but that's how I see it.

 

Interesting discussion regardless.

Good post Randy and something to think about. Maybe you can help me with my question:

 

The omniscience of God and the free will debate has always confused me. The way I have always interpreted it is God knows the future because He’s All Knowing. If He doesn’t know the future then He’s not completely All Knowing, which would be strange for an All Powerful God.

However, if He is completely All Knowing then free will would be erased because the free will would be God’s Will in a world of predestination. We would be mere pawns on a chessboard with our lives already determined before our birth.

When I hear the free will point of view I always think, “Yes, we do naturally have free will to do whatever our next thought or move is, but doesn’t God already know what our free will decision will be because of His omniscience?”

Edited November 17, 2017 by The Professor

[Irish Cat]

"Hey God, Can I get tomorrow's Powerball numbers."

 

In all seriousness, I would have so many questions, I don't see how I could narrow it down to one.

[Randy Parker]

Good post Randy and something to think about. Maybe you can help me with my question:

 

The omniscience of God and the free will debate has always confused me. The way I have always interpreted it is God knows the future because He’s All Knowing. If He doesn’t know the future then He’s not completely All Knowing, which would be strange for an All Powerful God.

However, if He is completely All Knowing then free will would be erased because the free will would be God’s Will in a world of predestination. We would be mere pawns on a chessboard with our lives already determined before our birth.

When I hear the free will point of view I always think, “Yes, we do naturally have free will to do whatever our next thought or move is, but doesn’t God already know what our free will decision will be because of His omniscience?”

 

I can't completely understand how God can be all-knowing without violating our free will, but I believe it to be true (in the same way I can't fully understand the Trinity but I believe that to be true). I think my failure to understand stems from me being time bound and God not being time bound.

 

Someone helped me to understand a bit better by the following illustration:

 

Imagine a father and his sons are watching a Christmas parade from behind a wooden fence. The father is tall enough to see over the fence, but the boys are too short and can only see the parade by looking through a knothole in the fence. So the boys can see what's happened and what is happening now in the parade, but they can't see what is coming. But their father can see the parade in its entirety, so he can tell the boys what is getting ready to come (like Santa). He knows what's going to happen, but he doesn't cause everything in the parade to happen.

 

It isn't a perfect illustration, but it's the best I have ever come across.

 

At the end of the day, it boils down to this: God is beyond 100% human comprehension IMO. Some struggle with that and I get it. On the other hand, I take comfort in it and am glad God is way too much for me to fully grasp. That's where faith comes in.

 

I believe it was Augustine who once said something like, "Once we fully understand God, He stops being God."