[Anselm]That God truly exists

This probably would be better in Khetil's thread, but just for the sake of.... well, just for the heck of it:

Belief is a tricky word. We might believe for no reason at all, or we might believe that the sun will rise tomorrow because it has done so every day in memory. Similarly, someone might believe the teachings or a teaching of Jesus on blind faith, or they might believe the teaching because of their experience in life.

Biblical believing theists also have a problem with evil. Satan or the anointed cherub of Ezekiel 28 stated that he was perfect in all his ways until sin was found in him.

How can a perfect being ever become evil, it makes no sense. And God knew that Adam was going to fail the test, so why test him in the first place?

So now we take the word of Satan as truth? I'd have to go back and read the passage again for context, but off the cuff it sounds like a character is trying to get some sympathy.



What test? Eating the fruit? That was no test - God said "dont eat it" and Adam, of his own free will, decided to do so anyway. A test would be something more like Abraham having to kill his son.

What about the divine plan? I guess one would have to believe in fatalism to try to understand the meaning of "free will" in the biblical context, no? That actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end - the divine plan. It's not quite determinism as determinism doesn't necessarily imply that humans have no influence on the future.

Therefore, someone that believed in God's divine plan would be a fatalist as what happened has happened and couldn't happen any other way (as God denoted). If Adam really has the power to change causality, then there is no divine plan, as the outcome would have been predetermined. This is not something you can really be on the fence about unless you're comfortable with contradiction.

Didymos Thomas





What I state below is my take on the story based on scriptures, but mythical scripture not literal.

ADAM = HUMANITY

It was a test about honesty and obedience and to see if he would keep to his word.

Adam is really a myth from the deep mists of time about a people and their relationship with God

This Adamic test was much more severe than Abraham scarifying his son Isaac, This test lead to the fall of man and the separation from God and the introduction of sin and death into the world.

Before Adan failed the test , God walked in the Garden , in the form of a man and there was no separation.

I wrote a fuller essay on this topic and posted it under the Philosophy of Religion

Can I post duplicated essays that are very similar.??