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Wed 29 Nov, 2006 06:39 am
one thought has caused me to doubt everything that i currently live for.
if God can do anything, does that mean he can create something too heavy for him to lift. if he's all powerful then he can do it, but if he does it he can't lift it... and if he doesn't do it, he can't... argh!
any answers/ideas/advice on what i do to either overcome this or approach a new way of life?
rockpie- Hallelulah! You are beginning to THINK. You are a very young person caught up in religion..............and you fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Being a bright young person, you are starting to question, and as you question, the illogic and inconsistencies begin to appear. The more that they appear, the more that you question. And that is good.
Civilization, over the millenia, have attempted to make sense of what exactly is our place in the universe. For many, when they did not understand, they ascribed the wonders of the universe to a god, or gods, or even goddesses. Whether the religion is a contemporary one, or an ancient cult, the motivation is the same.................to understand the world that we live in, and make some sense out of our existence.
For ancient peoples, who understood little, the world was frightening, and there were forces "out there" that controlled the world. As an extension, these forces supposedly had an influence on human beings. As a result these ancient peoples had to placate these gods, as not to do so, in their way of thinking, would cause harm to befall them. So began the phenomenon of worship.
This same sort of mindset permeates today's religion. Believe in ____________, and you will be "saved", whatever the hell that means.
There is no doubt that religion was a major force in the development of civilization. It was a means by which groups of people developed ethical and civilized standards by which they could all live together.
The remnants of the mindset of the ancient religions survive today, in what I call the "tribal mentality". Them and us. My fodder is better than your fodder. At this point in time, religion has caused more strife in the world than it is worth. Whatever good religion has provided, is negated by the various groups jockeying to be at the top of the heap.
Doe we have any greater knowledge of the workings of the universe as our ancient forebears? To some extent yes, to a greater extent, absolutely not. Do we know what is the cause of the universe? Of course not. As sophisticated as we are, we are only scratching the surface with regards to the mysteries of the universe.
Is there a god? Who knows? Who cares? Personally, I thing that the entire concept of a god is an extremely long shot. As long as we can live a good honest life, it does not have to matter.
If there is a god, what makes you think that it must be able to do anything? Omnipotence is one of the attributes commonly assigned to the Judeo-Christian God, but there is no logical reason for it other than the belief that "my god is better than your god." As you have discovered, omnipotence leads to paradox. Some people get around it by declaring that God can only do what it is posible to do.
In any case, the question I have is: if god can do anything, why couldn't he forgive us for having the sinful nature that he gave us without demanding that we accept the idiotic notion that he had to have his son killed as a sacrifice to himself first? That is what really makes no sense.
Re: I am doubting my faith - need guidance/advice.
rockpie wrote:one thought has caused me to doubt everything that i currently live for.
if God can do anything, does that mean he can create something too heavy for him to lift. if he's all powerful then he can do it, but if he does it he can't lift it... and if he doesn't do it, he can't... argh!
any answers/ideas/advice on what i do to either overcome this or approach a new way of life?
rockpie:
It is not uncommon to doubt your faith - it happens to all of us from time to time. I feel it's important to consider where and why the doubt is coming from. (Emotional reasons, intellectual reasons, both, other, etc.) Once you've determined the cause of the doubt - spend time studying on the subject. Give study-time to your current choice of faith and also to an alternative choice. (Remember: There are many "faiths" out there. And you will surely experience "doubts" in any of the faiths chosen. There is no "faith" that is 100% doubt-free; so be sure to give adequate time, effort and thought into each.) Be careful who you listen to as it seems that everyone has a personal agenda that may or may not be the best for you.
This is also an opportunity for you to grow in your faith. Questions produce answers and answers are what we're all looking for.
But above all; keep in mind what "faith" really means! Spend a little time pondering the definition. You're doing well to question - it will help you make good choices.
Wow, apparently everybody has a profound grasp about GOD, learn a lot from your guys.
For a follower of religion, maybe try not to think a lot or think it simply is a good choice.
When you live your life through faith, IMO, it is best not to do a lot of thinking about it. Faith and reason are polar opposites. Too much intellectual curiosity will engender a huge amount of conflicts within a person. For the pious, it is best simply to close your mind and pray.
Any thinking person is going to question their faith at some point. Go ahead and question all you need to.
I'm with you phoenix.
rockpie....asking questions are the beginning of wisdom.
one does not gain wisdom by simply reading and accepting, but by questioning it.
Why would you want to "overcome" this wonderful thing? The ability to use your brain to seek the unknown.
Actually, I find it interesting that after all the years you've been on this planet, you find that one particular "God lifting a rock question" to be your mindblower. There are lots more out there that would really make your mind boggle.
Now that it's opened a crack, you can start to ponder more.
Rocky, Rocky, Rocky. . . I'm surprised no one has pointed out to you that weight is relative. An object of the magnitude you posed could only be moved relative to itself, so your question is a non question. It is on the order of you attempting to think about nothing.
A more profitable line of reasoning would be to consider whether or not the creator of the universe is willing, able and intending to undo the effects of thousands of years of priestly abominations and human depravity.
It has been my contention all along that, for Jehovah, it is not only possible, but certain.
I've been pretty busy lately setting up our family eBay business; but I will bookmark this site and come back to it.
If you didn't have doubts it wouldn't be called faith.
but beware...
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27, 6
chiso, the tricky part is working out who the enemy is.
rockpie, I can do no more than point you back to Phoenix's superb post..
edit: although I could just share with you a proverb my father told me often that has served me well:
"Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see"
Re: I am doubting my faith - need guidance/advice.
rockpie wrote:one thought has caused me to doubt everything that i currently live for.
if God can do anything, does that mean he can create something too heavy for him to lift. if he's all powerful then he can do it, but if he does it he can't lift it... and if he doesn't do it, he can't... argh!
any answers/ideas/advice on what i do to either overcome this or approach a new way of life?
It is hard to know whether to treat this as a serious question, or as a rerun of an old George Carlin routine.
By definition, God as the Creator would always be superior to anything He created.
If He is 'all powerful' , then how could something be 'more than all powerful' ?
well, i was led in bed thinking lat night about this question and i came to this conclusion:
if God is all-powerful or omnipotent, then that means he can do anything, even the impossible. god can do things that are contradicotory, as he can do the nonsensical, for example god can create squared-circles. god can even make something too heavy for himself to lift and then go on to lift it anyway. so my doubts on that one are settled.
however, just as phoenix said, when you begin to ask questions, they keep appearing so now i'm thinking on this one:
if god is omniscient, to what extent do humans have free will? i mean if god knows the past, present and future, then every choice we ever make has already been seen by god, and so are we really free when making that choice?
ok. so lets say i stop being a Christian. but i still can't not believe in god. maybe a god does exist and does answer prayer and perform miracles, etc, but maybe no religion on earth is the one true religion, maybe god is just some spirit that is kind of playing on the sims with us. if you know what i mean. he has good intentions, sometimes he messes up, but he doesn't desire to be worshipped, yet he won't turn it down if it comes.
rockpie- Keep thinking. You will find that there are many people who believe in many different things. The point is to keep questioning until you find a path that you believe (not feel) is right for you.
This process of finding a personal world view is not something which happens overnight. It is a process, that takes a long time to mature. Read, learn about the different ways that people perceive the world, and above all, keep an open mind.
until i find my view on the world then refuse to accept anything else? (not intended as an insult to anyone, just what it seems many people have done.)
and you mustn't drown it either...
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