Straw God
Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 8:18 pm
I've grown aware that many posters on this forum don't believe in God, or even believe there is no God. Frankly, I don't blame them. God, as defined by Biblical Christianity (and even by some Latter-day Saints) is a being of such contradictions that it's literally impossible for such a God to exist. And if he did exist, he'd be so infinitely evil that I don't see how a conscientious person could bring herself to worship him.
God, as seen by Biblical Christians, is all-powerful and all-knowing, and in those two attributes lie the contradictions. Quite a long time ago I stopped believing that God had either of those two attributes. Doctrine & Covenants 93 makes it clear that there are some things that God doesn't have power to do, doing away with absolute omnipotence. I had a bishop who told me that God actually does, know all, but later he told me that he wasn't sure about that. At any rate I don't believe that God knows all, whatever knowing all actually means.
I think God has great power, and great knowledge, to the extent that God knows that He can accomplish His eternal goals, but I don't think that means He has power to do anything that can be imagined, or that He knows everything.
When one does away with those attributes, God is much easier to believe in. Many of the arguments against the existence of a good God are of the form, "Surely an all-powerful good God would do ...." Or, "Surely an all-knowing good God would do ...." If we stop believing in an all-powerful or an all-knowing God, that takes the bite out of those criticisms.
And to be perfectly honest, why should one believe in absolute omnipotence or absolute omniscience for that one's God? The Bible says God is omnipotent, and also that God can do all things, so it could be argued that Doctrine & Covenants 93 contradicts such statements. But this would hardly be the first time scripture made a general statement in one place, and then included an exception to that general statement somewhere else. God being able to do all things is the general statement; God's inability to create intelligence (as stated in Doctrine & Covenants 93) is the exception. And if the Bible does actually state that God is omniscient, I'm unaware of where it does. If any of you can point it out to me I'd appreciate it.
Does this less than omnipotent, less than omniscient, God actually exist? I admit that, strictly speaking, I don't know whether He does or not. I am unaware of any good evidence that establishes either that it's more likely that such a God exists or to the contrary.
But the fact of the matter is that if the human race continues its short-term solutions to crises that erupt on it, then that human race is headed toward disaster. Humanity needs to start looking into long-term solutions to the problems that it's going to face over the next several years. And what is more long-term than eternal? The simple fact is that the work of God must go forth, whether there currently is a God to carry it out or not.
There is nothing conscientiously wrong with agnostics or atheists. It is completely possible that an atheist can have as good or better a conscience than any believer in God. But I am convinced that if an atheist with a conscience really understood her/his duty to the human race, and her/his need to work toward long-term solutions to future crises, that atheist would realize that humanity needs God, whether one exists or not; and would take initial steps towards bringing that God into existence, should it turn out that no God did currently exist.
I personally am well aware that I could never, by myself, carry out the work of God, work towards eternal goals. So I chose to share the load; I chose to assume that God exists and decided to live my life in partnership with that God; I do as much as I can, while trying to live by God's guidance, and go on the faith that God will make up the difference, will accomplish His eternal goals by His grace combined with the imperfect efforts of all the people who believe in Him (which includes me).
God, as seen by Biblical Christians, is all-powerful and all-knowing, and in those two attributes lie the contradictions. Quite a long time ago I stopped believing that God had either of those two attributes. Doctrine & Covenants 93 makes it clear that there are some things that God doesn't have power to do, doing away with absolute omnipotence. I had a bishop who told me that God actually does, know all, but later he told me that he wasn't sure about that. At any rate I don't believe that God knows all, whatever knowing all actually means.
I think God has great power, and great knowledge, to the extent that God knows that He can accomplish His eternal goals, but I don't think that means He has power to do anything that can be imagined, or that He knows everything.
When one does away with those attributes, God is much easier to believe in. Many of the arguments against the existence of a good God are of the form, "Surely an all-powerful good God would do ...." Or, "Surely an all-knowing good God would do ...." If we stop believing in an all-powerful or an all-knowing God, that takes the bite out of those criticisms.
And to be perfectly honest, why should one believe in absolute omnipotence or absolute omniscience for that one's God? The Bible says God is omnipotent, and also that God can do all things, so it could be argued that Doctrine & Covenants 93 contradicts such statements. But this would hardly be the first time scripture made a general statement in one place, and then included an exception to that general statement somewhere else. God being able to do all things is the general statement; God's inability to create intelligence (as stated in Doctrine & Covenants 93) is the exception. And if the Bible does actually state that God is omniscient, I'm unaware of where it does. If any of you can point it out to me I'd appreciate it.
Does this less than omnipotent, less than omniscient, God actually exist? I admit that, strictly speaking, I don't know whether He does or not. I am unaware of any good evidence that establishes either that it's more likely that such a God exists or to the contrary.
But the fact of the matter is that if the human race continues its short-term solutions to crises that erupt on it, then that human race is headed toward disaster. Humanity needs to start looking into long-term solutions to the problems that it's going to face over the next several years. And what is more long-term than eternal? The simple fact is that the work of God must go forth, whether there currently is a God to carry it out or not.
There is nothing conscientiously wrong with agnostics or atheists. It is completely possible that an atheist can have as good or better a conscience than any believer in God. But I am convinced that if an atheist with a conscience really understood her/his duty to the human race, and her/his need to work toward long-term solutions to future crises, that atheist would realize that humanity needs God, whether one exists or not; and would take initial steps towards bringing that God into existence, should it turn out that no God did currently exist.
I personally am well aware that I could never, by myself, carry out the work of God, work towards eternal goals. So I chose to share the load; I chose to assume that God exists and decided to live my life in partnership with that God; I do as much as I can, while trying to live by God's guidance, and go on the faith that God will make up the difference, will accomplish His eternal goals by His grace combined with the imperfect efforts of all the people who believe in Him (which includes me).