Is God Lonely?

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**G.K. Chesterton in his introduction to the Book of Job (1907) says this:

The central idea of the great part of the Old Testament may be called the idea of the loneliness of God. **

Do you agree or disagree? Why?
 
Charlemagne_II said:
**G.K. Chesterton in his introduction to the Book of Job (1907) says this:

The central idea of the great part of the Old Testament may be called the idea of the loneliness of God. **

Do you agree or disagree? Why?
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What does it mean to say that God is lonely? Does that not imply imperfection in God?

God is the fullness of being, he is not missing anything good.

Loneliness implies that one is missing something that is perceived as good which has either been taken away or impeded by something.

He is probably talking analogously. What he really means to say is only God is good?
 
Well, God Himself is the full communion of three entities, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Maybe he was meaning like Linux just said…?
Linux said:
He is probably talking analogously. What he really means to say is only God is good?
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Seems the most reasonable interpretation to that idea of God’s loneliness 👍
 
Charlemagne_II said:
**G.K. Chesterton in his introduction to the Book of Job (1907) says this:

The central idea of the great part of the Old Testament may be called the idea of the loneliness of God. **

Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Click to expand...
This is an interesting question and, perhaps, leads to some insight in terms of what it means for God to be “Love.”

I am thinking of a young couple about to be married. If they are drawn together out of loneliness, then that would seem to be an imperfect kind of love because the impulsion to “love” is a need in one or the other or both parties. A more perfect love would be one that is drawn to the other simply for their own sake as other and with a certainty that the other would be incomplete without the union of self with other.

With God and creatures, the love of God must involve a similar kind of concern for the creature as being incomplete without the union of creature with God. I would not call this “loneliness” so much as perhaps an acute awareness of what the creature is or is lacking without its union to God in love. The creature “suffers” the separation from God and God, being Love, must “suffer” that awareness even through the love he has for the creature, even when the creature itself is not aware of what it is missing by being separated and, therefore, incomplete.

In a sense, God “suffers” the incompleteness or aloneness of the creature out of love for the creature, perhaps?
 
Its obvious God loved Job “His servant” and how foolish was Satan to bet against the Eternal?

After seeing how Job was allowed by God to be lead into terrible temptation to curse Him its no wonder Jesus instructed us to pray to the Father like this “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”

G.K. Chesterton is being provocative in using human terms to explain how God thinks. It does not fit.
 
I don’t think you can say that if by lonely you mean some kind of imperfection. But it does seem that the universe was created for Christ. That we were created for Christ. It’s not that it fulfills some kind of need in Him, since he can’t need anything, but it seems to fulfill a desire.

I know I would rather be loved by God than be God. Perhaps we project our own inadequacies and needs upon God, expecting some reciprocal relationship where there exists none. We need God, but God does not need us, though He has shown He will suffer great humiliation for our welfare, which makes me love Him even more.
 
Charlemagne_II said:
**G.K. Chesterton in his introduction to the Book of Job (1907) says this:

The central idea of the great part of the Old Testament may be called the idea of the loneliness of God. **

Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Click to expand...
I have a question that would help getting someone to think. Why does God create? There must be some reason. Different religions and theologies approach this in different manners. One would have to know what is being said by them intimately in order to understand what is being said by them.
 
bill

** Why does God create? There must be some reason.**

You raise an interesting question. If we say God creates because of love, why wouldn’t God have been creating from all eternity? That would be endless love.
 
Charlemagne_II said:
bill

** Why does God create? There must be some reason.**

You raise an interesting question. If we say God creates because of love, why wouldn’t God have been creating from all eternity? That would be endless love.
Click to expand...
Yes but what about before eternity?
 
bill
**
Yes but what about before eternity? **

Could you elaborate? :confused:
 
Charlemagne_II said:
bill
**
Yes but what about before eternity? **

Could you elaborate? :confused:
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God being unlimited perfect and so on is taught by most teachings to be relative. Some things aren’t answered but your asking the right questions. Some say that God has had in the past periods of “sleeping” Like before the creating he was unlimited then he limited himself. A very good place to check is Brahmanism. God’s greatest wish is for us to be just like him. So if there is none like God as they say-well there will be. When we are perfected. Then the process starts over so they say. Mind you much of this is mythology and truth. If you have trouble understanding some of that try this. www.urantia.org The church I believe doesn’t go far enough. Good questions.
 
bill
**
God’s greatest wish is for us to be just like him.**

Yes. But if there was a time when the angels and men did not exist, was God lonely then?

If so, then was He perfect?
 
Charlemagne_II said:
bill
**
God’s greatest wish is for us to be just like him.**

Yes. But if there was a time when the angels and men did not exist, was God lonely then?

Some say. Creators job is always to create in his universe.

If so, then was He perfect?
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Perfect in relation to what? What we have been given so far. I would say so.
 
Charlemagne_II said:
**G.K. Chesterton in his introduction to the Book of Job (1907) says this:

The central idea of the great part of the Old Testament may be called the idea of the loneliness of God. **

Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Click to expand...
I don’t know why G.K. would say that but he is clearly wrong. Linux, above, points to one explanation why this would be wrong. Then we can point to the Eternal communication and fellowship of the Trinity. St. Thomas doesn’t seem to have addressed this question.

Linus2nd
 
Linus2

I don’t know why G.K. would say that but he is clearly wrong.

First God creates angels, and gets friends (along with a few enemies). Then God creates humans and gets friends (along with a few enemies). If God was not lonely, why did he bother?
 
Charlemagne_II said:
Linus2

I don’t know why G.K. would say that but he is clearly wrong.

First God creates angels, and gets friends (along with a few enemies). Then God creates humans and gets friends (along with a few enemies). If God was not lonely, why did he bother?
Click to expand...
The Catechism teaches that God created angles and man to show forth His Glory and to offer His creation a chance to participate in His Divine Glory for eternity. I don’t think it is possible to expand on that.

Linus2nd
 
Linusthe2nd said:
The Catechism teaches that God created angles and man to show forth His Glory and to offer His creation a chance to participate in His Divine Glory for eternity. I don’t think it is possible to expand on that.

Linus2nd
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How do angles show forth God’s glory?😉

Pythagoras might be elated by this, as might mathematicians generally, but I am not clear how we can arrive at such a claim by theological means.
 
Linusthe2nd said:
The Catechism teaches that God created angles and man to show forth His Glory and to offer His creation a chance to participate in His Divine Glory for eternity. I don’t think it is possible to expand on that.

Linus2nd
Click to expand...
God’s glory is God’s esse and God’s esse is love. We are created to participate in God’s esse, which is the same as saying we are created to participate in God’s love and therefore God’s Glory. The perfection of this participation is made possible through Christ.
 
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