You are talking about capability. An omnipotent being is capable.God is omnipotent and omniscient. It would be very easy for him to reach his creatures. Don’t you think?
Very easy: Try to communicate with his creatures so no one could doubt about his existence.You are talking about capability. An omnipotent being is capable.
Capability noted. Ok, now what?
Rape!? There are many people who wish to communicate with God hence no force is involved.I’m also capable of having relations with anyone I wish by force. Does that mean I should “reach” them? No, that would not be a relationship, that’s called rape.
It is not about power. It is about exercising a simple mode of communication.The capability to exercise power over someone not be used in an absolute way.
Don’t we sort of know that intuitively (through revealed nature…)?
You contradict yourself all over the place.Very easy: Try to communicate with his creatures so no one could doubt about his existence.
Rape!? There are many people who wish to communicate with God hence no force is involved.
It is not about power. It is about exercising a simple mode of communication.
Hi Bahman. I’m not saying a world without religious doubt is impossible. If God wanted to created such a world, he could. What I am saying, is that it is impossible for you or me to exist in such a world. As the particular, unique individuals which we are, our existence depends on the life history of our parents, grandparents and ancestors. If their life histories were too different, we would never have been born. And world history contributes heavily to life history, so if world history was sufficiently different, we would never have existed.I couldn’t follow the last part of your post. I agree with you that a world without doubt is a better place to live. I just couldn’t understand how did you conclude that such a world is impossible!?
I don’t understand what you are talking about. All I am saying that how God could be real if he is omnipotent and omniscient and there are beings looking to make simple communication!?You contradict yourself all over the place.
First you bemoan the fact that God is omnipotent and should make communication happen, then you say it’s not about power.
Question: Is communication between two parties, or is it unilateral?
If you cannot, or refuse to, see… hear… understand… reciprocate… should I force myself on you? This is what you are asking for, while at the same time saying it’s not about power.
God does communicate with us, you simply haven’t seen or heard. No problem, I’m not very good at it either. It’s a struggle.
So, no, it’s not easy, and it’s not forced.
Your question makes this assumption:I don’t understand what you are talking about. All I am saying that how God could be real if he is omnipotent and omniscient and there are beings looking to make simple communication!?
I see now what do you mean but a world in which each individual could communicate with God is a better place for living regardless if I had a chance to be born in this word or not.Hi Bahman. I’m not saying a world without religious doubt is impossible. If God wanted to created such a world, he could. What I am saying, is that it is impossible for you or me to exist in such a world. As the particular, unique individuals which we are, our existence depends on the life history of our parents, grandparents and ancestors. If their life histories were too different, we would never have been born. And world history contributes heavily to life history, so if world history was sufficiently different, we would never have existed.
In my case, my mother was born in the UK, and her family moved to Australia in the early 1950s, when she was a young child. Their decision to leave the UK was heavily influenced by the circumstances of post-war Britain. Their decision to go to Australia, instead of the US or Canada, was due to my great aunt having already moved to Australia - she had met an Australian soldier stationed in the UK during the Second World War, married him, and then when the war finished moved to Australia to be with him. So, in a world in which World War II never happened, it seems rather unlikely that my maternal grandparents would have moved to Australia. My great uncle (by marriage) would probably have never enlisted, probably never been deployed to the UK, never met my great aunt, she would have never having ended up moving to Australia, and then my grandparents would have had no reason to choose Australia over the US or Canada - they probably would have chosen the US or Canada instead, because my grandfather partially grew up in the US, and they had relatives in both countries. Furthermore, their decision to leave the UK was due to the post-war economic and political situation - if WW2 had never happened, that economic and political situation would have never happened either, and they might well have stayed in the UK. And, if my mother never moved to Australia in the 1950s, if her family had stayed in the UK or gone to the US or Canada instead, she would have almost certainly never met my father as a university student in the 1970s - my father’s ancestors all came to Australia in the 19th century. So it is pretty clear to me, than in a world in which WW2 never happened, I would never have been born - and my son would not have either.
Now, I don’t know anything about your personal family history, but I’m pretty sure it depends (whether you know it or not) on major historical events like WW2 or other wars occurring. So, even without knowing anything about your own family history, I can say that if world history was significantly different, it is very unlikely you would have ever been born.
And, as I’ve argued, in a world in which God spoke to us all face to face, in such a way that no one could plausibly doubt his existence and commandments, events like WW2, and just about all other wars, would probably have never happened. International disputes would be really easy to resolve - just ask God, and he will answer, and then everyone will do what he says. Horrors like the Nazi war crimes, the Holocaust, would not have occurred - if Hitler spoke to God every day, and God said to him “I know what you are thinking, and if you do that you are going to hell”, do you think Hitler would have still done the horrible things he did?
So, a world in which God spoke to us all face to face, would be a world in which you or I were never born, nor anyone else whom we know. When we complain to God, that he has made a world in which religious doubt exists, we are complaining that he has made a world in which we exist. Now, self-love is the sort of thing which many people take too far, into sinful pride and selfishness, but I don’t think a moderate quantity of it is a bad thing; and if you have even the smallest quantity of self-love, how could you complain to God about your own existence? Or, if you don’t have any self-love at all, or if your life is so horrible you would have rather never been born (Job 3:3), do you have love for family and friends? Do you have any children? If I was to say to God “why did you create me?!”, I’d be saying to him “why did you create my son?!” (no me = no son). Given how much I love my son, I cannot say that.
Simon
Every individual can communicate with God, if they choose to do so, and accept the media God chooses rather than the one they demand.I see now what do you mean but a world in which each individual could communicate with God is a better place for living regardless if I had a chance to be born in this word or not.
No, there is no force involved. People are wishing to communicate with God. How force is involved when people are looking to communicate with God.Your question makes this assumption:
For an omnipotent and omniscient being to be real, it must force communication unilaterally.
Please read the previous comment.But in reality:
Communication is reciprocal. One being using his omnipotence to communicate is not reciprocal. It is force. Force is not communication, it is merely force.
Maybe doesn’t cut. God could talk with individual as he talked with Muses.If God is perfect and human beings are not perfect, maybe God’s communication is imperfectly received.
What do you mean?If one party cannot hear, does it necessarily follow that another party is not speaking?
There is no point in God hiding from us. Plain and simple we could be free and not have problem in our trust that God exist and live along communicating with God at the same time.By God’s “hiding” Himself, we’re provided a test. How will we behave, with the Master gone away? So we get to play God, so to speak, something humans seem to like doing anyway, and we’re obligated to do the right thing either way, with His presence or without. Lacking 100% empirical evidence gives us the true freedom to live as we will, the freedom to doubt, the freedom to prefer ourselves to God, as the catechism teaches that Adam did, or not-with whatever consequences result. Lots of freedom=lots of responsibility, whether we accept it or not, whether we abuse that freedom or not.
Any communication mode has two sides. It is simply reciprocal. It cannot be called communication if God is always silent.Every individual can communicate with God, if they choose to do so, and accept the media God chooses rather than the one they demand.
If you are not listening, how can you claim He is silent?Any communication mode has two sides. It is simply reciprocal. It cannot be called communication if God is always silent.
Right.If you are not listening, how can you claim He is silent?
My ears are wide open. I try to communicate but I receive silence.If you are not listening, how can you claim He is silent?
The heart of problem is that God does not talk with me no matter how hard I try!Right.
This is the heart of the issue Bahman.
Can we take a second and resolve this?
You are asking God to do unilaterally what you admit is a reciprocal or “relationship” process.
God’s “speech”. What if God does not speak the same language as you do? Or what if he is speaking the most common of languages, and you simply must go through a process to hear and see him?The heart of problem is that God does not talk with me no matter how hard I try!
Are you trying the right things?The heart of problem is that God does not talk with me no matter how hard I try!
Well, Adam didn’t do that-it’s not at all transparent that the rest of us would do so either. God is incredibly beautiful and superior. We don’t necessarily recognize that sublime perfection-its too bright for our eyes, its beyond our level of comprehension. We may not even want it, or may be jealous of it. Until we come to realize our need for it. We’re here simply to do just that.There is no point in God hiding from us. Plain and simple we could be free and not have problem in our trust that God exist and live along communicating with God at the same time.