the problem with god

[buddhafish]

i will try to keep this short. just a few of my own musings on the 'problem' with god, or rather, monotheism.

god breeds intolerance. i am not familiar with judaist scriptures, so i will not comment on them, however i am well aware that in the christian bible god advocates going so far as to murdering ones own family if they move to other faiths / beliefs, and islam does not accept any other religions, saying your god unto you and my god unto me. of course, both mention that followers of other religions are reprimanded to eternal hell. if both religions say that followers of the other are going to hell, then who is going to hell? everyone? i'd say no one. if god is all knowing, and the creator / mastermind behind the universe, how could god allow there to be so many different belief systems, all with the apparent true word? granted, islam directly states that the jews and christians got it wrong through the scribes misinterpreting, or purposefully altering the true word. that doesn't give any more credence to the word of islam, though.

a few decades for an eternity. it seems completely rediculous that a god who loves all of creation as god apparently does, would give you a few meager earth-decades before your eternal fate is decided (be it a pleasure overload of heaven, or a torrential flow of pain and suffering in hell). okay, maybe that's my own logic trying to interpret something that is unknowable, trascendent of time and space, but you know.. it's that same logic that is supposed to allow me to decide what's right and wrong, which leads me to:

a lack of choice. i know this is an eternal debate, but hopefully i have something fresh to add. a god which created the universe is argued as being unknowable because this god transcends time and space. therefore this god is all-knowing. because god knows, and i believe it is said even pre-determines, our lives, how can we truly have choice? okay you might argue that we don't, and i can accept that, but doesn't it seem funny that god, who loves all his creations, would create so many lives whose pre-determined choices were to not worship him? i thought god was a jealous god, so he'd want as many people woshiping him as possible, and if he creates anyone and decides what they will do, how can he create unbelievers and at the same time be jealous? beyond that, how can prayer, church service, pilgrimages, etc, do anything for you? god already knows the outcome, everything you do was already decided.

and finally,

the weight carried with word 'god'. there are a lot of the people in the world today who will say simply that they don't believe in the christian god, the muslim god, or the jewish god. they don't believe in hindu gods, or even egyptian gods. they are talking about something far more deep, something beyond our grasp, something that is the very fabric of our existence. this is where i would start a debate on semantics. calling it god will put you farther away from your attempt to communicate and be with this force, because you should assume the majority of people you talk with will think you are talking about the super-natural, all-knowing, transcendent god. i propose this: investigate the nature of phenomena, do not look for god. it's the same thing, but with a different apparent purpose, and you will find people will be more clear about your beliefs.

hopefully what i've presented can spark some mature debate. i'm not claiming to have any answers, in fact i'm hoping this will provoke far more questions.

:m: peace :m:

 

[mr100percent]

Let me give it a shot, from an Islamic point of view. I'm not a scholar or nothing, but I hope someone can help me if I get into trouble here.

Originally posted by buddhafish

god breeds intolerance. i am not familiar with judaist scriptures, so i will not comment on them, however i am well aware that in the christian bible god advocates going so far as to murdering ones own family if they move to other faiths / beliefs, and islam does not accept any other religions, saying your god unto you and my god unto me.

Well, I don't know if the Bible says that, do you remember where? I wouldn't go as far as to say God is intolerant, the scriptures contained in the bible do have lots of human errors, I wouldn't attribute them to God.

Islam accepts parts of other religions, such as the fact that Christians and Jews worship the same God as the muslims and have portions of Scripture. To correct your verse, it's "To you be your religion (way of life) and to me mine," which is what muslims say to those who choose to reject Islam. According to Islam, God will not accept if anyone purposely chooses a religion other than Islam, meaning if you leave, God calls you a loser on Judgement Day. (if you lived and died without truly knowing about Islam, you're judged by what you know.) I wouldn't go as far as to kill people, and it would be difficult to make a case for that, the only ones in Muhammad's (pbuh) time who were killed were those who went and joined up with the Pagan Quraish army that battled the muslims. Besides, there are verses that talk about people who believe, then disbelieve, then believe again, so it would be stupid to punish.

If you assume for a moment that Islam really is correct, then it would make sense to shun those who purposely leave to seek out a "better" religion. Islam puts religion above else, even family ties in some circumstances.

of course, both mention that followers of other religions are reprimanded to eternal hell. if both religions say that followers of the other are going to hell, then who is going to hell? everyone?

See more of what I wrote above. No, not everyone is going to hell. However, if you turn away from religion, you're taking your chances there. God's doing you a favor by giving you signals to clean up your act. The Qur'an says that nobody on Judgement Day will be unfairly judged, ie. you're not going to be punished for breaking a law you didn't know about. Still, you're judged based on what you know, and purposeful ignorance is not a good thing. We will be held accountable for every good and bad deed that we do.

i'd say no one. if god is all knowing, and the creator / mastermind behind the universe, how could god allow there to be so many different belief systems, all with the apparent true word? granted, islam directly states that the jews and christians got it wrong through the scribes misinterpreting, or purposefully altering the true word. that doesn't give any more credence to the word of islam, though.

Muslims blame that on Satan for creating that kind of havoc. Think about it, what's the best way to stop people from worshipping God? Making hundreds of fake ones and causing people to worship the false ones or just giving up on the whole thing. Islam says that there were thousands of prophets, one sent to each nation of people, but most communities rejected them in favor of their religion or old ways. Revelations were brought, but some were edited, added to, or lost. God doesn't want people to disbelieve, He wouldn't make people disbelieve and then punish them for it. He wants us to all worship Him and live in peace and do good deeds to one another, basically.

a few decades for an eternity. it seems completely rediculous that a god who loves all of creation as god apparently does, would give you a few meager earth-decades before your eternal fate is decided (be it a pleasure overload of heaven, or a torrential flow of pain and suffering in hell).

Every prophet had the core message surrender to God and do what is right. The Qur'an has that as the main commands to mankind. Do you have doubts about God? Everybody does, look for the truth, nobody can blame you for that. God says to find the truth, "You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them." (The Quran, 17:36) The other part, do good deeds. Nobody has a good excuse not to, even paying a compliment is considered charity.

a lack of choice. i know this is an eternal debate, but hopefully i have something fresh to add. a god which created the universe is argued as being unknowable because this god transcends time and space. therefore this god is all-knowing. because god knows, and i believe it is said even pre-determines, our lives, how can we truly have choice?

That's a good question, but the answer is a bit complicated. I mean, whole books have been written on the topic. Muslims believe in destiny, but not fate. That means our choices aren't inescapable, you still have the free will. You could say that God knows the choices we will make, but He's not stopping us from making them the way we do. We do have the free choice to do one thing or another.

okay you might argue that we don't, and i can accept that, but doesn't it seem funny that god, who loves all his creations, would create so many lives whose pre-determined choices were to not worship him?

Let me clarify my earlier point on this. God is not going to take away your free choice, then throw you in hell. Every single person has the free choice to do good or bad, and people are responsible for their own actions. Thats the basis of Islamic law, you are responsible for what you yourself do, unless it's clear that society is the cause. Everyone starts off as being born equal in God's eyes. You all have the opportunity to do good or bad deeds, and you will be held accountable for what you do. You are not fated for heaven or hell, and it's not like you can't escape going to one or the other. Nobody is bound for hell no matter how many good deeds they do, and nobody is fated for heaven no matter how many sins they commit. Maybe other religions have that idea (Calvinism, for starters I think), but not Islam.

the weight carried with word 'god'. there are a lot of the people in the world today who will say simply that they don't believe in the christian god, the muslim god, or the jewish god. they don't believe in hindu gods, or even egyptian gods. they are talking about something far more deep, something beyond our grasp, something that is the very fabric of our existence. this is where i would start a debate on semantics. calling it god will put you farther away from your attempt to communicate and be with this force, because you should assume the majority of people you talk with will think you are talking about the super-natural, all-knowing, transcendent god. i propose this: investigate the nature of phenomena, do not look for god. it's the same thing, but with a different apparent purpose, and you will find people will be more clear about your beliefs.

I don't understand what you mean. Ok, people screw up and say "My God is bigger than yours" while saying they're monotheist. Yes, there is only one God, we just all view Him differently.

Meher Baba sums it up very well for me:
"The real meaning of religion is to know God, to see God, and to be one with God. Everything else about religion is an exercise in rites and rituals."

 

[Godless]

The problem with god=god is the problem..

When I first saw this title I thought I might get to read the defenition of what (god) is. I read a book writen by Gordon D. Daufman, the title of this book is :"GOD THE PROBLEM"

Mostly this book talks about the defenition of what the word "god" means. Which is a word with no meaning. It speaks of the problem to define God, not it's purpose, or weather god exists or not.

And I quote Daufman:

The central problem of theological discourse, not shared with any other "language game", is the meaning of the term "God". "God" raises special problems of meaning because it is a noun which by defenition refers to a reality transcedent of, and thus not locatable within, experience. A new convert may wish to refer the "warm feeling" in his heart to God, but God is hardly to be identified with this emotion; the biblicist may regard the Bible as God's Word; the moralist may believe God speaks through men's consciences; the churchman may believe God is present among his people--but each of these would agree that God himself transcends the locus referred to. As the Creator or Source of all that is, God is not to be identified with any particular finite reality; as the proper object of ultimate loyalty or faith, God is to be distinguished from every proximate or penultimate value or beign. But if absolutely nothing within our experience can be directly identified as that to which the term "God" properly refers, what meaning does or can the word have?.

Many atheist claim "God" is a contradiction.

http://members.aol.com/RSICHURCH/contra1.html

http://members.aol.com/RSICHURCH/contra2.html

Qua'ran Contradictions;

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/3543/contra.htm

http://www.carm.org/islam/Koran_contradictions.htm

Sorry to barge in, but you were speaking of my favorite subject.

 

[mr100percent]

Bah, those Qur'an "contradictions" are out of context, and if you read the full chapter (preferably with commmentary), you won't see any fault with it. I went through them, and it looks like the writer misinterpreted some of the phrases.

I could go verse by verse if you want. It turns out that lots of people point to things and scream "contradiction!" I don't know if half those accusations over the same thing in the Bible are true. Does Pi really equal 3.0 in the Bible? I've heard yes and no on that.

 

[SnakeLord]

Islam puts religion above else, even family ties in some circumstances.

That's the religious way it would seem.

Matthew 10:37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me..."

It is this exact reason the world's such a gigantic shithole. Frankly, if he exists, he can go fuck himself.

However, this is what this particular offshoot of god, wants. He made damn sure of it too:

Matthew 10:34 "Do not suppose that i have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For i have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter in law against her mother in law, - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."

As you can clearly see, mini-god wanted people to hate each other. Why then would he say love your neighbours and all that other garbage when his whole plan is for us to love him and him alone?

Who are we, us weak little humans, to go against gods wishes? As such.... i hate my father, i hate my mother, i hate my children.

Once more: people wonder why this world's full of shitheads?

 

[Jenyar]

Once more: people wonder why this world's full of shitheads?

I hope not because there are more people who only believe the parts of the Bible they don't like, and disbelieve the other parts that explain them.

 

[SnakeLord]

I hope not because there are more people who only believe the parts of the Bible they don't like

This has nothing to do with liking or disliking stories told by ancient people - there are many similar. Yes there are also much more interesting and fun, but it is just a standard old man text. What get's to me is modern day folk, at a stage where man has supposedly progressed, placing their entire being into the word of these dead old people. What gets me more are people who seemingly cannot leave a response other than a no-response- response, such as the one you have left. Was there anything further to your post? Was there an explanation? It seems very much to me that you didn't have an answer but felt like rebuking it all the same. If you're going to do so, it would be nice of you to leave explanations.

I asked god for an answer to this but he was obviously off on vacation, so perhaps you could explain the text with your all superior understanding of it, instead of leaving completely worthless replies which simply shows your blatant inability to come up with anything even remotely substantial.

and disbelieve the other parts that explain them.

Go for it...

 

[Jenyar]

Originally posted by SnakeLord
Matthew 10:37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me..."

now read the rest: 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Someone who loves anything or anybody - even his own family - more than God runs the risk of losing his life. But putting them aside means loving them as if they didn't deserve it. That means even if they turn against you because of your faith, you still have a duty towards them. What Jesus is preaching here is actually a greater love than you would assume. As such it confirms, and in no way violates the following commandments:

Galatians 5:14
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbour as yourself."

Luke 6:27
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you"

You deliberately have to ignore these commandments to understand those passages as you do. But if you agree to the validity of Matt. 10:34 for instance, you also have to accept the validity of Gal. 5:14 and Luk. 6:27. Do you?

Matthew 10:34 "Do not suppose that i have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For i have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter in law against her mother in law, - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."

This is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah 7:6, which continues: 7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD ,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.

And I have shown you above what that means in practice.

If you really want to know the etymology and interpretation behind Matt 10:37 and Luke 14:26 read up on the Hebrew usage here. You might not have the background any person who repeated these words would have taken for granted.

 

[sargentlard]

if god is all knowing, and the creator / mastermind behind the universe, how could god allow there to be so many different belief systems, all with the apparent true word?

It is simple really. God isn't someone who created us, it is we who created him. He is created in our image so it is he who excudes our human faults, such as intolerence to one's ideas and ideologies on life.

God (granted for the moments exists) would never so careless in his execution of life. If he is anything like the religions make him or them out to be then it conflicts with others notions that religions impress upon its followers.

How is someone who is all forgiving send his own childern to hell? God is and was a solution to peoples problems and religion was and is a giant scare tactic to ensure civility and morality in uncertain times. Those times lately aren't so uncertai nanymore that is why more and more people are losing their faith in religion and god. The new generation of kids isn't as keen on the idea of religion as the previous one though the dogam of god and religion isn't going away anytime soon.

 

[mr100percent]

Originally posted by sargentlard

God (granted for the moments exists) would never so careless in his execution of life.

Where's a flaw? I think the only way to prove such an arguement would be if you could envision a better plan. The world is so complex, with each detail influencing others, that I can't see a single thing that you could change without radically destabilizing everyone. That includes appendixes, if you were going to start on that topic.

If He is anything like the religions make him or them out to be then it conflicts with others notions that religions impress upon its followers.

Religions contradicting each other is not anything new. Scientists' theories contradict each other on things we can't see, like atoms, but it doesn't mean we give up and say they don't exist.

How is someone who is all forgiving send His own childern to hell?

That answer will depend on each religion you ask.

I listened to a Muslim speaker once speak on the topic. To paraphrase, would you punish one of your children if he or she deliberately and seriously wounded their sibling? He was very clear that God does not WANT to punish anyone, since He loves every person 70 times more than their mother does. There's a very detailed hadith about this topic, where the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) starts crying over the fact that God does NOT want anyone to go to Hell.

According to Islam, Hell is not to punish, but to purify warped souls. Once you serve your time, you will go to heaven to be rewarded for whatever good deeds you did, assuming you had any faith at all (I think).

I'm just curious, why do you say there is no God at all, when it generally sounds like you're talking from a Christian POV (the "children of God" thing is the trigger). That doesn't disprove Islam, or Buddhism, or Taoism, or other religions.

 

[Balerion]

"You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them."

That, if all religions were of the same mindset, is a great way to practice your religion. I believe if people want to find God, they should really look, rather than accept blindly, in the face of things that do not add up. I like the fact that Islam wants you to do exactly that: Look for yourself.

This might have something to do with the massive growth of the religion.

Jenyar,

This is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah 7:6, which continues: 7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD ,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.

I guess I'm not catching the connection here...how does that line take anything away from what he said before that about turning everyone against each other? Is he saying "I'm here to turn everyone against everyone, but I'm not going to get involved, rather, I'll just sit here and wait for God while you kill yourselves?" Is that what he's saying? I'm not getting it...

JD

 

[Jenyar]

Originally posted by JDawg
I guess I'm not catching the connection here...how does that line take anything away from what he said before that about turning everyone against each other? Is he saying "I'm here to turn everyone against everyone, but I'm not going to get involved, rather, I'll just sit here and wait for God while you kill yourselves?" Is that what he's saying? I'm not getting it...

I think that's because you purposely overestimate what Jesus said. To illustrate: did Jesus turn you against your family, or vice versa? Neither did He with any Christian I know, but it does happen when people choose to make God their priority and accept Jesus as his salvation, especially with Muslim converts.

The significance of Micah 7:7 is: "while people might turn against me because I have accepted you as my God - as you said they would - I will not be dismayed or give you up even if they are my closest family. Rather will I love them as you love me, because I look to you to deliver me".

In fact, this is what David confesses:

Psalm 25
19 See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.

 

[Balerion]

Jenyar,

Oh, Ok, so when he was saying "I'm here to raise up swords," he meant "I'm here to bring you to God, and I know that people are going to hate you for it." I got ya.

Thanks buddy.

JD

 

[Jenyar]

Originally posted by JDawg
Jenyar,

Oh, Ok, so when he was saying "I'm here to raise up swords," he meant "I'm here to bring you to God, and I know that people are going to hate you for it." I got ya.

Thanks buddy.

JD

The sword is a metaphor that stands in opposition to the word "peace". But you have no idea what "peace" Jesus was talking about, so even that comparison is lost on you. It obviously wasn't global peace on earth (not yet, anyway), but it wasn't the war people (esp. messianic Jews) expected either. So "the sword" could not have meant: draw your weapons and cut of their ears... which is interesting, because that's what happened when Jesus was taken prisoner. People were expecting a big fight and resistance - they came to arrest Jesus armed to the teeth. But evidently that wasn't what Jesus meant:

Matt.26
52"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

Remember the parables? Remember that God's word was called a "living and active two-edged sword that judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Heb. 4:12). Now imagine what it means if this sword cut off your ear... you wouldn't be able to "hear and understand".

Jesus does not bear the sword for nothing (Rom. 13:4).

 

[Balerion]

Thanks Jenyar, I was really lost by the anology. But I think I get it now.

But a couple of things caught my attention in your latest post...

Matt.26
52"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

OK, so Jesus says that, if he wants, he could get God to dispatch legions of angels to do away with the evil-doers. But at the same time, he says the scriptures would not allow such an act. So, techincally, Jesus really couldn't call on his father for an army of angels, right? I mean, if his purpose was to fufill the scriptures--or at least a big part of his being on Earth was for that--then how is there any way he really could perform such an act?

I'm not trying to offend you or your beliefs, but in this passage, Jesus sounds like a run-of-the-mill con artist. "Yeah, I could totally have my spirit army wipe you guys out, if I wanted to, but I'm not gonna, cuz I don't want to." It sounds like a bunch of crap. If you can bring the army, then do it.

If the whole point of all this--creation, and the constant struggle to stay moral and away from evil--is to find god and do good things, why didn't Jesus take what was a PERFECT oppertunity to show that he really is god's son and run with it? Bring down your army and show them that you're for real! Do you think for one second that any man could doubt him then?

JD

 

[Flores]

No problems with god only problematic people

Believing in god is the only hope of achieving tolerance. Aside from the name calling of god vs. Jehova vs. christ vs. Karma vs. ect... and the useless specifics and traditions, the basic fundemental message of all monotheists is that we are all humans and are equal because we are all created by the SAME ONE entity. How more tolerable can a message get????. A message that doesn't differenciate between a black/white/green/rich/poor/ect...and tells us all that we bleed the same blood because our creator is ONE who created us all out of one single cell.

Not only does monotheism promotes equality and tolerance between humans, but it promotes it for the entire universe. The Same god that created humans, created the flower, the ant, the horse, the cloud, the water, the planets, ect..... A believer is but to look at any creation no matter how small and say....god is great. Believing humbles people down and shows humanity their place in the universe rightly.

 

[Flores]

Originally posted by sargentlard
It is simple really. God isn't someone who created us, it is we who created him.

You are dead wrong here. Did you also create universal order? , create yourself and others, the environment and space?. God is the singular force or power behind the creation itself....The originator of the big bang... It's so real, the only imagination here is YOU trying so desperately to understand something way over your head.....so try to have some good imagination and give this awesome real power some justice while you draft your lousy picture in the dark.

 

[Jenyar]

Originally posted by JDawg
Jesus says that, if he wants, he could get God to dispatch legions of angels to do away with the evil-doers. But at the same time, he says the scriptures would not allow such an act. So, techincally, Jesus really couldn't call on his father for an army of angels, right? I mean, if his purpose was to fufill the scriptures--or at least a big part of his being on Earth was for that--then how is there any way he really could perform such an act?

This is a perfect example of a moral decision. Jesus could not sin and still be Son of God. I don't know what the theological complications are - it sounds as if Jesus could forfeit His divine nature - but "the truth made the decision" (a philosophy of mine I'll elaborate on some other time): Jesus was Son of God and "could" not sin even though the possibility is open to Him. It's a valid moral position.

You might compare it to a person whose moral conviction is so strong that it prevents him from ever taking a life. The possibility is just as open to him as to anybody else, but at the same time it isn't. Morality.

I'm not trying to offend you or your beliefs, but in this passage, Jesus sounds like a run-of-the-mill con artist. "Yeah, I could totally have my spirit army wipe you guys out, if I wanted to, but I'm not gonna, cuz I don't want to." It sounds like a bunch of crap. If you can bring the army, then do it.

Without self-control, what would people be? If something requires patience and understanding, how could it be achieved without patience and understanding?

It looks a lot like the Biblical mystery of how God could simultanously harden the pharao's heart without touching his freedom to decide. The more I think about it, the more certain I become that it has something to do with a limitation in thinking on our side. I mean, we can easily imagine how a normal man can simultaneously be both a father and a son, but take away the artificial distance of "time" and it's another story...

If the whole point of all this--creation, and the constant struggle to stay moral and away from evil--is to find god and do good things, why didn't Jesus take what was a PERFECT oppertunity to show that he really is god's son and run with it? Bring down your army and show them that you're for real! Do you think for one second that any man could doubt him then?

You know as good as I that God's unquestionable might is not beneficial to our salvation. What is the greatest problem people have with God? That He is too powerful, that He would not concern himself with puny humans or tolerate their injustice - that might all be true, but where does it leave us? Waving our fists at him and shunning our only hope because we don't like something more powerful and more right than we are. Who could stand up against Him? God would indeed have shown that He has nothing better to do but wave His power around like a bully. You for one must admit you would have liked God even less if He made himself undeniable.

But at the risk of sounding patronizing - you're on the right track. For God, the perfect moral decision always includes us, since love was His motivation - for creating us and for sustaining his creation. You forget what God was doing through Jesus: establishing his authority over our lives and more significantly: over our death. God is greater than the hold natural death has on us - but our limits as natural beings meant we would not see (believe) it without it "becoming real".

I think this is one of the easier decisions He had to make. As you or someone once argued: Jesus could have easily become the greatest king the earth had ever seen, and used His power for good - and this is what the Jews expected. But Jesus held much more responsibility than was traditionally ascribed to the messiah. (I don't think the Jews ever fully realized what they were really expecting the messiah to do.) Jesus made it clear that He was serving mankind (Luke 22:25-27). Showing His own power at the expense of everything He worked for would hardly have accomplished what God intended. It wouldn't have been God's will. There are a few similar instances illustrating what I mean:

Luke 26:39
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Matt.26:42
42He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

Jesus was always doing God's will, not His own - so that His life and death would be nothing less than God's own will. The moment Jesus stopped being a servant of mankind, He would stop serving God, and stop being God (I could be more careful with my wording, but remember there is a precedence for this: God told Moses he would be "God" to the Pharoah).

But the best illustration for Jesus' mission lies in these challenges:
"You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" (Matt. 27:40)
" "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." (Luke 23:35)
"If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." (Luke 23:37)
"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself!" (Mark 15:3)

And the best reply must be: "Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence?"

With Jesus, righteousness itself was condemned and put to death. The more "perfect" we become, the more we become like Christ - that means God made death a victory instead of a defeat. No earthly king, no matter how powerful or immortal, could do that. And that is what provides hope for every person on earth, great and small. We can't all be king David, Alexander or Caesar, but we can all be like Christ - dying with complete faith that God will justify us. If you boast that you are innocent and don't need salvation from God or anyone, you are the more condemned and accused by the injustice your nature was accomplice to. You will die just like the worst murderer, and without God you won't receive what you ascribed to yourself.

Jesus managed to expose (and condemn) all these lies and injustices at the same time: that death is no escape, that morality, perfection and righteousness is no guarantee for life or justice, that God causes suffering without providing relief - and He showed that even though being godly is being human and serving humanity, ultimately only God can save if you have faith in Him.

 

[MShark]

Jenyar:

You said

Jesus was Son of God and "could" not sin

How do you know? Why are some Christians so intent on defining God. It is not our responsibility to define the qualities of God. Isn't it enough th know that the creater of the heavens and the earth Loves you. Do we really need to waste time on stupidity like "If God is all knowing how can we have free will". The message to us is that we can choose to be with God. Christians can be such leagalistic boneheads. We definatly have our share of Pharisee types running lose.

 

[Jenyar]

Originally posted by MShark
How do you know? Why are some Christians so intent on defining God. It is not our responsibility to define the qualities of God. Isn't it enough th know that the creater of the heavens and the earth Loves you. Do we really need to waste time on stupidity like "If God is all knowing how can we have free will". The message to us is that we can choose to be with God. Christians can be such leagalistic boneheads. We definatly have our share of Pharisee types running lose.

Objection noted. However, please read the rest of my argument. I specifically put it in quotes because my argument doesn't rest on the semantics but the end result. You can answer it yourself: did Jesus sin? No. Similarly, He "could" be tempted (otherwise Satan surely would not have tried), but was He tempted? No.