Why Would God be Asking Questions?

[PsychoticEpisode]

When Cain murdered Abel he is interrogated by God. God starts asking questions about Abel's whereabouts for one thing. Why would He do that? Some of you are going to say that God wanted Cain to fess up but that only adds to the mystery. God would know the whole sequence of events and would inticing Cain to deny or admit guilt make his actions any more a of sin than homicide?

What purpose would God have, to ask a legitimate question? Really, there shouldn't be a need for God to ask anything from anybody? Did the scribes err by including passages where God asks questions?

Anytime I hear of a God that asks questions, my guard goes up. Enquiring Gods do not promote omniscience, do they?

 

[mikenostic]

The same reason that God came looking for Adam and Eve after Eve ate the fruit; as if God didn't know exactly where they were.
You should know by now that logic/common sense and religion don't mix.

 

[PsychoticEpisode]

Let's say God was doing something in heaven at the time of the murder. Next thing you know, Abel's soul shows up. Does God say WTF happened to you? or is God standing there expecting Abel's soul? There is no way God can be surprised by the turn of events if He knew what was going to happen.

Now, if we are asked to accept JC as our personal savior when standing at the Pearly Gates, would you consider that a question God should know the answer to?

 

[Jan Ardena]

PsychoticEpisode,

When Cain murdered Abel he is interrogated by God. God starts asking questions about Abel's whereabouts for one thing.

Interrogated? Why the exaggeration?

Some of you are going to say that God wanted Cain to fess up but that only adds to the mystery.

Not really. Cain had a chance to show remorse for his action but he chose not to. A remorseful murderer is different in character than one who is not remorseful. It is good, for the record (scripture) to understand the kind of person Cain is.

God would know the whole sequence of events and would inticing Cain to deny or admit guilt make his actions any more a of sin than homicide?

They say confession is good for the soul, but if you don't believe there is a soul, then it wouldn't matter.
To God, Cain is eternal (soul), and therefore understands the real need for rehabilitation.

What purpose would God have, to ask a legitimate question? Really, there shouldn't be a need for God to ask anything from anybody?

I don't know if you have any children, but I always ask my little ones questions I already know the answer to, because I wish to hear what they know, and what they think they know, and what they don't know. My intention is to teach them to the best of my ability.

Did the scribes err by including passages where God asks questions?

I think you have jumped to a conclusion, believing you have found an obvious contradiction, and wish to amuse folks with this find.

jan.

 

[Jan Ardena]

mikenostic,

The same reason that God came looking for Adam and Eve after Eve ate the fruit; as if God didn't know exactly where they were.

"came looking for Adam and Eve..." ?
Again, why exaggerate?

You should know by now that logic/common sense and religion don't mix.

You mean your versions of them don't mix.

jan.

 

[distantcube]

I'm just curious, but why did God prefer Abel's tribute over Cain's?

 

[mikenostic]

mikenostic,

"came looking for Adam and Eve..." ?
Again, why exaggerate?

I don't have an actual bible to reference to prove your ass wrong, but I do have this link.
http://www.bartleby.com/108/01/3.html#S3

8 ¶ And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

What part of 'where art thou?', as a question indicating god was looking for them, and subsequently implying that he did not know where they are, seems to elude your perception?
And since these quotes are coming directly fromt he King James bible, I'm dying to see you argue that.

Now, I went and did research and found sources to back up my points. If all you can come up with is accusing me of 'exaggerating', then do us a favor and don't post anything else if you can't come up with something to back your shit up. I'm not about to sit here and have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.

You mean your versions of them don't mix.

Nope. They only don't mix for those people who don't have the intelligence or balls to question the validity of any religion that has so many blatant fallacies. But whatever, you believe what you want, Jan.

 

[tablariddim]

I'm just curious, but why did God prefer Abel's tribute over Cain's?

That is a good question. Cain grew vegetables and Abel reared goats; it seems that god preferred Abel's sacrifice of meat, to Cain's salad offering. Any decent god would have just thanked both of them for their kind generosity especially seeing as that is all they had to offer. God showed favouritism causing a terminal rift in the brother's relationship, and god being god should have known better.

The truth is of course that god had nothing to do with this piece of politically inspired fiction, which has Cain splitting from the family and starting up a new clan eventually spawning the prophet Mohamed and the new religion of Islam.

 

[mikenostic]

That is a good question. Cain grew vegetables and Abel reared goats; it seems that god preferred Abel's sacrifice of meat, to Cain's salad offering. Any decent god would have just thanked both of them for their kind generosity especially seeing as that is all they had to offer. God showed favouritism causing a terminal rift in the brother's relationship, and god being god should have known better.

Tal, you must've been reading my mind. I've pondered that since I was a little kid. Why is it that a little kid understands fairness, but a supposedly all-merciful god doesn't?
This is another one of those logical fallacies that Xians dismiss for whatever reason.

 

[Ophiolite]

Interrogated? Why the exaggeration?

If a supreme being, with the power of life and death, and the ability to consign me to hellfire for eternity, starts asking questions, then I certainly view it as an interrogation. If this is a wrong view He needs better PR.

 

[Jan Ardena]

mikenostic,

What part of 'where art thou?', as a question indicating god was looking for them, and subsequently implying that he did not know where they are, seems to elude your perception?

You implied that God "came looking for them" as if he didn't know where to find them, meaning that the God was incapable of such a task, or some other characteristic which implies he is less than he is.
Adam and Eve hid from God, which could explain why he called to Adam. That being the case it does not mean that he didn't know where they were in the garden, but he respected their new ideal of privacy.

And since these quotes are coming directly fromt he King James bible, I'm dying to see you argue that.

There is no point in arguing with you, your mind is set, I'm just making a point, as there may be others who are reading this.

Now, I went and did research and found sources to back up my points. If all you can come up with is accusing me of 'exaggerating', then do us a favor and don't post anything else if you can't come up with something to back your shit up.

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:"

"Voice" is translated from the word 'Qowl' which have a range of meanings such as voice, sound, and noise.
Commons sense dictates that the word "voice" in the context of the particular text should be interpreted as noise.

I'm not about to sit here and have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.

Be cool.
Don't stress yourself.
In your mind, you cannot lose, because you are always right, even if you are wrong.

Nope. They only don't mix for those people who don't have the intelligence or balls to question the validity of any religion.....

I have the intelligence and the balls to question the validity of any religion, and I do. The thing is religion makes complete sense, and is beneficial for the well-being of civilised society, in fact there has to be some aspect of religion in all human societies, even if a society is based on no belief in God.

...that has so many blatant fallacies.

Look at the hack-job you did with this text. You didn't even care whether your analasys was right or wrong, because it fitted with your world view.How do we know that what you regard as "blatent fallacies" aren't more of the same personal bias?

jan.

 

[Jan Ardena]

If a supreme being, with the power of life and death, and the ability to consign me to hellfire for eternity, starts asking questions, then I certainly view it as an interrogation. If this is a wrong view He needs better PR.

That would be understandable if failure to answer those questions meant consignment to hellfire for all eternity.

jan.

 

[mikenostic]

mikenostic,
You implied that God "came looking for them" as if he didn't know where to find them, meaning that the God was incapable of such a task, or some other characteristic which implies he is less than he is.

Well Jan, the bible clearly states that Adam and Eve HID from god. The last time I checked, you can't hide from an omniescent deity.
If he did exist and were indeed omniescent, he would not have had to ask 'where art thou'. He would have went right to where they are.

Adam and Eve hid from God, which could explain why he called to Adam. That being the case it does not mean that he didn't know where they were in the garden, but he respected their new ideal of privacy.

You say he 'respected their ideal of privacy'. How do you know that? Does it say that anywhere?

There is no point in arguing with you, your mind is set, I'm just making a point, as there may be others who are reading this.

Likewise. There are others that are reading this, and I bet you more people will agree with me than you, especially given that this is a science forum, not a bible thumper one.

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:"

"Voice" is translated from the word 'Qowl' which have a range of meanings such as voice, sound, and noise.
Commons sense dictates that the word "voice" in the context of the particular text should be interpreted as noise.

Is this an FYI statement? It seems to have no bearing on this discussion.

In your mind, you cannot lose, because you are always right, even if you are wrong.

Go look in the mirror and get back to me.
I am not always right.
I'm agnostic, which means I understand taht w/o proof there is no way of really knowing how we were created and where we came from.
I think logically and rationally. There is no logic in having blind faith towards some deity whos existence cannot be proven.
I make my speculations based on solid grounds, not some 'feeling' that can easily be false or incorrect.

I have the intelligence and the balls to question the validity of any religion, and I do. The thing is religion makes complete sense, and is beneficial for the well-being of civilised society, in fact there has to be some aspect of religion in all human societies, even if a society is based on no belief in God.

With the exception of Scientology (which makes no sense at all), Christianity makes no more sense than any other religion. And given that Xianity and Islam came from Judaism, that's a pretty arrogant statement.

Look at the hack-job you did with this text. You didn't even care whether your analasys was right or wrong, because it fitted with your world view.How do we know that what you regard as "blatent fallacies" aren't more of the same personal bias?

O RLY?? I've backed up everything I've said with solid evidence. All you did was accuse me of exaggerating.
Let me show you that I'm not the only one who sees these fallacies:
http://www.godisimaginary.com/
I'd love to see you come up with a logical (not philosophical, not emotional) counter to some of the points this guy is making.

Oh, and explain these then:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jim_meritt/bible-contradictions.html
I would figure an omnipotent diety would ensure that he would have his people write a consistent book that was easy to understand.

You also know that there are books that were written for the bible that were banned, don't you? Early Xian leaders picked and chose what they wanted to put in there. Not because god told them, because he doesnt' exist.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-19-2003/0002079002&EDATE

Why does Xianity have so many denominations? Why would god sit back on his ass and allow his children to bicker amongst one another?
If god does exist, at best he is a sadistic prick. If he does exist, I'll take my chances in hell.

 

[snake river rufus]

I'd just like to know why your god hasn't spoken (out loud) to anyone since?
That's a rhetorical question. I know the answer.

 

[laladopi]

When Cain murdered Abel he is interrogated by God. God starts asking questions about Abel's whereabouts for one thing. Why would He do that? Some of you are going to say that God wanted Cain to fess up but that only adds to the mystery. God would know the whole sequence of events and would inticing Cain to deny or admit guilt make his actions any more a of sin than homicide?

What purpose would God have, to ask a legitimate question? Really, there shouldn't be a need for God to ask anything from anybody? Did the scribes err by including passages where God asks questions?

Anytime I hear of a God that asks questions, my guard goes up. Enquiring Gods do not promote omniscience, do they?

God, wanted Abel to tell the truth, God would know if he was lying but its the truth that matters.

 

[mikenostic]

God, wanted Abel to tell the truth, God would know if he was lying but its the truth that matters.

Benevolent deities do not subject their supposedly greatest creation to a stupid ass test, that the supposedly omniescent deity already knows the creation will fail.

I am a jealous god. I am an angry god. <---sound familiar, lala?

 

[PsychoticEpisode]

God, wanted Abel to tell the truth, God would know if he was lying but its the truth that matters.

:shrug: What you and Jan don't seem to understand is that the omniscient God would know Cain's answer. I think God would also know if Cain was telling the truth.

Jan can ask her children about things she knows but she cannot be sure of what their answers will be..... the fundamental difference is, God does.

 

[Arch_Rival]

Suppose you were Cain, and you were damn pissed with Abel.

You have a choice, you can choose to kill Abel or not. You eventually have to choose 1 of 2 paths.

Now, the question is, before you made up your mind, does God know your eventual decision?

If he does not know, he is not omniscient, i.e. he cannot know the future, at least with regards to your decision.

If he does know, it means there is eventually only one predetermined path you will make, i.e. your perception that you have a choice is an illusion.

If this is so, then it means someone or something, not necessarily God, has already predetermined your fate right from the start.

Which raises the question: Can you really be faulted for your crimes?

 

[StrangerInAStrangeLand]

I left my child alone in the kitchen after commanding her not to touch the pot of boiling water or the pan of frying potatos. I warned her it would hurt her badly & she'd regret it. I left the outside door open because I knew my sister would come to the door & tempt/test her.
Looking out a window of another room, I saw my sister go to the kitchen door & tell my child that she wouldn't be hurt by touching the pot or pan but I'd said that to prevent her from getting candy that I wanted to keep all to myself.
My child grabbed the pot & pan & severely burned herself.
From this she learned the lesson to never obey my sister & to always obey me because I'm good & I love her & want the best for her.
1111

 

[Jan Ardena]

mikenostic,

Well Jan, the bible clearly states that Adam and Eve HID from god. The last time I checked, you can't hide from an omniescent deity.

Clearly they thought they could, so it seems that God allowed them to believe they could.

If he did exist and were indeed omniescent, he would not have had to ask 'where art thou'. He would have went right to where they are.

He could have but he didn't.
Clearly he allowed them to act out of their free-will.

You say he 'respected their ideal of privacy'. How do you know that? Does it say that anywhere?

Indirectly, yes, for reasons stated above.
Why else would an omniscient being ask a question it knows the answer to?

Likewise. There are others that are reading this, and I bet you more people will agree with me than you, especially given that this is a science forum, not a bible thumper one.

Bully for you.

I think logically and rationally. There is no logic in having blind faith towards some deity whos existence cannot be proven.

Your claim that it cannot be proven, is different from a claim that it can be proven, how exactly?

I make my speculations based on solid grounds, not some 'feeling' that can easily be false or incorrect.

Then solidly explain why it cannot be proven.

With the exception of Scientology (which makes no sense at all), Christianity makes no more sense than any other religion. And given that Xianity and Islam came from Judaism, that's a pretty arrogant statement.

I made no reference to any religious sect, or sub-sects.

O RLY?? I've backed up everything I've said with solid evidence. All you did was accuse me of exaggerating.

Solid evidence? You interpreted a text, that's all we're doing.
I believe you exaggerated the events by saying God "came looking" for Adam and Eve.

You also know that there are books that were written for the bible that were banned, don't you? Early Xian leaders picked and chose what they wanted to put in there. Not because god told them, because he doesnt' exist.

Whoops, there goes your logic, rationality, and your agnostic status.

Why does Xianity have so many denominations?

Because there are so many different people?

Why would god sit back on his ass and allow his children to bicker amongst one another?

Are you omniscient?
Is it possible that there could be more to life than we percieve?
We only know that people are bickering, why do you feel it necessary to
assume that God is sitting on his ass?

If god does exist, at best he is a sadistic prick. If he does exist, I'll take my chances in hell.

Do you honestly believe this?
I suggest you at least try and understand more before you become solid in your determination, if it is not too late.

jan.