Why did God create other planets/galaxies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, what a nasty thread.
I feel like this should be a New Yorker cartoon where God is saying “you know, not everything is about you….”
Anyway, if I understand God at all, my understanding is that his consciousness is so far above ours that we can’t really ask those questions. It would be like my dog trying to figure out why I go to work, or why I read a book, or why I have philosophical debates on the internet. It’s all totally out of his frame of reference so he can’t even really ask the right questions never mind understand the answers.

The thing is, that your understanding of god is simply your understanding. Not everyone shares it and, despite some of the views of fundamentalist Christians who come here, not everyone has to.

If there is a god, how could you actually understand how his/her mind works? You're going by your understanding, which is different from other people's understanding. You're entitled to think the way you do, but not entitled to force or expect others to share your views.

People discuss their different views here. There may be a right way to view God in particular religious denominations, but not here.

By the way, your first sentence "my understanding is that his [God's] consciousness is so far above ours that we can’t really ask those questions" seems to me to be a convenient way of cutting off any dissension about God's existence.

It sounds like something said in Sunday school to cut off curious children.

Hm, well, what the poster said is kind of in the ball park of St. Anselm and a lot of earlier philosophers. Anselm--God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived, and moreover God cannot be conceived. A Platonist--or maybe Neo-Platonist--idea would be that we can't give God attributes, because something with attributes becomes divisible in some sense, and God is not divisible. And that all the created stuff kind of spills out of the divine abundance ultimately.

God did spend several millenia (or more, depending on whether you're a creationist) waiting for someone like Galileo to come along and notice things.

It is interesting, though, that although the "wandering stars" (planets) were identified long ago, the Bible has no comment.

How convenient that God can't be defined -- simplifies life for fundamentalists.

Meanwhile, non-fundamentalists just ignore all of that and benefit from the feel-good aspects of religion - the customs, the traditions, the music, the food.

^^also the comforting beliefs. Non-fundies don't believe in hell so much -- just seeing their loved ones in heaven - and even that is a vague concept for some. Unlike fundamentalists, they just want to live a good life and aren't worried about who's going to heaven or hell.

I don’t know why you think you have the right to speak for people and their beliefs? Has it ever occurred to you that other people have the right to speak for their beliefs themselves?

Anytime in life that someone speaks in general terms for other people and for people they don’t personally know, caution is warranted. No one knows the minds of other people.

Please consider the possibility that pp is one of these people or once was and thus knows many people like this.

Generalizations are easy to make and don't take much brain effort, which reflect the limitations of a person's intellect and how simplistically they view the world.

People can have strong convictions over issues, but also need to respect that they don’t have the insight or right to speak to what other people believe.

Even if you know people who think a certain way, that does not mean everyone does. Stereotyping people is harmful and bigoted.

+1 always remember that there can be good and bad people in the world - atheists and christians alike. A person's beliefs and how they express them are not a trustworthy indicator of their innate goodness. It is bigoted to call someone a bigot.

It’s also disingenuous to count all violence in the Bible as reasons Christianity is bad, but ignore all the modern governments that mandate atheism, and not examine the violence and murders and genocides those governments with atheism as state mandated cause. If something that happened over 2,000 years ago upsets you, but the terrible things that are happening today are ignored by you, you are being a hypocrite!

But those murders and violence are perpetrated by thugs. We all know that. Compare with the violence in the OT was largely led by god himself. He told the Israelites to wipe out the Amelakites (among others) , every man, woman and child and their cattle! And was angry if a cow or two survived. How could this be the god who created of all of us in his own image? Makes zero sense.

Those murders and genocides are still happening today by the governments of those very people. Atheist communist governments, who are persecuting, torturing, and killing their own citizens. Prison camps full of families, mass graves, done by governments who mandate atheism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, what a nasty thread.
I feel like this should be a New Yorker cartoon where God is saying “you know, not everything is about you….”
Anyway, if I understand God at all, my understanding is that his consciousness is so far above ours that we can’t really ask those questions. It would be like my dog trying to figure out why I go to work, or why I read a book, or why I have philosophical debates on the internet. It’s all totally out of his frame of reference so he can’t even really ask the right questions never mind understand the answers.

The thing is, that your understanding of god is simply your understanding. Not everyone shares it and, despite some of the views of fundamentalist Christians who come here, not everyone has to.

If there is a god, how could you actually understand how his/her mind works? You're going by your understanding, which is different from other people's understanding. You're entitled to think the way you do, but not entitled to force or expect others to share your views.

People discuss their different views here. There may be a right way to view God in particular religious denominations, but not here.

By the way, your first sentence "my understanding is that his [God's] consciousness is so far above ours that we can’t really ask those questions" seems to me to be a convenient way of cutting off any dissension about God's existence.

It sounds like something said in Sunday school to cut off curious children.

Hm, well, what the poster said is kind of in the ball park of St. Anselm and a lot of earlier philosophers. Anselm--God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived, and moreover God cannot be conceived. A Platonist--or maybe Neo-Platonist--idea would be that we can't give God attributes, because something with attributes becomes divisible in some sense, and God is not divisible. And that all the created stuff kind of spills out of the divine abundance ultimately.

God did spend several millenia (or more, depending on whether you're a creationist) waiting for someone like Galileo to come along and notice things.

It is interesting, though, that although the "wandering stars" (planets) were identified long ago, the Bible has no comment.

How convenient that God can't be defined -- simplifies life for fundamentalists.

Meanwhile, non-fundamentalists just ignore all of that and benefit from the feel-good aspects of religion - the customs, the traditions, the music, the food.

^^also the comforting beliefs. Non-fundies don't believe in hell so much -- just seeing their loved ones in heaven - and even that is a vague concept for some. Unlike fundamentalists, they just want to live a good life and aren't worried about who's going to heaven or hell.

I don’t know why you think you have the right to speak for people and their beliefs? Has it ever occurred to you that other people have the right to speak for their beliefs themselves?

Anytime in life that someone speaks in general terms for other people and for people they don’t personally know, caution is warranted. No one knows the minds of other people.

Please consider the possibility that pp is one of these people or once was and thus knows many people like this.

Generalizations are easy to make and don't take much brain effort, which reflect the limitations of a person's intellect and how simplistically they view the world.

People can have strong convictions over issues, but also need to respect that they don’t have the insight or right to speak to what other people believe.

Even if you know people who think a certain way, that does not mean everyone does. Stereotyping people is harmful and bigoted.

I've only read a few of the posts in this thread, but it's clear that many of them don't relate to the question. You can make a new thread to discuss what you want to discuss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, what a nasty thread.
I feel like this should be a New Yorker cartoon where God is saying “you know, not everything is about you….”
Anyway, if I understand God at all, my understanding is that his consciousness is so far above ours that we can’t really ask those questions. It would be like my dog trying to figure out why I go to work, or why I read a book, or why I have philosophical debates on the internet. It’s all totally out of his frame of reference so he can’t even really ask the right questions never mind understand the answers.

The thing is, that your understanding of god is simply your understanding. Not everyone shares it and, despite some of the views of fundamentalist Christians who come here, not everyone has to.

If there is a god, how could you actually understand how his/her mind works? You're going by your understanding, which is different from other people's understanding. You're entitled to think the way you do, but not entitled to force or expect others to share your views.

People discuss their different views here. There may be a right way to view God in particular religious denominations, but not here.

By the way, your first sentence "my understanding is that his [God's] consciousness is so far above ours that we can’t really ask those questions" seems to me to be a convenient way of cutting off any dissension about God's existence.

It sounds like something said in Sunday school to cut off curious children.

Hm, well, what the poster said is kind of in the ball park of St. Anselm and a lot of earlier philosophers. Anselm--God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived, and moreover God cannot be conceived. A Platonist--or maybe Neo-Platonist--idea would be that we can't give God attributes, because something with attributes becomes divisible in some sense, and God is not divisible. And that all the created stuff kind of spills out of the divine abundance ultimately.

God did spend several millenia (or more, depending on whether you're a creationist) waiting for someone like Galileo to come along and notice things.

It is interesting, though, that although the "wandering stars" (planets) were identified long ago, the Bible has no comment.

How convenient that God can't be defined -- simplifies life for fundamentalists.

Meanwhile, non-fundamentalists just ignore all of that and benefit from the feel-good aspects of religion - the customs, the traditions, the music, the food.

^^also the comforting beliefs. Non-fundies don't believe in hell so much -- just seeing their loved ones in heaven - and even that is a vague concept for some. Unlike fundamentalists, they just want to live a good life and aren't worried about who's going to heaven or hell.

I don’t know why you think you have the right to speak for people and their beliefs? Has it ever occurred to you that other people have the right to speak for their beliefs themselves?

Anytime in life that someone speaks in general terms for other people and for people they don’t personally know, caution is warranted. No one knows the minds of other people.

Please consider the possibility that pp is one of these people or once was and thus knows many people like this.

Generalizations are easy to make and don't take much brain effort, which reflect the limitations of a person's intellect and how simplistically they view the world.

People can have strong convictions over issues, but also need to respect that they don’t have the insight or right to speak to what other people believe.

Even if you know people who think a certain way, that does not mean everyone does. Stereotyping people is harmful and bigoted.

I've only read a few of the posts in this thread, but it's clear that many of them don't relate to the question. You can make a new thread to discuss what you want to discuss.

I more than agree with you. Each thread is overwhelmed with off topic posts about God sending people to hell and how no one will answer questions about the existence of God. And how stupid Fundies are. It’s quite ridiculous. And if someone mentions that fact, they are accused of wanting to “shut people up,” nonsense! Stick to a topic, people! Create your own thread as well for your questions or topics. Quit thread jacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, what a nasty thread.
I feel like this should be a New Yorker cartoon where God is saying “you know, not everything is about you….”
Anyway, if I understand God at all, my understanding is that his consciousness is so far above ours that we can’t really ask those questions. It would be like my dog trying to figure out why I go to work, or why I read a book, or why I have philosophical debates on the internet. It’s all totally out of his frame of reference so he can’t even really ask the right questions never mind understand the answers.

How?