I don't understand how someone who is able to stop bad from happening, but doesn't, and then requires worship in exchange for salvation from the bad he allowed to happen, can be characterized as loving and merciful for having acted this way.
Yeah those were O.T. prophets and Elijah wasn't happy that he had to do it alone. He gave up. There are ppl nowadays who pray for loads of people, but they always have a team. God now wants to work through His whole body on earth. Not just 1 prophet and it's dangerous, cause a lot of people are gonna idolize them plus it's crazy. We all have the Holy Spirit in us now. We don't need to go to one prophet somewhere to get help, cause he's the only one that talks with God.
You really think you would have done a better job than them? I'm glad I'm not the first one. Then everyone would blame me. I'm afraid I wouldn't have done a better job than Eve. Plus when you get saved, you become new and you can start over and learn to overcome satan and sin and have victory.
God can't stop people to have free will to reject Him. He can, but then He would be a dictator, if He would force everyone to serve Him. We may choose if we want to serve Him or satan.
What happens to those who refuse to worship Him?
Why? According to what objective criteria did they deserve to die? What reason is it behind the rule that disobedience has death as a consequence? I can't think of a single such reason other than the fact that God made the rules this way. Is this so or not?
Why would everyone blame you if sin had no consequence upon any other being than yourself?
That makes absolutely zero sense to me because I don't find belief to be volitional. It's like saying: "all blind people who refuse to look at this painting I made and appreciate its beauty won't have the joy of experiencing the emotions that art creates in humans. But it's their fault because they refused to look at it and admire its beauty."
We know.
It doesn't matter if that's how you feel about it..
Well, part of your problem may be that you are thinking of everything in terms of disobedience to God or, if not that, as God and creation being something other than you would have done yourself if you were making the rules.
No I mean if He had created me first instead of Eve and sin would have gone to everyone because of me. I'm afraid I wouldn't have done a better job than her and I don't envy her.
Then how could it be fair for us to be judged for actions that we didn't fully understand? We understand that it's irrational to punish toddlers for their mistakes. Why would it be rational to punish beings who have a poor understanding of existence?
It matters to me.
You got the instructions, didn't you? The "Do's and Don'ts?"
Oh, I don't know about that. We do, in fact, admonish toddlers when they disobey Mom. Of course, we normally take account of the ability of the toddler to comply, but with adults, we have every reason to believe that they know about murder, stealing, cheating, etc.
You don't have to understand everything, but you need to taste and see that the Lord is good, because how can you follow someone you don't even trust? It doesn't sound like you ever had a personal relationship with Him if this is how you think about God or did you and then you started to doubt?
