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Yakk · 12-07-2006, 10:22 AM

In a God-centric universe, we are living in the Matrix. Pain and suffering caused by the world are just parts of a large "virtual reality" universe.

When we "die" we go on to eternal life.

Now, by the rules of most Christian faiths, a mortal causing suffering or death to another has committed a sin. Why? Because God says so -- this "virtual reality" is a test bed in which you decide if you want to help and love other people, or if you want to hurt and kill other people. You are given the freedom (of will) to embrace the rules of God, or reject God and all of his works.

Your child dies for no reason? So long as some person didn't cause it, there is no evil there. It sucks because you miss him, but God doesn't have rules against God killing people. And if your son used his free will to accept God, then he will have life eternal in the kingdom of God.

...

In other words, to understand the rules of the Christian universe, you have to realize that God makes up all of the rules, determines what is Good and Evil. Anything that God wants or does is, by definition, Good. When free will is used to go against what God wants or does, that is by definition Evil. So when God creates a universe in which people are born into constant pain and suffering -- that is Good. When you cause someone else to suffer constant pain and suffering -- that is Evil.

What someone would naively think as "the universe, that which is, that which matters" is actually just a large shadow-play run by God for whatever Good reason he has. Your time on Earth, and all the suffering therof, is but a blink of an eye in your entire experience.

If you successfully use your Free Will to love God, then you will have Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you use your Free Will to reject God (by disobeying his rules, say), then you will have Eternal Suffering in Hell. (some theologians actually believe that Hell is simply the experience of the absense of God -- ie, God doesn't make you suffer, but rather allows you to reject him. And your eternal-life-after-life experience in the absence of God is worse than you could ever imagine -- hence the descriptions of Hell being as bad as the authors in question could describe).

...

Imgine you are playing counterstrike, but a counterstrike that looks really realistic. This is a game. If you obey the rules of the game, shooting other people in the game is not evil. You could be playing "team vs team", with friendly fire on. The game allows you to shoot team-mates, but under the "rules of the game" you are supposed to try to help your team win. The game might even contain places where you could fall and die. You could get ambushed by other players and not stand a chance. It could start people out with randomly allocated weapons, giving people unfair advantages.

Now imagine that what I described is the universe. Nothing but a game you are supposed to play according to the rules God gave you.

12-07-2006, 10:22 AM	#38 (permalink)
Yakk Wehret Den Anfängen! Location: Ontario, Canada	In a God-centric universe, we are living in the Matrix. Pain and suffering caused by the world are just parts of a large "virtual reality" universe. When we "die" we go on to eternal life. Now, by the rules of most Christian faiths, a mortal causing suffering or death to another has committed a sin. Why? Because God says so -- this "virtual reality" is a test bed in which you decide if you want to help and love other people, or if you want to hurt and kill other people. You are given the freedom (of will) to embrace the rules of God, or reject God and all of his works. Your child dies for no reason? So long as some person didn't cause it, there is no evil there. It sucks because you miss him, but God doesn't have rules against God killing people. And if your son used his free will to accept God, then he will have life eternal in the kingdom of God. ... In other words, to understand the rules of the Christian universe, you have to realize that God makes up all of the rules, determines what is Good and Evil. Anything that God wants or does is, by definition, Good. When free will is used to go against what God wants or does, that is by definition Evil. So when God creates a universe in which people are born into constant pain and suffering -- that is Good. When you cause someone else to suffer constant pain and suffering -- that is Evil. What someone would naively think as "the universe, that which is, that which matters" is actually just a large shadow-play run by God for whatever Good reason he has. Your time on Earth, and all the suffering therof, is but a blink of an eye in your entire experience. If you successfully use your Free Will to love God, then you will have Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. If you use your Free Will to reject God (by disobeying his rules, say), then you will have Eternal Suffering in Hell. (some theologians actually believe that Hell is simply the experience of the absense of God -- ie, God doesn't make you suffer, but rather allows you to reject him. And your eternal-life-after-life experience in the absence of God is worse than you could ever imagine -- hence the descriptions of Hell being as bad as the authors in question could describe). ... Imgine you are playing counterstrike, but a counterstrike that looks really realistic. This is a game. If you obey the rules of the game, shooting other people in the game is not evil. You could be playing "team vs team", with friendly fire on. The game allows you to shoot team-mates, but under the "rules of the game" you are supposed to try to help your team win. The game might even contain places where you could fall and die. You could get ambushed by other players and not stand a chance. It could start people out with randomly allocated weapons, giving people unfair advantages. Now imagine that what I described is the universe. Nothing but a game you are supposed to play according to the rules God gave you. __________________ Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.