God has a plan. An observation and a question.

[VaughanJB]

Amen.
And to answer George Carlin, Yes God so loves the world. The wrath is about the world's sin, disobedience, lack of faith, lack of showing love, turning our backs on him, etc.....and not choosing His free gift of forgiveness for which we must believe in order to receive.

This is where is strays into a nightmarish 1984 scenario. Conform, comply, do as you're told, don't turn your back on the one leader, and bow to him. Or else!

I maintain that anyone designing their world wouldn't have allowed terrible things to happen. How many believers are sent to the next world through no fault of their own? Does that seem fair? Perhaps it's just me. I get the "free will" thing, but no-one would openly choose eternal torment. Let alone children who may pass. Did they really have free will?

 

[VaughanJB]

Who and what is GOD?


The world’s sin?
You mean humanities mistakes.
So God punishes us for mistakes we make?

We're born with sin. We're born sinners. We are given free will to do good or bad, our choosing. Which was probably a mistake given how we fell at the first fence with Eve.

As to who or what is God, the Bible isn't too clear. For example, Genesis 3:8 suggests he's a physical being: "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." Or Ezekiel 1:27: "And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.".

Exodus 33:11 says, "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle."

Then again,Luke 24:39 says, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."

 

[Gary O']

There's either a God or not. You either believe or not. If you don't believe in a God, there's nothing to know. If you do, then sure, you "know God". But why can't someone study, read, and talk about it, learn about it, and then say "it's not for me"?

Absolutely
We've been given (have) the power of choice
The Bible clarifies that

One can study the prophecies and know
Or not

The Old Testament is nightmarish in parts. Much of the Bible simply repeats tales that had earlier been told. For example, there are examples of resurrection that date from before Bible (Tammuz, Osiris, etc.) The flood myth wasn't new to the Bible. We have stories of Krishna that was supposedly born of a virgin, was a carpenter, and was baptized in a river, and so on. All pre-date anything written in the Bible. Is it coincidence?

Only The Bible contains the prophecies, of which are impeccable

But most don't care to study them.....not even most Christians

 

[PeppermintPatty]

We're born with sin. We're born sinners. We are given free will to do good or bad, our choosing. Which was probably a mistake given how we fell at the first fence with Eve.

As to who or what is God, the Bible isn't too clear. For example, Genesis 3:8 suggests he's a physical being: "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." Or Ezekiel 1:27: "And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.".

Exodus 33:11 says, "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle."

Then again,Luke 24:39 says, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."

Our creator created us as sinners so he could punish us?

 

[sailormann]

The OP asked

1.How do you feel about the title "God has a plan"?

I think it's an invention to promote anything good that one might enjoy. The other part of free will is to place blame on a choice that ended up badly.


2. And do you think His plan should be shared with us so we could cope better with life's slings and arrows?

Believing that an omnipotent being billions of years old spends time daily developing a plan for each individual works for those that have blind faith. I think though that if those with blind were questioned what their life plan by God is. The answers would be interesting to read.

Sir Knight, thank you (1) for reminding us what the original post was. I like the title because of the many spirited responses it has generated.
And as for number 2, I think that is what this thread has evolved into... that this Plan has been shared with us, through the Bible and through the many other great teachers and scriptures from around the world. It's up to us to sort it all out, and choose, or decide if we even want to.

 

[Lara]

...If you don't believe in a God, there's nothing to know. If you do, then sure, you "know God".
But why can't someone study, read, and talk about it, learn about it, and then say "it's not for me"?

Of course you can study, read, and talk about it, and then say it's not for you. That's your choice.
According to my faith, God created us with the ability to make our own choices on purpose. That's exactly what He wants.

If He chooses for us then we're just His robots. He loves us and wants us to love Him...it's a relationship. It's like an earthly father and his children. He wants them to obey, respect, and love him. Both sides makes it a relationship...not robots.

 

[Lara]

Our creator created us as sinners so he could punish us?

No, God created us to choose right or wrong, good or evil, love or hate, respect or disrespect. He's our Father and we are his children. It's a relationship, not a dictatorship. He doesn't want robots...He wants a true relationship with his children where we choose to love and obey Him, respect Him etc

 

[sailormann]

No, God created us to choose right or wrong, good or evil, love or hate, respect or disrespect...

I think peppermintpatty was expressing dismay at the idea and not that she agreed with it. Thinking of the relationship between Creator and humankind may be an over simplification but the father/child relationship is one easy to understand for most people. Although it seems to really annoy some people, I don't have a problem with it. I see the ten commandments as a common sense list of things to do and not do, a guideline for mental health and physical and emotional well-being, a template for navigating natural laws, to help us make better choices in life, and to bring us closer to the divine, in greater harmony with nature and the self...

 

[sailormann]

I think peppermintpatty was expressing dismay at the idea and not that she agreed with it. Thinking of the relationship between Creator and humankind may be an over simplification but the father/child relationship is one easy to understand for most people. Although it seems to really annoy some people, I don't have a problem with it. I see the ten commandments as a common sense list of things to do and not do, a guideline for mental health and physical and emotional well-being, a template for navigating natural laws, to help us make better choices in life, and to bring us closer to the divine, in greater harmony with nature and the self...

God's plan is for us to live in harmony and love and happiness. I think sin is anything which leads us away from this. Rule number one: Don't make God number two.