Evolution took a long time (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, February 11, 2017, 15:35 (2623 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: Wanting to produce humans, wanting a relationship, and wanting us to solve problems are put forward by you as your God’s purposes, but you are convinced that his purposes do not include any benefit to himself. I really don’t know why you should believe that your God would go to all that trouble if he didn’t get SOMETHING out of it for himself, but that is part of the great muddle: you keep telling me that God is all-purposeful, and you are the one who sees purpose everywhere, but you just cannot (or do not want to) imagine that your God has any purpose beyond creating you and setting you problems.

If we cannot approach God as a person, we cannot know His personal motives for Himself. Again you are humanizing Him.

DAVID: I totally agree with your statement.

dhw: Great. Then perhaps you will now understand why other people speculate, as you do, on your God's purpose in creating you, me and them, why they even come up with views that conflict with your own speculations, and why they are just as entitled to their guesses as you are. I include such theories as having a relationship with us,testing us with problems, teaching us, preparing us for a new life in the hereafter, worshipping him, and - last but not least - entertaining him.

Of course we all speculate. You can keep humanizing Him. I won't.