This is quite serious, this one. Here's the full text of the email I sent to Pastor Ronald Cody:
"Dear Pastor Cody
I recently converted to Christianity because I'd been hearing a lot about Hell and I don't want to go there after I die. However there's one thing that still confuses me about a certain fundamental tenet of our faith.
From what I understand God is not only omnipotent, but also omniscient and omnipresent. But I've also heard that God, after creating Adam and Eve told them not to eat the fruit of a certain tree, but that they did eat the fruit and that's why many people now have to go to hell.
"Dear Pastor Cody
I recently converted to Christianity because I'd been hearing a lot about Hell and I don't want to go there after I die. However there's one thing that still confuses me about a certain fundamental tenet of our faith.
From what I understand God is not only omnipotent, but also omniscient and omnipresent. But I've also heard that God, after creating Adam and Eve told them not to eat the fruit of a certain tree, but that they did eat the fruit and that's why many people now have to go to hell.
So my question is: if God knows everything, including everything that's going to happen, why did He give Adam an instruction that he knew Adam was going to disobey?"
Didn't watch the video cause I got bored 30 seconds in. But, I can answer the question about why God did what he did.
Free will.
When God created us he gave us the option to disobey him. I mean what kind of loving and just being would he be if he made us but we had no choice other then to love him and follow him. That's not love since we don't have a choice in it now is it? So God gave us one rule and we simply disobeyed thus setting us apart from God. In the same way, God also gave his Angels the right to free will. They all have the choice to serve him or not. Lucifer/Satan disobeyed and God cast him out of heaven as punishment.
We all have the choice to either obey God or disobey. Unfortunately it is in our sinful nature to disobey God. Which is the reason why we have suffering in the world.
So there you go.
Posted by: ilikemonkeys | July 01, 2009 at 12:11 AM
Okay, I actually watched the video... that pastor is nuts. It's such a simple explanation. Such a dumbass! It's perfectly okay to ask questions about your faith. And the users question is totally legit. I hope he's not a real pastor.
Posted by: ilikemonkeys | July 01, 2009 at 12:16 AM
I've heard the free will spiel before, but i don't buy it. Granted, a loving god would give his self aware creation free will, but Adam and Eve didn't know what to do with it in the first place.
Since they were living in a paradise where nothing ever went wrong, even in the slightest, they don't really understand the world as we do now. A toddler has all his needs met and is told not to take from the cookie jar, but they will from time to time. This is not because of a 'sinful nature,' but because he doesn't fully understand his actions or their ramifications.
And even without that, why does Adam and Eve's mistake ruin it for the rest of mankind? That's not fair any way you slice it.
And why would God create man with a sinful nature you pointed out Mr. Ilikemonkeys (please don't assume I'm being a jerk, I don't know what else to call you).
There is no simple answer there, unless you're an atheist.
Posted by: vicktor | July 05, 2009 at 08:30 PM
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Posted by: scott | January 16, 2010 at 09:20 PM