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cozyk · Apr 20, 2008, 07:36 AM

[QUOTE=simoneaugie]Thanks for all the research, jrebely.

If the "symbolic" serpent who spoke to Eve is only a symbol for something else, what is it a symbol of? And who, or what created this symbol and taught it how to speak? What did it symbolically teach Eve? Before the conversation, both Adam and Eve had no shame and felt a part of God.

It is a symbol of temptation. Eve had a choice to make. To follow her heart (where the essence of God is present) for what she knew was right ,or to follow her head for her own selfish wants. The "speaking" was her egoic mind, (the voice in her head that we all experience) going back and forth "do what I should or do what I want" Like today we talk about having a little devil on one shoulder and a little angel on the other and we choose which one to listen to. You see it in cartoons all the time.

Do you think there was an actual serpent hanging from a tree and talking to Eve?

What it taught Eve was that with free will come choices, and with choices come consequences. When you go against what you know in your heart to be right, the consequences are often bad. The shame was the feeling of guilt that comes with doing the wrong thing and letting "God" down.

That is what I get from it anyway. We all have a choice to take every word in the Bible as literal fact, or think outside the box and take away something more realistic.

talaniman · Apr 20, 2008, 07:57 AM

God isn't evil, but man can be. Its his choice.

simoneaugie · Apr 20, 2008, 09:51 PM

But didn't God create man in his image? Did the mirror have a blank spot where man added evil? Did satan add the evil? Who created satan and gave him free will to be a fallen angel?

Allheart · Apr 20, 2008, 10:48 PM

God did make man in his own image, however, we are fallable, God is not. When God created all of us, he blessed us with free will, to choose good or evil, hoping we would all choose good.

Parents make children and resemble their own image, and all parents want there child to choose good, right over wrong. Some children will turn right, and others are led astray.

If a child does bad things once grown and can make their own choices, the results of those choices, lay at the grown child's feet not the parents, who did everything in their power to give their child all the tools to help choose right, but yet still, some make the wrong choices.

It's not much different then Our Heavenly Father, who is all things good.

We were blessed with beautiful waters, oceans, rivers, and man has dirtied them, turned some beautful bodies of water into contaimanted streams, by our own choices that we have made.

We have beem blessed with beautiful children around the world, and yet, some of them are now starving and we as the world could feed them 10 x over, we have that choice, and yet, they still starve.

God made all different nationalities and races, all of which some of us have made wrong and some have instilled hatred because of the differences. I am sure you have seen a child of mix race, are they not so beautiful, but we man, have shunned that beauty.

Just as parents try and give their children everything they need and sometimes want, that "gift" sometimes is cherished, or sometimes it is devalued, not appreciated, thrown away, wanting more, by our own choice.

I pretty much see it along those lines.

shivak_d · Apr 21, 2008, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by simoneaugie

If God is all, if all things are possible in Gods world, isn't God evil too? Our limited mortal definition of evil, anyway. If God is everything, then He must be all that I hate as well as all that I love. Right?

Tell me what your views are, please.

Before u confirm weather god is evil or angel , first confirm yourself that u have seen god or u have felt his presence or power.

black111madonna · Apr 21, 2008, 02:47 AM

If I would think that God created us as to his image.. he must have done that to experience him/her self through us... as we are his co-creators.. and we have a free choice to create, we can create everything like good and bad. If God is everything he is also nothing... without darkness there is no light to be seen, without pain there is no joy and so on and so forth. This makes me think to strongly believe that together we are God !

So in answer to your question I say Yes God is also evil and he must be all that you hate as well that you love.

Take whatever is coming to you... let the beauty of it move you!

simoneaugie · Apr 21, 2008, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by shivak_d

before u confirm weather god is evil or angel , first confirm yourself that u have seen god or u have felt his presence or power.

I have felt his presence and power.

If man is "Fallen" then God had a part in the fall. The only way God could just let us do whatever, is that we cannot come to harm, no matter what choices we make. Death could not possibly be an end, only a change. Murder is not unforgivable if no one really dies. The "father" allows his children to play, he knows that they are forever safe.

Some believe that man is the child of a Heavenly Father who officiates a Heaven and a Hell, and that works too. It creates harmony for those who believe it. When people fight over ideology, it goes against our very nature as the people of God. If God created you then God created me. If we disagree, let us do it with kindness and acceptance.

Of course, since I do not believe in or fear death, eternal damnation or reward, I have no reason to bring you to my cause. I don't have a cause, just a desire to learn about you guys who I believe are all the other parts of myself.

Thank You everyone for you thoughts.

purplewings · May 3, 2008, 05:41 AM

God is definitely 'all things' but there is no evil. Everything that is and that happens on earth has a purpose. The purpose is always to lead us closer to our Creator and our original self.

If you look for the 'god' in everyone you meet, you will recognize that every single one of us was born an innocent baby. Can you see evil in a newborn baby? Never!

That which we consider evil comes from the free will that our Creator gifted us with. Our actions at times might be considered evil, but even those will teach us something we need to know and move us closer to God.

God is all good - and all living beings on this earth are also good. Evil is merely action from a human being brought about through free will and egotism.

The pride that comes from seeking to be better than others... powerseeking is the pride that demands attention that comes from power. Wars are built on this.

These things can cause people to be dishonest, cruel and without compassion. There is no ego in the next realm... it is all spirit.

We must try hard to let our spirit lead us instead of our ego and we can eventually end the evil-doings that occur on earth and move it to a higher plane. Too much ego is our failing.

blackblue · Jun 17, 2008, 04:45 PM

If bad things did not happen, there would be no reason to be down here on earth.
Bad things happen because we need to learn from it.

Murder.Rape.Abuse.Car crashes.Mental retardation.physical impairment.

Life is a lesson.As suckish as that might be, it is not for us to question but for us to learn from our mistakes as well as the mistakes of others and advance our spirits so we can be even closer to God when we make our final trip back home.

simoneaugie · Jun 17, 2008, 05:13 PM

Is heaven really "up there?" If there is infinite intelligence, separate from space and time then heaven is everywhere, right? And if we were created from an all knowingness, what could we possibly need to learn?

firmbeliever · Jun 18, 2008, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by simoneaugie

Is heaven really "up there?" If there is infinite intelligence, separate from space and time then heaven is everywhere, right? And if we were created from an all knowingness, what could we possibly need to learn?

I am not sure enough to say Heaven is "up there" as in when I look up from where I stand on the earth.
I do believe that it is not on the earth we live in or in the life we are living at the moment.

Believing in being created by an All Knowing being does make me believe that our(the created beings)intelligence and knowledge is infinite.
If our intelligence was infinite we would not have to be researching the space,universe,the living natural world cause we would already know all there is to know about the world we live in and what is beyond the earth.

Knowledge and intelligence being limited I believe is what makes us search for the answers and learn about what we do not know or understand.

0rphan · Jun 18, 2008, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by Handyman2007

Look around at the world today ----Is God Evil???

NO... some of the human race is evil, we were given free will, to choose are own way to live... the good way or the bad.

Life is a learning curve.

WVHiflyer · Jun 21, 2008, 02:05 PM

By definition an entity that is omniscient, and omnipotent is just as capable of 'evil' as 'good.' Believers choose to think He would not do 'evil.' Personally, I think jealousy, to which God has admitted (acc'd to some translations of the 10 Commandments), is an 'evil' thing...

IM4U · Jun 24, 2008, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by simoneaugie

If God is all, if all things are possible in Gods world, isn't God evil too? Our limited mortal definition of evil, anyway. If God is everything, then He must be all that I hate as well as all that I love. Right?

Tell me what your views are, please.

Just coming out of your question without reading the other posts, I'll contribute that my view is that God presents Himself via the Bible as One Who allows evil but Who is over it.

I believe that many of us do hate God at some times in our lives. I believe those of us who are honest about that have the best opportunity to really get to know Him. I experience God as a much more personal Being than I sense in your question. I know Him through His Son, Jesus, the Savior, Who forgives me from sin--the wrongdoing, wrong thinking, and wrong speaking of my life.

If you would like me to be more specific, with some documentation from the Bible, please say so here. I will not labor you with that unless you are interested.

I think you have posed a thoughtful question. And, without reading the other posts, the thoughts I offer may have already been well covered.

confusedbyitall · Jul 14, 2008, 09:57 PM

God isn't evil. Your logic in the statement is correct, yes. But are the statements upon which you base the logic correctly interpreted to begin with? I'd say no. It is, though, a good question for contemplation.

bloodz · Aug 18, 2008, 07:08 AM

,haizz gode is love all the time

0rphan · Aug 18, 2008, 09:16 AM

God is the good guy... responsible for all the wonderful things in this world.where there's good there has to be bad.

Devil is the bad guy... responsible for all the bad in the world inviting everyone to take part in his temptation.

simoneaugie · Aug 18, 2008, 12:55 PM

If God is, and created everything, isn't he also the Devil?

0rphan · Aug 18, 2008, 01:01 PM

Wasn't the devil a fallen angel... so initially made by god before he turned away

firmbeliever · Aug 19, 2008, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by simoneaugie

If God is, and created everything, isn't he also the Devil?

Simone,

I will try to explain as per my beliefs.
The Almighy is the only Creator and yes did create a being called jinn made of smokeless fire.
There was a time when jinns used to be able to reach the Heavens and worship alongside angels,but then during the time of Adam & Eve (alaihi salaam),a single Jinn(also known as "Iblis") disobeyed the commands of the Almighty to bow down before the Almighty's first human(Adam-alaihi salaam).

Later on,this same Jinn mislead Adam (alaihi salaam) into eating from the tree forbidden by the Almighty.

Shaitan is believed not to be an angel or a fallen angel because we believe that angels do not have free will,but obey the command of the Almighty at all times,unlike humans and jinn who are able to practice free will in obeying or disobeying the Almighty.

THE JINN

So no,the Almighty is not the devil.