Is becoming like God good or evil?

[Greatest I am]

Is God not to be our model?

Are we not to follow his example?

John 15:7

Neither your rhetoric nor the verse you quoted seems to support your position. You'll need to be a bit more verbose - explain yourself.

Answer those questions and I will not need to explain anything.

Regards
DL

[Greatest I am]

[
DL

Wow, now you've got my head spinning. So am I to understand that I'm supposed to judge the fictitious words of a book against other fictitious words in the book, when I have absolutely no belief in any of these words in the book, so as to come up with something non fictitious, or should my solution be fictitious as well, you know, so as to remain consistent.[/quote]

Yes.
It is said that intelligent men can discuss issues and ideas that they do not believe in.

I wrote this O P more to engage believers from a moral standpoint but one does not need to believe a scenario to be able to evaluate the morality of it. All fairy tales and myths are written to do just that.

Regards
DL

[SpheresOfBalance]

Is becoming like God good or evil?

I would like to restrict giving God any other attribute except for knowing good and evil in this thread. Just for simplicity.

I have two quotes I would like you to consider.

“Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.”

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Knowing good and evil is the same as developing or gaining a moral sense. This is something that all governments and religions wish to develop in us and seems like a good idea to me.

If being perfect like God means that we must have the knowledge of good and evil, then Adam and Eve had to eat of the tree of knowledge ---- if they were to accomplish what most seem to think is a worthy goal. Morals. As God says in Eden, such is to have your eyes opened. A good thing IOW.

In the Jewish view, A & E did the right thing and they name it our elevation. In the Christian view, they did the wrong thing and call it our fall.
If you believe in this sort of thing, which I don't, obviously God wanted A & E to eat of the forbidden fruit or at least really didn't care either way. Look at the facts. He places them in the vicinity of the tree, of all places; then tells them not to do it, calling attention to the act, raising curiosity. Also keep in mind that he is supposedly omnipotent, all knowing, such that he would know the outcome before the test, so it really wasn't a test was it? I see that it was probably a deliberate act to illicit a certain response, as part of his teaching them to take care of themselves, so they could wander outside of Eden, without fear of being incapable of survival, Initially they were like children, correct?. So it was definitely good, so says God in his act of instigation.


Is becoming as Gods, in the moral sense, good or evil?

If evil, please explain what is evil about developing a moral sense and following scriptures that tell us to be as Gods.

Regards
DL

[Greatest I am]

You read it as I do and have chosen to see it the Jewish way. Good thinking.
That being the case, you might understand what I am trying to say here--------
Looking forward to your thoughts.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9268

Regards
DL

[Resha Caner]

Answer those questions and I will not need to explain anything.

Consider this example. There is the story about Abraham Lincoln who, upon realizing a store clerk had given him a bit too much in change, walked several miles out of his way to return the money. It's part of his "Honest Abe" reputation. So, suppose I decide to follow his example - adopt his standard of honesty. Does that make me Abraham Lincoln? Or President of the U.S.? No.

So, yes, God (actually Christ) set an example. But following that example does not make us a god.

So humor me. Give me an explanation as to why you think the Bible promotes such an idea - while at the same time saying such an idea is wrong.

[SpheresOfBalance]

Answer those questions and I will not need to explain anything.

Consider this example. There is the story about Abraham Lincoln who, upon realizing a store clerk had given him a bit too much in change, walked several miles out of his way to return the money. It's part of his "Honest Abe" reputation. So, suppose I decide to follow his example - adopt his standard of honesty. Does that make me Abraham Lincoln? Or President of the U.S.? No.

So, yes, God (actually Christ) set an example. But following that example does not make us a god.

So humor me. Give me an explanation as to why you think the Bible promotes such an idea - while at the same time saying such an idea is wrong.

I'm not sure as to all the in's and out's of your two's arguments, but GIA's original post said "like GOD" not "a God." So as far as some aspects go, I could be like Abraham Lincoln, or anyone else for that matter, as any particular attribute is not exclusive to any particular individual. Keep in mind that in this instance, he refers to a likeness of the knowing of good and evil.

Honestly, I don't believe in all this bible stuff, as I see it as fiction, and find it hard to comment on a fiction, because a fiction is born of a particular authors mind, in which he can write anything he wants, and therefore it is always absolutely true, within that piece of fiction, as it is a world of his making. So how can it possibly be argued by someone standing in the realm of reality, as the realm or reality has no bearing on a fictitious world that is born and only exists in the mind of it's author. Only the author can argue the truths in his work of fiction. Please keep in mind that the bible is not gods words, and that in fact it contains only the words of man, as he reports of his god, and that their are many different versions of report.

[Resha Caner]

I'm not sure as to all the in's and out's of your two's arguments, but GIA's original post said "like GOD" not "a God." So as far as some aspects go, I could be like Abraham Lincoln, or anyone else for that matter, as any particular attribute is not exclusive to any particular individual. Keep in mind that in this instance, he refers to a likeness of the knowing of good and evil.

A fair enough point, and one that makes this conversation very difficult. The impression I got was that GIA was bending the meaning of being like God to actually being a god. Those are 2 different things. The example he gave was a perfect knowledge of good and evil. He had taken something God said he didn't want to happen and tried to twist into something that God did want to happen.

[Greatest I am]

I'm not sure as to all the in's and out's of your two's arguments, but GIA's original post said "like GOD" not "a God." So as far as some aspects go, I could be like Abraham Lincoln, or anyone else for that matter, as any particular attribute is not exclusive to any particular individual. Keep in mind that in this instance, he refers to a likeness of the knowing of good and evil.

A fair enough point, and one that makes this conversation very difficult. The impression I got was that GIA was bending the meaning of being like God to actually being a god. Those are 2 different things. The example he gave was a perfect knowledge of good and evil. He had taken something God said he didn't want to happen and tried to twist into something that God did want to happen.

Are you a parent?

Do you want your children to be less than yourself or do you want them to be as good as you are and in fact be better than what you are?

Would you expect less than your own answer from a heavenly father?

Jesus said------- ye are children of God.

Have you forgotten that you are a God work in progress my friend?

Regards
DL

[Resha Caner]

Do you want your children to be less than yourself or do you want them to be as good as you are and in fact be better than what you are?

It's not a valid comparison. Some day my children will supplant me. I will never supplant God.

Have you forgotten that you are a God work in progress my friend?

No. He is the potter and I am the clay. The pot never rises up and claims to be the potter - never questions why God has done what he has done.

Jesus said------- ye are children of God.

Context, friend.

[Greatest I am]

Do you want your children to be less than yourself or do you want them to be as good as you are and in fact be better than what you are?

It's not a valid comparison. Some day my children will supplant me. I will never supplant God.

Have you forgotten that you are a God work in progress my friend?

No. He is the potter and I am the clay. The pot never rises up and claims to be the potter - never questions why God has done what he has done.

Jesus said------- ye are children of God.

Context, friend.

The pot may not supplant the potter but when he sees God sending him to eternal hell for having a leak where God created a hole, he has every right to ask and if he does not, then he has failed at being human and deserves to burn. He has wasted his mind.

You have questioned and judged God as good yet would deny others from questioning and judging if they do not happen to agree with your view of good.
There is a word for that.

Regards
DL

[Resha Caner]

You have questioned and judged God as good yet would deny others from questioning and judging if they do not happen to agree with your view of good.

This is starting to sound bitter. I did not mean to judge you, but it can be a fine line between pointing out error and being judgemental.

The pot may not supplant the potter but when he sees God sending him to eternal hell for having a leak where God created a hole ...

That is not the way of it.

... he has every right to ask and if he does not, then he has failed at being human and deserves to burn. He has wasted his mind.

Maybe I was a bit too poetic with my reply. The "questioning" that I meant was the bitter, self-righteous, "how dare you" type of questioning. I have no problem with people asking questions ... though the stubborness with which some stick to their dogma does get a bit frustrating ... just as I'm sure I frustrate people from time to time.

[Greatest I am]

You have questioned and judged God as good yet would deny others from questioning and judging if they do not happen to agree with your view of good.

This is starting to sound bitter. I did not mean to judge you, but it can be a fine line between pointing out error and being judgemental.

The pot may not supplant the potter but when he sees God sending him to eternal hell for having a leak where God created a hole ...

That is not the way of it.

... he has every right to ask and if he does not, then he has failed at being human and deserves to burn. He has wasted his mind.

Maybe I was a bit too poetic with my reply. The "questioning" that I meant was the bitter, self-righteous, "how dare you" type of questioning. I have no problem with people asking questions ... though the stubborness with which some stick to their dogma does get a bit frustrating ... just as I'm sure I frustrate people from time to time.

Been there for sure when speaking to Christians who take an immoral stance on issues by following their dog shit dogma instead or reason, logic and common moral sense.

Strange that Christianity, which claims to have all the answers, demands that you not question it.

Regards
DL

[Resha Caner]

Strange that Christianity, which claims to have all the answers, demands that you not question it.

Strange that you don't appear to have read my reply.

[Greatest I am]

Strange that Christianity, which claims to have all the answers, demands that you not question it.

Strange that you don't appear to have read my reply.

I saw denial without correction so spoke to dogma instead.
What do you want for nothing?

Regards
DL

[Resha Caner]

I saw denial without correction so spoke to dogma instead.

What did I deny? What did I fail to correct?