# Why are we not like God? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 22, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018 "2007-06-22T16:47:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/21 "2007-06-22T23:27:57Z")
[QUOTE=Hubert Cumberdale] But if God loves us so much, why didn’t he just design us so we wouldn’t screw up? [/QUOTE] Say by not giving us free will or anything to choose? I think questions like this one lead me back to , why create anything at all? I don’t know. But here we are, and what are we going to do with it today? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/22 "2007-06-22T23:29:13Z")
[QUOTE=Hubert Cumberdale] So there’s glory in allowing humanity to suffer horribly until the end of time? [/QUOTE] Makes you wonder why we don’t do something about it doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/23 "2007-06-22T23:29:57Z")
[QUOTE=Hubert Cumberdale] So there’s glory in allowing humanity to suffer horribly until the end of time? [/QUOTE] `I don’t know what you mean by “glory”,’ Alice said. Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don’t – till I tell you. I meant “there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!”’ `But “glory” doesn’t mean “a nice knock-down argument”,’ Alice objected. `When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.’ ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/24 "2007-06-22T23:35:31Z")
[QUOTE=Hubert Cumberdale] So there’s glory in allowing humanity to suffer horribly until the end of time? [/QUOTE] It is uncertain if some of humanity will suffer till the end of time. But to your Q I would say probably not, the glory to God will be by the part of humanity that freely chooses God. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/25 "2007-06-22T23:41:46Z")
[QUOTE=cosmosdan] Makes you wonder why we don’t do something about it doesn’t it? [/QUOTE] Here is what many take as a end time prediction [QUOTE=Psalm 2:NIV] 1 Why do the nations conspire [a] and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. \*\* 3 “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.” 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/26 "2007-06-23T00:02:02Z")
[QUOTE=the PC apeman] Hi **Liberal**. Sure. Personhood (his or ours) is not necessarily about a corporeal body or appearance. Whatever you (any you) believe in in the way of our pre-, afterlife, or eternal existence, does God have characteristics or abilities that define him as an distinct entity? Which of those do we have? To the same extent? Which don’t we have? Why not? Could God have created us as his equals in every way? [/QUOTE] Going back to the drop of water and the ocean analogy. Breaking down a single drop isn’t it in essence exactly the same stuff as ocean. Yet one drop is not the same thing as the ocean. In the Bible the analogy of the body is used. We each are parts of the same body. Now we know that each cell in the body contains the same DNA, but the cells preform different functions. Yet it’s not for any cell to claim it is superior to the other cells. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/27 "2007-06-23T00:09:34Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] Here is what many take as a end time prediction [/QUOTE] We use end of time and eternity, but they are terms that still denote time. I tend to think that God is \*timeless \*. As in, time doesn’t exist. If it doesn’t exist then there is no end of time. ---
**Author:** ![Hubert\_Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hubert\_Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hubert_Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/28 "2007-06-23T00:29:26Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] What would it be like to be unable to screw up? [/QUOTE] An absence of pain and suffering doesn’t necessarily mean change can’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/29 "2007-06-23T10:24:23Z")
[QUOTE=cosmosdan] We use end of time and eternity, but they are terms that still denote time. I tend to think that God is timeless . As in, time doesn’t exist. If it doesn’t exist then there is no end of time. [/QUOTE] Sorry **cosmosdan** for the confusion, end times as I use it refers to the tribulation to the second coming of Jesus. The battle described in Ps 2 is frequently attributed to the battle at Armageddon. [QUOTE=Rev 16:16 NIV] Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/30 "2007-06-23T10:27:42Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] What would it be like to be unable to screw up? [/QUOTE] There is a difference between unable to screw up and unwilling. Look at the life of Jesus to see what it would be like. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/31 "2007-06-23T10:33:04Z")
[QUOTE=Hubert Cumberdale] An absence of pain and suffering doesn’t necessarily mean change can’t exist. [/QUOTE] Possibly. How exactly do you see a complete lack of pain and suffering while change still exists? No more illness? No more death, even by accidents? How about just disappointment? Do people age? Do they become infirm? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/32 "2007-06-23T10:36:04Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] Sorry **cosmosdan** for the confusion, end times as I use it refers to the tribulation to the second coming of Jesus. The battle described in Ps 2 is frequently attributed to the battle at Armageddon. [/QUOTE] There wasn’t any confusion. I understood your references. I was just offering a different perspective. I don’t anticipate any second coming as in the traditional doctrine. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/33 "2007-06-23T11:07:47Z")
[QUOTE=cosmosdan] There wasn’t any confusion. I understood your references. I was just offering a different perspective [/QUOTE] Ok got you, and I agree that God in ‘timeless’ in a sense. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/34 "2007-06-23T13:30:40Z")
[QUOTE=Hubert Cumberdale] An absence of pain and suffering doesn’t necessarily mean change can’t exist. [/QUOTE] That comes later after we learn not to hurt ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Hubert\_Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hubert\_Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hubert_Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/35 "2007-06-23T21:28:16Z")
[QUOTE=cosmosdan] Possibly. How exactly do you see a complete lack of pain and suffering while change still exists? No more illness? No more death, even by accidents? How about just disappointment? Do people age? Do they become infirm? [/QUOTE] I was thinking more in terms of people’s’ brutality to one another. Are war and genocide are part of God’s plan for us? [QUOTE=lekatt] That comes later after we learn not to hurt ourselves. [/QUOTE] Alright, if that ever happens I owe you a Coke. ---
**Author:** ![Hubert\_Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hubert\_Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hubert_Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/36 "2007-06-23T21:29:35Z")
Why can’t I edit my own posts? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/37 "2007-06-23T21:43:38Z")
[QUOTE=begbert2] Lest you not want to look it up, according to LDS beliefs, God was once like us [/QUOTE] Just a stranger on the bus? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/38 "2007-06-23T22:57:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Why are we not like God? Speak For Yourself, Mortal. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/39 "2007-06-23T23:00:56Z")
[QUOTE=Hubert Cumberdale] Why can’t I edit my own posts? [/QUOTE] You’re a guest; only paying members can edit. And only for five minutes at that. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018/40 "2007-06-23T23:03:20Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] You’re a guest; only paying members can edit. And only for five minutes at that. [/QUOTE] At the bottom of the Marianas Trench. In the 1960s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-not-like-god/409018.md?page=3)