From: ata@hfsi.uucp (John Ata FSO)
Subject: Re: Existence of God
Reply-To: ata@hfsi.UUCP (John Ata FSO)
Organization: HFSI, McLean VA.
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 15:17:22 GMT

In article <Bu1vFG.H4u@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk> murraysd@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Stephen D Murray) writes:
>
>Well, I think there are several major problems to the existence of God:-
>
>1. The number 666. If you examine it, in roman numerals it consists of 
>one of each letter up to D(500)- it's DCLXVI. Seems to me like the romans
>just decided that 111111 was bad news because of all the ones and it got
>translated into 666 in arabic numerals. But wait a minute- isn't this number
>supposed to pre-date the roman numeral system, and it's geographical influence
>at least? Hmmmm.....

Please explain what the number 666 has to do with the existence of
God.  I believe its significance comes from Revelation (13:18)
where is denoted as a symbol of Evil or Satan or the Anti-Christ.

>
>2. Uranium 235. So God made the world did he? Well why did He make U235 
>fissionable? (it's apparently the only nucleus that can cause the big bang.
>There may be others, but if so they're in the same boat as far as this question
>'s concerned.) 

There are others, but you might have well asked why he made hydrogen!  After
all, it is necessary for the fusion process in the sun.  The fact that we
can make thermonuclear devices from the same process is really more of a
testimony of our ingenuity for finding ways to destroy ourselves.

>3. Hell. OK, eternal burning for well, rather a long time is a bit of a deterrent to not doing as He says, but it's a bit of a bummer for all those poor sods
>who made a couple of wee transgresses just before Jesus turned up , innit?
>I mean, there's this guy, he's good all his life and one day he succumbs
>to keeping a wee bit of dosh from the temple collection for a pint down the
>local or something. Bang, hellfire he's had it. He burns and burns. Then along
>comes Jesus and pardons some guy before God who's spent his entire life
>killing and maiming and then on his death bed he realises that being nice to
>people isn't such a bad idea after all. Off to heaven he goes. I mean,
>it's a bit of a bummer for the first gut(sorry, guy), isn't it? If God's really going
>to exist He just can't be such a bad planner-ahead. It's just not on.

Perhaps what is important is what state of mind the person was in
at the time of death.  Did he die rejecting God out of hatred (not
to be confused with true conviction)?  That is why Jesus asks us
not to judge, because we will never know truly the circumstances
that determine whether somone is accepted by God at death or
rejected.  See Matthew (20:1-15) for Jesus's interpretation of
those who repent at the last hour.

>Then there's the matter of hell- if people don't do as God tells them, then 
>who's fault is it? If God's been about since before man, and is all-powerful,
>then he MUST have known exactly what was going to happen all along;

Knowledge does not imply fault or consent.  If God exerted His
will on you all the time, while you didn't have free will of your
own, then you could make the argument that God forces you to do
evil. Free will implies responsibility for our own actions even though
God knows what we are going to do.

>since everything that happens is an inevitable consequence of everything that
>has happened before,(including man's and God's thoughts and actions), God 
>could have foreseen each and every 'sin'  man was ever going to make.
>So God knows what's going to happen, does nothing about it and then sends man
>to hell, even though he knew what was going to happen, could have prevented
>it and didn't bother. What a nasty piece of work.... I mean if that's what
>God gets up to, who needs Satan? I mean, he's on the dole, isn't he?

The alternative is God creating humans that are like puppets.  He chose
instead to give us free will, so that we could be with him forever because
of our choice.  In that way, we are much more dearer to him, because we
freely chose to do so.

>

If you wish, we may continue this by Email, or here whatever is preferable.

-- 
John G. Ata - Technical Consultant | Internet:     ata@hfsi.com
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