Did God have a choice in creating the Universe?

[Miss Chicken]

God chose to create the universe and to give us free will. He's also provided a way for us to have everlasting life. Seems like a pretty good deal for those that take him up on it.

I can think of anything more distasteful than the idea of living forever. The fact that i know that life is limited makes me enjoy life all the more. It is same as enjoying the summer more because you know that winter will come. If we lived on a world that had perfect weather would we know to appreciate it?

 

[Ashu]

How does one create the universe if he himself does not exist?

Well then who created God?

And if God doesn't need a creator, why would the Universe need one either?

A combination of humans and their own needs and fears.

 

[TheGodBen]

God chose to create the universe and to give us free will.

What gives him the right to do that? Creating billions of sentient life forms and then not giving us a purpose beyond worshipping him is a) egomaniacal, and b) irresponsible. If you answer the question by saying "God is God, it can do anything it wants" then a) you're not answering the question, and b) you're not allowing yourself to answer the question.

 

[Davros]

God chose to create the universe and to give us free will. He's also provided a way for us to have everlasting life. Seems like a pretty good deal for those that take him up on it. It does require is to live by a moral standard while we are here however. But to answer the OP, God could have vreated the universe in any way he wanted. Most of them we cannot even begin to understand.

Since God created a universe where we can only make the choices he knew we would when he did it, there can be no free will.

 

[trekkerguy]

If God were real it's very existance would take away free will.

 

[Kryton]

If he DID have a choice, he could have spent a little more down at the Universe Depot instead of this rickety fixer-upper he stuck us with.

 

[Peacemaker]

God chose to create the universe and to give us free will. He's also provided a way for us to have everlasting life. Seems like a pretty good deal for those that take him up on it. It does require is to live by a moral standard while we are here however. But to answer the OP, God could have vreated the universe in any way he wanted. Most of them we cannot even begin to understand.

Since God created a universe where we can only make the choices he knew we would when he did it, there can be no free will.

1. No, there can be no libertarian freedom. Free will does not equate to libertarian free will. If you think so, where's the supporting argument?

2. Atheism opts for determinism, so you're not getting this from atheism.

What gives him the right to do that? Creating billions of sentient life forms and then not giving us a purpose beyond worshipping him is a) egomaniacal, and b) irresponsible. If you answer the question by saying "God is God, it can do anything it wants" then a) you're not answering the question, and b) you're not allowing yourself to answer the question.

You've given no reason to accept the notion that it would be "egomaniacal" and "irresponsible." You've merely asserted that to be the case. How do you know that would be case?

You can't be getting this from atheological ethics, because in atheism we're all just blobs of protoplasm without any rights whatsoever. You can't very well set yourself in a position to criticize (Christian) theism while at the same time lacking a warrant for your own beliefs. Unless you believe in moral absolutes, you are in no position to render a value-judgment on Christian theology or ethics or that of any other religion, and if you believe in moral absolutes, you need to provide a warrant for those absolutes. In secular ethics, however, you don't get moral absolutes, you get, "What was good for our ancestors may not be good today."

 

[TheGodBen]

What gives him the right to do that? Creating billions of sentient life forms and then not giving us a purpose beyond worshipping him is a) egomaniacal, and b) irresponsible. If you answer the question by saying "God is God, it can do anything it wants" then a) you're not answering the question, and b) you're not allowing yourself to answer the question.

You've given no reason to accept the notion that it would be "egomaniacal" and "irresponsible." You've merely asserted that to be the case. How do you know that would be case?

You can't be getting this from atheological ethics, because in atheism we're all just blobs of protoplasm without any rights whatsoever. You can't very well set yourself in a position to criticize (Christian) theism while at the same time lacking a warrant for your own beliefs. Unless you believe in moral absolutes, you are in no position to render a value-judgment on Christian theology or ethics or that of any other religion, and if you believe in moral absolutes, you need to provide a warrant for those absolutes. In secular ethics, however, you don't get moral absolutes, you get, "What was good for our ancestors may not be good today."

Let me explain something; I was a Christian and I believed in Christian values. Later, I stopped believing them. I am in the perfect position to criticise those beliefs because they used to be my own. Your argument is silly anyway because basing your morality on a book is no different than basing your morality from that which is within.

As for god being immoral and egomaniacal, well that is just common sense. He supposedly created all us sentient beings and left us here with only vague and contradictory rules. Then he is content to sit back and watch us kill and torture one another because none of us are able to agree on which rules to follow. If he were truly omnipotent then he could just come down to Earth and convince every single one of us that he is real, and then he could set out a moral code that is easy to understand and which leaves no room for doubt. He could save millions of lives and all it would take is one day out of all eternity. Since he is omnipotent and he refuses to do this then he is immoral.

As for being an egomaniac, he demands that we all believe in him and love him, if we do not we will be tortured for all eternity. He is almost as bad as Bono.

 

[Lookingglassman]

Yes God had a choice, but He wanted to create something in His own image that had free will and He could love and so He created us. He didnt have to. He could have chosen not to and that would have been that.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Man, number two on your "how to relate to" page is hilarious. I'll just wander around the city looking for someone who displays Asperger's characteristics so I can try to make a friend with Aspergers. Either I will, or someone will think I'm a loony as fuck stalker and report me to the cops.

OMG, I just read his page, I think I may have Aspergers syndrome. What do I do! What do I do! What do I do!

 

[Michael Chris]

Of course He had a choice.

 

[Outpost4]

If so, what were his other options?

He could, and maybe did, create other universes. The question is why did He create this one?

It was something to do, I suppose.