Is a Suboptimal World a Problem?

[mossrose]

And getting stranger every day.

Stupid iPad. Supposed to say that I have sung that song.

But, I did just tell my husband that the cardboard box he put out for the garbage was picked up in the rain without it falling asleep, so, yes, stranger every day, indeed!

Oh, and the strange land is also getting stranger every day.

[Sparko]

I hate it when boxes don't fall asleep in the rain.

Reminds me of:

All the sweet green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no

[seer]

I hate it when boxes don't fall asleep in the rain.

Reminds me of:

All the sweet green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no

Hey I liked that song!

[Sparko]

Hey I liked that song!

and so you pick some absolutely horrible rendition of it that actually made my ears hurt?

[seer]

and so you pick some absolutely horrible rendition of it that actually made my ears hurt?

Actually I listened to a couple of them - none of them are very good quality.

[Sparko]

Actually I listened to a couple of them - none of them are very good quality.

The Donna Summer one was better.

[JimL]

I don't know what makes heaven perfect other than what Christianity says about it. It will be free of evil and the threat of evil is what it says.

Why they believe heaven will be free of evil is beyond me, the only thing necessary to get to heaven is to believe in God, which they do anyway, and that doesn't stop them from their evil ways here on earth, so what makes them think they will be any different in heaven just because they are in a different place?

[JimL]

Yes, this is getting to my point.But maybe it wasn't a possibility without human beings triggering the redemptive events that ultimately make things right. Maybe he couldn't have perfection without evil first being expressed then vanquished through the process that Christians say took place. This seems to be the implicit message of Christianity.

Even christianity denies that though, evil, which of course is relative to human behavior, is never vanquished, which is why in order to get to heaven one need not be perfect, one only needs to believe in god. What do they think happens when they get to heaven, that all of a sudden they will be remade perfect. Again, if that were the case, then god could have made them that way in the first place and so would obviously be responsible for the evil in them as he made them here on earth..

Christians would respond that we're made perfect through Christ. It might not make sense, but that's the dogma they'd retort with.

What does that mean though? If in order for humans to be perfect, if the so called crucible here on earth doesn't do the trick, and they need be re-made perfect through Christ, then they could have been made perfect through Christ in the first place.

[Cow Poke]

Even christianity denies that though, evil, which of course is relative to human behavior, is never vanquished, which is why in order to get to heaven one need not be perfect, one only needs to believe in god.

No, not just "believe in God", but accept that Christ died for our sins.

What do they think happens when they get to heaven, that all of a sudden they will be remade perfect. Again, if that were the case, then god could have made them that way in the first place and so would obviously be responsible for the evil in them as he made them here on earth..

When we stand before God, we are "clothed in the righteousness of Christ" - not our own "perfectness". Jim, you really don't understand this well enough to argue it.

What does that mean though? If in order for humans to be perfect, if the so called crucible here on earth doesn't do the trick, and they need be re-made perfect through Christ, then they could have been made perfect through Christ in the first place.

Well, liberals eat babies, and the more babies they eat, the more ignorant they become, to the point that they are so totally inept, they forget where to find new babies to eat, so they die.

Have I accurately portrayed liberalism?

[Christianbookworm]

I have sing that song. And yes, I am an alien in a strange land.

So, there's a reason that I feel that this planet isn't where I should be from even though I was born here? It does feel alien. As if I were really a citizen of some other City/World/Universe.

[Cow Poke]

So, there's a reason that I feel that this planet isn't where I should be from even though I was born here? It does feel alien. As if I were really a citizen of some other City/World/Universe.

Yup, we are embassadors to this country from a foreign land.

[Christianbookworm]

Yup, we are ambassadors to this country from a foreign land.

Ambassadors. Must resist urge to insert Wonder Woman theme. Too bad we don't get any super powers.

[Cow Poke]

Ambassadors. Must resist urge to insert Wonder Woman theme. Too bad we don't get any super powers.

Yes, I was booking a room at Embassy Suites.... AMbassadors....

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

And, we DO get superpowers - we have the power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God -- what more could one want?

[whag]

The ultimate goal was the glory of God as seen through the salvation of those who would believe in Him. This world is and always has been transitory

The latter point is exactly my point. This world wasn't made to last. Adam and Eve (to you) or early evolved human beings representing a "first generation" (to me) were destined to misbehave and bring on the set of circumstances that effects a transformation in the relationship between human beings and God. Hence, the expression of sin is an essential part of the teleology that gets us from A to Z (or from Genesis to the eschaton).

[Cow Poke]

The latter point is exactly my point. This world wasn't made to last. Adam and Eve (to you) or early evolved human beings representing a "first generation" (to me) were destined to misbehave and bring on the set of circumstances that effects a transformation in the relationship between human beings and God. Hence, the expression of sin is an essential part of the teleology that gets us from A to Z (or from Genesis to the eschaton).

Whag, I'm disappointed -- you don't have the same number of ( as you do ) in your post. I think I'm going to be sick.


ETA: You fixed it! I can live again!