I've started wondering about this because I wanted to build my faith and philosophy of life. Therefore I decided to start asking people at school their oppinions on what was the reason that God created mankind. I was amazed by how few people I spoke to actually thought about this before.This is even more amazing because I go to an entirely religious school in which we have Judaic studies with all our normal classes. However, most people I talked to had never really though about it.
Therefore i would like to ask the group. Why do you think God created mankind?
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
Because he got bored with dinosaurs.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I don't think He exists, and therefore don't think He did. I've said before that I can't think of a single reason why a truly omnipotent and omniscient God might want to create a universe, much less fill it with other beings.
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
What good would being an all powerful being be, if you just sat around by yourself doing nothing?
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
What good is it anyway?
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
I think if you were all powerful, you'd sit around by yourself and do everything Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
The same reason I write music or authors write novels...
for cash!
(making the obvious joke, but the original answer is serious)
Posted by Philosofickle (Member # 10993) on :
Because someone has to strike a pose, and bear the weight of well-tailored clothes.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: I don't think He exists, and therefore don't think He did. I've said before that I can't think of a single reason why a truly omnipotent and omniscient God might want to create a universe, much less fill it with other beings.
Yeah, it's odd to try and prescribe motivations in any way to an "omniscient" being, because given the idea that it creates the universe, it has "power" over nothing- there are no ideas, nothing to control. This makes God look like a child with a magnifying glass. Why? The idea, or at least the Judeo-Christian concept or meme for "God" is not very useful, even counterproductive.
Christians, imo, just forget that God doesn't solve the logical problem the human brain encounters when it zooms out to look at a universe too big for itself. For those that click a few notches farther back, God starts to look my-tee convenient at first, and suspiciously underwhelming upon due reflection.
My conclusion, self-satisfied though it may appear, is that religion is death- it's giving up.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jim-Me: The same reason I write music or authors write novels...
for cash!
(making the obvious joke, but the original answer is serious)
I would argue that people engage in those activities as part of a tradition or social behavior that extends beyond their own needs to encompass the will and expectations of other people. We musicians and writers don't create out of nothing, for the sake of the creation itself. We may see it that way, but if it really were like that, we would spend all of our time creating music and books, and then just never showing them to anyone. A good deal of that goes on even so, but I think there is an underlying need to educate oneself in order to understand and appeal to others. Even people like Emily Dickinson were, ultimately, not doing it just for the sake of doing it- outside influences mattered.
Posted by Constipatron (Member # 8831) on :
God created mankind so he might watch the highlight blooper videos...
Posted by The Flying Dracula Hair (Member # 10155) on :
quote:Originally posted by Elmer's Glue: Because he got bored with dinosaurs.
Impossible.
Posted by Philosofickle (Member # 10993) on :
quote: Because someone has to strike a pose, and bear the weight of well-tailored clothes.
Just so you all don't think I'm completely off my rocker, someone here got that didn't they? Please?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Because He loves us and wants us to be happy. (I believe in the pre-existance of souls, obviously, and am presuming you refer to physical creation.)
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I believe that God created man so that man might eventually become like God. He gave our spirits physical bodies and allowed us to experience the many joys and sorrows of mortal life, and also provided a way to progress toward him in this life and find greater joy. He did (and does) it because he loves us and wants the very best for us--as any good parent would.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
Yeah, but why?
Posted by Sm34rZ (Member # 8609) on :
I'm with ketchupqueen.
I guess for Mormons you can't say God really created us as we believe we've always existed.
He is the father of our spirits, so when I think "creation" I think more along the lines of being born. Why do parents decide to have children and raise a family? I believe it's because family is what is most important to us and helps us to develop love. Heavenly Father of course does this on a much higher and more perfect level than we could. We just get a little chance in this life to practice and see how well we can follow along :-)
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
Maybe God has a lot of sweet multi-player games, and heaven is like Valhalla for gamers.
Posted by Tara (Member # 10030) on :
There's no reason for mankind to exist. Evolution just happened... it couldn't not.
Posted by Sm34rZ (Member # 8609) on :
How could something come out of nothing?
Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
God didn't create man, man created God. Man created God cause man was afraid, cause there were questions to which man did not have an answer, because man was weak and could not face the harsh reality with out the idea of a parent who -- if man was good -- would make everything all alright in the end.
*shrug* Course I think people are fully capable of dealing with harsh reality, they just don't want to.
quote:How could something come out of nothing?
That question remains valid even if there is a God. How does God create something from nothing? The answer is, he just does. Well that's the same answer for reality: it just does. Only it doesn't depend on an impossible contraption to function. It just is. And it leaves the possibility that one day humanity will have a much more satisfying answer to it.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sm34rZ: How could something come out of nothing?
If a tree falls in the woods, how many Christians does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Posted by DevilDreamt (Member # 10242) on :
42!
Posted by DevilDreamt (Member # 10242) on :
But seriously, Odin, Vili and Ve made the first man from an ash tree, and the first woman from an elm. My best guess is that they were simply bored. Being of a generous mood, the three allowed the new couple to live in Midgard. When humans took up warfare, poetry, and other interesting things, the Gods gave them some attention; I'd say they found humans to be an interesting distraction at best.
When Odin learned of Ragnarök, he even started recruiting the souls of human warriors to fight for him. I doubt he puts much faith in us, though. Even if we make it to Valhalla, we're simply destined to fight in a battle we will lose. Still, I believe that battling fate is a very noble cause, and I am willing to give my soul trying to prevent Ragnarök.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
quote:Originally posted by Philosofickle:
quote: Because someone has to strike a pose, and bear the weight of well-tailored clothes.
Just so you all don't think I'm completely off my rocker, someone here got that didn't they? Please?
No, because we are all deadly serious intellectuals who never go to the theater. I do have a niece, however, who had an AIDA fridge magnet.
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
same reason why I build sandcastles...
and later DESTROY THEM!
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
Because the Daleks petitioned God for something to exterminate.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Posted by camus (Member # 8052) on :
In the beginning, the universe was created. This made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. Many races believe it was created by some sort of God, but the entire universe was, in fact, sneezed out of the nose of a being called the Great Green Arkleseizure. Posted by Qaz (Member # 10298) on :
Conventional Christian thought, I think: for companionship, that is, love.
Scottish Presbyterian catechism: "To love God, and enjoy Him forever."
Catholic Catechism has several partial answers. Here's one: "That His creatures should share in his truth, goodness and beauty."
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
I think that perhaps the reason God created Man is because the value of the universe comes not from the fact that exists, but rather from the fact that it can be experienced and appreciated. But that is just my best guess.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
I was going to answer "so women don't have to do car maintenance or mow the lawn," but some of the above answers are good, too. Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
quote:Originally posted by camus: In the beginning, the universe was created. This made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. Many races believe it was created by some sort of God, but the entire universe was, in fact, sneezed out of the nose of a being called the Great Green Arkleseizure.
Only if you live on Viltvoodle VI
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
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