Does God have gender? Why can't people in hell repent and go to heaven? Why are fire and worms the worst things possible in hell? Is Judas in hell? How did God rest on the fourth day when there was no sun? Why did God place the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden at all? Why didn't God make Adam and Eve at the same time? In the OT, why is rape punished by monetary payment to the father of the victim for the loss of virginity, and not with an actual punishment bc it's terrible?
NOTE: I just saw this in my drafts folder! Sorry for not responding months ago! -_-’
Thanks for the questions. I’m sorry we didn’t get to them in the podcast - they just weren’t a good fit for our format.
On a introductory note to this response, I’ll mention this - these questions all have quick answers that I’m sure have be endlessly repeated on forums throughout the Internet. I don’t want to do that, nor am I here to incite debate - I hate debate because I feel when it comes to understanding faith, it has very little value, and also because I’m likely to lose, haha.
So I’ll talk a little here, and maybe not satisfactory, but if anyone wants to chat (not debate) further, please go to my inbox!
Okay, here goes:
Does God have gender?
God is spirit, and spirit, as far I know, doesn’t have gender. Still, many Christians (most of us in the U.S. at least) refer to God as “he,” which is how the Bible refers to Him (outright through pronouns, if not always in imagery). Now, do we call God “Father” instead of “Mother” because we believe there’s a Spirit-led reason that God is given masculine word forms or because we’re culturally inclined to do? That’s a different question and worth investigating if we want to be intellectually honest Christians.
Why can’t people in hell repent and go to heaven?
The answer to this won’t make any logical sense to a person unless they accept the idea that A) we are all sinners and B) it’s just that our sin leads to death. If we don’t accept our sin or see how awful it is in the sight of holiness - all, by the way, which happens when we encounter God - it makes no sense why Hell even exists, much less your question about repentance. And choosing when there’s really no choice - after all, if hell is so awful, there is no choice but to repent once in - then we have no free will to decide.
Why are fire and worms the worst things possible in hell?
I don’t think the Bible ever says this is the worst thing in hell (I could be wrong?), But from a sermon or something or another, I believe the worms and fire point back at an Old Testament verse saying the same and that contextually, the reference is to a fiery landfill in Jerusalem that reflects death - which is ultimately what hell is all about. There’s perhaps symbolism in effect here.
Is Judas in hell?
I do not know, but my best guess, based on his ultimate choices and what the Bible tells us about his character (and thus, belief) even before the devil entered him (which seems to be inferred because the condition of his heart), then probably, yes.
How did God rest on the fourth day when there was no sun?
I’ll go ahead and admit this - I’m pretty evangelical, but in this point of my theological journey, I’m not a literal, six-day creationist. I’ve changed positions. However, and this is related to your Adam and Eve question which I won’t give a detailed answer to, I do believe Adam and Eve are historic individuals, and that we must accept that as true if we believe the Bible is inerrant. I won’t go into any greater detail because, well, I could be very, very wrong about my conclusions.
Why did God place the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden at all?
I’m almost certain there’s a much loftier, better, more philosophical answer to this, but I’m too lazy to do some research, so I’ll just write from my own thoughts. I think that God put that tree there out of love. We’re designed to love God, but not on autopilot, out of choice. The Garden of Eden is perfect and presents very little in ways of choice in terms of loving God for humans who have everything they need from Him. The tree presents an opportunity for humans to really make that decision, while still keeping the perfection of God’s creation. A heart fully devoted to God is not tempted by the tree; but one not wholly is would be. And they were not wholly His, and neither were we - not until God made a way to make it so, despite our continual choice to pick the fruit instead of just enjoying God (and this I know myself, as I fall into temptation more frequently than I’m willing to admit).
In the OT, why is rape punished by monetary payment to the father of the victim for the loss of virginity, and not with an actual punishment bc it’s terrible?
And here’s another one where I might be way off. Probably any student at a bible college or seminary could easily answer, so I apologize if I’m wrong. But here, we need to take a step back and understand that if the Bible is the word of God, it’s not as simple as either evangelicals or atheists would make it. It’s complex, dynamic, and so full of meaning that a lifetime of study would not be enough for one to understand it all. In that context, we have to look at the law as something terribly complex, like our own law system today, with the added layer that we’re looking at an ancient civilization and a system that has to do with theocracy. All that to say that I believe the law you’re referring to is not a moral law that our hearts comprehend we must follow; instead, it’s a civil law of Israel, and when we read it, we’re reading what amounts to a book of civil law definitions, explanations, and such, not necessarily what is morally correct. The moral law of the OT equates such violation with hell, which is ultimately why we need Christ.
Thanks, again, for the questions. I enjoyed thinking about them!
?? What do you mean it's not real? There was at least one named sorcerer in the bible, was he not real? Can't witchcraft just be seen as the performance of miracles as with Moses?
well I don’t see the people on tumblr getting the slaves out of Egypt so what makes them so entitled to think that their miracles will work? like I don’t consider what Moses did to be witchcraft. I considered it to be a gift from God that he used to save God’s people. and what makes these people so special that these herbs and stuff will help them with their own little problems? God only interferes supernaturally when it’s absolutely necessary. every day people like you and me can’t just “perform miracles” cause we want to. it doesn’t work that way.
Re: the anons who are not raised Chinese and are thinking about name changes: I'm genetically mixed but raised by two Chinese parents, and am going through a name change; if anons want, I'd be fine with sharing my story/advice with them! Our situations aren't the same, but they're at least similar.
^^ for the last two anons and anyone in a similar situation :)
Hey! Wait - so if I've filled out an app, am I in the society, or is there an approval process that goes on?
If you have applied, you’re in. This is because I want to be inclusive and I don’t want to come across as an elitist snob.
However, if people - and so far as I am aware this has happened only once - do end up abusing what I have created then I will have to go through and evaluate everyone’s applications in order to find people that are here for the right reasons, and assess everyone’s membership accordingly. But I’m hoping that I won’t have to do that, because it would turn the society into something exclusive and I’m not sure that’s a good image to have.
rend-collective replied to your post:rend-collective replied to your...
wealth was so useless back then - abraham had 318 male servants before hagar gave birth to isaac, not counting their families. just… why do you need 318? why?
saw your tags - you’re right - I realized after the post I forgot Samuel, which is one of my fave stories
Samuel was conceived as a gift to his mother, who prayed so desperately for a kid that a priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. He became Eli’s apprentice from a very very young age, basically the equivalent of a monk’s sidekick. God called to him, literally, in whispers at night, and at first he thought it was Eli. Imagine thinking your old mentor was creepily whispering your name at night, and then finding out it was God the entire time - and Xe had a very, very special calling for you.
YES, I LOVE THIS ONE; Samuel’s mother was so grateful God had conceded her a son she later took him to the High Priest Eli to be educated, and so Samuel became a very respected prophet of his people; he even saved their asses in many ocassions (like that one time he asked God to bring a storm over his enemies, what a badass)
#I forget what that calling is #he was the one who anointed Saul and David amirite? #wow how could I forget #blame it on dissociation #they don't teach ya that in Sunday school #begin with a fruit conclude with a dragon
yep, for me, he was the one who started the great glorious story of Israel. BASICALLY THE ISRAEL PEOPLE were tired of being defeated by the Philistines so they were like SAMUEL YOU ARE PROPHET GIVE US A KING SO MAYBE WE CAN WIN THIS GODDAMN WAR ???? and samuel was OKAY THEN so he anoints Saul as king and later David (when Saul loses God’s grace) i love Samuel so much he’s my favorite
