Does Yahweh prefer a troubled and suffering humanity?

So logically either the NT is wrong or the Qur'an is wrong, they can't both be right, so they don't worship the same god because one of them is a con job (since they are mutually exclusive.)

Uh, they of course could BOTH be wrong, but at least we can all agree that at least ONE of them has to be wrong, due to the mutually exclusive teachings (Jesus is not the son of god, the Qur'an believes.)

 

No, you don't understand free will. Free will involves a persons perception. I don't know the future, I don't know what my decisions will lead to, and I am free to make my own decisions - I have free will. God knowing in advance what I will do, and does not interfere with my understanding of the future, has absolutely no impact on my free will.

 

Correct on all counts.

 

I do understand it ... but I understand it as something entirely different to the "free will" understood by those who believe a creator being planned everything they'd ever do.

 

No, religious people submit to God, their Creator, entirely, in the good or bad. According to Islam at least, God- the all-merciful and all-wise- always answers prayers. Just because you didn't get exactly what you wanted, doesn't mean He didn't answer your prayer in a different way, whether it be in this life or the next.

He is all-wise, and knows what is best for you. We submit to His Will, regardless of how bad we may think it is for us. We don't know; He does.

 

Hopefully it is the christian attitude towards the gay marriage decision
What a relief!!

 

I just wanted to stop by and share some of the things I've learned from the Bible:

Jehovah is the God of the Bible, and he hates suffering. For example, regarding the sufferings of his people Israel, the Bible says: "During all their distress it was distressing to him." (Isaiah 63:9) Indeed, Jehovah saw their troubles, and he felt for them.

Well, God is aware of the troubles that exist on the earth today. Soon, by means of a heavenly Kingdom that Jehovah has established, he will eliminate suffering and those who cause it. The Bible says: "He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4; Proverbs 2:21, 22) Those who fear God and do what is right according to him will be able to live forever on a paradise earth.—Psalm 37:29.

 

When you decide what to eat for dinner, whether to go to work, whether to run yellow light, go skydiving, or whatever you do, do you feel like you are making your own decisions, is there a thrill to taking chances, is there pleasure when something challenging works out the way you worked for, do you feel pride in a good accomplishment?

Whether God exists and knows everything or there is no God, does any of that change? No, nothing changes, the thrill of accomplishment and the pain of defeat are still there because they are the result of you taking chances and making decisions and working to reach an outcome. It makes no difference at all if God knows the outcome already because he does not control you..

 

A bit like politics. Take away people's hope, make them fearful and they'll be easier to govern (control).

Biggest con job known to humanity.

 

What you describe is the appearance of free will. And yes, in this scenario the person or entity who planned everything you'd do, does indeed control you. If you cannot choose something this controlling entity did not plan, you are merely going through the motions, automaton style. That you feel something like the thrill of actual choice, is simply evidence of the controlling entities manipulation. It wants to keep you hopped up on placatory untruths.

 

No, there is a huge difference between controlling you and knowing what you will do.

Do you just go numbly through the motions like a robot? Or do you make choices? When faced with turning left or right, do you feel some force which makes you go one way despite your will to go the other way? When faced with a difficult decision, do you agonize over the options and worry about your choice or do you just throw up your hands and let "the force" make the decision?

Look at your own life, nobody and nothing runs you like a preprogramed machine.

 

The ways of God can not be understood by human logic. Even such words as "prefer" are non-applicable here. To approximately see this imagine a dog watching TV. Can a dog understand the physical principles behind that. Or anything technical? Or anything about economy or politics or the Internet. The distance between God and man is even greater People are mistaken when they compare human ways with God's. . Just try to imagine that for a second.

 

People claim they know the ways of god ALL THE TIME
Every religion, every holy book every holy man and preacher tells us what god thinks
It is only when life makes no sense ----which is often---that we hear how we cannot understand god