The Philosopher and God (part 2)

Yesterday I started a blog about the relationship between philosophers and God. This is a continuation of that.

In the movie, The Matrix, Keanu Reeves plays a man who, although successful in life, feels that there is something missing, that there is a larger truth; perhaps he feels that his life is too easy. What he eventually finds is that his life is an illusion, that his brain has been hooked into a computer network that is set to simulate the “golden age” of humanity, only without the problems. “Neo” Anderson’s restlessness stems from the fact that he has no real challenges, that on some level, he realizes that this is unreal. It would be rather inevitable, I think. God has wired us to be problem solvers, risk takers, challenge facers. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. Does it cause us problems sometimes? I would have to answer that question with a definite, “Often.” Still, what good would we be to God if we were simply sentient oatmeal? Could we, as a species, ever be happy if we didn’t have to work things out, to figure out what we should do?

I have been told (and I have not read it for myself, so I don’t know) that in the Book of Mormon it says that God had two sons: Jesus and Lucifer. God asked His two sons how to handle mankind. Lucifer answered that God should simply make us automatons, creatures that responded only as they were programmed to, operating on simple instinct. If God were to design man for the purpose of worship, then man would worship God continually, because man would not know how to do anything else. Jesus responded that God should give man free will, but that He, Himself (Jesus) would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world, to redeem man unto God once again. Obviously, (assuming that is an accurate representation of what is taught in the Book of Mormon) the book goes on to say that God chose Jesus’ idea. Lucifer got angry, and tried to sabotage the whole plan. The upshot of the whole story is that God wanted people who would serve Him of their own free will, out of gratitude. To be honest, I am not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, nor have I ever been (which is why I have not read the book), but it occurs to me that the story at least illustrates some of the true nature of God. He never wanted us to serve Him out of compulsion. When the Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver, that includes our praise to Him. We should be grateful just to have been created, but He has also taken human form and suffered while that human form died a horrible death.

I’ve heard the argument that, by definition, God cannot die. That is true. At the same time, the Spirit of God, inhabiting human flesh, can (and did) experience the death of that human body. The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all the same ways that we are. When the philosopher says that God doesn’t understand the burden that He has put upon us, than the philosopher just doesn’t understand the lengths that God went through. Of course, there will always be those that can not, or will not, take responsibility for their own actions or inaction. It started with Adam. When he got caught doing something he shouldn’t, His first words were, “Oh, but God, the woman that YOU gave me…” In other words, Adam was telling God, “Blame the woman, or blame yourself, but don’t take it out on me.” God didn’t buy that logic then, and He isn’t going to buy it now. He has always been there, ready to lead us and to guide us, and if we can’t feel Him or hear Him, then we just need to work harder at it. We must strive to do God’s will.

Still more to come…