toldailytopic: What do you believe is the biggest misconception about God and why?

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for January 4th, 2013 04:18 PM

toldailytopic: What do you believe is the biggest misconception about God and why?

Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
If you want to make suggestions for the Topic of the Day send a Tweet to @toldailytopic or @theologyonline or send it to us via Facebook.

 

[resurrected]

Amongst believers or non-believers?

 

[Buzzword]

Among any group, the biggest misconception is that people somehow cannot do horrible things in God's name.

...while berating people for doing horrible things in God's name.

See: Ancient Hebrews (genocide by "God's" command) vs. modern Muslim terrorists (flying planes into buildings by "God's" command).

 

[Town Heretic]

What do you believe is the biggest misconception about God and why?

Among the heathen, that service to God is a slavery to a law seemingly created for the denial of pleasure and the subjugation of our will, when in fact obedience to God is liberation from slavery and the elevation of our will, as well as the source of pleasure in its most meaningful and satisfying sense.

Why do some have that former notion? A misplaced romanticism. To many of them God is the denier of immediate desires in the absence of any assurance that the denial will lead to more than lost opportunity. It's a fear of sorts that presents itself as courage. But God is the context within which we learn what is worth having and in what part.

 

[PureX]

toldailytopic: What do you believe is the biggest misconception about God and why?

That "God" is what we think God is.

Few people seem to be able to understand or accept that their idea of what God is, is just their idea of what God is. Instead, they simply presume that God is exactly as they have come to think of God: no doubt, and no mystery.

 

[oatmeal]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for January 4th, 2013 04:18 PM

toldailytopic: What do you believe is the biggest misconception about God and why?

Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
If you want to make suggestions for the Topic of the Day send a Tweet to @toldailytopic or @theologyonline or send it to us via Facebook.

That God, who is love, light, righteous, holy, just... is capable of doing evil.

He most certainly allows people to do evil, we have free will to do good or evil.

People reap the consequences or blessings of their own actions.

oatmeal

 

[Yorzhik]

I'm not sure which is the biggest:

God will punish people forever for their sins.
God cannot be moved by our relationship with Him.
God cannot have a meaningful relationship with people.

 

[Buzzword]

That "God" is what we think God is.

Few people seem to be able to understand or accept that their idea of what God is, is just their idea of what God is. Instead, they simply presume that God is exactly as they have come to think of God: no doubt, and no mystery.

Agreed.

American Christianity has revolved so much around apologetics for so long that for many people it is philosophy rather than spirituality.

If God can be analyzed to determine functionality as we would a tree or a frog or an idea, He is not God.

A balancing act is required, between what He has applied to our reasoning ability, and what our reason and human consciousness simply cannot contain or understand.

My pastor refers to this dichotomy as Rational vs. Ritual.
Rational attempts to understand as much as possible.
Ritual embraces those areas which we are inherently incapable of understanding, using symbolism, etc. to express the mystery in an experiential format.

 

[Eeset]

That God created a very limited single lifetime experience and that if we are good believers we will be saved to spend eternity joyously playing harps and singing praises to God.

 

[Angel4Truth]

1) That the God of the OT and the God of the NT are not one and the same.

2) That a loving God would not allow suffering in the world.

 

[Grosnick Marowbe]

One of the biggest misconceptions is, that God predestined
who would be saved, and who would be separated from Him
for eternity!! Calvinism teaches that God chose before the
foundation of the world who would be His "elect" and the rest
would be damned!!
Calvinism, changes the character and intent of the God of the
Bible in order to spread this "false doctrine!!" The scriptures
make it clear that the forgiveness, mercy, and eternal life
are offered as a gift of God through the shed blood of
Christ, and His resurrection!! This gift was at a great price, and
can only be received through faith in Christ as ones Lord and
Savior, and cannot be earned by good works!!

 

[Sherman]

Biggest misconception about God----"God doesn't change His mind". Take a look at the following scripture. This is one of my favorite accounts because it illustrates one of the most misunderstood aspects of God's character so clearly.

Numbers 14:11- 20

11 Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

God says clearly here that he will disown Israel and make of Moses a nation to replace them. How does Moses respond? Read on.

13 And Moses said to the Lord: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

Now is Moses praying to a God that doesn't change His mind? If that concept were correct, then Moses would have received a sharp rebuke for this petition. The following is how God responds to Moses' request.

20 Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word;

The Bible is replete with accounts like this where God changes His mind in response to petitions of His people or repentence on the part of His people. People can get promises taken away for rejecting God as well. This doesn't make God vacillating or weak. It makes Him a living God.

 

[Ed Walton]

If we could prove creation took eight days; we’d have no reason to believe a promise in scripture.

I'll never see it differently.

 

[Stripe]

God cannot change.

 

[keypurr]

I do not think that God is a trinity. I believe Jesus when he says:
Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Many years ago, God loving men distorted God's words and forced their ideas on folks who disagreed. They even got the State to help them. I think it is important to know who and what God really is. It is also important to know who and what his son is. As a former member of the standard "Christian" faith I feel well qualified to dispute this with the trinity folks who just sit and soak without question the doctrines of their church. To me, folks should build their faith of what they see God says in his book.

I, personally feel that in all the years that I went to church I was deceived into half truths. That is why I have mistrust and have to prove everything to myself.

Just my thoughts to Mr. Knights question. Right or wrong, they are mine.

 

[Ask Mr. Religion]

Biggest misconception is implicitly contained in the often heard:

"Since I am basically a good person God will not send me to Hell."

AMR

 

[resurrected]

All religions lead to God

 

[eameece]

The biggest misconception about God is that he is a male who rules the universe from a separate world called Heaven.

The second biggest misconception is that you need to accept one lord and savior and not others in order to know Him.

God in reality is everywhere, and the substance of everything. There is one power, the divine power. God is the truth within you, and within all, now, always and forever, whether you know or accept it or not..

 

[Grosnick Marowbe]

The biggest misconception about God is that he is a male who rules the universe from a separate world called Heaven.

The second biggest misconception is that you need to accept one lord and savior and not others in order to know Him.

God in reality is everywhere, and the substance of everything. There is one power, the divine power. God is the truth within you, and within all, now, always and forever, whether you know or accept it or not..

You're "way off!!" You're ignorant rantings won't change
anyone's mind; "who have one!!"

 

[eameece]

You're "way off!!" You're ignorant rantings won't change
anyone's mind; "who have one!!"

There is no up or down