On the omniscience of God

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Does it not explicitly say that "God is NOT a man"?
This is one of those classic verses that anti-Christs use to "prove" that Jesus is not God. The issue is that they attempt to CHOP the verse which completely changes its meaning.
Num 23:19 (AKJV/PCE)
(23:19) God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
The verse is specifically talking about God's character as HONEST, in contrast to MEN which LIE.
 

Clete

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This is one of those classic verses that anti-Christs use to "prove" that Jesus is not God. The issue is that they attempt to CHOP the verse which completely changes its meaning.

The verse is specifically talking about God's character as HONEST, in contrast to MEN which LIE.
That is precisely correct!

All such passages that discuss God not changing are in reference to His character.
 

Lon

Well-known member
"Arminian", got it.
Good.
You can proof text all you want,
Don't need to. Scripture is its own proof whether an Open Theist likes it or not. Most Christians give me a hard time for even talking to you guys.
"everything everything everything comes 'from' Him" is NOT Christian doctrine in any way, shape, manner or form.
Scripture ALONE for the win! Not your or anybody else's 'want this to be true.' Colossians 1:15-20. You are CLEARLY wrong. Let "me" say 'everything everything everything' again. Do you want it to exclude 'sin?' Sin is not a 'thing' to be created. Sorry, you lose again. Sorry any OT following along. "Wrong." Try again or learn to argue better out of a paper bag.
The more we talk, the more meaningless platitudes your spew forth and I mean that literally. You've turned the doctrine of immutability into meaningless double talk. God is either immutable or He can change. You can try to eat your cake and have it too but you will fail.
Um, "I" said this. You are a parrot, Clete. Learn to actually think. I double-dare you. You simply don't have the intelligence. I'll take Judge Rightly at this point. He at least has a brain for this. All the pos rep 'attaboys' in the world are NOT signs of intelligence, in fact just the opposite: brainwashing and flocking mentality.
This, I believe, was a lie on your part.
Wrong. It is 'why' I disdain your cognitive ability. You simply play off of brainwashed canards, yourself.
Either that or you didn't bother to probe these "theists" you've supposedly talked to. I've debated dozens on Calvinist and I've never met one who would admit that the incarnation was any sort of change whatsoever. Calvinists in particular are good at double talk and compartmentalizing contradictory doctrines away from each other. They will use the right words that make it sound like they believe what they should believe but when pressed, their allegiance is not to the truth of scripture but to Plato. I'm very strongly beginning to suspect that the same is true of you.
Posturing, absurdly, as ever. You are NOBODY to ever assert anything. You just don't think that well. In fact, I have to call any open theist on the table for giving pos reps, for their ability to reason, at this point (Sorry, RD, you are in fact, most of the time, better than this).
The scriptures say nothing about God being immutable nor does it even hint at the idea of God existing outside of time.
"Same yesterday, today, and forever. "YOU need to work on this better. You just aren't thinking beyond Open assumptions. They will ALWAYS keep you from thinking well, as you cling to them without critical ability. You are simply posturing, as you ever do, Clete. It is NOT a sign of intelligence. It is a sign of indoctrination and an inability to actually think critically. It is 2 dimensional and short of actual dialogue. I never see you as actually being 'able' to address pertinent discussion. The only reason you get reps is simply because you are versed, 2 dimensionally, in Open doctrine. Maybe no other Open Theist is capable of seeing it, that give you pos-rep, but honestly? There are millions of us who are not Open and we think very well, thank you.
If Augustine hadn't imported his beliefs from Plato into the church, you would count it as the outright heresy that it is.
Er, no. Nice try, as it is for every Open Theist conference assertion. It is, again, a tired canard to the rest of us. Open Theism is barely a pip concerning Christian theology. It is outright rejected for very good 'intelligent' reasons. You can 'assert' all you like, but you Open Theists really have to learn to think beyond the small-attended conferences and back-pats. It rings 'cultish' and myopic, rather than intelligent dialogue and thinking. I'm being bolder here, but you guys really need to hear what I'm hearing from the rest of Christianity: They don't even care enough to correct you, they've told me often to leave this forum and leave you to your own devices specifically because of the purposeful delusion and inability to see what the rest of Christianity is trying to tell you. I'll not likely get any 'pos reps' for this, but I don't care about that. I care, at least once in awhile, that you guys think this badly!
 

Lon

Well-known member
No one has said otherwise.

What you said was that Jesus has always existed as a man, which is completely and utterly false, as per scripture.

Don't move the goalposts, Marke.
Where is your starting point to assert this? If man comes from and is sustained by God, how then can you assert that something that came from God, in the first place, is not part of His being and nature in the first place? Did God NOT make man in His own image? I'm trying to get you to go well beyond other's two-dimensional inability: WHERE did man's nature come from in the first place, JR?
This is called moving the goalposts.

Don't do that.
No it isn't. It is 'called' not being 2-dimensional and hasty: "Where did the 'nature' of man come from RD?"
The recommends, I read, but you also have to think beyond the conferences 'if' you are to carry on a meaningful conversation with the rest of us who are not Open Theists. Often, when you stay only in your 'own' circles, your reasoning becomes truncated within the community. Imho, Open Theism is nowhere big enough to house rational discussion of all scriptures. There simply are not enough minds in the small sect.
 

Clete

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Depends what you mean. He is wrong on so much, I don't know that you 'can' hammer on it. A screw takes a screwdriver...
I love it when people claim that I am "wrong on so much" but will not present one single solitary refutation of any argument I have ever presented on any subject on this website over the last twenty years.

But, you're not alone, Lon!

The most important, most fundamental, difference between people like me and most of the rest of Christianity isn't about the doctrines we hold to but about our attitudes towards those doctrines. Open theists are not married to their doctrines. We open theists all want to be shown what we've gotten wrong and why. Bob Enyart voiced this attitude many times throughout his ministry by telling people that if he could ask God one question it would be, "Which of my teachings are wrong?" and while one might occasionally find the odd Christian teacher here or there that speaks a similar sentiment, the difference with Bob is that he really did mean it. If he had something wrong, he really want to know all about it. Correcting errors was one of his highest priorities and the same attitude is common throughout the open theists community because a great many of them came to open theism by means of exploring the answer to that very question.

I know of no other group of Christians who share a similar attitude toward their doctrine. The vast vast vast majority of Christians are simply not interested in determining whether what they believe is what the bible actually teaches and only a tiny subset of those who claim to be interested in such things ever bother to actually do any work toward that end. Lots of them are interested in learning ways to communicate what they already believe, to parrot their teachers, which is what you do. And, like you, they think that everyone should be convinced to believe their doctrine by these "arguments" because they were convinced and they, almost to a person, have no response to offer when they run into someone like me who challenges them to actually prove their doctrinal claims by scripture AND sound reason. What they do instead is what you do, they make claims, quote a proof text and then when challenged they either simply repeat themselves or they get all emotional and throw a tantrum and start calling us names and dimeaning our ability to think.

All the while I and others like me want nothing more than for people to ask us to prove our doctrines but we can't even find someone willing to do that! They're happy to declare that we are "wrong on so much" but can't be bothered to engage in a substantive two way debate where they'd be asked to actually think through, make and respond to actual arguments.
 
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Clete

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Don't need to. Scripture is its own proof whether an Open Theist likes it or not.
Word's right out of the mouth of the likes of David Koresh, Benny Hinn, and Yahweh Ben Yahweh.

If you don't need to proof text then stop doing it.

Most Christians give me a hard time for even talking to you guys.
Lon, if you lie to me again, I will simply put you on ignore and you can go tell all your make-believe friends that "give you a hard time" that there's one fewer Open Theists that you have to deal with.

Scripture ALONE for the win! Not your or anybody else's 'want this to be true.' Colossians 1:15-20. You are CLEARLY wrong. Let "me" say 'everything everything everything' again. Do you want it to exclude 'sin?' Sin is not a 'thing' to be created. Sorry, you lose again. Sorry any OT following along. "Wrong." Try again or learn to argue better out of a paper bag.
This is called moving the goal post. It is a form of lie.

Why is it that people who believe obviously false doctrines always have to find some way to squirm their way into a way to preserve their beliefs when they've been caught in an obvious error?

There wasn't anyway that you were saying anything as obvious as that God created every ontological thing in Heaven and Earth. Such a comment wouldn't have fit in the context of the discussion which was about your ridiculous and openly self-proclaimed belief in panentheism which goes well beyond anything the bible teaches in Colossians or anywhere else.

Um, "I" said this. You are a parrot, Clete. Learn to actually think. I double-dare you. You simply don't have the intelligence. I'll take Judge Rightly at this point. He at least has a brain for this. All the pos rep 'attaboys' in the world are NOT signs of intelligence, in fact just the opposite: brainwashing and flocking mentality.
You are flatly a liar, Lon.

The whole conversation is still right here for the whole world to read. I responded directly to your own words in the explicit context in which they were stated.

Wrong. It is 'why' I disdain your cognitive ability. You simply play off of brainwashed canards, yourself.
No, it was a lie and so was this. You flatly know better than to think that I cannot defend what I believe. I've been doing it for decades right here on TOL. I wasn't even hardly trying and I've sent you into hysterics here. You literally lose your grip before making it through two iterations of someone challenging you to defend your lunatic pseudo-christian doctrines.

The reality is that you're no different than any other typical "pastor" or "preacher" or whatever it is you call yourself. You're emotional and are deeply emotionally entrenched and cannot afford to seriously consider anything other than what you've been taught to teach others. You wouldn't know where to start if it ever occurred to you to do a objective critique of your current beliefs and when someone shows up who isn't going to let you off the hook unless and until you prove your claims, your response is to shut down and find any reason you can to dismiss, belittle and "disdain" your opponent's "cognitive ability".

What a joke you are.

Posturing, absurdly, as ever. You are NOBODY to ever assert anything.
You're projecting. The only one posturing here is you. My statements were not only true but were stated without undo emotion and were directly responsive to your claims. I have, in fact, debated DOZENS of Calvinist and your claims do not fit with my decades of direct first hand experience. Calvinists DO NOT believe that God is capable of any sort of change whatsoever - period. The incarnation does NOTHING to persuade them otherwise. If you think you've found otherwise, then you are either lying about it or you aren't looking hard enough.

You just don't think that well. In fact, I have to call any open theist on the table for giving pos reps, for their ability to reason, at this point (Sorry, RD, you are in fact, most of the time, better than this).
Then prove me wrong, Lon!

That's all you have to do! Just make an argument that shows that we've got it wrong! Just one argument! Can you make even one single argument that demonstrates the stupidity of all Open Theists?

NOPE!

Not only can you not make any such argument, you won't even make any attempt to do so.
"Same yesterday, today, and forever. "YOU need to work on this better. You just aren't thinking beyond Open assumptions.
That's my line!

You are basically claiming that I have paradigm blindness here. The problem for you is that I used to be within YOUR paradigm and I know why, precisely why, my paradigm is superior to yours. Not only that but am ready, willing and able to debate exactly that!

Further, they aren't assumptions! That's just the exact point here! It's your doctrines that are based on assumptions. Assumptions, most especially, about who God is, by the way.

Hebrews 13:8 simply does not say anything about either God being immutable or existence outside of time. If you think otherwise, there is something other than the verse itself that is coloring your understanding. That something else is your doctrine, which, in large measure, you believe, not because the bible actually teaches it but because your teacher taught you to believe it. You then bring that doctrine to the reading of scripture in an a-priori fashion and somehow think that your doing so counts as some sort of refutation of Open Theism.

They will ALWAYS keep you from thinking well, as you cling to them without critical ability.
Prove it, Lon!

If I'm so stupid; if I'm so deluted; if I'm so laughably, disdainably wrong headed, then show us all where my error is!

Which "assumption" do I have wrong and why?

YOU WILL NOT ANSWER THAT QUESTION NO MATTER WHO ASKS YOU OR HOW MANY TIMES YOU'RE ASKED!

If someone asked me, or any other Open Theist, a question like that, we would instantly dive into the deepest theological water anyone wanted to swim in. Open theists desire nothing more than to not only prove what we believe but to disprove those who have it wrong.

You are simply posturing, as you ever do, Clete.
Liar. This is just so transparently a lie. You KNEW that this was false when you typed it.

It isn't posturing, its the truth! The bible does not say ANYTHING about God being immutable nor about Him existing outside of time. In fact, the biblical evidence consistently and unanimously shows God's existence in time!

It has nothing to do with posturing. I can't even understand what you could mean by calling it posturing. What's "posturing" about making the claim that the bible does not teach that God is immutable? That's a perfectly clear statement that is entirely consistent with what I've believed and argued on this website for something close to twenty years.

It is NOT a sign of intelligence. It is a sign of indoctrination and an inability to actually think critically.
Well then it should be easy for you to demonstrate the error I've made.

Show me, Lon! If you can!

You won't even try.
It is 2 dimensional and short of actual dialogue.
Another lie. My statements were and have consistently been in direct response to what you yourself said. It's all right there as clear as day for the entire world to read.

I never see you as actually being 'able' to address pertinent discussion.
Your pants are surely on fire, Lon!

And yes, I intend to point out every single time when you've stated an intentional lie. You are the one being unresponsive - more than a week after I actually wrote the post to boot.
The only reason you get reps is simply because you are versed, 2 dimensionally, in Open doctrine.
No, that isn't the only reason and I am versed in much more than just Open doctrine. I didn't grow up as a Open Theist and I've defended Open Theism against people that make you look like a thumb sucking retard and have had very long term substantive exchanges that you wouldn't be capable of on your best day.

Maybe no other Open Theist is capable of seeing it, that give you pos-rep, but honestly? There are millions of us who are not Open and we think very well, thank you.
Well, then if we're so dumb then it should be a simple matter for you to win at least one debate against an open theist, right?!

I volunteer! I'll suspend your being put on ignore long enough for you to accept or reject my offer to debate you on ANY topic related to Open Theism that you choose. By your own standard, I should be your ideal opposition. My cognitive abilities are apparently so poor as to be rightly disdained, right? So let's just see! You pick whatever aspect of Open Theism you want and then proceed to show the world just how stupid I actually am!

You wouldn't do it for all the tea in China!
Er, no. Nice try, as it is for every Open Theist conference assertion. It is, again, a tired canard to the rest of us.
Really?! Are you sure?

This is perhaps a little posturing here on your part I think!

If its nothing more than a "tired canard" then why don't you EVER do something more substantive than calling it names? If there's nothing to the claim then why don't you show us all what the real history of these doctrines is?

The fact is that there is exactly ZERO historical evidence of ANY Christian doctrine resembling immutability, timelessness or any other Calvinistic distinctive doctrine prior to the writings of Augustine of Hippo who stated in his own writings that he rejected his mother's faith (Christianity) because it taught that God could change His mind and he refused to become a Christian until his mother's bishop, Bishop Ambrose, explained to him that the bible was to be interpreted in the light of the classics. Augustine would later state that God and His word are “everywhere implied” in the writings of the Platonists.

In short, there is a very clear and direct historical line drawn from Plato to Augustine to Calvin (not to mention much of Catholicism). Call it a canard if you like but to deny that this history exists is either ignorance or an intentional lie.

Open Theism is barely a pip concerning Christian theology.
Appeal to popularity fallacy.

It is outright rejected for very good 'intelligent' reasons.
Saying it doesn't make it so, Lon.

"Good "intelligent" reasons"?

Like what, Lon?

Can you show me just one of these "good "intelligent" reasons"?

NOPE! You can't and won't even try to make one up.
You can 'assert' all you like, but you Open Theists really have to learn to think beyond the small-attended conferences and back-pats.
You are the one making assertions, Lon. I'm the one here practically begging you to show the world how stupid I must surely be by presenting an actual argument that shows how dumb the whole Open Theist world is.

Perhaps God predestined that you'll never do it.
It rings 'cultish' and myopic, rather than intelligent dialogue and thinking.
Oh! Another lie.
There isn't anything about Open Theism that is the least bit cultish. Cults never want you to question any of their doctrines. Open Theism is practically defined by the desire for people to question, debate, prove and establish anything and everything that they say. This website was created by an open theist, it is owned by and run by open theists and it's explicit purpose for existing is to debate any doctrine in general and Open Theism in particular.

I'm being bolder here, but you guys really need to hear what I'm hearing from the rest of Christianity:
As if you have a bead on "the rest of Christianity" and as if we'd care even if you did!

They don't even care enough to correct you, they've told me often to leave this forum and leave you to your own devices specifically because of the purposeful delusion and inability to see what the rest of Christianity is trying to tell you.
If right doctrine was a matter of popular opinion then we'd all be Catholic! How many Catholics (or any other sect of Christianity for that matter) care to correct the Christian lunatics that believe in panentheism, Lon?

Has any of your clearly vast Christian contacts that spread like so many tree roots deep into the Christian psyche ever give you any actual arguments against Open Theism? Maybe you could ask the whole of Christianity for a good argument to present against this posturing, cognitively impaired, open theist imbecile.

I'll not likely get any 'pos reps' for this, but I don't care about that.
If you didn't care, you'd wouldn't have mentioned it. I suspect kudos from those around you is the driving force of your life. It's what gets you out of bed in the morning.

I care, at least once in awhile, that you guys think this badly!
This is getting rather repetitive but its worth it....

If we're such bad thinkers then why not prove it, Lon! Make ANY argument you want to make! That's what we're all here for! That's why TOL exists! Make an argument, Lon! I dare you!

You WILL NOT do it because you CAN NOT do it. The fact is that you are everything you've claimed me to be and you're a liar to to boot.

Clete
 
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Clete

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Judge Rightly is more than capable of responding here and I look forward to his own response but I just cannot resist posting a response of my own here...

Where is your starting point to assert this?
Starting point for what, man?

I think his name was Adam. Ever heard of him?

If man comes from and is sustained by God, how then can you assert that something that came from God, in the first place, is not part of His being and nature in the first place? Did God NOT make man in His own image?
Well, like JR said, this is called moving the goal post. Your logic here would suggest that a piece of art exists before the artist does his creative work. So, for example, "Starry Night over the Rhone", existed before Van Gogh painted it. In fact, by your logic, that painting existed before Van Gogh because Van Gogh was a man and as such he existed in his ancestors. This logic doesn't stop there either because before his oldest ancestor (Adam) was created he existed in God and God has always existed, therefore "Starry Night Over the Rhone" has always existed.

The reality is the "Starry Night Over the Rhone" has not always existed. It was created by Vincent Van Gogh in 1888. By the same token, man has not always existed. Mankind started when God created Adam some 6000 years ago.

I'm trying to get you to go well beyond other's two-dimensional inability: WHERE did man's nature come from in the first place, JR?
Man has two natures. Originally, as you say, man's nature came from his creator. He was created innocent but also personal, relational, righteous, loving and just but also mortal (i.e. otherwise there's no need for a Tree of Life), thus his nature was analogous with but not identical to God's nature. It wasn't long (probably about a week) before that good nature was then altered by man himself when Adam rebelled against his Creator and imposed a sin nature upon himself that did not previously exist and that God was not in any way responsible for, as your panentheism would logically imply.

More to the point, your question implies that because something came from something or someone else that the thing pre-existed its own creation. This might could be true as a sort of figure of speech where the intent is to be saying something about the creator of a thing by looking at the creation but it certainly is not true in any sort of ontological way and it is this equivocation of a created thing with its creator that produces your goal post moving error. A creation certainly says something about its creator and vise versa but the two are not therefore the same thing. The idea of, or even the potential for thing is not the thing itself.

No it isn't. It is 'called' not being 2-dimensional and hasty: "Where did the 'nature' of man come from RD?"
Yes, it is, Lon.

You posit that man has always existed, ignoring the fact that mankind started with the creation of Adam. Then when someone brings up Adam, you change the subject to whatever it was in God prior to His creative act (or something along those lines). That's text book goal post movement whether you want to acknowledge it or not.

The recommends, I read, but you also have to think beyond the conferences 'if' you are to carry on a meaningful conversation with the rest of us who are not Open Theists.
Here Lon is suggesting that we have to accept his premises in order to have a meaningful conversation with the rest of Christianity. Arrogance beyond belief!

This a page right out the left's playbook where they won't discuss anything unless they get to set the premise. When their premise isn't accepted then it's their opposition that is being dishonest and their tactic turns to shutting down discourse rather than engaging debate. It never enters their mind that questioning the veracity of their premise is the whole point of having the conversation in the first place.

Often, when you stay only in your 'own' circles, your reasoning becomes truncated within the community. Imho, Open Theism is nowhere big enough to house rational discussion of all scriptures. There simply are not enough minds in the small sect.
First of all this is a direct appeal to popularity. If the truth was determined by the number of people who believe it then we'd all be Catholics, Lon. Catholics have all the combined flavors of Protestantism out numbered by at least two to one. In fact, more than half of all the people in the world who profess to be Christian are Catholic.

And what does the number of people have to do with the ability to have rational discussions about the scriptures? At one point there was one single human being that accepted Jesus as Israel's Messiah. Was he (or she) incapable of having rational discussions about the scriptures with those around him? If you leave Jesus' parents aside, maybe is was James, the Lord's brother who was the first to believe or maybe it was John the Baptist when he leaped for joy in his own mother's womb at the approach of Mary. God only knows but it doesn't matter. The point is that there was a first and then there were twelve and then there were hundreds and then thousands and then millions and now there are billions of people who profess Christ. At what point did that group of believers become qualified by Lon's standard to discuss the scriptures in a rational manner?

Further, if we are so incapable of being rational then why don't you prove it. Make an argument that demonstrates the irrational nature of Open Theism. Show the world how feeble minded any believer in open theism must be by demonstrating your own mental prowess in the form of an iron clad irrefutable rational proof that the future both for God and man is totally settled and was set permanently in place by God Himself.

The fact is that anyone who has two logical cells residing anywhere within their brain will instantly detect why that cannot be true and the only alternative to that belief is one form or another of.....


- wait for it -


Open Theism!

Clete
 
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JudgeRightly

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Where is your starting point to assert this?

Scripture.

If man comes from and is sustained by God,

God created man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him.

The only man that came from God was the Man, Jesus Christ.


EDIT: As for the second half of that phrase, you'll have to define what you mean by "sustained," since as far as I can tell, "sustained" is something you do AFTER you make something, not before...

In addition, God is the only necessary being. As Clete mentioned in the post above this one regarding Starry Night by Van Gogh, saying that something exists prior to its maker making it would eventually lead back to Adam existing prior to God making Adam, which would tie man into the nature and essence of God, making man a necessary being, which is not only false, but blasphemy!



how then can you assert that something that came from God, in the first place, is not part of His being and nature in the first place?

Supra.

Did God NOT make man in His own image?

God created an image (a torso, two arms, two legs, a head, etc...) for His Son to indwell, and then made man in that image.

That image did not exist prior to God creating it, whenever that was.

I'm trying to get you to go well beyond other's two-dimensional inability:

Insulting other people without cause will earn you an infraction. Judge, rightly.

WHERE did man's nature come from in the first place, JR?

God created it.

No it isn't.

Uh, yeah, what marke did EXACTLY WAS moving the goalposts. He claimed that God was always a man, which is heresy, and when I called him out on it, he said exactly the following:


It is true that God took upon Himself the body of a man when Jesus was born of a woman. But Jesus' beginning was not in the manger. Jesus has always existed because Jesus is God,



It is 'called' not being 2-dimensional and hasty: "Where did the 'nature' of man come from

Supra.


I'm not RD. Please pay attention.

The recommends, I read,

Good for you.

but you also have to think beyond the conferences 'if' you are to carry on a meaningful conversation with the rest of us who are not Open Theists.

So make the argument.

Often, when you stay only in your 'own' circles, your reasoning becomes truncated within the community. Imho, Open Theism is nowhere big enough to house rational discussion of all scriptures. There simply are not enough minds in the small sect.

Appeal to popularity fallacy.

Clete's right, you're all bark and no bite. MAKE. THE. ARGUMENT, and quit posturing.
 
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ttruscott

Well-known member
My problem with GOD knowing everything that can be known before HE created anything is from
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

All HE had to do to keep hell empty so HE could fulfill HIS desire that no one perish was to not create those whom HE knew would never repent!!! Not only that but Perfect Love could never create someone in HIS image knowing their inevitable end in hell when to save them from that all HE had to do was to NOT create them at all.

If HE was omniscient as currently defined, there can be no hell nor any reason to talk or warn of hell.
In 12 pages of argument, no one has even mentioned this interpretation of GODly reality let alone discussed it....

The current definition of omniscience is from the pagan Greeks brought to the church by the Fathers: GOD knows everything that can be know from eternity past to eternity future. This implies that HE knew who would end in hell yet created them anyway just to end as damned against such verses as 2 Peter 3:9 and Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: 'As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. when we know HE does all things for HIS pleasure.
 

JudgeRightly

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Well, then if we're so dumb then it should be a simple matter for you to win at least one debate against an open theist, right?!

I volunteer! I'll suspend your being put on ignore long enough for you to accept or reject my offer to debate you on ANY topic related to Open Theism that you choose. By your own standard, I should be your ideal opposition. My cognitive abilities are apparently so poor as to be rightly disdained, right? So let's just see! You pick whatever aspect of Open Theism you want and then proceed to show the world just how stupid I actually am!

Do I smell a Battle Royale XV brewing? I volunteer as a referee!

You wouldn't do it

Aw....

for all the tea in China!

That's a lot of tea...
 
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Lon

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Scripture.



God created man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him.

The only man that came from God was the Man, Jesus Christ.
Er, no, else you mean 'the Father is separate from Jesus Christ. Shore up your theology, please.

EDIT: As for the second half of that phrase, you'll have to define what you mean by "sustained," since as far as I can tell, "sustained" is something you do AFTER you make something, not before...

In addition, God is the only necessary being. As Clete mentioned in the post above this one regarding Starry Night by Van Gogh, saying that something exists prior to its maker making it would eventually lead back to Adam existing prior to God making Adam, which would tie man into the nature and essence of God, making man a necessary being, which is not only false, but blasphemy!

Assertion. Save 'blasphemy' for another day, that isn't what I believe. Starry Night isn't sentient nor made in Van Gogh's image. See what I mean? Look to people that actually 'can' think out of a paper bag. I've no idea why superficial reasoning gets so many accolades. YOU can actually think and I expect it from you.
And as I showed, not good enough and shallow by comparison. YOU can think better than most and I expect it, because you actually can.
God created an image (a torso, two arms, two legs, a head, etc...) for His Son to indwell, and then made man in that image.
Again, shore up your theology: The Son is God. If you want "Father alone" you have to say exactly that. Genesis says "God created." Colossians 1 says the Lord Jesus Christ did. Hebrews intimates the Father created through the son, all this is why we are specifically triune.
That image did not exist prior to God creating it, whenever that was.
Er, I'll say it again: think past poor illustration, Starry Night doesn't serve at all. You and I were, in fact, created 'in His image.' It means something. DON'T dismiss theology discussion because it is uncomfortable for Open Theism to address. Simply, with me, be honest with the scriptures and go exactly where they lead.
Insulting other people without cause will earn you an infraction. Judge, rightly.
Er, you are showing your partiality. 1) I've called his 'ability' on the carpet, not insulted him. 2) You are showing partiality by NOT grasping that. 3) I know you didn't like what I said, but it wasn't an insult. A 'two-dimensional inability' is NOT an insult, its a lack caused by indoctrination, for one thing. I'm beginning to wonder if I cannot reason with you logically without your emotions being involved. I know you love Clete. I appreciate it also. Let another mod step in whenever you get your emotions involved: I didn't insult him. 4) Hebrews and Paul often reminded their audiences to not stop with milk, and move on past simpleton theology. Would you REALLY give someone an infraction from assessing the same? I have no better examples and you would, by comparison be banning Paul and other disciples at that point. If so, I'd take the infraction in good company and believe my time on TOL is short.
God created it.
Yes. It came 'from' Him. He 'became' what was already made 'in His image.' You can try and address my connection, but you have to show why it isn't appropriate.
Uh, yeah, what marke did EXACTLY WAS moving the goalposts. He claimed that God was always a man, which is heresy, and when I called him out on it, he said exactly the following:


It is true that God took upon Himself the body of a man when Jesus was born of a woman. But Jesus' beginning was not in the manger. Jesus has always existed because Jesus is God,

Did you have a problem with the theology of his statement here? What specifically do you disagree with? He and I are trying to get you to think away from "Van Gogh" two-dimensional thinking, not because I'm making an inappropriate insult, because it is true. Starry Night is NOT in the image of Van Gogh. He actually did a couple of pictures of himself. It would become circular to try and say 'Van Gogh, becoming the picture of himself, that is ALREADY him, is something different than what it already is.' It is because it circular. What you can do: Discuss the fact that God has no flesh. He doesn't. We take it by faith that God created everything that never existed prior. However, lest we become two-dimensional: Where did it 'come' from? "God." Further, we know that all things are still 'sustained' by Him. Scripture tells us. It presents complex questions that two-dimensional thinking will never see or acknowledge. Sometimes it is because of inability. Sometimes it is because one doesn't want to think any further (like kids who never take higher mathematics). Whatever the reason: 'if' one does not go further in theology contemplation, they are stuck in 'basics.' Did the Father take over or are all things then and now, still sustained/maintained by Jesus Christ? 1 Colossians 1:15-20

Good for you.



So make the argument.
I have. You have to want to meet me halfway. Let's talk about Van Gogh (2 dimensional) and God making man in 'His own image' and then 'becoming that image' that He already is (at least asking intelligent questions instead of posturing in black and whites).
Appeal to popularity fallacy.

Clete's right, you're all bark and no bite. MAKE. THE. ARGUMENT, and quit posturing.
Not at all, the above is without substance at this point. I don't care what Clete thinks. He insults me, actually. I don't him. I simply assess him incapable. He doesn't like it so postures and I can do without it. I didn't say he was all bark and no bite, but all valuations come from a man's own character, not what he sees in the other man. It means he sees a bit of this in himself and cannot deliver. He commits to insult in a distinct pattern whenever I attempt to discuss anything with him. The best way to avoid this in the future is for me to continue to ignore and not hope there is ever going to be a change around, and for others not to mention him ▲like this▲ to me. You literally just passed on the insult because you wanted to ensure I got it :( (you could have posted some of his worse posturing, it all shows his own soul and mouth, thanks for at least sparing me that).
 
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Lon

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Do I smell a Battle Royale XV brewing? I volunteer as a referee!
It is done every day, there are plenty people in threads asking Open Theism to ante up on important questions and concerns. I've seen a small few move to Open Theism on here, but they were headed that way before they came. It means, literally, only an Open kind of mind is going to buy into Open Theism. You and I actually do better, it doesn't spin out to mindless banter and posturing. It started on his part with a foolish "you shouldn't be a pastor" comment that had every pretense of "I mean an Open Theist pastor" becomes evident because literally that is all he has been capable of arguing. He just cannot think theology outside of Open circles. Some OT's on here do and can, but they get a lot of grief on TOL for being odd-men-out Open Theists on TOL. When they discuss the problems of Open Theism, from within your own camp, it is an important conversation and NEEDS to be address more for content in most cases: They are issues other Open Theists are bringing to the table and seeing clearly as problematic, it means that even Open Theists are able to challenge Open Theism premises and Clete and I have had plenty enough conversations and debates. They always dwindle down to an absurd posture and assertion well before he can prove a point. He never has to date, to any wider-theological perspective. It is why I believed I needed to bring in what colleagues believe about Open assertions. They won't even discuss the premise of them (mostly because they are aware of the centuries of debate on these topics and have already hammered out their Biblical theology).
 

JudgeRightly

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Jesus:
I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” - John 16:28 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John16:28&version=NKJV

Lon: "er, no..."

Who's right?

else you mean 'the Father is separate from Jesus Christ. Shore up your theology, please.

You'll have to explain how you arrived at that conclusion, because I'm not seeing how you got from "Only Jesus, the Man, comes from God" to "the Father is separate from Jesus"

Assertion.

No, statement of fact.

God is the only necessary being.

Not man. Not man's creations. Not the universe that God created.

God alone existed, prior to Him creating.

That is fact. You can disagree with that fact, call it an assertion, whatever, but that does not change it from being a fact.

Save 'blasphemy' for another day, that isn't what I believe.

That is the natural conclusion of what you believe.

I'm simply pointing it out to you and warning you that that is where what you believe leads. THINK, Lon. I know you have a brain.

Starry Night isn't sentient nor made in Van Gogh's image.

No, but man is sentient and is made in God's image, which is the point Clete and I are trying to make to you.

See what I mean. Look to people that actually 'can' think out of a paper bag. I've no idea why superficial reasoning gets so many accolades. YOU can actually think and I expect it from you.

And as I showed, not good enough and shallow by comparison. YOU can think better than most and I expect it, because you actually can.

More posturing.

Try addressing the argument that was made.

Again, shore up your theology: The Son is God.

Duh.

If you want "Father alone"

I didn't. Hence why I said "God created an image . . . for His Son to indwell..."

Honestly Lon, please pay attention. Don't make the same mistake that anti-trinitarians make by asserting that when "God" is used it only refers to the Father.

you have to say exactly that.

I didn't say that. That was intentional.

Genesis says "God created." Colossians 1 says the Lord Jesus Christ did. Hebrews intimates the Father created through the son,

Duh.

all this is why we are specifically triune.

:yawn:

Er, I'll say it again: think past poor illustration, Starry Night doesn't serve at all. You and I were, in fact, created 'in His image.'

Yes, CREATED IN. not COMING FROM.

It means something. DON'T dismiss theology discussion

Where have I done so? The only one here who is dismissing theology discussion here so far is you, Lon.

because it is uncomfortable for Open Theism to address.

If it were so uncomfortable, then why are you the one having such a hard time addressing OUR arguments?

Simply, with me, be honest with the scriptures and go exactly where they lead.

Hypocrite.

Er, you are showing your partiality. 1) I've called his 'ability' on the carpet, not insulted him. 2) You are showing partiality by NOT grasping that. 3) I know you didn't like what I said, but it wasn't an insult. A 'two-dimensional inability' is NOT an insult, its a lack caused by indoctrination, for one thing.

If you had actually insulted him in such a manner, you would have received an infraction.

I simply warning you that you were getting awfully close to receiving said infraction.

I'm beginning to wonder if I cannot reason with you logically without your emotions being involved. I know you love Clete. I appreciate it also. Let another mod step in whenever you get your emotions involved:

:yawn:

I didn't insult him.

I never said you did.

4) Hebrews and Paul often reminded their audiences to not stop with milk, and move on past simpleton theology.

So why don't you heed their advice?

Would you REALLY give someone an infraction from assessing the same?

No, I would give someone an infraction if they break TOL rules, which is no namecalling (which includes insults) without cause.

I have no better examples and you would, by comparison be banning Paul and other disciples at that point.

No, we wouldn't.

If so, I'd take the infraction in good company and believe my time on TOL is short.

More posturing.

Yes. It came 'from' Him.

Only in the sense that God is the one who originally thought of it.

But man's nature DID NOT EXIST prior to God creating it, in ANY sense.

He 'became' what was already made 'in His image.'

Man was dirt, then God bestowed upon that dirt the image of God.

Alluding to what I said earlier, God made an image for his Son to indwell (the "image" being a head, torso, two arms and two legs, etc), and then God made man in (bestowed upon man) that image,

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. - Genesis 1:26-27 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis1:26-27&version=NKJV

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. - Genesis 2:7 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis2:7&version=NKJV

The image itself did not exist prior to God creating it. God did not have an image prior to Creation.

You can try and address my connection, but you have to show why it isn't appropriate.

What connection?

Did you have a problem with the theology of his statement here? What specifically do you disagree with?

What I have a problem with is 1) saying that Jesus was always a man (heresy), and 2) by trying to justify what he said by saying the following: "It is true that God took upon Himself the body of a man when Jesus was born of a woman. But Jesus' beginning was not in the manger. Jesus has always existed because Jesus is God," As if that somehow justifies 1.

He and I are trying to get you to think away from "Van Gogh" two-dimensional thinking,

I strongly doubt that that's what he was thinking.

not because I'm making an inappropriate insult, because it is true.

Saying it doesn't make it so.

Starry Night is NOT in the image of Van Gogh.

You're missing the point.

Van Gogh created Starry Night.
God created man.

Starry Night did not exist prior to Van Gogh painting it.
Man did not exist prior to God creating man.

What you can do: Discuss the fact that God has no flesh. He doesn't.

That's what we've been trying to get you to understand for the past who knows how many posts, Lon!

'Flesh" did not exist in God prior to God creating flesh.

Therefore panentheism is false.

We take it by faith

By this, do you mean "blind faith"?

Because while it is by faith, it's not as if there isn't any evidence for it...

that God created everything that never existed prior. However, lest we become two-dimensional: Where did it 'come' from? "God."

Duh.

But it's a non-sequitur (and straight up illogical) to then say that therefore "everything that never existed prior" existed "in God" for eternity past. It's akin to "having your cake and eating it too."

Either it existed or it did not exist. To say that it existed in God for eternity past is to make it necessary. That's heresy, as God is the only necessary being.

The only alternative (and only logical answer) is that it did NOT exist prior to God creating it, which renders panentheism false.

Further, we know that all things are still 'sustained' by Him. Scripture tells us.

1) You still have yet to explain what you mean by this. (This is the second time I'm asking.
2) Chapter verse for that claim, please.

It presents complex questions that two-dimensional thinking will never see or acknowledge. Sometimes it is because of inability. Sometimes it is because one doesn't want to think any further (like kids who never take higher mathematics). Whatever the reason: 'if' one does not go further in theology contemplation, they are stuck in 'basics.'

More posturing.

Did the Father take over or are all things then and now, still sustained/maintained by Jesus Christ? 1 Colossians 1:15-20

That passage does not mention "sustaining" OR "maintaining." all things, Lon.

Quit reading things into the text that aren't there.


No, Lon, you have not. The entire thread is still there for everyone to read.

You've made statements regarding open theism, and some arguments on other topics, here in this thread, but you have yet to make one argument against Open Theism proper.

You have to want to meet me halfway.

Hypocrite. We are meeting you halfway, and perhaps even further than that!

Let's talk about Van Gogh (2 dimensional) and God making man in 'His own image' and then 'becoming that image' that He already is

Still missing the point of the analogy Clete made, and it's turning into a straw man argument at this point. Read what I said above.

(at least asking intelligent questions instead of posturing in black and whites).

The only one posturing here is you, Lon.

Not at all, the above is without substance at this point. I don't care what Clete thinks. He insults me, actually. I don't him. I simply assess him incapable. He doesn't like it so postures and I can do without it. I didn't say he was all bark and no bite, but all valuations come from a man's own character, not what he sees in the other man. It means he sees a bit of this in himself and cannot deliver. He commits to insult in a distinct pattern whenever I attempt to discuss anything with him. The best way to avoid this in the future is for me to continue to ignore and not hope there is ever going to be a change around, and for others not to mention him ▲like this▲ to me. You literally just passed on the insult because you wanted to ensure I got it :( (you could have posted some of his worse posturing, it all shows his own soul and mouth, thanks for at least sparing me that).

Like I said:

All bark and no bite.
 
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JudgeRightly

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It is done every day,

For example?

there are plenty people in threads asking Open Theism to ante up on important questions and concerns.

Such as?

I've seen a small few move to Open Theism on here, but they were headed that way before they came. It means, literally, only an Open kind of mind is going to buy into Open Theism. You and I actually do better, it doesn't spin out to mindless banter and posturing. It started on his part with a foolish "you shouldn't be a pastor" comment

Which was because you can't differentiate between right and wrong, as you so clearly demonstrated, which is what he was responding to.

that had every pretense of "I mean an Open Theist pastor" becomes evident because literally that is all he has been capable of arguing.

His statement that you should not be a pastor had nothing to do with open theism, and had everything to do with you not being able to tell right from wrong. It wasn't posturing. It was a rational response.

He just cannot think theology outside of Open circles.

Because you say so?

Some OT's on here do and can, but they get a lot of grief on TOL for being odd-men-out Open Theists on TOL.

Namely?

When they discuss the problems of Open Theism,

Problems such as....???

Are those supposed "problems" so because they are inconsistent with YOUR theology, or because they are internally inconsistent? Prove it!

from within your own camp, it is an important conversation and NEEDS to be address more for content in most cases: They are issues other Open Theists are bringing to the table and seeing clearly as problematic,

For example?

it means that even Open Theists are able to challenge Open Theism premises

Yet you won't (can't?) do the same.

and Clete and I have had plenty enough conversations and debates. They always dwindle down to an absurd posture and assertion well before he can prove a point. He never has to date, to any wider-theological perspective. It is why I believed I needed to bring in what colleagues believe about Open assertions. They won't even discuss the premise of them

Neither will you, apparently.

(mostly because they are aware of the centuries of debate on these topics and have already hammered out their Biblical theology).

Appeal to tradition.
 

Clete

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Silver Subscriber
Er, no, else you mean 'the Father is separate from Jesus Christ. Shore up your theology, please.
What are you talking about?

Jesus was not the Father, He was sent by the Father!

John 3:13; 3:17; 7:3, Galatians 4:4, I Corinthians 8:6; 11:3, I John 4:9, Revelation 3:14

John 16: 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.
29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.

Assertion. Save 'blasphemy' for another day, that isn't what I believe. Starry Night isn't sentient nor made in Van Gogh's image. See what I mean? Look to people that actually 'can' think out of a paper bag. I've no idea why superficial reasoning gets so many accolades. YOU can actually think and I expect it from you.
Move the goal post much?

The nature of the creation is not relevant. The creature does not precede it's own creation, whether it's sentient and/or was made in it's creator's image or not.

And my so called "superficial thinking" was only in direct response to you own words, Lon. I cannot read your mind. I read what you type and respond to it directly. If there has been a misunderstanding, it isn't my reading comprehension that is the problem. I can't help it if you're too lazy to write what you actually mean. What you said was the you believe that God was always a man. I didn't put those words in your mouth! That's what you flatly stated and you know it. You can blow off my response as "superficial" if that makes you feel better but at the end of the day, your stated belief that God was always a man is not only asinine (i.e. stupidity), its heresy of the highest order if not outright blasphemy.

Clete
 

JudgeRightly

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What you said was the you believe that God was always a man. I didn't put those words in your mouth! That's what you flatly stated and you know it. You can blow off my response as "superficial" if that makes you feel better but at the end of the day, your stated belief that God was always a man is not only asinine (i.e. stupidity), its heresy of the highest order if not outright blasphemy.

Clete

Marke was the one who stated it originally, but I'm starting to wonder if Lon believes it too...
 

Clete

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Marke was the one who stated it originally, but I'm starting to wonder if Lon believes it too...
I'm not surprised. I get them all mixed up. I can't keep up with which wacko said which wacky thing.

The point is that it's not like I'm making stuff up off the top of my head. I quote a post and respond to what was says. If I make a mistake, all anyone has to do is point it out and I correct the error and move on. And it makes no difference what sort of error, either. Spelling errors and other kinds of typos are common in my posts because I don't have the time to proof read as well as I should and it seems those are the only errors anyone is willing to point out. Any substantive error that anyone thinks I've made is meet with little more than "you're thinking is too shallow and two dimensional" or "you're posturing" or just "No.", but never anything of any substance that actually demonstrates that what I've said is wrong. No one ever challenges my premises or the veracity of the logic that is based on those premises - ever! I can't remember the last time anyone did anything as interesting as simply asking me to explain something in more detail, never mind challeng me to establish the truth of one of my core beliefs.

Clete
 
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