labelle@hplabsc.UUCP (WB6YZZ Labelle) (04/26/84)
1) Why does God have a son and no daughter? Who's really the mother?
2) If God4 really loves us, why did he create us with inherant weak-
nesses then put us in a life-death test instead of just having us born
into heavan?
pmd@cbscc.UUCP (Paul Dubuc) (05/02/84)
More questions: > 1) Why does God have a son and no daughter? Who's really the mother? I think it's safe to say that there is no answer for this question in Christian theology. It is just a recognized fact that Jesus was God's Son. (At least, that is what he claimed to be. Not all theologans believe it.) The question of why God did not also incarnate into a woman is not addressed as far as I know. It might even be irrelevant. God incarnated himself in Jesus for a purpose: The sacrifice of his Son for the redemption of all mankind. There is a question I have for you in response to this: Is there a problem you have with Jesus either not having been a woman, or not having had an incarnate sister? Would you fault God for not indulging in egalitarian symbolism? Considering the purpose for which he came, is there some way he has fallen short because he was a man? If you read the Gospels carefully you will notice that Jesus' most faithful followers were women, at least before the ressurection. Also, his way of recognizing the dignity of women was unheard of in his day. Who is really the mother? I can only give you the Scriptural answer: Mary. (At least, that is what English translation has called her.) Do you have some reason for suspecting that it was someone else? Who? > 2) If God really loves us, why did he create us with inherant weak- > nesses then put us in a life-death test instead of just having us born > into heavan? I hope my previous article in response to Steve's question has shed some light on this. The inherent weaknesses you may be thinking of might be rooted in having a will that doesn't always go along with God's. That's our privilege. Why do you assume everyone would want to go to heaven? Why should God assume that? God gives us our time here to let us make our decision. He gives us our life and then "lets us loose" to see if we come back to him, freely making ourselves his (those that are able to make that decision -- he knows who). Being in Heaven for eternity means living with God. Only those who really want that relationship with God (and, I think, those without the ability to make some sort of choice like young children or the severely retarded) go to Heaven. It isn't just a vacation resort; all for our pleasure. I think God expects to benefit by being in the presence of those who actively love him. We have our whole lifetime to express or dismiss that desire. -- Paul Dubuc ihnp4!cbscc!pmd "The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world..." (John 1:9)