Do you think Christianity is sometimes illogical? Do you just have questions about Christian philosophy or the Bible? Do you reject God and the Bible because there are so many things in the world that don’t seem to be compatible with what you think God is or should be? Perhaps this is the place for you.
The basic premise of “If I Were God” is fairly simple. Below I will explain how I hope this will work and some of the “rules” that will apply.
How It Works
I hope to structure this adventure like a choose your own adventure book. Basically, we start discussing items about God, Christianity, or the Bible and at the end of the article or premise you will be given 2 or more choices which will lead to further discussions etc on that idea. This will continue until the discussion is exhausted or links to other discussions. I strongly encourage comments and discussion from all points of view. We all need to challenge each other and we need as much discussion on this matter as we possibly can get.
How The Game Begins
Please finish reading this entire section before you get upset! To make this game work at all we need to know where we are starting from. The first thing we will do is establish the basic characteristics of God and man, and the goals of God, according to the Bible. Now I know some of you are immediately think “I don’t accept that the Bible is true.” Don’t worry, this discussion doesn’t require that we all assume the Bible is true. However, if we are discussing whether God and Christianity is reasonable or not, we need to know what the Christian God is and what Christianity is, and the Bible is the source of authority on that. Let me try to put this in perspective using another example.
Lets say we are discussing a hot topic like speed limits. 🙂 If the question is “What is the speed limit on a state highway in Ohio?”, then the Ohio revised code is the authoritative source for the answer to the question. If the question is “Does it make sense to have a 55 mph speed limit on Ohio state highways?”, then the Ohio revised code isn’t authoritative at all. In other words, if someone said “the speed limit is 55 mph because Ohio law says so”, that would be a true and acceptable statement. However, if someone says “the best speed limit for Ohio is 55 mph because Ohio law says so”, that would not be true or acceptable.
Our discussion here is similar. To discuss God and Christianity, we first need to establish what that is and the Bible is the authoritative source on that subject. However, when we start to discuss whether that is reasonable or not, or how it works or does not work in the world around us, no one will be allowed to say “this is true because the Bible says so”. I hope that all makes sense.
The Rules Of The Game
We will be respectful of each other. I absolutely will not tolerate, from anyone, whether Christian or Atheist, any form of disrespect or derogatory comments. I hope as we progress on this journey we will all learn a lot from each other and become good friends, regardless of our point of view. I expect disagreement, but I expect it to be done with tact, maturity, and respect. Anything that is not, will be deleted from the site. I may or may not give you the chance to rewrite your post and a multiple offender will simply be banned permanently. Below are examples of what I do, and do not expect.
- Unacceptable: “There is no way that is true and anyone who believes that is an idiot”
- Better, but not good: “There is no way that is true, and this is why.”
- Best: “You could be correct, but I personally disagree because…”
I am in control of the site setup and the content on it. I may take a comment and make it a post to start another thread. I may link different post and comments. To make the site work, someone needs to be in control and that will be me. However, your suggestions will always be considered and welcomed. I also may take things on and off the site as I see necessary. I won’t do this because your argument is too good or irrefutable, but I may do this because it is poorly written, is not within the scope of this game, or you have broken one of the rules etc. Sometimes I may ask you to rewrite it, sometimes not.
Suggestions For Reading
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As this sites grows and develops I hope there are a lot of paths and winding trails of questions, thoughts and suggestions. That means it will be impossible to navigate through it in a single sitting. Sometimes you will want to come back to the last place you were to continue the trail from there. I strongly suggest when you stop reading you make the page you are on a favorite so you can quickly go back to it.
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Again – make comments and ask questions. It is the only way this site will be useful. Be a good participant in an active community of people who want to learn and grow and understand.