As a hell-bound atheist, why did God create me?

God is not willing that ANY should perish 2 Peter 3:9 God did use some in a negative way to show His glory but not because He didn't have plans for them later. Read Revelation about the resurrection of all who ever lived and see how the Bible talks about a first resurrection and second resurrection, a firstfruit harvest and a great harvest. God is NOT trying to save the world now! He's allowing mankind to write a history of sin and all its consequences so that no one will ever wonder throughout all eternity if there's any other way to live but God's way. His hands are off this world except for occasional interventions. II Cor. 4:4 says Satan is the god of this world because God has allowed him to 'help' man see exactly where sin leads--once for all time. Who says God knows what you or I are going to do? He told Abraham "Now I know..." when Abraham obeyed God in the most difficult of circumstances. Gen 22:12 That tells me He DIDN'T KNOW before that. Also it says Christ 'learned'--how is that possible if He was God (which He was)? Hebrews 5:8 God wants all to be saved but in time, not now! There are billions of people who have died and will die never even hearing of Him, how could He hold them responsible for their actions? And if there is such a thing as Truth, then all those different religious factions can't be right, can they? God is not less logical or caring than you are! He isn't through with this world or those that have died--not by a long shot!

Hard telling - all we can do is speculate.

First - I don't think hell is eternal hellfire. I think you just get left behind - cause you didn't want to be with God.

That being said....I suppose if I were a mother - and my child had many problems - many struggles - many painful obstacles through life (as we all do) that I would not take back the decision to bring the child into the world.

Even if the child was seriously injured at some point - even if the child developed a serious sickness - even if the child were to end up seriously disabled - even if the child were to eventually die a horrible death - even if the child grew to be hooked on drugs and gave up a good life - even if the child one day committed suicide....etc etc

I cannot think of one horrible circumstance that could happen to my kid - or by my kid's own decisions that would make me withdraw the decision to let my kid have a chance to live life.

Even though I think that comparing our own thought process to God's is an absurd idea - this is my speculation - he gave us all free will. Some will believe - some will not. He did not create you individually. He created humans in the beginning and everyone has made their own decisions since. Your parents created you - not God. If God removed their decision to do so, he would have to remove the decisions of all people.

In the book of Jerimiah, and in one of Paul's letters you can read about "vessels fit for wrath" and "destruction". In Paul's letter it is in the middle voice which leads some scholars to translate it, "fit themselves for destruction". Just because God or anyone else for that matter knows something about you doesnt't mean you don't have free will. If I know that you're pissed off and half way to eternal torment righit now, that doesn't mean you didn't work yourself up into a lather all by yourself. We all have choices. Think about it, this God that has fitted some for mercy and some for glory is not a god that you're interested in knowing, right? So even if you were to be brought to the gates of heaven you wouldn't want anything to do with it. All this stuff about a God that says we don't have to go through life pissed off, if we just stop it and do what he says will never make sense to the damned. The question I have is if it's all a bunch of BS, why does it bother you so much? There are a lot of people who became christians because they were in the same frame of mind you're in. So repent or get off the pot. If it's BS, you're wasting your life bothering with these questions. It it isn't BS, then you might have a choice at eternal bliss or an eternity of running around pissed off and breaking stuff. Christians talk about hell like it's a bad thing, but if you like breaking stuff and spend most of your time being restless and discontent, then you'll be in hell 50 years before you even know your dead, and then you won't even care. If 90% of so called christians really understood what the bible says they would realize that they're destined for hell as well, but their spot in hell will be much worse than yours or mine.

>>I'm not saying that god caused it. I'm saying that he KNEW it would happen...and that he still chose to make me anyhow. Why? <<

Well you have not explained to me why you are going to hell. Just because you don't believe in Jesus, or God, that's not going to do it. If you are an alcoholic, drug abuser, womanizer, child abuser, (add your own preference) then its beginning to sound possible, maybe even probable.

But, it won't be forever. It will only be for as long as you continue those choices. Because "hell" is not about punishment, it's about choosing your companions. It cannot be otherwise. Heaven is simply having a great choice of companions, as hell is the opposite.

And yeah , there are atheists in heaven. Certainly some that do not believe in a PERSONAL god. Some are even very advanced. Its your choice.

God has created you to worship Him during this life so that you enjoy your hereafter. He has told you the right path. Now it is up to you to go to hell or paradise. This is your own choice. He doesn't want you to go to hell but if you want to go to hell then that's your choice and not His choice.

Just read a little bit of your own body anatomy and physiology then your will understand that there is definitely some power Who has developed this marvelous intricate systems of your body. How your brain is working, how your kidneys are working, how your liver is working and how those millions of chemical reactions happening every second in your body without any faults. And people like you are thinking that all these things just happened by chance? Wake up before it's too late and surrender yourself to the Almighty. The doors of repentance are always open.

It "ain't over til it's over" Gus. You are still alive and still questioning God and many have taken this same path to get to Him. I don't know you or your family background or the people around you; but God will use all kinds of things to reach us; sometimes maybe even non-believers. I know of children who have gotten saved BECAUSE they had awful unsaved parents and could see that God had something better for them; and then those same children eventually led their parents to the Lord. I think you seem nice on R&S and though we disagree; I like your "vibe" LOL and maybe you will eventually be saved but will be able to communicate with others who can only be reached by someone like you. If you do become a Christian; you will receive the Holy Spirit and lots of things will clear up for you from inside your spirit. Someday, you might be able to explain this transformation to someone who really needs to understand. But if you never see the TRUTH; God will still use your life in some good way for somebody, somewhere. We all have a purpose in God's plan.

Ultimately God created you to worship him. That is the only reason.

Regarding God knowing everything, I have a theory that he doesn't know how you will worship him. I base this upon Jesus being surprised when a Roman Soldier showed faith and asked Jesus to conduct a healing by simply giving the order. Why would Jesus be surprised if he knew? Since he was surprised, it shows not only didn't he know, but that the future changed because of it. In the same way, if you did go to church to worship God (as distinct from just going along to see what happens), then that would surprise God too, and just as importantly, the future would be changed.

God didn't make you because you are going to heaven or hell. It's true that this is an unavoidable result of your life and choices you make with the free will He gave you (particularly the choice of rejecting Jesus), but to think that he made you just because you would go to heaven, would be to misunderstand why God has made you. He created you for His glory. His judgment and justice, established through punishing the wicked and freeing the innocent through faith is that justice.

You cannot have free will without free will. Free will requires choice of good and bad, with good and bad consequences. Whether you go to heaven or hell gives Him glory all the same. The choice is yours where you will be going. Why would God make you if He knew you were going to hell? Why would God make someone if He knew they were going to heaven? Why would God make anything, since He is perfect in and of Himself, in need of nothing?

Jesus died for your sins, and offers you eternal life through faith in Him Who died for you should you choose to no longer reject it.

The amazing thing is that even though God made you with the foreknowledge that you would choose hell, and go to hell, you still chose it and will be going there because of that choice. God's foreknowledge of your end is simply the case because He is all knowing. If you think that God wouldn't make you because you will choose unwisely... you are wrong. He did not make you choose what you choose. You do that all on your own.

Hey Gus,

The Calvinist Christian would say yeah God knew exactly what He was doing and since He's the Supreme Being who created th universe He can do what he wants with it. I suspect the Calvinist would point you to Romans 9

"On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles."

so if you a vessel prepared for wrath, thats just how God made the universe.

I don't particularly subscribe to that view due to this passage: Romans 8:29-30

"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."

God knows our choices before we make them does this mean that God caused us to choose the way we did? No, God's foreknowledge is only cognitive not causative.

Therefore, God knew when He created you that you'd either follow Him or not, but the choice was yours all along. God did everything from His side to give you the opportunity to believe, but if you reject that, then that doesn't mean God isn't all loving because you are going to hell. You are the reason you are going to hell.

He didnt make you an athiest, he created you to love him and to advance the kingdom of god. And that was his plan. God will not stop you from anything. His PLAN was for you to love him. You just didnt follow his plan. But it says in the bible that he doesnt stop anyone from sinnigs and he doesnt change anything unless you ask him to.

Its not too late and you are NOT hell bound. He loves you and all you have to do is accept him into your heart and ask him to forgive your sins.

Hope i helped.