Why did it take the Abrahamic God so long to reveal His plan for mankind?

Christians claim that in that 3,700 years, God never worked out how to deliver his full message to mankind.

That is not true. I don’t claim that at all.
I will flat out state that God will reveal His plan in His time, and who are we to question His knowledge?

Because the whole thing was made up by bronze age primitives and cobbled and plagiarised together over millennia?

Why assume that he wants anyone to know his plans?

You realize that you are talking about the creator of time right?

If a person from an advanced civilization were to visit Earth, they would be looked upon as being God’s.
I ponder about that statement.
One theory is that there will be a New World Order set about by these beings.
Check out these theories at the following website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)
Which is one possible explaination to your question about revealing Gods plan.

God is not an advanced being from another civilization. He is God. No advanced creatures could do the wonders He did.
Here we are, 2000 years after Christ, and we still can’t match His miracles with our science. Can we change water into wine? Can we instantly create huge amounts of fish and bread? Do we know what thoughts are in the minds of others?
The lack of respect just amazes me.

@filmfann
Just referring one to other possibilities ( websites) as we are all free to speculate on ALL possibilities.
And that is respectfull.

@filmfann
Just ignoring the fact that probably none of these actually happened, here is what an advanced alien race could do to replicate these with ease:
-replicators
-replicators
-remote brain scanners and realtime decoding with quantum computers.

Hell, Picard from the Enterprise could have done all these things, just by saying “make it so”.

I agree the most with @glacial. There is the assumption that the “God” wants us to know “his plan.” But I also want expand and kick around some other theories. These are just half formed ideas mind you. So they are flawed.

Well he did eventually lay it out as such as it is now so he must want us to know it, right?

Well considering the Bible was cobbled together by men and series of “conventions” it is just an assumption.

I like Joseph Campbell’s take on religion. Religion/myths were created to fill a spiritual need inside of us. There are many key components that materialize in a variety of religions. The key to their success lies in their ability to adapt with society and science.
So in order for Christianity to maintain its relevancy it will have to continue to adapt. Or to use the corollary for believer’s God will have to continue to reveal his plan. Because in his omnipotence he knows the right time. Our collective knowledge has grown and we are capable of moving on to the next step.

However that means in transition a good many believer’s will be lost because of their refusal to accept the new path.

Actually I remember hearing of the traditional Jew (not sure of the correct term but no offense intended) who still only believe in the first 5 books of the Bible. Pentauchs comes to mind but still sounds incorrect to me. Conversely I have talked to people who only observe the New Testament viewing Jesus’ coming as a new path and the rest just a history lesson. Then there are the few that believe in the literal interpretation of whole Bible. My family.

Actually there is a a nice parallel to the Constitution of America. People who I think rightly believe in the wisdom of the founders of the Declaration of Independance. Who saw America as a social experiment that would need to evolve with society. That the spirit of independence be observed and those held in forefront but the details changing. And those who believe for whatever reason in strict interpretation.

Isn’t religion the first form of government?

Thanks for the question @ETpro made me think today.

Because we’re slow learners. Today’s gospel was “Love one another”. Most people who’ve heard that still don’t get it, and that’s from 2,000 years ago and not too difficult a concept.

Dementia¿

“God is not an advanced being from another civilization. He is God. No advanced creatures could do the wonders He did.”

@filmfann, you seem amazingly sure of what you believe, to which I (and Shakespeare (who himself may have been a fabrication) respectfully reply:

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

@zenvelo Succinct and funny yet true.

I don’t know, but I must say I am jealous of how much free time you have if you can spend so long writing rhetorical questions…

There are some questions with no answer. Don’t believe anything you hear.

@ragingloli For someone who claims to understand science, it is amusing to see you believe replication and transportation as you describe is possible.
Science Fiction is fun, but there is no chance we will ever be able to teleport things the way they do in Star Trek.

@filmfann Come now, surely you must see the irony in defending miracles against science fiction to a roomful of atheists.

It is true that many people here are atheists. I don’t see the irony, though, since Christians should not limit their views only to other Christians. I know I am not preaching to the choir, in fact I am not preaching at all. I do hope to encourage some to reexamine their views.

@filmfann I think you missed my point, but that’s ok.

@filmfann
We have already DONE teleportation.

I believe in higher power, not the “God” of the three Abrahamic religions, or any other religion for that matter. “God” is in your head, we are “God”. God is a mental construct of humanity (my personal belief). “God” has taken so long to reveal his message because we have not deemed ourselves ready to hear it.

@ragingloli, if they are going to teleport, entanglement is the way to do it, but I doubt they will ever be able to do it remotely.

The problem I have with believing in a god or alleged phenomenon exclusively based from a religious book is that you have to take the entire book literally, or the entire premise for your belief in god falls apart. To me you can’t cherry pick and say well I don’t think that verse came from god, or say _well I don’t believe that part of the Bible, Koran, etc but yet continue to use that same book for the foundation for your beliefs. I know of quite a few theists who’ve abandoned their religious beliefs, concept of a savior, eternal hell, etc.

Because, in Gawd terms, Jehovah has only been holding his ‘Just A Sec’ finger up for, well, just a sec.

I have a lot to say about this :/

Mock me if you will, disagree if you want, but I agree with @filmfann. Believe if you want that there is no evidence, I personally believe there is, what many fail to see and maybe just don’t want to see in a book that was written eons ago with scriptures that are actually happening today! How did they know these things would take place? That’s some pretty good guessing, if you ask me. Also, isn’t it ironic that the earth is the most perfect working planet in existence, and yet in the time of Christ there was no science they wouldn’t of known that, but yet it’s all told to us that it would be perfect if we had not ate from the tree of knowledge. And even more ironic knowledge is what is killing this “perfect” planet.

Some examples?

Let’s talk about elephants and how humans choose to parade them around in circus’ and zoos because we “love” them, and let them get abused to the point that they become enraged. Thomas edison electrocuted an “enraged” elephant as a show to prove how powerful electricity is, so the next time you turn on your lights, pay homage to the elephant who killed it’s trainer because she was fed a LIT CIGARETTE and couldn’t take the abuse anymore. Elephants actually play a part in the eco system they live in, but we will destroy that if we keep pulling them from their environment for our pleasure. Did you know in California it is legal to chain an elephant for 19 hrs a day? We are responsible for destroying many beautiful things, if I was the creator of all of this, ya sorry lessons are obviously hard for us humans to learn so they are a bitch.

Russia. Need I say more?

Our generation is the first generation to fulfill all the biblical signs.

@ETpro, I’m not really sure what you mean, but if it is what I think you mean, God walked and spoke with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening. Don’t you imagine he laid out his plan to them? I think he told them the story of creation and spelled it out in the stars and planets.

I was under the impression that we weren’t supposed to know of the Abrahamic god’s plans.

Of course we know God’s plan, @Seiryuu.

I find it physically impossible to comprehend that modern humans still worship gods.
So the only answer I will be able to give is to find out more about the authors of these books, and come to your own conclusion.

She detests spoilers.

@filmfann I wasn’t asking about what your personal beliefs are. I was asking about what the books each of the Abrahamic faiths set forth as belief systems.

In Christianity, that is clear. Galationas 4:3— “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Now supposedly, that is what the God version of El, Nee Elohim, Jehovah, Yahweh, God and Allah said about the matter. And 3,700 years of God’s revelations had preceded the Advent of Jesus.

@ragingloli Seems that’s the most logical answer I can find.

@glacial I don’t assume that. Don’t even believe it. But this question is dealing with what the major religious texts of the three great Abrahamic religions tell us.

@Judi No, I don’t. I’d heard from varying sources that the creator of time was Vishnu, Zeus, Odin, the GreatSpirit, Amun Ra, Quetzalcoatl, Baal, and nearly 1,000 other creator gods. Oh, and the Buddha said time is an illusion and there is no such thing, the Universe is eternal. Take your pick. They can’t possibly all be right because almost all of them claimed all other claimants were false gods whose claims were lies.

@Inspired_2write You think I’m an alien God poser working to bring a New World Order? Bwahahahaha! Claim what they like. They will never believe you. ~

@rosehips Well he did eventually lay it out as such as it is now so he must want us to know it, right? I could drag this out, but I’ll keep it reasonably succinct by sticking to the movements actually listed in the OP. Which of the ones should we believe. The one revealed by ultra-orthodox Jews, Hasidim, Reform Jews, Catholic Christians, Protestants, Greek Orthodox, Mormons, Christian Scientists, Sunni Muslims, Shiia Muslims, ... I could go on and on. Which revelation is the real story?

I like Joseph Campbell’s take on religion. Religion/myths were created to fill a spiritual need inside of us. I agree that religion filled a primitive need to explain what the prehistoric descendants of Abraham could not explain. Thinking it was all under control and that they could use burnt offerings to keep the deity in control on their side must have made it easier to get through the day and sleep at night. But I think all religions were also invented to give a priestly sect enormous power over the common people, and to allow them to live in luxury at the expense of the labors of others.

@zenvelo Not exactly. The same book that commands us to love one another also contains all the things we are told to stone one another for doing, hideous, abhorrent things like eating at Red Lobster, wearing Permapress clothes, and planting a flower garden with mixed seeds. It also heartily endorses slavery and bashing babies heads on stones. And despite all the arm waving about being under a new dispensation (meaning our omnipotent God got all those things wrong on first printing and needed to go into revisions) nobody has shown me the chapter and verse that sets aside Jesus’ words in Matt 5:17–18 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

@ucme Early onset? A reasonable guess. :-)

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room Well said. Thanks.

@KNOWITALL Funny? Yes. And I wish it were true to the texts in question. Unfortunately, as my response above to zenvelo demonstrates, it is not true. Would that it were. I’d have much less to contend with if that were the totality of the Word.

@bookish1 Great point. Life is teaching me I don’t have the time.

@tups I am going to take your advice. I just heard there are some questions with no answers. I am not going to believe that. :-)

@Mr_Paradox That may well be, but if it is, then we are still a long way form being ready deliver it, much less receive what we just told ourselves.

@Mr_Paradox Amen to that. Therein lies the problem with the Abrahamic religions.

@Blondesjon Yeah, and he would certainly have no concept of our perception of time. I mean how could a omniscient being who created us in his own image have any clue what we feel? :-)

Why always the last one of course unless it is given by a false god… lol….

Would it not be like going to school and having things slowly revealed except instead of years we are talking generations and centuries. When I was a child I thought like a child…. Society was also an infant.

The last one is the latest and most relevant patch. Unless it is malware be careful. : P

Science and every other field expands and is built upon religion must also evolve. The oldest things in the world have all had to religion is no different.

But seriously I seem to recall you are Christian. Seems like you have some doubts or questions regarding faith. Are you sure this is the place to come, filled with skeptics and nonbelievers?

As to revoking the old testament you could always look to dead sea scrolls. And no arguments about the monetary value and political power of religion.

Suppose that god’s plan is really something like:

“People, go do your own thing”

@ETpro Some of the most complex questions have simple answers though, that’s what I liked about it.
There are ten commandments and some Christians still can’t get those right, even when trying, trust me I’m fallible as well. :) Peace.

@nofurbelowsbatgirl That “evidence” is not even remotely close to scientific evidence. Wars and rumors of wars? Your source says they began after Jesus. BS. They have been going on since cave men strove for hunting grounds. There are actually fewer wars today than there were when raping and pillaging was the way to wealth back in the dark ages. I’m willing to be convinced, but not by obvious smoke and mirrors.

@bkcunningham Perhaps that happened, and perhaps it did not. But if it happened, it was millions of years after the first human walked the Earth. And in any case, this question isn’t about when God first launched into dictating his holy book, whichever of his books you think is really is. It’s about when he finished wringing, and how incredibly long it took.

@Seiryuu I meant God’s commandments for man. And if we aren’t supposed to know that, then God must be one incredibly fiendish deity. He’s saying you can’t know what I want for you, but if you don’t do exactly as I want, I will make you live eternally in the most hellish torture imaginable, and all because I love you?

@Crumpet That’s the sort of feeling that led me to ask.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Ha. Perhaps.

@rosehips I like your humorous take on it all.

@elbanditoroso If he’d have written that, it wouldn’t require a library full of books. But if God’s actually in control, that’s exactly what people are doing, so I guess if he’s what they claim, we must be fulfilling his plan.

@KNOWITALL Take the Torah, Bible, Koran or all that and what Joseph Smith added. There’s way more than 10 commandments, but you’re absolutely right, precious few can even hold to the 10 biggies.

My point is that God told them the entire story. He didn’t draw it out like a mini-series throughout the generations.

Are you thinking that you have to get to the Book of Revelation to know how the story ends?

@ETpro I never claimed it to be scientific proof. I just said there was no science in the time of christ.

“There are actually fewer wars today than there were when raping and pillaging was the way to wealth back in the dark ages.” You think there are fewer wars? Ok. I beg to differ. Everything nowadays is a war. Geez, bombing at the marathon, twin towers, shootings at schools, mass shootings in theaters..don’t mistake it just because we don’t have a specific country fighting against a country causing a world war 4 close to home doesn’t mean there are no wars going on. What I think you are failing to account for is that we as people are at war because as individual as many people are unfortunately those people are even turning and fighting for their own individual rights sometimes creating war where there once was peace. We are one huge disfunctional planet. Not to mention all the other countries who are actually in war all the time, seems like a lot to me.

@ETpro I never claimed it to be scientific proof. I just said there was no science in the time of christ.

“There are actually fewer wars today than there were when raping and pillaging was the way to wealth back in the dark ages.” You think there are fewer wars? Ok. I beg to differ. Everything nowadays is a war. Geez, bombing at the marathon, twin towers, shootings at schools, mass shootings in theaters..don’t mistake it just because we don’t have a specific country fighting against a country causing a world war 4 close to home doesn’t mean there are no wars going on. What I think you are failing to account for is that we as people are at war because as individual as many people are unfortunately those people are even turning and fighting for their own individual rights sometimes creating war where there once was peace. We are one huge disfunctional planet. Not to mention all the other countries who are actually in war all the time, seems like a lot to me.

War is about power. Right now there is a group on the internet called anonymous . Why, we can even consider this an internet war of sorts. If wars definition is “a struggle to achieve a goal” then anonymous is at war.

BTW, so sorry for the double answer :/

@bkcunningham And you know that how?

@nofurbelowsbatgirl Killings aren’t wars, and they are certainly nothing new either. What we know of primitive hunter gatherers suggests it was very common, for more so than today. They just didn’t have to technology to do it on such a massive scale as we can do if we so decide today.

In fact, murder is extremely commonplace among our primate ancestors. That as well as the reduction in the number of actual nation-state wars leads me to conclude we are evolving toward a more peaceful, egalitarian place. For all their failings, Anonymous are more interested in ending wars than starting them. I don’t want to play “No true Scotsman” with you, but if you allow yourself the liberty to define anything you wish as war in one age, while insisting that in other ages murder, acts of terror and political activism like Anonymous is engaged in were not war, then any age you want becomes the most warlike.

@ETpro I believe you are because I believe that killing can be due to war. Violence is an act of war. As I said, if the meaning of war is “a struggle to achieve a goal” then yes surely you must see that the violence and the killings and the struggle even to be “peaceful” in an illegal manner mind you is war. The violence is usually the finale in some power struggle and the outcome to an act of terror most likely brought on to prove a point. Albeit, “anonymous” may be “peaceful” as you you call it by not killing people but pardon my french that is certainly a fucked up way of thinking because they certainly uleash their reign of terror if said demands do not go their way, so I still think it is war, they even declared it as war.

And that is when it becomes war. The actual true definition of war is: “A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.”

“Anonymous” is a “group within a nation, their choice of armoury is to bring down technology.

I don’t see how I have to explain it any further.

First you said this, “There are actually fewer wars today than there were when raping and pillaging was the way to wealth back in the dark ages.”

That statement is a blanket statement and of course me being who I am naturally tried to argue as best as I could.

And now you say this: I don’t want to play “No true Scotsman” with you, but if you allow yourself the liberty to define anything you wish as war in one age, while insisting that in other ages murder, acts of terror and political activism like Anonymous is engaged in were not war, then any age you want becomes the most warlike.

So now consider all points defined as my argument. Tu quoque.

—p.s. Just for the record, back in the “ages” a group such as “anonymous” would be almost non existant as the internet didn’t exist, therefore antivirus was not a suit of armor.”

Edit: “it is” not “you are”.

Wah, need sleep o_O lol

@bkcunningham Really? o_O When did this happen?

@nofurbelowsbatgirl I need sleep too, and have much to do before I can doze off. I agree it’s too difficult to defend my statement that wars are on the decline. But by the exact same reasoning, the statement that wars are on the increase is equally difficult to defend. And that is were we actually entered this debate. I take exception to your assertion, via this link that “Wars and rumors of wars” are suddenly occurring at an unprecedented pace.

Extraordinary claims deserve extraordinary proof. Prove it.

@Seiryuu Thanks. Waiting is.

@ETpro The entire page explains everything. It has links also to explain away any “extraordinary claims” any better than I ever could. I am not sure what all the fuss is about? Maybe you aren’t able to see the forest for the trees? Then again, maybe you just don’t want to look around.

Something to think about. If you were Adam and walked with God in the cool of the day, what would you talk to Him about?

Also, Genesis 3:15 pretty much sums up the entire story. Sort of the Reader’s Digest version.

@nofurbelowsbatgirl I’m actually pretty good at distinguishing forests and trees, and at seeing BS masquerading as profound thought. The latter is what I found there. It’s a site that sets up one after another straw man, then amazingly finds a way to vanquish each. Compare, if you dare, the logic on Christianity Disproved.

@bkcunningham Funny God never got around to mentioning the existence of Hell for 3,700 years. That would seem like something worth covering in those walks with Adam, or in at least one of the numerous epiphanies documented in the Old Testament (Or Torah).

@ETpro I clicked on “science”.
#1 says: “If the Bible is 100% factually accurate, then the Universe is not billions of years old.”

And in the first 7 words the entire article has lost my interest.
What I’d like to point out is how come you think that your information has so much more logic when all I see is someone on the opposite side of the fence from the evidence I gave you.

So by that I mean my side of evidence is coming from a believers point of view and yours is coming from someone who believed then turned his back on that belief. So logically speaking I find the entire “christianity disproved” through logical arguments like the above website to actually be somewhat offensive to my and christians intelligence. In all honesty just because this author does not believe in God does not mean he has some type of authority over everything. Ironically while he is trying to make sense out of it he is basically sucking his own self right back into the very illogical idea of it all with the entire article being based on appeal to authority. And you fell for it. I thought I was the illogical one around here.
And yes my argument was appeal to authority also but I’ve already admitted to you I’m being illogical :)

@nofurbelowsbatgirl Seriously, you dismiss an entire website because it is “based on appeal to authority”? All of your own arguments are based on appeals to authority… the one that you call god.

Why are a talking snake, ghosts, and magic so much easier to believe in than the true age of the Universe, evolution, and, abiogenesis?

@nofurbelowsbatgirl But you didn’t give me any evidence. The statement about the Bible establishing a young earth is true. It is evidence. Sure, you can claim that your book only means what it actually says in certain select places where you wish it to, but then you are establishing the commands of God then claiming you follow them—even though they are your own creation. I don’t present evidence based on the unheard utterances of an imaginary friend. I don’t believe unheard utterances of imaginary friends are evidence.

@glacial LMFAO! Yes I do dismiss an entire website. Why? Because as @ETpro said the website is coming from a “LOGICAL STANDPOINT”, and in that one moment of supposed logical clarity ironically it is based completely on an appeal to authority which is an illogical fallacy.

If God is an illogical fallacy then what is the point of arguing because wow than you just must of totally proved each and every one of the believers arguments out there as illogical, so yes, yes I proceed with caution where I see it is due. Again the irony is someone who uses logical fallacy but then is illogical themselves..I can at least admit I was being illogical. I can be logical about it I just prefer not to be because it makes me think too much, I’m bipolar I have to usually try to be logical, I’m trying to think less thanks, I’m also more often than not illogical. LOL.

But don’t dismiss yet, because there is a lot of evidence from the bible that exists. So if one wanted to be logical about it, it could happen. But ironically there is only one part to solve that I could not satisfy you with which doesn’t exist and it is He who was laid to rest. Unfortunately I do not have his bones but I have a book which says He has risen, which isn’t good enough for some of you, even back then, so this phenomenon is not new, some people could have it stare them right in the face and still try to find another reason.

@Blondesjon The bible talks about evolution also.
RE:abiogenesis..all that matter doesn’t matter. How did it get there. If it were put there by the creator? That’s the point, I go beyond the bigger picture. We are going on how many years later here and people are still trying to “debunk” a creator. We are the only full life planet in the known galaxy with a book that talks about a creator that documents historical places that existed and they explain why Jesus’ body is missing. That’s good enough for me, maybe you need more, others may need more, but I am satisfied with that answer. And I also believe if the creator wants us to find the answer, we will, but so far we haven’t.

@ETpro I gave you the website filled with evidence.
No one said we were listening for his voice and taking those commands as evidence. Now that is as about as illogical if I’ve ever heard anything.

i was kind of hoping you’d address the talking snake too. this stuff is priceless.

new york exists. should i therefore accept the spider man comics as evidence that spiderman exists?

@Blondesjon Not a mind reader. So I don’t actually have a first hand account of the “talking snake”, but if you want to give me the authority on it then I will make something up for you. A talking snake could be anything really. I believe that even the cock is often referred to as a snake. LOL. Like AKON says it best “I wanted to make my black snake moan, talk a little bit and take that home”.

@ragingloli Yes you should. And the fallacies never stop! Let’s call what you just did a deductive fallacy of circularity or AKA a complex question. How would you like me to answer the question? I have no first hand accounts of what happened in the Bible so I couldn’t tell you either way if it is a story or it isn’t? Funny thing is you can’t tell me either.

@nofurbelowsbatgirl . . . No mind reading necessary. In the book of Genesis Eve was tempted by Satan in the guise of a talking serpent. I guess the authority for that one would be, uh, God? You know, since he wrote the Bible and stuff.

Kami (God) is crude fictional character, many con men write tales of him, take long time do that. At Middle Ages, long time many troubadors create new chansons of King Arthur and Charlemagne. Probably more con men at future add more tales of God and Jesus
@Blondesjon, talking snake at Genesis not The Chief Satan. Jews not invent The Satan yet, is copy of Ahriman evil god of Zoroastrianism, not hear of him until Persia conquer Jews. Invention of The Satan add more contradictions at Bible.

@Shinimegami . . . Very true. Ahriman also makes numerous appearances in the Final Fantasy series.