How does a god cope with knowing that it is cursed to always be an underachiever?

Perhaps god is not a perfectionist, has a very good therapist and is simply the “I Am” or perhaps more accurately the “I Yam What I Yam.” If there is a god, then I suspect that he, she or it has learned to enjoy the journey rather than be obsessed with the destination. I have no clue. Yours or anyone’s guess is as good as mine. Omnipotence would seem to imply the power to keep yourself from getting all bent out of shape if things don’t go exactly the way you wanted them to go.

It’s only omnipotent, not omniscient—It doesn’t know It could do better.

Perfection is impossible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be damn good. God may make mistakes even though he created us and hears our prayers. If we were meant to be perfect and live in this world, we simply would be. Life would be idyllic if that were so and there would be no suffering, that would be great.

How do you psychoanalyse a mythical entity? This question is beyond me.

Since God himself is perfection, all things from him is also perfect.

Imperfection is a human view Of things.

Thus the things you see as imperfect to God they are already perfect.

He moves in mysterious ways! :-/

@kess Are you saying that a perfect God is satisfied with imperfection?
@Scooby Can you honestly rationalise inconsistencies in the God hypothesis by saying he moves in mysterious ways?

@FireMadeFlesh

I wasn’t :-/ just my sense of humour…. sorry if it offended. Lol….

@Scooby I’m not offended, I was just taking what you said at face value because I don’t know you very well, and some theists may be ignorant enough to say just that in all seriousness. Apologies for misinterpreting you.

This is kind of like trying to reach the Antelope Freeway (“Antelope Freeway, ½ mile.. Antelope Freeway, ¼ mile… Antelope Freeway, 1/8 mile… Antelope Freeway, 1/16 mile”, ad infinitum). If you can’t get all the way there at once, you will never get there. At some point, of course, the God’s next level of betterness will be infinitely small, so no one will be able to tell that there is any further goodness to be achieved.

If there were a God, I’m sure we would have reached that point long ago.

prayer tells him to stop? Maybe God is just a god of this universe…? and she/he gets help from an Uber-God…from the multi-verse ? I wonder

@kess is saying that any imperfections in creation, if creation comes from a perfect being, are the product of the limited perspective of the observer, and not because there is an imperfection per se.

@firemadeflesh
and @iamthemob
If a builder is building something and one ignorant observer looks at that thing in the process of it’s making. Will he not very likely critersize that incomplete work so long as he is ignorant?

Yet to the Builder at that very stage , his work is perfect at that stage of completion and so is every other stage.

It is the same with God and us, we are always perfect for what ever situation we are in for he has already seen the beginning and the end of His work.

To fully understand this though we must no longer be ignorant ( blind) but know the beginning and the end of that thing then we will see all things as perfect Just as God does.

Nevertheless there are those who will never know nor understand because they love their own ignorance.

@FireMadeFlesh

No probs cobber ;-)
So true too, my point exactly, “some theists may be ignorant enough to say just that”. “He moves in mysterious ways“, Lol, I’ve heard this a couple of times in the past btw….Hence I’m a full blown atheist….for the record ;-)

@kess How could a perfect God, in the process of his ‘construction’, create species that are resigned to a miserable existence and rapid extinction? Is that not imperfection, with no end in mind? I work with disabled people, and I cannot see how some of them could be a part of any so called perfect plan. My grandmother has Alzheimer’s – surely that cannot lead to any perfection. I appreciate your optimism, but as far as I can see there are too many imperfections for perfection (whatever that is) to ever come of it.

@Scooby Good to know. Thanks for clarifying!

@FireMadeFlesh

We don’t have the perspective to make that call. Your opinion is reasonable, but it’s not at all conclusive.

I think of it like a book. We’re the characters, and we can only appreciate time in one direction, and one point at a time. The prophets are those who’ve read ahead, and to the end. And god, whatever that is, is the author who knows exactly why everything needed to happen the way that it did in order for the entire thing to work out perfectly.

(note that this is an analogy. I don’t want to imply any beliefs about free will, fate, destiny, the truth of prophecy, etc.).

@iamthemob It is true that I cannot see the big picture, being only one pixel in the matrix of human history, but then I can only ever make a judgement based on the knowledge and understanding that I have. Other people may wish to believe in a grand purpose, and if that makes dealing with the issues life throws their way then good. I happen to be unable to accept the idea that there is a purpose or a single correct perspective, and as such I do not think perfection is even possible as a hypothetical concept.

I prefer the analogy of an ant’s nest – they have no foreman or architect, and every ant has its role which is just as important as the others (except the queen, but she does not direct). Yet somehow the nest works in harmony with itself, for the good of every resident ant.

You need an omnipotent Jelly to answer this question.

@FireMadeFlesh

You don’t have to believe it. I don’t necessarily. But it’s how it’s possible.

firemadeflesh try diffretiating the temporal from the eternal, they you may be able to see.

but also know that all wont be able to see.