Since most theists think "god" has always been why did god wait for ever to create earth?
In eternity there is NO TIME. So it wouldn't have appeared as though God were waiting since no time would have been passed. Secondly, sweetie, we don't know everything that God has ever done. We know before God made man, angels existed. Being made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27), human beings have the ability to know God and therefore love Him, worship Him, serve Him, and fellowship with Him. God did not create human beings because He needed them. As God, He needs nothing. In eternity, He felt no loneliness, so He was not looking for a “friend.” He loves us, but this is not the same as needing us. If we had never existed, God would still be God—the unchanging One (Malachi 3:6). The I AM (Exodus 3:14) was never dissatisfied with His own eternal existence. When He made the universe, He did what pleased Himself, and since God is perfect, His action was perfect. “It was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Also, God did not create “peers” or beings equal to Himself. Logically, He could not do so. If God were to create another being of equal power, intelligence, and perfection, then He would cease to be the one true God for the simple reason that there would be two gods—and that would be an impossibility. “The LORD is God; besides him there is no other” (Deuteronomy 4:35). Anything that God creates must of necessity be lesser than He. The thing made can never be greater than, or as great as, the One who made it. Recognizing the complete sovereignty and holiness of God, we are amazed that He would take man and crown him “with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5) and that He would condescend to call us “friends” (John 15:14-15). Why did God create us? God created us for His pleasure and so that we, as His creation, would have the pleasure of knowing Him.
No one has yet addressed your question of why we swear on the Bible if church and state are separate. And the answer is, in most jurisdictions we don't. There are some jurisdictions that care little about constitutionality, and do everything from teaching "intelligent design" to repeatedly introducing prayer in schools, and those are usually the ones where the Bible still makes an appearance.I'll add that I've never been asked to swear on a Bible in my multiple times in court. But, if I were asked to do so, and I couldn't opt out before court was in session, I'd do the same thing when I am asked to swear "... so help me God." That is, I'd go ahead and do it without comment. Right or wrong, there's a pragmatic aspect - I'm there to testify about something, not try to raise a legal point irrelevant to the case.Once I've sworn to tell the truth, I tell the truth. I'd do that even if I found some jurisdiction that required me to swear with my hand on Buddha's tummy, a copy of the Koran, or Ganesha's trunk. The point of invoking God is to remind the witness that he or she has a moral obligation, which apparently requires a threat of divine retribution. At least among the atheists I know, there's a philosophy of a social contract that mandates that people should do the right thing, and they therefore will comply regardless of whether there's an empty threat of divine retribution attached.
This may not be a direct answer to the question.God didn’t have to wait for something to happen before He steps in to execute His plan. There are no preconditions or prerequisites that can limit God’s ability to work. It’s just that God is infinitely wise (He created wisdom!) that our attempts at trying to understand God and His character, is as Rick Warren puts it, “..like an ant trying to understand the internet”.We do not have the mental capacity to understand the intricacies of God’s creation, which is unimaginably breathtaking, let alone understanding the Creator and His incredible ways of working!To sum it up, God knows of things we can never even conceive in our mind. There should be a perfect reason why God thought its best to work according to His perfectly planned timeline (and not do everything in the start) and that is why He’s done what He’s done. We may get to know it when we live in the eternity and that’s when we might say , “Now I get it!.”
The short answer to this question is tradition. US court operations are descended from old English customs, where traditionally an oath on the Bible was required. The concept, at the time, was that a liar would be willing to lie in court, but lying with your hand on the Bible would consign your soul to hell. In fact, in earlier eras atheists were not allowed to testify in court, because they had no fear of eternal punishment to compel honesty. For a time, people were actually required to kiss the Bible, though hygiene concerns did away with that.In the US, those traditions were maintained, and there's just never been much urgency about getting rid of them. It should be noted that they're not universal, and certainly not universally required. An affirmation of truth is required everywhere before testifying, but many courts don't bother with a Bible anymore, and nowhere is it mandatory. Atheists can simply swear (or affirm) that they will tell the truth.
Wait... what's so wrong about doing the things that God has already predetermined us to do?
It's a peculiar thing you bring up. Some people believe that God already knows everything they're ever going to do, but they also believe they have free will. If God already knows, then free will is moot, isn't it? Or is it? You can choose your sexuality. You can choose to have an abortion. The Bible weighs in on these things in very blunt, unforgiving language in the Old Testament. Get into the New Testament, however, and things get a little murky. Jesus was rather less discriminating, saying that anybody who wanted God's forgiveness need only ask for it. Abortions and gay relationships and whatnot do not enter into the equation at that point. Are you screwed? By whom? You can choose the path you follow. If anyone is doing the screwing, it's you. And you're only screwed if you're dissatisfied with the choice you've made. The great part about that is you can choose again, and again, until you finally find the belief structure and rationale that suits you. Good luck with it.
Why did Jesus wait three days to resurrect?
3 = God's favorite number. it signified holiness. earth - third planet from the sun God - Father Son and Spirit time - past present and future matter - solid liquid and gas space - heighth width and depth Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. *Edit: Jesus didn't just jump down from the cross because of what He said about the sign of jonah... spending three days in the belly of a fish and on the third braught revival to ninevah, Jesus spent three days in the belly of the earth and on the third braught revival to all mankind.
Let’s see if you’ve met the criteria for answered prayer, okay?Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.When you ask for something, do you believe that you have already received it? Or are you waiting, looking around for it?2 Cor. 5:7 - For we walk by faith, not by sight.By faith means belief in the answered prayer. You believe that it has already been granted to you, and you are just waiting for the materialization. You have planted the seed, and God is causing it to grow. Do you believe that? Or are you thinking that God might or might not grant the prayer?By sight means looking to the external for answers. In other words, you won’t believe until you see it. That’s the same mistake the Hebrews made when they left Egypt. They complained continually while going through the desert, because they couldn’t see the promised land. But God had promised it to them.THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE GOD.And that’s why your prayers aren’t answered. Why else would Jesus give the parable of the judge and the widow and the man with visitors who begged bread from his neighbor who was already in bed?Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.Read Psalm 78 and you’ll see how fickle we are when it comes to receiving from God.
Let’s see if you’ve met the criteria for answered prayer, okay?Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.When you ask for something, do you believe that you have already received it? Or are you waiting, looking around for it?2 Cor. 5:7 - For we walk by faith, not by sight.By faith means belief in the answered prayer. You believe that it has already been granted to you, and you are just waiting for the materialization. You have planted the seed, and God is causing it to grow. Do you believe that? Or are you thinking that God might or might not grant the prayer?By sight means looking to the external for answers. In other words, you won’t believe until you see it. That’s the same mistake the Hebrews made when they left Egypt. They complained continually while going through the desert, because they couldn’t see the promised land. But God had promised it to them.THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE GOD.And that’s why your prayers aren’t answered. Why else would Jesus give the parable of the judge and the widow and the man with visitors who begged bread from his neighbor who was already in bed?Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.Read Psalm 78 and you’ll see how fickle we are when it comes to receiving from God.
Why didn't God marry Mary before getting her pregnant?
Although of course this is both a stupid and obnoxious question, it has a point. Except of course the Hebrew word for Holy and the Hebrew word for marriage are the same word. The Holy Virgin Mary is married to God in the spiritual sense. Just as she is queen. A fascinating but little known fact is that the gebidah or Queen under the Davidic line of Kings, Jesus being the last, was not the wife of the King but the mother of the reigning King. As they were polygamous, it would have required the King to pick which wife was queen and that would lead to all kinds of problem. So, if you notice in scripture the queens are the mother of the king not the wife. So, when Abinojah needs assistance he does not go to the Solomon, he goes to Bathsheeba his mother for help. Although he is King and he reigns, it was custom in the Near East to defer to the queen, hence giving meaning to the passage in the wedding feast of Cana. Queens did not command, but Kings obeyed. Everyone but the Queen rose in the presence of the King. The King would rise when the Queen entered the room, not the other way around. Glorify thy mother was a literal command. So, if one accepts the texts, and you must since you acknowledge that God got Mary pregnant, then you must read the Greek annunciation words of the angel, "Chaire kecharitomine!" For kecharitomine to have meaning, Mary must have been holy and without sin since her conception. Luke contrasts this with his description of John the Baptist who receives the Spirit only at birth. So Mary is quite literally Holy and hence in the Hebrew set aside for God. Just a note, the Hebrew word for marriage and holy is actually the phrase we would say as "set aside," or "set apart." So Mary by being set apart from birth and by accepting the birth with the words "be it done to me according to His will," then she was married to God. She is the daughter and servant of the Most High and Supreme King and Father in Heaven. She is the mother of our Most Holy Lord and Master Jesus Christ and she is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. If you want to take the symbolism further you of course can. She is the living Ark of the Covenant and so on. Finally, Revelations says it is the children of Mary who will get into Heaven. As that is you and me, do you not think you should not insult your mother?
God did not change any rules. You are over simplifying a concept and ultimately making it sound stupid. What he actually did on the cross is he reconciled his need for justice and his love and mercy for humanity in an act that DID NOT change any rule. God is all powerful, but at the same time he can not contradict himself. We know he is both loving and just, but he is also steadfast. So to reconcile his love for humanity with the wrong we committed, God sent Jesus as atonement for our sin and put our sin on his shoulders and poured out all of God’s wrath on to him. Now Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father pleading our case. What Jesus did on the cross was he switched places with us so that we could be with him forever. He took our punishment and rose again so that we don’t have to face Hell (eternal separation from God), but its much more than that we get to live with God for all eternity and I can’t wait. :)Side note: God only saves those who come to him with willing and empty arms and intellectual knowledge of God does not save you.