Can you make a deal with God?

1. 74

   tsmogposted 12 years ago

   How to answer is a challenge, especially since reading the comments, which includes the professional statment of being an atheist. I must say to argue or debate with atheism one must toss out belief, Jesus, the Bible, the covenants, and all that hokus - pokus stuff like theistic views too. As far as the interest of making a deal with God one would have to consider the old adage of can you make a deal with the devil.
   
   Hence again tossing that stuff out we are left with the simplicity of morality and the advents of good vs. Evil. Here is where foundational belief begins with the numinous experienced explained by Rudolf Otto. Simply there is good. There is Evil. And, there is one creator.
   
   Okay, toss out the God or NO god as the standard of morality we may state the obvious - Good and Evil exist independently and autonomously from each other.
   
   Here we may discover, or suppose, making a deal with devil becomes a false premise. To believe there is a devil or Satan, one must at least recognize God as a concept. So, we learn not only can we not make a deal with a deity - God, we can not make a deal with the antithesis representation of evil being satan or the devil at least in christian thought.
   
   So, the answer becomes one can only make a deal with something with intellect, at least. And, that deal is governed by morality. Now we are left defining intellect. Could a presumption of a standard or/of a law enter regarding making a deal. That is when the question of free will enters the discussion.
   
   Example: Intellectually I make a deal with the hummingbird. I tell the hummingbird, which I named Fred and is distinguishable by his beak injury, I will keep the feeders full and you hang around. I stop filling the feeders. Fred still hangs around. Is that behaviorism and not intellect is the question now. Is Free will being exercised or is it simply conditioning. Was a deal struck.
   
   Well, one could say the hummingbird has no intellect and it is conditioning. Yet, intellectually I did make a deal with Fred. The question at this point becomes the relationship of a positional truth vs. relativism. Or, is discovery made and it is a conditioned response. If that is the case, the standard of morality without god exists, then that deal or contract would be null and void, since it was not formulated on intellect or so we think to this point. The question now becomes positionally what was I to Fred and Fred to me. I guess I should have wrote a hub, oops.

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2. 66

   Globetrekkermelposted 12 years ago

   I don't think so. I am a firm believer but not affiliated to any organized religion.I never make deals with my God. I talk to him constantly through prayers and I seldom ask for anything as I know everything is already taken cared of in my life.There is nothing to bargain for nor to ask for. My God knows best and that is all I need to know.

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3. 71

   LoisRyan13903posted 12 years ago

   What I learned is not to make a deal with God, but to make a solemn vow.   A lot of times when I do that God comes through for me.  I must remember to keep my vow.  I have a special project going on at home.  I am typing out the books of the Bible-i am doing that because it gives me a deeper understanding of the books and am about 50 percent done.  Sometimes I run into a problem and I don't know what to do-mostly the problems deal with finances.  i ask God to help me out of the situation and I make a solemn vow to do a certain amount of chapters within a certain time period.  So for this year my solemn vow is to complete 200 chapters by the end of the year.  When I make a solemn vow, I do everything to stick to it,  The thing about solemn vows, you have to make sure that you complete them, so you don't break your promise to God.

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4. 69

   Harishprasadposted 11 years ago

   You have raised an interesting question. A few deals you referred do really happen but tell me what is wrong with them ? Any communion with God,whatever it may be, is valid. The only thing which is important in all this is -devotion to God. To assume that this kind of worship is valid or that kind of worship is not, is not at all desirable and a devotee worshipping God day in and day out and a devotee remembering the name of God awhile , both are devotees only and there is no difference between them. GOD's realm is known to God only and we mortals devise our own specialized methods/practices to please Him but who can be sure of His blessings. It is said of Him that an ignorant and illiterate person , a person oblivious of the knowledge of scriptures and even a despiser of Him can attain His blessings or grace. On the other hand, a most accomplished person, well versed in so many religious texts and religious rituals and a very erudite person can be deprived of His light or real essence. How God chooses someone cannot be understood by all and sundry. It has been said of God's knowledge that it cannot be assimilated even if one is well versed in lacs of holy texts, even if one is very expert in pranayama( mastery over breath control) and even if one continues repeating GOD's name constantly like a parrot. A very humble person, a very poor person can attain that essence of God or very rich and scholar can be deprived of it and vice versa. Nobody can make fixed and uniform rules/laws in the realm/kingdom of God. Jesus Christ says same thing that who have it will be given and who have not will be deprived of it. God is God because He does not discriminate between haves and haves not, happy and sad, devotee and atheist, weak and powerful and so on. Discrimination, apartheid, animosity, hatred, envy, pride, etc. etc. are all covered in the human arena, God remains aloof from all that. However it is said of Him that He is pleased even when offered a leave, flower, fruit or water with devotion, irony is that we have created magnificent churches, synagogues, temples , mosques etc. etc. to offer worship to Him and to please Him and yet are clueless of Him and remain deluded throughout our lives. It is only because that what is limited, we want to limit it, what is indescribable , we want to contain Him to some books  calling them  revelations, what is fathomless, we want Him to grasp all, what is uncreated , we want to create Him in our words, symbols and thoughts.

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5. 61

   Cornetorposted 9 years ago

   God gave us good energy to survive in world. Of the three letter again we find three things in world i.e. water, soil and rock. They are better in this world to stand these things in the air. I hope i can be better than god and defit to manage these system of earth.

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6. 59

   roselinsojanposted 9 years ago

   Yes I often make deal with God like a child.God is like my father ,who laugh and say don't be silly dear.

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