Does god have a plan?

[higgy1911]

I saw on a church sign today God has no problems only plans.

My question for Christians is does God have a plan? If so what is the extent of the plan?

Does God intended for your life to go a certain way but allows you the option to act differently from his plan? Or is everything that happens in your life a part of his plan but it is difficult to tell because you cannot see the plan and it's entirety?

If the answer to either of the above is in the affirmative how does this not constitute a somewhat abusive relationship? If there is to be a plan for my life should I not be consulted?

[Divine Insight]

The Biblical God clearly does not have a plan.

He created Eve as an afterthought from the rib of Adam, supposedly because Adam needed a "helpmate". The problem is that there was no mention of Adam having been assigned any particular plan for which he might have needed help.

The Great Flood is another example of this God clearly not having a plan. It says right in the scriptures that this God repented of having ever created mankind and as basically sorry that he had done it. Clearly that's not a plan. Had the Great Flood been part of God's plan God should have been thrilled to death that things were going right along according to plan.

Clearly there is no room in these fables for this God to have had a plan.

Also what kind of a God would have planed to have his own high priests of his own temple turn against him and end up calling for the crucifixion of his only begotten Son?

And finally, if that whole ordeal was "God's Plan", then the high Priests were nothing but puppets in God's plan anyway, and clearly they had no choice in the matter.

So I don't see how it makes any sense at all to think that this Biblical God has any kind of plan whatsoever.

This has to be nothing more than religious hype being preached to try to convince people that this God has some sort of plan and is in perfect control of everything. But the Biblical stories do not even remotely suggest that this is the case.

So, I'm afraid that church has it all wrong on their sign. Their God clearly has no plan at all and their religion clearly has extreme problems.

[Adstar]

[Replying to post 1 by higgy1911]

Yes the Biblical God has a ultimate plan and everything that happens upon earth has been factored into that plan. God who has foreknowledge of the entire human history has factored in everybody's lives and actions and decisions into His eternal plan. Nothing that happens on earth in human history can alter His plan because He had already seen all of human history down to the finest detains. so nothing can surprise Him and cause His ultimate plan to fail.

[Suzy]

[Replying to post 1 by higgy1911]

Yes the Biblical God has a ultimate plan and everything that happens upon earth has been factored into that plan. God who has foreknowledge of the entire human history has factored in everybody's lives and actions and decisions into His eternal plan. Nothing that happens on earth in human history can alter His plan because He had already seen all of human history down to the finest detains. so nothing can surprise Him and cause His ultimate plan to fail.

That's so depressing a thought. Being under the dictatorship of the ultimate despot in the sky that I would choose suicide. But even that would not be the end for me according to you because I would then be stuck in hell!

[Adstar]

[Replying to post 4 by Suzy]

Well no suicide is self murder and it is no escape from existence. We are going to exist forever more.

I don't see God as a despot. He is perfect in wisdom and justice and love. Knowing that nothing and no one can interfere with his eternal plan is very reassuring to me.

[Suzy]

[Replying to post 4 by Suzy]

Well no suicide is self murder and it is no escape from existence. We are going to exist forever more.

I don't see God as a despot. He is perfect in wisdom and justice and love. Knowing that nothing and no one can interfere with his eternal plan is very reassuring to me.

I understand that you see your God as benevolent and respect your beliefs but If anyone has total control over my life then I am a slave and I can not live like that.
But I am not a slave, I am a free woman thanks in part to my freedom from religion.

[higgy1911]

Exactly Suzy. If someone has an unalterable plan for my life that is the very core if tyrannical rule and a negation of free will.

[ttruscott]

...

If the answer to either of the above is in the affirmative how does this not constitute a somewhat abusive relationship? If there is to be a plan for my life should I not be consulted?

My answer is based upon the parable of the good but sinful seed and its explanation in Matt 13. It tells us that there are two groups of people, those of the kingdom of GOD and those of the evil one and all of both groups are born on earth as sinners. It is implied (and backed up else where) that the purpose of the earth is the redemption of these sinful good seed, the elect, while living with the non-elect.

This redemption is the fulfillment of the promise of election given to the good seed before they sinned and is made to work perfectly in one life for each of them by HIS predetermining their lives to reach that fulfilment, salvation and holiness until being heaven ready. Of course as sinners we resent HIS interference with our lives and self chosen sinful will but HIS predetermined lives are the fulfillment of our own choice to become heaven ready made before we lost our free will to sinfulness.

And, like a prisoner in prison, the reprobate non-elect are moved here and their at the whim of the judge to do things the best for HIS plan, since their free will has been destroyed by their addiction to evil and all that is left is to contain it.

Peace, Ted

[ttruscott]

Exactly Suzy. If someone has an unalterable plan for my life that is the very core if tyrannical rule and a negation of free will.

All sinners have lost their free will when they chose to be evil because of its enslaving addictive qualities... especially that without GOD's help, you cannot ever be free of that evil.

The 'unalterable plan' for your life only refers to you if you are an elect who has chosen to be under HIS promise of election made before you sinned.

So the elect lost their free will by their own choice to be evil and
GOD's plan for their lives (not existence), is the fulfillment of the promised election by salvation from that sin.

Some tyrant eh, especially when it calls for His self sacrifice on behalf of the sinful elect to redeem them?

Peace, Ted

[OnceConvinced]

In my last days as a Christian I went to a weekly study group called "40 days of Purpose" based on teachings by Rick Warren. That study convinced me that God definitely DIDN'T have a plan for my life despite the fact the big claim was God had a plan for every human before they were even born.

One of the issues that came up was that of fertility drugs. By taking fertility drugs, humans are able to induce fertilization that wouldn't have occurred otherwise. Fertility drugs also result in multiple births.

Someone like Ted would probably say, God decided to send multiple souls to earth taking advantage of the fact that someone took fertility drugs, however the bible tells us that children are a blessing from God. So it seems to me very unlikely that God would bless anyone who was trying to play God.

Humans overriding God's system with fertility drugs resulting in multiple births seems to be damning evidence that God does not have a plan for everyone and that humans are born as a result of natural causes, without any prompting from God. Thus God would not have "knitted them together" in their mother's womb as the bible claims.