Why does God need a book?

[OnceConvinced]

The bible tells us about the Book of Life, which contains the names of those who have been saved and are going to Heaven. If your name does not appear you go to Hell. (Chick Tracts even have God asking the chief Angel "Does his name appear in the book of life?")

There are two issues I have with this (and topics for discussion):

1) If God is all knowing and he knows each of us personally, then why does he need a book to record our names? Santa doesn't need a book to know who's naughty and nice. He just knows. But God needs a book. Why does he need a book when he is all knowing?

2) Why a book? Wouldn't they have really amazing technology in Heaven? You'd think they'd have computers, perhaps even something superior to computers. If the bible had described some kind of metal box that contained all the names... or perhaps a flat round disk, that would go a long way to showing that the bible was divine and not just ancient man's ignorance. Imagine how huge the book would have to be! It would be mammoth. So why use a book rather than some other form of data storage?

Feel free to speculate, even if you have nothing solid.

[ttruscott]

HE does not need a book; we need the book or HE wouldn't bother, eh?

The funny thing is that people think it tells us the way of life but IT DOES NOT GIVE AWAY ANY SECRETS!!! It only catches our attention so we seek the ONE who wrote it.

Peace, Ted

[Divine Insight]

Feel free to speculate, even if you have nothing solid.

I think it's clear from the Bible that God has Alzheimer's disease or some other form of serious dementia so it's understandable to me why he would need a book to keep track of who's naughty or nice.

Hopeful that book is kept in better shape than his Holy Bible. His Holy Bible became so extremely corrupt that he had to send his only begotten son to try to correct all the mistakes. And evidently that didn't go over very well either.

When I read the biblical fairytale I feel sorry for the Israelites for having been created by such inept God. It's a fairytale that makes me quite happy to know that I'm not an Israelite.

And you're right. Santa Claus is a better story by far.

[OnceConvinced]

HE does not need a book; we need the book or HE wouldn't bother, eh?

Why would we need the book? We don't need to know who's in the Book of Life. We're not the ones judging who's naughty and who's nice.

The funny thing is that people think it tells us the way of life but IT DOES NOT GIVE AWAY ANY SECRETS!!! It only catches our attention so we seek the ONE who wrote it.

Peace, Ted

Are you talking about the Bible or the Book of Life?

[Zzyzx]

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HE does not need a book; we need the book or HE wouldn't bother, eh?

This book we need -- do we have it?

[no1special]

[Replying to post 1 by OnceConvinced]

Why does he need a book when he is all knowing?

Who says God needs a book ? You , not the Bible . The Bible only says that there is a book of life while you assume God needs it .

[Zzyzx]

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Who says God needs a book ? You , not the Bible . The Bible only says that there is a book of life while you assume God needs it .

Who supposedly has the supposed book? What is its purpose? By whom is it used?

Some seem to think that whoever controls access to "heaven" uses (consults, needs) the book. Who would that be?

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Revelation 20:15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

[no1special]

[Replying to post 7 by Zzyzx]

Who supposedly has the supposed book? What is its purpose? By whom is it used?

Some seem to think that whoever controls access to "heaven" uses (consults, needs) the book. Who would that be?

I neither dictated nor wrote the Bible and if the Bible does not answer your questions how can I ? Two things I will not do is assume or speculate .

[Zzyzx]

.

Who supposedly has the supposed book? What is its purpose? By whom is it used?

Some seem to think that whoever controls access to "heaven" uses (consults, needs) the book. Who would that be?

I neither dictated nor wrote the Bible and if the Bible does not answer your questions how can I ?

It seems as though the bible DOES say who has the book, who uses it, and its purpose.

Have you not read the bible?

Psalm 69:28
May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

Philippians 4:3
Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Revelation 3:5
The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

Revelation 13:8
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

Revelation 17:8
The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

Revelation 20:12
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Revelation 20:15
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:27
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Are those accurate quotations? Do they prove that I have read the entire bible (reference your earlier comments)?

Do the quotations indicate the purpose of the "book of life"? Do they give some indication who uses it?

Two things I will not do is assume or speculate .

Do you assume that story (or a bible story) is true if the writer claims it is true (as you said previously)?

Do you assume that a person has not read the entire bible if they misquote it?

Do you speculate about the existence of God (since that cannot be shown to be true)?

[no1special]

[Replying to post 9 by Zzyzx]
Your original question was...

Why does he need a book when he is all knowing?

Which one of the verses you mentioned above claims that He NEEDS a book ?