My first theological discussion happened when I was around three or four years old. My dad was telling me about how God created the world and everything/everyone in it. My immediate question was, "If God made us, who made God?" Dad told me that nobody made God, God always was. If God always was, when did that start? How could something always be? I wanted to know when, how, all of it. My dad told me that one day, I might get the chance to ask God, so I should remember my most important questions. I still remember that conversation really vividly and I am still waiting to ask God that question and a lot of others.
I love to think about theological questions. I've thought about a lot of these before, but wouldn't it just be cool if God explained everything to us? But, there's also beauty in the mystery and the wondering, so I'll keep doing that until I get to ask God some things.
Here are some random questions for God and a few reflections interspersed:
Did Methuselah really live to the upper 900s? (A family at church was asking me today about the people in Genesis living for hundreds of years. I don't even know!)
Is evil this outside force or something within all of us? Both? (I don't think the devil is a red, horned, pitch fork holding dude that also has a tail).
What kind of relationship with the bible do you want us to have? How much did you say and how much got lost in translation and experience? (Personally, I try to have a balance of critical reading, but also let it move me, inspire me, and challenge me. I would not be one of those folks that uses the word "infallible" when talking about the bible. I also think the scriptures are important and living and God uses these words to speak to us. I say all this, but I'd rather know what God thinks about it.)
How does prayer work? Is prayer meant to "work"?
Do we have free will? If so, do we still have free will when we ask you to intervene in our lives? What about when we ask you to intervene in other peoples' lives?
Do you mind hearing me ask for the same things over and over again? Would you rather me just tell you about my day? Do you already know about my day? Do you want to hear it again? How can I tell when you're talking or when I'm just really trying to hear what I want to hear? How many times have you tried to talk to me and I wasn't listening?
Do you just stand outside of time and know what is happening at any given point? Do you know the future or are you surprised with us? If you know the future, did you choose to withhold power to stop/change/prevent the heartache of the world?
Some thoughts about some of those last questions: When I was in college, my professor said that people often struggle with believing three pretty traditional beliefs about God at the same time: God is all loving, God is all powerful, and God is all knowing. As stand alone sentences many people would nod and agree, but in light of tragedy and heartache, one of those claims will seem to weaken or not make sense anymore next to the other two. In the middle of grieving at one point in my life (and my unwillingness to imagine God as not all-loving) the easiest for me to sacrifice is "God is all-knowing." That God doesn't know that tragedy and heartache is about to happen, but instead works for our good to bring healing and hope. It was easier for me to imagine God lacking something (like the ability to see the future) than knowing and being unwilling to change the outcome. Being removed some from that grief, I am willing to ask the questions again and wonder about God's relationship with time, especially as it relates to suffering. I am willing to acknowledge that my brain is puny compared to God and I can't understand things with my own limited sense of logic.
A million questions about life after death.
What's the purpose of life?
Why did you create us? (I like to think God created us because God has so much love that God wanted to share it.)
Well, that's it for tonight. What questions do you have?
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