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You don't even need to get that far to reach the conclusion that God is not omniscient. This is Genesis 8-10: 8) Then the man and his wife heard the sound of th

You don't even need to get that far to reach the conclusion that God is not omniscient. This is Genesis 8-10: 8) Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9) But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”. 10) He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”. Adam and Eve hid behind some trees and God didn't know where they were. It makes no sense for an omniscient being to ask anyone "where are you".

omarfarooq 5y ago
While I get your point, that seems to me to be obviously a rhetorical question posed to give Adam and his wife an opportunity to explain what they're up to.
- gen220 5y ago
  It's not a particularly unarguable idea that the Abrahamic God may not be omniscient (at least, not at all points in time. There is a related idea that God changes over time). The parent to your comment gave one example because it's the first. But there are many. Here's another one, again from an early point in time, that shows regret. Genesis 6:5-9 > And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. > And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Immediately after this, God first decides to end humanity, but later changes his mind again after focusing his attention selectively on Noah. > And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created [...] for it repenteth me that I have made them. > But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. > These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. --- Truthfully, the bible is full of tensions and contradictions. You can't explain them without developing an opinion/interpreting the book holistically. The God of the Old Testament is physical, emotional, and generally more demanding and hands-on with humanity; the language clearly implies that he possesses a locus of attention that he directs where he chooses. He interacts physically with humans, and not-infrequently changes his mind. The God of the New Testament, is more ethereal, transcendent, and more consistent in the emphasis of grace and mercy. That the debate on subjects like these, even among fellow Christians, has literally been ongoing since Christ's death, is probably evidence that all these ideas cannot be reconciled. They are merely there for us to contemplate and interpret.

omarfarooq 5y ago

While I get your point, that seems to me to be obviously a rhetorical question posed to give Adam and his wife an opportunity to explain what they're up to.

gen220 5y ago
It's not a particularly unarguable idea that the Abrahamic God may not be omniscient (at least, not at all points in time. There is a related idea that God changes over time). The parent to your comment gave one example because it's the first. But there are many. Here's another one, again from an early point in time, that shows regret. Genesis 6:5-9 > And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. > And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Immediately after this, God first decides to end humanity, but later changes his mind again after focusing his attention selectively on Noah. > And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created [...] for it repenteth me that I have made them. > But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. > These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. --- Truthfully, the bible is full of tensions and contradictions. You can't explain them without developing an opinion/interpreting the book holistically. The God of the Old Testament is physical, emotional, and generally more demanding and hands-on with humanity; the language clearly implies that he possesses a locus of attention that he directs where he chooses. He interacts physically with humans, and not-infrequently changes his mind. The God of the New Testament, is more ethereal, transcendent, and more consistent in the emphasis of grace and mercy. That the debate on subjects like these, even among fellow Christians, has literally been ongoing since Christ's death, is probably evidence that all these ideas cannot be reconciled. They are merely there for us to contemplate and interpret.