Just What Does God Know?

[Theolog]

Does the open theist conclude from these verses’ that God cannot know something unless He is actually present?

Genesis 3:8 (NIV)
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?”
Genesis 4:9 (NIV)
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Why would God ask “where” is something if He already knows where it is? According to open theist reasoning God would be lying if He did this.

If God does not know the whole future and now I have proven, useing Open Theist reasoning, that He does not even know the whole present he cannot logically even know the whole past, only what He personally observed in the present can He remember as the past.

[Bill the Cat]

They were rhetorical questions to see if Adam and Cain would fess up (confess) their sin.

Oh, sorry this was for open theists... :metro:

[themuzicman]

It's not a statement, but a question with a purpose. I ask questions that I already know the answer to all the time. It's not lying, it's a searching for something other than mere information.

Michael

[geebob]

Yes, it's well within the bounds of ordinary speach to ask questions that are not for the purpose of gathering information.

God uses normal everyday language to speak to us, thus we should treat this passage normally. This is something that Open theists argue about in scriptural interpretation. We shouldn't assume that language is somehow different just because it is all of the suddenly applied to God. So the issue is not metaphorical vs literal anymore.

Suppose the enterprise was hovering around a planet full of warring amazonian women who were fighting over the few remaining men on the planet. Commander Riker would be moved with compassion for these women and might offer himself suggesting to the Captain, "Captain, let me go down and help with the shortage of men on the planet."

Captain Picard might reply "Number one, what is the prime directive?" Is the captain ignorant of the Prime directive? of course not. He's getting Riker to come to a realization and think through what he has just said.

[themuzicman]

Pearls to GeeBob for using Star Trek! :thumb: :cheers:

[Theolog]

Yesterday @ 08:58 AM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=260483#post260483)
themuzicman:

It's not a statement, but a question with a purpose. I ask questions that I already know the answer to all the time. It's not lying, it's a searching for something other than mere information.

Michael

Yes but you don't make a claim to be all knowing, :nc: Or do you?

[yxboom]

I guess you missed that part where MM said it isn't for simply acquiring information.

[themuzicman]

Today @ 10:55 AM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=262393#post262393)
Theolog:
Yes but you don't make a claim to be all knowing, :nc: Or do you?

Not ALL knowing. Just the answer to my question.

Michael