Is God like "I Dream of Jeannie"?

[Vort]

The larger monotheistic world tends to view God as "I Dream of Jeannie", a being who folds his arms, blinks his eyes, and causes things to pop into and out of existence. Strangely, many of the Saints seem to believe this same doctrine.

I glanced at another recent thread with the provocative topic of why we can't get everything at once. Why line upon line, precept upon precept? What's up with that, anyway? (Incidentally, I think it's a marvelous question.)

To me, the answer seems obvious. Things are that way because THAT'S REALITY. We learn line upon line because THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.

Couldn't God just will us to have all that knowledge, and then we would have it?

No.

Why not?

Because God is not "I Dream of Jeannie".

I believe this absurd "Jeannie God" idea is responsible for more misunderstanding in religion than any other single doctrine. God cannot do "anything", simply because "anything" includes unreal, self-contradictory ideas that cannot exist.

P.S. I'm putting this in the General forum because I am curious to know the thoughts of non-LDS list members on the topic as well as those of Latter-day Saints.

[beefche]

I know God isn't like the I Dream of Jeannie cause He would have folded His arms, blinked, and changed your avatar by now.

[beefche]

I believe God doesn't intervene in our lives all that much. Things that happen in my life are by the choices I make or the choices other's make. I got a speeding ticket this morning. Why? Because I chose to break the law. If the officer had only given me a warning instead of a ticket, would that have meant God answered my plea of "oh please! I really can't afford a ticket at this time!"? Nope, it would have meant that the officer chose to give me a warning instead of a ticket. Since he gave me a ticket, does that mean God doesn't love me? He's out to punish me? Nope, it meant I broke the law, got caught, and was issued a ticket.

I do believe, however, that God can and does intervene in people's lives. I can't always tell (most often I can't), but I do believe in a God who cares about us and our lives. I choose to attribute any good thing in my life to God rather than chance. I choose to view "bad" things in my life as something I need to learn (forgiveness, repentence, patience, etc.).

[Moksha]

Vort, you forgot to add that God would never have a bare midriff.

:)

[RanMan]

I'm just glad that God isn't like Gilligan's Island, or possibly Seinfeld.

:)

[WillowTheWhisp]

Wouldn't a Jeanie-God be more like a Lucifer-God? After all Lucifer only started doing the mean and nasty stuff after the rebellion when his 'force em all to Heaven' idea was rejected.

I must admit there are times when I would like a Jeanie-God but then I realise it wouldn't have been for my ultimate benefit and the only way I can grow is a bit at a time. A forced plant is never as strong and healthy as one grown naturally and slowly.

[Jamie123]

My father-in-law once met Barbara Eden. I suppose I could ask him...

[mnn727]

No I don't believe God is an I dream of jeanie type God, nor do I believe He is a finder of lost keys. To me both idea's are equally absurb.

To me; God set this all up to work, what we do with what He set up is up to us.

[tubaloth]

Its not about just gaining knoweledge. We could have learned everything in pre-mortal life. Its about doing it, or applying that knowelege or having Faith. Its action. Faith is doing something because of the Knowelege we gain. If we gained all Knowelege then who would we apply it? Live by it? Learn from it?