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This was a question that occurred to me when discussing theology on (some person doing a PhD. in Philosophy, who had taken Theology as a major subject before (IIRC), had opened a "Ask a Theologian" thread).
Anyway, here's the question I posted there:
Here's a chain of questions which my knowledge of Hindu philosophy suggested to me (in what way it was suggested would take too long to explain, so I'd skip that right now, unless you want to know more):
What is the exceptional thing in a Prophet (I refer to the Prophetic tradition of the Jews, the Old Testament, and of its culmination in Jesus)?
Is the nature of his consciousness "different" from others? Is he "created" different, somehow something more than just human?
If not (that is, if there is no difference between a Prophet and an ordinary man except that the Prophet is "chosen"), then why is a particular soul chosen for Prophethood? Is it (the choosing) random?
If it is random, isn't that just plain unfair (that some souls get a "Hotline to Heaven", whereas others have to be content with receiving orders from the guy with the phone)? Isn't it unfair to everyone else that they have to rely on faith, whereas the Prophets have (personal) proof?
Isn't it ironic that the only people who don't actually need faith, that same faith which is praised to the skies by the message these same people bring, who are completely convinced of the existence and attributes of God because of personal experience, are the Prophets themselves? They are given the "rational" proof of God, thus negating the necessity of faith, but they expect everyone else to take everything they say on faith.
Would God choose the faithless as his Messengers? Would God create a system in which his Messengers have to be without faith due to the nature of the Prophetic tradition itself?
Another bit which suggests itself now: would Yahweh/Jehovah/Allah create a system where only his "chosen" people would have the privilege of proof (and thus be without need of faith), and all others would have to be content with faith not just in God but also in his messengers, without the "special" knowledge that those messengers are privy to? Is that not unfair to every other created soul?
Anyway, here's the question I posted there:
Here's a chain of questions which my knowledge of Hindu philosophy suggested to me (in what way it was suggested would take too long to explain, so I'd skip that right now, unless you want to know more):
What is the exceptional thing in a Prophet (I refer to the Prophetic tradition of the Jews, the Old Testament, and of its culmination in Jesus)?
Is the nature of his consciousness "different" from others? Is he "created" different, somehow something more than just human?
If not (that is, if there is no difference between a Prophet and an ordinary man except that the Prophet is "chosen"), then why is a particular soul chosen for Prophethood? Is it (the choosing) random?
If it is random, isn't that just plain unfair (that some souls get a "Hotline to Heaven", whereas others have to be content with receiving orders from the guy with the phone)? Isn't it unfair to everyone else that they have to rely on faith, whereas the Prophets have (personal) proof?
Isn't it ironic that the only people who don't actually need faith, that same faith which is praised to the skies by the message these same people bring, who are completely convinced of the existence and attributes of God because of personal experience, are the Prophets themselves? They are given the "rational" proof of God, thus negating the necessity of faith, but they expect everyone else to take everything they say on faith.
Would God choose the faithless as his Messengers? Would God create a system in which his Messengers have to be without faith due to the nature of the Prophetic tradition itself?
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