"If god is almighty and wishes only good for mankind then why is there suffering in this world?"
So that we may not forget Him? God chose to give us free will? Because we can't appreciate the good without experiencing the bad? Yeah right !!! Couldn't they have thought of something that sounded less defensive?
"Why is it that dishonourable people are rich and powerful and honest people struggling to live?"
Materialism is not what is important, they say? No wonder Karl Marx wrote, "Religion is the opium of the masses". I say that if god exists then he should be relieved of his services for negligence of duty.
"If Earth has previously been a witness to divine manifestations before (as Avtaars or The Son of God) to rescue mankind, why isn't He coming now, when the world needs him the most?"
It's said He'll come when the time is right. I just hope God doesn't follow IST !!! Face it. Accounts of His coming before are just fake stories. No historical evidence whatsoever.
"Why does God have manlike appearance? And why should God be biased towards man, of all animals?"
Ummmm. Because only man had the intelligence to make him up? That and a little bit of ego on man's part.
Even before the earliest civilization existed, the concept of God started out as a manifestation of the fear of the unknown and unexplained. Natural events like the travelling of the Sun across the sky, eclipses, death, disease all were attributed to the divine. But Man had to allay his fears. So the powerful and punishing God turned into powerful and benevolent God.
This fear/high regard of God and consequently power attributed to His "messengers" was what was exploited by organized religious bodies like the Roman Catholic Church to wield power over men. Not to mention the horrible misuse of that power (Witch-killings and suppression of scientific inquiry - remember Galileo?).
Then came all the wars and communalism so prevalent in our times in which people kill each other in the name of God. I'd say that the biggest murderer of all-time is none other than God Himself.
Now this is not to say that the concept of God should be done away with. I think that the concept of God is a useful one. It helps during meditation to focus on something all-bliss and totally calm and serene. However, i also think that the concept of God is a relic of our caveman days.
“We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”
- Richard Dawkins
