This is an interesting question.

If there is a creator, then I think that the very thought of the creator is what makes the universe happen, since the creator cannot create anything in its own existing space without ceasing to be all-powerful over it. Hence, I believe that if there is such a thing as a god, then we are but a thought in the god's "conciousness", and exist exactly as the creator envisions it.

Hence, I think the creator need not want to create the universe in order to create it. The mere "thought" of the universe and its rules are enough for the existence of the universe, at least from the creator's point of view.

That's what I think anyways.

Yea, religions idea of a creator is most likely horribly wrong. I personally like M-thoery.

I would say that the difference is that I am not trying question anything and you are. You are asking questions based on assumptions and you're only accepting the answered that validate your assumptions that God is flawed.

Every question you asked me can posed me with the same question. Why would you assume God is flawed? Or, why can't you accept that God is perfect and as a human that is beyond comprehension?

What is the point of a theoretical discussion about a flawed god? God can't be flawed therefore God isn't flawed. If you believe that God's job could have been handled better, you are assuming you understand the purpose and method of God's creation which is hubris in its purest form. If you believe that God is flawed then you don't believe in God and there is still no point to a theoretical discussion. Therefore I am going to assume that your motive for posing such a theoretical questions is not to get an answer, but instead to evoke theological doubt within those with faith.

for the lulz.

^.^ very good.

*those type of people are worse than Jehovah witness if you ask me.

I have no doubt that all the secrets of the universe, as we could hope to understand them, boil down to math. I see no reason why math can't be God's tool. How God wields that tool is a mystery we will probably never solve. Evolution can be God's tool for creating life as we know it. Science can only detect what exists in the universe, but God exists beyond it's boarders.

God is why, science is how.

I like the way Michio Kaku refers to Math and God and Einstine's views: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi6yPJvCFU0

I didn't say that God created everything in the OP. I said "the creator" for a reason, and the only assumption I made was that the creator was almighty. The many other assumptions didn't pop up until people brought their gods into the discussion (and everyone have different gods that are based on different assumptions which means I need to be flexible).

I was questioning one thing alone: Why would an almighty being create our universe despite having full knowledge of how the process and result would turn out before creating it? Your take is that we cannot understand the creator's reasoning, and that the question cannot be answered. If you're fine with that answer that's none of my business.

The point with this thread was not to change the minds of the believers, but to point out a question that I wanted answered by them. I offered them an opportunity to give me a reason to agree with them. Saying that the answer is incomprehensible though will not give me one.

First of all, Allah wants his beauties, kindness and all other attributes be known to men. Allah created men to worship him. When we worship we praise him, we talk about his creation and we lead our life according to his commands or we do not do so. That is from Allah's point of view.

Now, how about men? If it was a matter of seconds from creation to result, would it be a test? How about going through a period which we know as 'life' and get an opportunity to do what he wanted us to be done. 

The time when Allah wanted to create men is described in the Quran like this:

{And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will create on earth a khalifa (representative).’ They said, ‘Will You put there someone who causes corruption and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?’ Allah said, ‘Indeed, I know that which you do not know’…}.

You can see that even angels knew what is going to happen. But Allah knew there will be people who will worship him, praise him, abide by his commands even in hardship. 

First of all, you will never get a satisfying answer. Either because you won't accept that God is beyond understanding or because you won't accept any answer other than that an all powerful being is a paradox that cannot be. Secondly, your hypothetical question limits the topic to an "almighty being" so flawed that nobody would defend such an idea. You're extremely flawed "creator" is not worshiped by anyone so nobody is going to defend it. Lastly, you will only get answers from those with faith who believe in a God without the flaws you seek to attach to the creator. Such a discussion serves no theological or intellectual purpose.

Wouldn't you be a bit lonely if you were the only thing that existed and you were self aware and you had no beginning and no ending?

What is God without a creation? What are the "godly" attributes of might, power, justice, sovereignty, mercy, love with nothing upon which those attributes can act?

If we accept that one of the attributes of God is "The Creator" and God is perfect, then without a creation God's perfection is not realised therefore God would not be perfect. If one of the attributes of God is not "The Creator" and God is perfect, then if there was a creation it would mean God is imperfect because something exists that is not one of his attributes. Therefore if God exists and creation exists it follows that one of the attributes of God is "The Creator". Given a creation does exist (and creation is an attribute of humans (e.g. the creative arts), and according to all religion humanity is made in God's image) it follows that if God exists then one of his attributes is "The Creator"

One can readily argue that the universe can exist without God existing, but one cannot really argue that God can exist without a creation. If God existed without a creation we would not exist and hence we could not be having this debate about God and creation.

I'm not sure why you find this so hard to understand.

If you are trying to suggest that a God with infinite knowledge and power can't exist because such a being would never make any sort of creation because it would know everything about everything before it happened, well this is simply an illogical line of reasoning given no one is a supreme being so no one can really understand how a supreme being would think. It would be like an and trying to understand the motivations and actions of humans.

However in some religions texts a reason is given, e.g. "I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore do thou love Me that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life." So perhaps the principle motivation of God is love, if the reader believes such religious texts to be legitimate.