# Christians, how do you justify that God is not a total prick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 25, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976 "2011-03-25T15:33:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/101 "2011-03-31T18:06:15Z")
Or a bad point for the quality of the modern translations. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/102 "2011-03-31T18:17:08Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Actually yeah, if one looks at the details of the different accounts & possible ways to deal with the discrepancies. > > Do you really think the compilers of the Bible DIDN’T notice the discrepancies? The fact that they left them alone & didn’t try to edit them out is actually a decent point for their integrity. The fact that there are contradictions in the Bible is a _good_ point? Tell me, just as a hypothetical, what would the Bible have to contain that you might consider it to be a _bad_ point? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/103 "2011-03-31T18:19:25Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > The fact that they left them alone & didn’t try to edit them out is actually a decent point for their integrity. The fact that they looked directly at the discrepancies and didn’t question them says something about their intelligence, not their integrity. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/104 "2011-03-31T18:33:04Z")
> [@monavis](#): > > This would indicate that God created imperfect beings then punished them for it. It is said He knows all things even before a person is concieved, so He punishes people for His mistakes? Sort of, but that is a very one sided view. Another way of looking at it is He was going to lose a child to death. The way to save that child required a donation from one of His other children (us). Yes we go through the hell of the operation, but the end result is both children live forever and no one is lost eternally. It also shows that His plan is perfect and He is all powerful, as we as imperfect and very spiritually week beings, He uses to defeat the power of Satan and get all His children back perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/105 "2011-03-31T18:33:07Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Actually yeah, if one looks at the details of the different accounts & possible ways to deal with the discrepancies. > > Do you really think the compilers of the Bible DIDN’T notice the discrepancies? The fact that they left them alone & didn’t try to edit them out is actually a decent point for their integrity. The inconsistencies in the Sherlock Holmes stories or Star Trek scripts are usually not considered as evidence of their historical validity. For Genesis, perhaps the need to include both versions of extant myths about the creation trumped the need for a logical consistency which hadn’t been invented yet. I wonder how many copies a “Nitpickers Guide to the Bible” would sell. No new research would be required. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/106 "2011-04-01T11:20:10Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Sort of, but that is a very one sided view. Another way of looking at it is He was going to lose a child to death. The way to save that child required a donation from one of His other children (us). Yes we go through the hell of the operation, but the end result is both children live forever and no one is lost eternally. > > It also shows that His plan is perfect and He is all powerful, as we as imperfect and very spiritually week beings, He uses to defeat the power of Satan and get all His children back perfectly. Since He created Satan, and allowed him to destroy His children, doesn’t speak very well of the God you Believe in. He is said to know all things even before they happen so if man is imperfect it is not man’s fault, but the fault of such a creator. It sounds like this God loves to play games that are harmful to His children. A cruel being. such a human father would be put in jail! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/107 "2011-04-01T11:40:09Z")
> [@monavis](#): > > Since He created Satan, and allowed him to destroy His children, doesn’t speak very well of the God you Believe in. He is said to know all things even before they happen so if man is imperfect it is not man’s fault, but the fault of such a creator. It sounds like this God loves to play games that are harmful to His children. A cruel being. such a human father would be put in jail! Satan is the child that He is saving ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/108 "2011-04-01T17:09:19Z")
Assuming that there was a god, I’d prefer if he were a lot like the Greek gods. They were assholes, but at least they were very human-seeming assholes, something I can relate to better than the idea of a god arbitrarily disposing of anyone who didn’t believe he existed because he was doing it for “the greater good, which we couldn’t possibly understand.” I’d rather have someone I can relate to punish me for a reason that I understand (even if he or she is a jerk) than some random person thinking he’s doing what’s best for me without me having any idea why he or she thinks it’s best for me. If that makes any sense. In short, yeah, that’s a dick thing to do, and I hope that it turns out that that type of god doesn’t exist. If he (or she) does, I’ll have some ‘splainin’ to do. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/109 "2011-04-01T17:28:11Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > Assuming that there was a god, I’d prefer if he were a lot like the Greek gods. They were assholes, but at least they were very human-seeming assholes, something I can relate to better than the idea of a god arbitrarily disposing of anyone who didn’t believe he existed because he was doing it for “the greater good, which we couldn’t possibly understand.” > > I’d rather have someone I can relate to punish me for a reason that I understand (even if he or she is a jerk) than some random person thinking he’s doing what’s best for me without me having any idea why he or she thinks it’s best for me. If that makes any sense. > > In short, yeah, that’s a dick thing to do, and I hope that it turns out that that type of god doesn’t exist. If he (or she) does, I’ll have some ‘splainin’ to do. the god of the Bible is every much as human as the Greek gods. Forget about what the preachers say on Sunday and his apologists claim. The bible presents a god who is vindictive, petty, jealous, etc. All very human traits. If a god does exist, it’s not the one of the Bible, or Koran for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/110 "2011-04-01T17:35:47Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Actually yeah, if one looks at the details of the different accounts & possible ways to deal with the discrepancies. > > Do you really think the compilers of the Bible DIDN’T notice the discrepancies? The fact that they left them alone & didn’t try to edit them out is actually a decent point for their integrity. By the time the Canon was chosen, the individual books were already too well known and widely distributed for there to be any opportunity for editing. They _did_ exclude from the Canon books that were too divergent from the orthodox theology that was developing. The differences in the Canonical Gospels were minor in comparison to say, the Gnostics, and all of them were already widely established and popular. Editing them wasn’t an option, and excluding any of four would have caused greater headaches than it was worth. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/111 "2011-04-02T13:06:36Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Actually yeah, if one looks at the details of the different accounts & possible ways to deal with the discrepancies. > > Do you really think the compilers of the Bible DIDN’T notice the discrepancies? The fact that they left them alone & didn’t try to edit them out is actually a decent point for their integrity. At that time (about the year 350+ AD) most people didn’t read, and the Monks who copied the different writings perhaps never knew what the other monk was copying and was unaware of the different storys. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/112 "2011-04-02T13:11:48Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Sort of, but that is a very one sided view. Another way of looking at it is He was going to lose a child to death. The way to save that child required a donation from one of His other children (us). Yes we go through the hell of the operation, but the end result is both children live forever and no one is lost eternally. > > It also shows that His plan is perfect and He is all powerful, as we as imperfect and very spiritually week beings, He uses to defeat the power of Satan and get all His children back perfectly. Strange that He didn’t get rid of Satan before He created humans. And it doesn’t add up that The god you believe in, made imperfect beings then punished them for the weakness that he created in them! Why didn’t God destroy Satan as soon as He learned Satan was evil! Of course he should have known that Satan would rebel and become evil, so Your God must have wanted evil to exist!! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/113 "2011-04-02T13:49:54Z")
> [@monavis](#): > > Strange that He didn’t get rid of Satan before He created humans. And it doesn’t add up that The god you believe in, made imperfect beings then punished them for the weakness that he created in them! Why didn’t God destroy Satan as soon as He learned Satan was evil! Of course he should have known that Satan would rebel and become evil, so Your God must have wanted evil to exist!! Listen to what you are saying, in earthly terms you are saying to God to kill your infant child (Satan) forever. Now it is true that God did kill/have killed His Son Jesus, but in a way where Jesus would come back from the dead, Satan doesn’t seem to have this privilege as Satan is separated from God and God’s Kingdom. Because God loves Satan and wants him to return and has made a way for him, this alone speaks for universal salvation as if God has a way for Satan how much more will He be willing to save all of us? God does not eternally get rid of any of his children EVER, as that would be Hell for God. God will do anything to get them back and has the wisdom and power to do it by having the child decide to come home, which also preserves free will. As God almighty you have 3 choices with 3 outcomes: 1 - Kill your infant child that you Love and lose him forever 2 - Force your infant child by mind control to behave for eternity. 3 - Flatline a child (Jesus) and bring Him back to life so you can have your infant child (Satan) back for good and everything is restored. Looking at the above I noticed that it is very relevant to how we treat children today 1 + 2 sound very much like the way we treat children, abortion and drugs such as ADD drugs, while choice 3 offers the hope and IMHO the power to save the children as Jesus’ death can correct all. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/114 "2011-04-02T23:58:00Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > They don’t do that. They never have and I seriously doubt they ever will, so long as religion survives. The believers are always, constantly, _relentlessly_ trying to push their dogma on others and write them into the law. And they endanger others by following their delusional beliefs. Religion is not a matter of “live and let live”. The believers simply won’t let it be. GODDAMMIT! NOT EVERY BELIEVER ACTS LIKE THAT!!! I’m sick and tired of this bullshit you keep pushing. Guess what? I believe in God. And I don’t give a shit WHAT people believe, or don’t believe. People can worship an old sweat sock, for all I care, as long as they don’t bother people. You’ve been here what, over five years, and you’ve been around how many Christians, Jews, Muslims, whatever, and yet how many people here have ever tried to push their beliefs on you? Not everyone believes the same way, and I’ve HAD it with your generalizations. You’re no better than those who assume that all atheists are evil and are only atheists because they’re pissed off at God. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/115 "2011-04-03T01:42:15Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > GODDAMMIT! NOT EVERY BELIEVER ACTS LIKE THAT!!! So what? It’s the ones that do who matter, it’s the ones who do who control the course of the religion and represent its core values. There’s enough to pass bigoted laws like bans on same sex marriage. There’s more who do want to shove their beliefs down the throats of others than there are those that don’t. And most of those who don’t hand money to the ones that do so it doesn’t really matter. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/116 "2011-04-03T02:56:15Z")
(deleted) ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/117 "2011-04-03T03:50:38Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > The daughter didn’t quite take this piece of advice as well as he thought. She started to get upset to the point of tears because she thought her dad was going to hell. He was able to console her by (his words) lying to her and telling here that “God gives a free pass to family members.” (Or something to that effect. I can’t remember verbatim.) Sounds like Lisa Simpson and Homer Simpson. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/118 "2011-04-03T12:47:50Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Satan is the child that He is saving Where does that idea come from? In the stories about Satan, God seems to put Satan on an equal par with Himself,like testing Job, when God knew ahead of time Job would not cave in! I understand the Bible readings that man needed saving not Satan! God seems (In Genesis) to punish humans because he wanted to keep them ignorant. This was when He is quoted as saying",but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest there of, you shall surely die. It would seem to me that Satan couldn’t die, and it was humans who God thought needed saving! Why couldn’t God save Satan before He created humans? Sorry, but your explaination makes no sense to me! ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/119 "2011-04-03T12:50:01Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Listen to what you are saying, in earthly terms you are saying to God to kill your infant child (Satan) forever. Now it is true that God did kill/have killed His Son Jesus, but in a way where Jesus would come back from the dead, Satan doesn’t seem to have this privilege as Satan is separated from God and God’s Kingdom. > > Because God loves Satan and wants him to return and has made a way for him, this alone speaks for universal salvation as if God has a way for Satan how much more will He be willing to save all of us? God does not eternally get rid of any of his children EVER, as that would be Hell for God. God will do anything to get them back and has the wisdom and power to do it by having the child decide to come home, which also preserves free will. > > As God almighty you have 3 choices with 3 outcomes: > 1 - Kill your infant child that you Love and lose him forever > 2 - Force your infant child by mind control to behave for eternity. > 3 - Flatline a child (Jesus) and bring Him back to life so you can have your infant child (Satan) back for good and everything is restored. > Looking at the above I noticed that it is very relevant to how we treat children today 1 + 2 sound very much like the way we treat children, abortion and drugs such as ADD drugs, while choice 3 offers the hope and IMHO the power to save the children as Jesus’ death can correct all. Your sense of logic doesn’t register with me!! ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976/120 "2011-04-03T12:56:49Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Listen to what you are saying, in earthly terms you are saying to God to kill your infant child (Satan) forever. Now it is true that God did kill/have killed His Son Jesus, but in a way where Jesus would come back from the dead, Satan doesn’t seem to have this privilege as Satan is separated from God and God’s Kingdom. > > Because God loves Satan and wants him to return and has made a way for him, this alone speaks for universal salvation as if God has a way for Satan how much more will He be willing to save all of us? God does not eternally get rid of any of his children EVER, as that would be Hell for God. God will do anything to get them back and has the wisdom and power to do it by having the child decide to come home, which also preserves free will. > > As God almighty you have 3 choices with 3 outcomes: > 1 - Kill your infant child that you Love and lose him forever > 2 - Force your infant child by mind control to behave for eternity. > 3 - Flatline a child (Jesus) and bring Him back to life so you can have your infant child (Satan) back for good and everything is restored. > Looking at the above I noticed that it is very relevant to how we treat children today 1 + 2 sound very much like the way we treat children, abortion and drugs such as ADD drugs, while choice 3 offers the hope and IMHO the power to save the children as Jesus’ death can correct all. This makes no sense to me whatever! Your God then, is not all knowing, all loving and likes to play cruel games,God could have created Satan to be better than He is said to be, but chose to create him, even though he would know he was creating a monster and could well have created Satan with out a flaw. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-how-do-you-justify-that-god-is-not-a-total-prick/575976.md?page=7)