Is the J-C God evil?

Great Debates
241

I think, again, to generally address the topic:

There is a clear fundamental understanding (if not proof) that for a human to display any of the qualities of God in the Bible, or to integrate Biblical structure as a whole into their personality is to create a personality which cannot be judged based upon what they do. The Bible fundamentally teaches people how to be cult leaders and followers. It teaches how to violate the trust of others and create non-transparency; a means of allowing a trojan horse; a vulnerability a means to surrender your soul without evidence to people who will be more than welcome to use this sacrifice to their advantage when their backs are against the wall. The Bible, from the get-go is a form; on this earth at least; which to me charachteizes ‘evil’, if humored on any level of ‘taking it as a whole’. The only passage that makes absolute sense is: Do not kill. Ironically, God is the only one doing the killing in the book; minus his followers and his enemies. Interestingly though; Satan doesn’t kill anyone.

The Bible ON EARTH, is (to people who pride themselves on logical/behavioral continuity); the absolute perfect model of how to adopt a personality which breeds evil (control, manipulation, unaccountability, denial, apologetics) on earth, by studying God very closely. It really is one of those; “If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck!”

The whole point of even suggesting; “well, what if it isn’t” Is the SAME exact tool that gets used over and over and over again to excuse inconsistant behavior with belief.

-Justhink

242

Just thought I’d butt in for a second. Y’all seem to be having a wonderful time arguing Adam and Eve’s ability to make an intelligent decision regarding the fruit offered by the serpent.

I could be mistaken, but I don’t think “The Knowledge of GOOD and EVIL” is a requirement for knowing the difference between right and wrong/yes or no. Children are able to make this distinction readily without the superior intellect required when confronted with GOOD and EVIL. I’m not sure anyone is knowledgeable enough to claim this ability. It would practically have to be a gift/curse from the ALLMIGHTY.

That kinda leads me to the 2nd part…free-will? When considering the presence of an omniscient being, one sounds quite absurd claiming to have “free-will”. I think most would agree that our lives aren’t totally determined by our own actions. Very few probably feel like their decisions in life are completely their own. Most people had the most important part of their lives decided for them. (their parents)

Anyway, whether God exists or not…I still love ya! PEACE

243

But if you substitute BAD for EVIL, until children can make their own decisions on what’s GOOD and what’s BAD, their parents have to tell them. So God basically wanted man to remain as children, only able to do what he told them to. This does not, to my mind, constitute free will–or at least does not constitute informed consent.

244

Squish I don’t think I ever used the word BAD but I know what you mean and isn’t that kinda what I said, simply put?

We as children don’t “know” good or evil. We are taught right from wrong. This is not the same thing.

Our free will as children is only as great as our parents allow it to be.

I think we agree on these points. w/ maybe a little diff. on
right = good …wrong = evil

245

Right, so where are we in the debate?

God has been accused of evil acts.
We seem to be focussing on his behaviour while ethically cleansing Canaan for his chosen people the Habiru or Hebrews.

The defence has brought to bear that those acts aren’t evil but a form of justice. Supposedly a punishment for the sins of man.

The accusing party has tried to establish that the original sin itself is a cruel/evil entrapment for Adam and Eve.
Satan’s role has been discussed in this and there still is some unclarity if he wrecks his evil as part of Gods Grand Scheme or that he acts on his own.
Still, even if Satan acts on his own, this does not detract from the fact that God himself has commited some heinous acts.

Even if we were to accept that these acts were a form of punishment for something Adam and Eve did, do you think it is ‘Good’ to punish a species into the umphundreth generation?
To condemn everyone but a handful to eternal pain for something an ancient ancestor did? An ancestor you have never even heard of who did something bad in the eyes of a god you have never even heard of?
You call that justice?

246

Um, not to start a firestorm or anything, but are you seriously attributing depth to the passages contained in Ezekiel, JThunder?

Taken as a whole, the book of Ezekiel can be seen by some as the ravings of a circumcised, crap-eating, god-weiner-looking lunatic. Some of Zeke’s greatest hits:

[q]1:26
And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

1:27
And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

1:28
As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
[/q]

[q]4:12
And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
[/q]

[q]32:21
The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.[/q]

IMHO, I’d look to a more reputable source for the nature of Satan. At least, someone who prefered, say honey, rather than shit on his barley cakes.