Fear of God?

[Blackheart]

It seems that a Fascist Dictator is closer to attaining godlike qualities than the most benevolent of governments.
At least according to this concept of God.

Throughout history many dictators have demanded a very high reverance. Some have even banned religion in order to supress any challenge to thier God like status. The difference is that God actuallys knows what he is doing because he is God of all things.

 

[Looncall]

My God is a Jealous God. Vengance is mine sayeth the Lord.

This could be a whole new thread as it represents a big problem with peoples perception of God. Who told you God is fluffy? When some people read or percieve God being responsible for something that seems destructive they feel that there is something wrong. In their minds God couldnt allow something to happen to them that they dont like. Sometimes its used as evidence that there cant be a God. Certainly in these days man is so preoccupied with a notion that God should behave in a certain way that they approve of but let me tell you something....

The plan was always that we serve God not the other way around.

If there is only one true God then there is no appeal process so we better get used to the notion that he is in charge...he is the master...if you choose not to believe in him or not worship him it makes no difference to the status quo in his universe; he is still the boss of all bosses and you cant escape that by simply saying that you dont agree with his methods. You can like or dont like, either way you aint changing it and you will always be at his mercy regardless of how much you dont want to be included. The day that we get rid of this idea that he is our fluffy friend who is there to do what we tell him when we tell him to do it will be the day that we are truely humble.

My my, the priests have really got their hooks into you, haven't they? How do you cope with all that fear?

 

[tumbleweed41]

Throughout history many dictators have demanded a very high reverance. Some have even banned religion in order to supress any challenge to thier God like status...

A perfect description of the "Jealous God" concept that orders the deaths of those who would dare to worship other gods"

 

[Blackheart]

My my, the priests have really got their hooks into you, haven't they? How do you cope with all that fear?

Lol. I just accept the natural order.

 

[Breathe]

Lol. I just accept the natural order.

Natural order of what?

 

[strikeviperMKII]

how is that exactly? if you are meaning one cannot measure happiness unless one experiences sadness, but once you're dead well ah, you're dead.

Death is not the end.

i would say, if you are living for the after life you're already dead
or fear has taken life away from the living.

I agree.

remember... whosoever believes in him shall have ever lasting life and will not perish. that is the condition or rather the ultimatum to avoid perishing.
god is causing the torment...didn't god create this consequence?

It is a simple statement of fact, not a condition. When we do not chose life, we are not living.

 

[Blackheart]

Natural order of what?

God is great and can be very nice to us little humans but the choice is his. Thats the natural order in a nutshell I think.

 

[Breathe]

God is great and can be very nice to us little humans but the choice is his. Thats the natural order in a nutshell I think.

So he can be nice, he can be a mean old tyrant with a penchant for killing firstborns--just another day at the office for the big man?

:areyoucra

 

[Blackheart]

So he can be nice, he can be a mean old tyrant with a penchant for killing firstborns--just another day at the office for the big man?

:areyoucra

Finally someone gets it lol. I dont know why everyone is so shocked though.

 

[Breathe]

I dont know why everyone is so shocked though.

The shock is basically "how can you follow such an entity"?


My God is not like that and I would not follow Her if She was.

 

[tumbleweed41]

God is great and can be very nice to us little humans but the choice is his. Thats the natural order in a nutshell I think.

Finally someone gets it lol. I dont know why everyone is so shocked though.

It is not that we do not get it.
It is that by your own description, God is personified with human emotions, and all their faults.

 

[Blackheart]

The shock is basically "how can you follow such an entity"?


My God is not like that and I would not follow Her if She was.

I believe he is the only true God that there is and that my faith is not really a choice in the typical sense; rather an understanding of the truth of the way things just are. Dont get me wrong..Im not saying he goes around killing people for fun or anything but simply that he does what he sees fit and that its not up to us to decide what he should and shouldnt do.

 

[waitasec]

Death is not the end.

it's the end of life as we know it.
and to assume one knows the unknowable is pure speculation. period.
a book full of contradictions isn't going to explain the unexplainable.
the want for life to continue is an enticing idea. a form of comfort that death is just a transformation of energy. sure, i get that. it might be true.
however it's this notion that i have to meet a certain condition that goes against my integrity, reasoning and my logic in order for me to
fit in a class system when i die is absolutely ludicrous, no offense.

It is a simple statement of fact, not a condition.

it's a condition. it has to be a condition. it's not fact. it's faith.

When we do not chose life, we are not living.

i didn't choose life it chose me...i am living.

 

[Blackheart]

It is not that we do not get it.
It is that by your own description, God is personified with human emotions, and all their faults.

You have decided that these are faults but you cannot judge the ultimate judge. Or maybe you can but its pretty pointless anyway. Its more pointless than me deciding that Mr Bush is a war criminal. I can't do anything about it can I?

 

[Breathe]

Im not saying he goes around killing people for fun or anything but simply that he does what he sees fit and that its not up to us to decide what he should and shouldnt do.

When a God displays human attributes: anger, jealousy, rage, confusion and so on, I see no reason why we should not judge this entity's actions.

It then appears there are a few choices to why:

a. the attributes are not actual ones/metaphors, and God does not actually have them [a "why would someone eating pork or masturbating anger a deity responsible for the creation of the universe" kind of thing]
b. it's not an actual God, but some kind of entity that thinks it is
c. it's a rather petty and insecure entity that is hardly worth being called God
d. it's a human-written text bragging about how the people survived against all odds, and attributed it to a deity

 

[tumbleweed41]

You have decided that these are faults but you cannot judge the ultimate judge. Or maybe you can but its pretty pointless anyway. Its more pointless than me deciding that Mr Bush is a war criminal. I can't do anything about it can I?

It is you who has given God these human emotions and attributes, so I can judge this concept as equally as I can judge any other human. G.W. Bush included.

It is interesting that you make the comparison of your God concept to Bush, a human with obvious faults.

 

[waitasec]

You have decided that these are faults but you cannot judge the ultimate judge. Or maybe you can but its pretty pointless anyway. Its more pointless than me deciding that Mr Bush is a war criminal. I can't do anything about it can I?

i'm sorry for intruding.
blackheart, with all due respect, why don't you move to north korea? seems that the principles of tyranny fits your ideology. you have nothing to fear over there. you have allowed someone else to tell you what to think and how to act to save you the trouble of thinking for yourself...

 

[Blackheart]

i'm sorry for intruding.
blackheart, with all due respect, why don't you move to north korea? seems that the principles of tyranny fits your ideology. you have nothing to fear over there. you have allowed someone else to tell you what to think and how to act to save you the trouble of thinking for yourself...

Why would I move to North Korea? Are you suggesting that I designed God to be the way I described him? I hope not as that is exactly what Im arguing against.

You think someone else has told me these things? Well your right if your referring to the authors of the bible. Read it and you will see that God does what he decides is necessary even if it means that someone will not like it. Where does your image of God come from? How did you ever think that God was fluffy and only did things that we like (assuming thats what you think)?

 

[waitasec]

Why would I move to North Korea? Are you suggesting that I designed God to be the way I described him? I hope not as that is exactly what Im arguing against.

You think someone else has told me these things? Well your right if your referring to the authors of the bible. Read it and you will see that God does what he decides is necessary even if it means that someone will not like it. Where does your image of God come from? How did you ever think that God was fluffy and only did things that we like (assuming thats what you think)?

i'm suggesting that this way of living ascribes to your ideals.
you would rather be told what to do then to figure it out for yourself by the way you say you have accepted this tyrannical deity.

 

[Blackheart]

When a God displays human attributes: anger, jealousy, rage, confusion and so on, I see no reason why we should not judge this entity's actions.

It then appears there are a few choices to why:

a. the attributes are not actual ones/metaphors, and God does not actually have them [a "why would someone eating pork or masturbating anger a deity responsible for the creation of the universe" kind of thing]

I havent said that he is against any of these things but if he was then he would have his reasons im sure.

b. it's not an actual God, but some kind of entity that thinks it is

You say this because he does not sound like the kind of God you would like to serve you?

c. it's a rather petty and insecure entity that is hardly worth being called God

There you go deciding how a God should behave to measure up to your desires.

d. it's a human-written text bragging about how the people survived against all odds, and attributed it to a deity

Its hardly bragging if they are not claiming the triumph for themselves is it?