God: Bloodthirsty Barbarian or Supreme Being ?

[Crippled Avenger]

I consider myself an agnostic. That said, I often wonder if or if not their is a God. One of the things that confuses me in this matter is that the Bibnle has many seemingly contradictory teachings. An example of this is the Old Testaments command to kill murderers. Yet in the New Testament, murderers can be forgiven. How does that make sense ? On one hand your going to blot them out of existence, yet the New Testament forgives them free and clear.
So my question is, does religion lead to acceptance of people ? If that is so, what do we do the remarks of the Bible lead some people to kill gays ? If God truly accepts everyone and does not reject anyone that does not choose something (I consider gay people to be that way because nature and other biological componets made them that way) evil, that are we to make of God's utter rejection and horrifying, barbaric order to kill and ignore gays ? This is the act of a barbarian more than the act of a Supreme Being.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

You should separate God from man-made religions and books written by humans. You're better off finding Divinity in Nature and in the Cosmos than in books.

 

[Draupadi]

Maybe the finding the Deities in nature still gives the same viewpoint?

 

[Jainarayan]

An example of this is the Old Testaments command to kill murderers. Yet in the New Testament, murderers can be forgiven. How does that make sense ? On one hand your going to blot them out of existence, yet the New Testament forgives them free and clear.

Forgive them for the sin, not the crime. "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's; render unto God what is God's". The law is Caesar's and must be obeyed, though the murderer is still worthy of love and spiritual forgiveness.

So my question is, does religion lead to acceptance of people ? If that is so, what do we do the remarks of the Bible lead some people to kill gays ? If God truly accepts everyone and does not reject anyone that does not choose something (I consider gay people to be that way because nature and other biological componets made them that way) evil, that are we to make of God's utter rejection and horrifying, barbaric order to kill and ignore gays ? This is the act of a barbarian more than the act of a Supreme Being.

You have to consider the context in which these verses were written, and that many translations are just plain wrong, and the originals misinterpreted. It was a harsh time in a harsh land where harsh laws existed.

 

[BSM1]

I consider myself an agnostic. That said, I often wonder if or if not their is a God. One of the things that confuses me in this matter is that the Bibnle has many seemingly contradictory teachings. An example of this is the Old Testaments command to kill murderers. Yet in the New Testament, murderers can be forgiven. How does that make sense ? On one hand your going to blot them out of existence, yet the New Testament forgives them free and clear.
So my question is, does religion lead to acceptance of people ? If that is so, what do we do the remarks of the Bible lead some people to kill gays ? If God truly accepts everyone and does not reject anyone that does not choose something (I consider gay people to be that way because nature and other biological componets made them that way) evil, that are we to make of God's utter rejection and horrifying, barbaric order to kill and ignore gays ? This is the act of a barbarian more than the act of a Supreme Being.

Short answer to your question: yes.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I consider myself an agnostic. That said, I often wonder if or if not their is a God. One of the things that confuses me in this matter is that the Bibnle has many seemingly contradictory teachings. An example of this is the Old Testaments command to kill murderers. Yet in the New Testament, murderers can be forgiven. How does that make sense ? On one hand your going to blot them out of existence, yet the New Testament forgives them free and clear.
So my question is, does religion lead to acceptance of people ? If that is so, what do we do the remarks of the Bible lead some people to kill gays ? If God truly accepts everyone and does not reject anyone that does not choose something (I consider gay people to be that way because nature and other biological componets made them that way) evil, that are we to make of God's utter rejection and horrifying, barbaric order to kill and ignore gays ? This is the act of a barbarian more than the act of a Supreme Being.

God's nature is most likely portrayed through the nature of existence itself. Not only for pantheistic reasons, but if you consider a separate creator God it makes sense that his personality is reflected off of his creation.

Whether or not God is good or evil depends entirely on what the person expects of him. If God were to accept everyone, that means he accepts everyone that you personally don't accept. I don't find it a bad thing, in fact it makes complete sense that God accepts all of what exists, because it is his world, his will, our determination, and the only thing we have to say on it is our outlook.

If God likes some things and is against other things then often times it ends up to be what the believer is against and for. That is called creating God in your image which isn't bad either, it's actually very healthy because it calls for a closer relationship to your deity.


What I think makes more sense is that God's will literally is everything as it is, and it is set in place. Either you like it or you don't, that says nothing about God.

 

[Whiterain]

Going to go with cosmic gas.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Maybe the finding the Deities in nature still gives the same viewpoint?

Not that I've ever heard.

 

[Crippled Avenger]

You should separate God from man-made religions and books written by humans. You're better off finding Divinity in Nature and in the Cosmos than in books.

I understand that your religion follows a book. Who then wrote that book ?
I would be fascinated to hear it magically appeared.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I understand that your religion follows a book. Who then wrote that book ?
I would be fascinated to hear it magically appeared.

I don't know what you're talking about.

 

[Draupadi]

Not that I've ever heard.

Books or observing nature, both made me exceedingly pessimistic about God. But hey the truth is not always sweet.

 

[Chakra]

I consider myself an agnostic. That said, I often wonder if or if not their is a God. One of the things that confuses me in this matter is that the Bibnle has many seemingly contradictory teachings. An example of this is the Old Testaments command to kill murderers. Yet in the New Testament, murderers can be forgiven. How does that make sense ? On one hand your going to blot them out of existence, yet the New Testament forgives them free and clear.
So my question is, does religion lead to acceptance of people ? If that is so, what do we do the remarks of the Bible lead some people to kill gays ? If God truly accepts everyone and does not reject anyone that does not choose something (I consider gay people to be that way because nature and other biological componets made them that way) evil, that are we to make of God's utter rejection and horrifying, barbaric order to kill and ignore gays ? This is the act of a barbarian more than the act of a Supreme Being.

Why do you talk like there is no other God than the God of the Bible and no other religion than Christianity?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Books or observing nature, both made me exceedingly pessimistic about God. But hey the truth is not always sweet.

I know you have problems with severe depression, so that's not really surprising.

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

So my question is, does religion lead to acceptance of people ? If that is so, what do we do the remarks of the Bible lead some people to kill gays ? If God truly accepts everyone and does not reject anyone that does not choose something (I consider gay people to be that way because nature and other biological componets made them that way) evil, that are we to make of God's utter rejection and horrifying, barbaric order to kill and ignore gays ? This is the act of a barbarian more than the act of a Supreme Being.

But where in the Bible does it say we should kill gay people?

Can you cite readings from the Bible?

What evidence do you have to support such a claim?

 

[Koldo]

I know you have problems with severe depression, so that's not really surprising.

Says the one with even more problems himself. Let's not make remarks about the private life of others, agreed?

 

[rusra02]

I consider myself an agnostic. That said, I often wonder if or if not their is a God. One of the things that confuses me in this matter is that the Bibnle has many seemingly contradictory teachings. An example of this is the Old Testaments command to kill murderers. Yet in the New Testament, murderers can be forgiven. How does that make sense ? On one hand your going to blot them out of existence, yet the New Testament forgives them free and clear.
So my question is, does religion lead to acceptance of people ? If that is so, what do we do the remarks of the Bible lead some people to kill gays ? If God truly accepts everyone and does not reject anyone that does not choose something (I consider gay people to be that way because nature and other biological componets made them that way) evil, that are we to make of God's utter rejection and horrifying, barbaric order to kill and ignore gays ? This is the act of a barbarian more than the act of a Supreme Being.

The true God is rightly described in the Bible as “Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loyal love and truth, showing loyal love to thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin, but he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished" (exodus 34:6,7)
Jehovah will accept anyone who sincerely repents of wrongdoing and no longer practices such things. I believe that is why he has not yet acted to destroy the wicked. (2 Peter 3:9) But God's standards do not change. So we are told by God; "Do not be misled. Those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who submit to homosexual acts, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners will not inherit God’s Kingdom. And yet that is what some of you were. But you have been washed clean; you have been sanctified; you have been declared righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and with the spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9,10)

 

[Rick O'Shez]

You're better off finding Divinity in Nature and in the Cosmos than in books.

I agree, but how do you know you've found "Divinity"?

 

[arcanum]

Man's understanding of God evolves, the writings of the bible were filtered through men whose understanding of god was reflected in their culture and tradition. They are a sort of amber preserving the level of consciousness the writers were at at that given point of time. You can clearly see how their understating of god changed as time went on. It's like looking up at the sky through the eyes of ancients whose lens was gradually expanding revealing more and more of the expansiveness of the deity. Man's understanding of god continues to expand, as it is endless and infinite and we are but mere specs in the cosmic ecosystem, continually contemplating and reassessing our place.