Storm Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 So, I was sitting here thinking about my wife and how this whole deconversion thing is going to strain our marriage. I was encouraged by midniterider with the following: Love your wife more than you love your truth. Good advice. As I was thinking of ways to show my wife how I love her and value her, I started thinking about how I used to believe that god is love. It was pounded in our heads that god loves us and wants to be with us etc. I started thinking that the true definition of love is often equated with 1 Corinthians 13. So I began to look at how the bible talks about love. 1st John 4:7 states the following: 7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. So we see here that the bible equates god with love so much so that it states the he is love. So by definition of scripture, he should embody the attributes listed as characteristics of love in 1st Corinthians 13. So...does he? Starting with 13:4 we see: 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude Exodus 20:5:You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me. Exodus 34:14: You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you. Deuteronomy 4:24: For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. and several other verses to this affect. Chapter 13 continues... 5 It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. Exodus 32: 7-8: 7 The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’" 9 Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. 10 Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.” Revelation 20:12: I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. Chapter 13 continues... 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. I cannot find anything specific to this, I believe that this is a universal truth as it is unlikely anyone would rejoice in injustice, but would be happy when the truth wins out. It continues... 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance The entire bible is a testament that god gives up, loses faith, is not always hopeful, and does not endure through every circumstance The entire book of revelations is also a testament that, at some point, god gives up on the world and destroys it and heaven and starts over. I have only provided a sample of several verses that would be additional support to my points in this essay, however, I believe that the evidence is clear that god is, in fact, not love, nor does he represent love very well. This post was not meant to provide exhaustive evidence, but just to show, if for anyone but myself, another thing that helps me move on from christianity and all of the religious programming I have accumulated in my life. I hope it helps. Maybe it doesn't. But it was nice to do a bible study and come up with something logical and not far fetched. Good day! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boftx Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 The first thing to realize is that there is a serious disconnect between the Old Testament and New Testament as just what "God" is being described. Contrary to what Christians believe, the two are not one and the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 It was that very discrepancy about the old and new testaments that brought me where I am today. But, unfortunately, in the church I have been attending, the bible is taken as a whole and not three weeks ago, the pastor said "The bible is not pick and choose. You have to take it all". This cracked me up because even he doesn't believe that. Its crazy how different the world looks without the rose-colored glasses of christianity distorting it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesG Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I agree bible god is almost bipolar in the bible!?!?! it really makes logical sense when you view it through the lens that the bible stories are merely a collection of stories inspired by their surrounding cultures and myths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
◊ crazyguy123 ◊ Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I agree bible god is almost bipolar in the bible!?!?! it really makes logical sense when you view it through the lens that the bible stories are merely a collection of stories inspired by their surrounding cultures and myths. He's probably got a lot more wrong with him than Bipolar Disorder... You could add Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Psychopathy, a bloody corpse fetish, and the fact that he enjoys the smell of burning flesh, to the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pops Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Is it possible to view this from the other end, ie that Love is your god? In that it can be your motivating force, the origin of all your intentions, your lens through which to view the world and it's occupants, both human and otherwise. Or am I just an old hippie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centauri Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Neither the Old or New Testament versions of God are champions of love. If you fail to jump through their hoops, you suffer punishment. Both rely on ultimatums to get their way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gall Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It was that very discrepancy about the old and new testaments that brought me where I am today. But, unfortunately, in the church I have been attending, the bible is taken as a whole and not three weeks ago, the pastor said "The bible is not pick and choose. You have to take it all". This cracked me up because even he doesn't believe that. Its crazy how different the world looks without the rose-colored glasses of christianity distorting it. I think there is a word for those who ask you to do what they will not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gall Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Neither the Old or New Testament versions of God are champions of love. If you fail to jump through their hoops, you suffer punishment. Both rely on ultimatums to get their way. Since they are both fairy tales does it even matter? Love is a human concept for humans by humans. If there is a god and he uses the word love it surely does not mean the same that it means to me; you know the kind of love that does not damn people for periods of time stretching into forever!!! Screw gods love mine is better. It doesn't require that I judge you to give it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Love is a human concept for humans by humans. If there is a god and he uses the word love it surely does not mean the same that it means to me; you know the kind of love that does not damn people for periods of time stretching into forever!!! Screw gods love mine is better. It doesn't require that I judge you to give it. At least the bible got one thing right: and now abides faith, hope and love. and the greatest of these is love. I would say love first, hope second, faith last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted July 25, 2013 Moderator Share Posted July 25, 2013 He loved us so much Norm that he sacrificed his only son to an afternoon of whipping to the bone, had to carry a real heavy wooden tree while he was bleeding to death and then they took joy in nailing his feet and hands to that tree to be totally mocked by the crowd as he suffocated to death. But he loves you....and that's why he did it....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 He loved us so much Norm that he sacrificed his only son to an afternoon of whipping to the bone, had to carry a real heavy wooden tree while he was bleeding to death and then they took joy in nailing his feet and hands to that tree to be totally mocked by the crowd as he suffocated to death. But he loves you....and that's why he did it....... Thanks Margee for clearing that up. I had doubts, but I feel that gods spirit has spoken through you and I am convinced of his true and genuine love for me (wink wink!). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisstavrous Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu8KFlfzk3Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts