Christians Blind Themselves to the True Nature of God

[RichDellaValle]

Please note that the God discussed here is the Biblical God of the Old and New Testament, not to be confused with Providence, Creator, or Supreme Being if such a "quiet" God exists. I find it ironic that Christians believe in the God of the Old Testament. Every Christian I know feels they must tell me and others that God loves us so much that he came down from his heavenly abode to die for our sins on the cross, completely ignoring the bad stuff in the Old Testament. They quote passages such as 1Cor 13:4-7, Psalm 36:5-7, Eph 2:4-5, Prov 3:11-12 and many others, but I'll stop at Proverbs because the word "discipline" is mentioned and that a father corrects his children using discipline with love because he loves us so much. As hard as I try, I can't find such a God in the Old Testament. The biblical God is hateful, racist, and sexist. Consider the following: In the Flood story, God wanted to destroy all mankind. In Moses' day, God wanted to destroy all the Israelites. In Joshua's day, God wanted the Israelites to kill all the inhabitants of the Promised Land. God purportedly told Saul to obliterate the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:3). Later, we find God pleased with anyone who would dash Babylonian babies against the rocks (Ps. 137:9). According to Jonah, God was going to destroy the people of Nineveh. God also destroyed and scattered the northern tribes of Israel because he was displeased with them. God allowed Satan, the accuser, to destroy Job's health and family to win a "bet." He hardened Pharaoh's heart so he could mete out terror. God will destroy all unbelievers in the lake of fire. He's a pretty brutal God if you ask me. But wait, there's more!

 

God decreed that a man who picked up sticks on the Sabbath day (to warm himself and his family) must be stoned to death (Num. 15:32-36). God commanded that anyone who curses his father or mother would be put to death (Ex. 21:17). Witches, and those of differing religious views, were to be killed (Ex. 22:18, 20). These are pretty stiff punishments, eh? Christians think militant Muslims are wrong for wanting to kill free-loving people in the world, and they are. But the only difference between these Muslims and the biblical God is that they disagree on who should be killed. They both agree people should be destroyed; they differ on who those people should be.

 

A female captive in war was forced to be an Israelite man's wife (Deut. 21:10-14). If a virgin who was pledged to be married was raped, she was to be stoned along with her rapist (Deut. 22:23-24), while if a virgin who was not pledged to be married was raped, she was supposed to marry her rapist (Deut. 22:28-29). God commanded men to divorce their foreign wives for no other reason but that they were not God's people (Ezra 9), and women were helpless if they weren't married in those days. He struck down two priests who dared to try to prevent the Arc of the Covenant from tipping over! God asked Abraham to kill his son Isaac. If we heard a voice telling us to do that today, we would not think this voice was God's, although Abraham wasn't horrified at the suggestion. There are hundreds of more examples like this.

 

People worship God out of pure emotion but must reject him when they engage their brains and reason to discover the true despot he is. Indeed they must conclude that barbaric men wrote up all this stuff, not good men inspired by a loving God who may exist. Is it fair that anyone should suffer eternally in a pit of fire just because they doubt the Bible is factual in their short mortal lifespan but otherwise live every day a decent life? This Biblical God isn't wise enough to realize that present-day people should (and most do) frown upon slavery and abuse of women or beating a child unmercifully.

 

In the Old Testament, God set apart the Jews as his "chosen people." He wanted all Gentiles to become Jews! Fact. He laid out his commandments and the means to atone for their sins. The path to righteousness was always available to the Jews. If he sent Jesus to earth, the OT indicates it wasn't to form a new religion! The entire basis of Christianity is God impregnated a teenager without her consent to kill his own son. Absurd!

[◊ Weezer ◊]

You are right.  You would think that if people read the Bible, (which most don't) they would recognize the inconsistancies and barbarianism.  Christians admit the bible is a collection of writings made by humans, and that humans decided which writings would go into the Bible.  So, the question I ask is, "what is it that made it the word of god"??  The answer I have gotten is that the writers were inspired by god.  But humans decided which writings god inspired!!  But that stuff has been conditioned into humans for so long, the inconsistancy is denied and it has become "God's truth".  It has become a massive "blind spot" in society.

 

You have to admit the Catholic church had some very manipulative, clever, sly, cold hearted and persistant beings to pull that off.  And those same characteristics are alive today both inside and outside religion.  But we aren't supposed to get into politics and business on this forum.

 

How do you see the present pope?  He is so liberal (compared to the past) that I am surprised some of the old guard hasn't assinated him.

[RichDellaValle]

52 minutes ago, Weezer said:

 

 

How do you see the present pope?  He is so liberal (compared to the past) that I am surprised some of the old guard hasn't assinated him.

I agree; the guy is off the wall!  Some say he will be the last Pope. Actually, every pope understood the falsity of their religion, and some even stated it publicly.  I'd sure like to get into their secret archives.  

[TheRedneckProfessor]

I take it a step further and say that the god of the bible is evil.  The problem of evil/suffering demonstrates this.  In every situation wherein needless, gratuitous suffering is inflicted upon the innocent,  the argument always boils down to god being able to prevent it but not willing to (for any number of reasons).  Thus god willingly perpetuates evil, by allowing it when he could prevent it.  Moreover, he cannot use evil/suffering for some greater good or higher purpose without automatically violating the free will of the victim.  Lastly, there is nothing "mysterious" about being able to prevent a 10-year-old girl from being raped; but simply not wanting to.  All of this demonstrates that the god of the bible is pure and unadulterated evil.  Far from the loving heavenly father we are invited to believe he is, god is a tyrannical,, barbaric, despotic, manipulative, abusive, bloodthirsty monster.

[alreadyGone]

An omnipotent, all-knowing, all-powerful God could have created man to be anything other than what we are.

 

If our nature were such that we did not need shelter from the elements, did not need to eat almost constantly, did not need the vulnerability of sleep every 24 hours, the world and human society would be completely different.

 

God supposedly had choices to make in the design of humankind.

If the bible is to be believed then God made every aspect of our design such that struggle and conflict was absolutely assured and inevitable.

 

Human frailty and need...

That is the nature and source of 'sin'.