Is God evil?

[RobRoy]

ETA: I found where you wrote, "Man's sole purpose is obedience to God." Sigh... Nevermind.

Agreed.

I actually happen to like the LDS slogan on this question: "Man is that he might have joy." Opens the whole world up to a slew of purposes, desires, goals, aims, etc. Whether adherent or atheist, I think this is a much better core foundation than obedience.

 

[Ali]

The implication is that you know the reason. Willing to share?

ETA: I found where you wrote, "Man's sole purpose is obedience to God." Sigh... Nevermind.

A God who can and will give you anything you want.
This means rejoicing not sighing!

 

[noch1Narr]

RobRoy and Silentknight-I always enjoy your comments, especially your sense of humo(u)r! Thank You!
And Thank You, Dion, for your thoughtful post #340

 

[Nogbad]

A God who can and will give you anything you want.
This means rejoicing not sighing!

The evidence doesn't back that statement up at all. A great many get exactly what they don't want no matter how nicely they ask.

 

[RobRoy]

RobRoy and Silentknight-I always enjoy your comments, especially your sense of humo(u)r! Thank You!

If you like what we do, throw money.

Remember, the seven o'clock show is different from the nine. Tip your waiters!

 

[DanishDynamite]

Seems like an odd question, but I've been thinking about this ever since I read a thriller called "The Armageddon Conspiracy" by mike hockney in which a group of people plot to kill God. The book presents the Gnostic view of history and this amounts to a belief that the material world was created by an evil demon (Satan) for the purpose of entrapping souls. Since it says in the Bible that "God" created the earth then "God" must be Satan. The True God, meanwhile, lives in a spiritual paradise that has no connection with the earth. It's the task of a Gnostic to see reality as it really is and acquire the secret knowledge (gnosis) to allow his soul to be freed from its prison in this world and return to heaven.

The curious thing is that the "God" worshipped by Christians, Jews and Muslims is, according to the Gnostics, pure evil. Isn't it totally amazing that billions of people worship a God that some people believe to be the very quintessence of wickedness? Judging by some of the things that Christians, Jews and Muslims inflict on their fellow human beings (mass murder, torture, inquisition, suicide bombings, massacres, death camps etc), don't the Gnostics have a very good case?

One of the reaons that religion is so absurd is that it frequently allows the precise opposite views to be arrived at from precisely the same theological "facts". The Gnostics and the Christians both accept that "God" created the earth, but the former conclude that this was an act of supreme evil while the latter celebrate it as a great and glorious thing. Same "facts" - entirely different conclusions. Religion is plainly just a matter of interpretation, opinion and taste. There are no objective standards whatever. Some religions can actually contain diametrically opposed views...how is it possible for an extreme capitalist and an extreme left winger to both claim that they are good Christians obeying God's will? At least one must be wholly wrong.

In democratic terms, no religion on earth commands the allegiance of more than about 16% of the world's population (Catholic Christianity and non-Catholic Christianity must, of course, be considered as separate religions since they have precious little in common). So, whatever set of beliefs you choose to adopt, at least 84% of the world's population say you're wrong. Isn't it bizarre that people who trumpet the wonders of democracy, reject utterly the precepts of democracy in terms of religion? The democratic verdict regarding every religion is that it's wrong. In political terms, people are willing to accept the majority view. In religion, they reject it utterly. How weird!! Shouldn't the fact that no matter what religion they belong to, religious believers are in a tiny minority, cause them pause for thought and make them question their beliefs?

There is no god. The concept is neither good nor evil as it doesn't exist.

 

[stilicho]

...aaand here we are back at the beginning of the circle. Whether the Book of Hosea is allegorical or not, if you can't see that the choice of symbol and language is misogynistic, then there's no point in talking to you. If, for example, I want to tell you that you are allowing your talent to be exploited, I could just say that, or, if I have perhaps less respect for women, I could say you were "whoring yourself out." The second phrase is metaphorical, but no less slightly misogynistic for all that.

And with that, I'm through.

I figured that out when you partially quoted me earlier and then used a "smiley" to express your dissatisfaction with the rest of my argument.

Is the Danish prince in Hamlet real or allegorical?

 

[Ali]

A God who can and will give you anything you want.
This means rejoicing not sighing!

The evidence doesn't back that statement up at all. A great many get exactly what they don't want no matter how nicely they ask.

First let's have a look at your evidence.

 

[Foster Zygote]

Damn, that's gotta be disappointing.

Welcome to paradise. Here are your white grapes. We suggest you don't eat them all at once.

Like the Family Guy bit where the suicide bomber arrives in Paradise to be greeted by 70 male nerds in the middle of a role playing game, then shakes his fist in rage and shouts "O-sa-ma!!!".

 

[articulett]

God isn't really evil... he just has to act indifferent (which seems evil)as a test of our faith!

 

[blobru]

God isn't really evil... he just has to act indifferent (which seems evil) as a test of our faith! ...

GOD??? INDIFFERENT!!!





Meh.

(guess I am in His image after all)

 

[articulett]

See!

PROOF!

 

[Foster Zygote]

God isn't really evil... he just has to act indifferent (which seems evil)as a test of our faith!

Well Ali's god most definitely is evil. We learned this when he informed us that his god allowed a little girl to be abducted, raped and buried alive because she must have done something to offend said god.

 

[articulett]

It appears all gods allow such things...

--which is why I can't believe in any of them, and I have a hard time respecting those who feel "good" about "believing in" such things. Such people seem as vile as the gods they apologize for to me.

This is why religious belief is dangerous. It makes people think that horrific things are the work of a "loving" god. That's disturbing on so many levels. As Steven Weinberg says: "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion."

Why would humans refrain from doing such things if their savior and role model condones it? The Abrahamic god condones quite a bit of vile behavior--always has... orders it and participates in it on many occasions, in fact. Most people, are thankfully, far more moral than the gods they worship.

 

[Jeff Corey]

Well Ali's god most definitely is evil. We learned this when he informed us that his god allowed a little girl to be abducted, raped and buried alive because she must have done something to offend said god.

It could be that Ali's god means right, but is just a stupid incompetent bumbling idiot god. In the whole pantheon of gods, his had to ride the short bus to god school and took a millenium to get his G. E. D. ( God Equivalency Diploma).

 

[RobRoy]

This is why religious belief is dangerous. It makes people think that horrific things are the work of a "loving" god. That's disturbing on so many levels. As Steven Weinberg says: "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion."

Exactly, religion . . . or greed. Religion, or greed . . . or power. Or lust/love. Or desire to dominate others. Or vengence. Or . . . Well, you get the point. It's almost a Monty Python sketch.

Actually, it seems that good people can do evil for any number of reasons. Religion has never held the corner market on justifying evil actions.

 

[slingblade]

A God who can and will give you anything you want.
This means rejoicing not sighing!

So god is a Cosmic Gum Machine? Put in a prayer, turn the handle, and a sweet treat of your desire comes tumbling out the slot?

What do you do when you put in all your prayers, one by one, and nothing happens the way you wanted, or expected?

No, it's okay: I know the answer to this one: you blame yourself.

God being perfect, it can't possibly be his fault. So, it must be yours. You must not be doing it right. Or worse, you must not be good enough, worthy enough, or somehow special enough.

So, you try again. But, again, it doesn't work or work out right. So, you try again and again and again. Again and again and again, it doesn't happen the way you thought, the way you wanted, they way you asked.

After decades of this, you are left with only two conclusions, and it isn't a false dichotomy: either god won't help you because he can't stand you, or god doesn't exist, and you've been looking to your ceiling for help.

I went with the latter, especially after a careful examination of belief.

In conclusion, therefore, I hope you will continue to espouse and prate this same lie to all and sundry you meet. Atheism will then grow by leaps and bounds, which pleases me no end. Thanks.

 

[Ali]

So god is a Cosmic Gum Machine? Put in a prayer, turn the handle, and a sweet treat of your desire comes tumbling out the slot?

What do you do when you put in all your prayers, one by one, and nothing happens the way you wanted, or expected?

No, it's okay: I know the answer to this one: you blame yourself.

God being perfect, it can't possibly be his fault. So, it must be yours. You must not be doing it right. Or worse, you must not be good enough, worthy enough, or somehow special enough.

So, you try again. But, again, it doesn't work or work out right. So, you try again and again and again. Again and again and again, it doesn't happen the way you thought, the way you wanted, they way you asked.

After decades of this, you are left with only two conclusions, and it isn't a false dichotomy: either god won't help you because he can't stand you, or god doesn't exist, and you've been looking to your ceiling for help.

I went with the latter, especially after a careful examination of belief.

In conclusion, therefore, I hope you will continue to espouse and prate this same lie to all and sundry you meet. Atheism will then grow by leaps and bounds, which pleases me no end. Thanks.

Your prayer methodology is wrong!
When you pray you can’t expect anything from the Lord;
Even if your prayer is acceptable to him and he doesn’t give you any gifts, you’ll have to continue to be obedient because that’s the whole purpose of man.

 

[Hokulele]

Your prayer methodology is wrong!
When you pray you can’t expect anything from the Lord;
Even if your prayer is acceptable to him and he doesn’t give you any gifts, you’ll have to continue to be obedient because that’s the whole purpose of man.

So then you were wrong when you said this, no?

A God who can and will give you anything you want.
This means rejoicing not sighing!

 

[Piscivore]

So then you were wrong when you said this, no?

No- the secret is only wanting what the god gives you.