Is God evil?

[ugot2bekidding]

The Lord answers prayers:

If God is good and loving why would you even need to worship and pray to him in the first place? That seems kinda petty and selfish. Does a baby have to worship and pray to its mother in order to get fed? Love is unconditional.

You do not see this unconditional love in the OT/NT God. This God is clearly a human invention because he exhibits human qualities...the lowest and most shameful of them (for instance, arrogance, anger, vengeance, war-mongering, genocide, etc.). Its as if He were invented solely so that humans could rationalize their own bad behavior.

If the OT/NT God were real and loving we would still be living in the Garden of Eden.

 

[Ali]

How do you know this? Where'd you get those notions? That's not what the bible says, so in which holy book will I find your ideas?

You won’t find my ideas from any book (that I know).
By simple extrapolation, starting with the meaning what it means to be holy you can find answers....

 

[slingblade]

You won’t find my ideas from any book (that I know).
By simple extrapolation, starting with the meaning what it means to be holy you can find answers....

Nah, that's okay. I'm having a hard enough time with states like "sane," "healthy," and "mature" to worry about the A-grade states like "holy" or "righteous."

But thanks, sincerely, for letting me know you're making it up as you go along. At least it shows some independence of thought on your part that too many religious I've encountered throughout life simply don't have.

 

[dafydd]

The title of this is "Is God Evil?", implying His assumed existence. That's just what I'm doing: I'm debating whether God's good or evil.

If you want to debate God's existence then you're in the wrong forum.

How can something that does not exist be evil?The words cart,horse,putting and before come to mind.

 

[dafydd]

Who's science now is greater, the atheistic or the Christian based governments.
It seems like they stagnated.
China steals and mass-produces what the free world invents.

Lol. The list of things that the the Chinese invented is a long one.

 

[Beerina]

I'd not call them a tiny minority, either. I'm not even sure they're a minority, if you're counting all religions and all religious.

It's true. All Christians will band together before accepting Muslims, and will band with Muslims before accepting Buddhists, and will band with all other religions, including Satanism, before banding with atheists.

So...ya. I wouldn't be in such a rush to separate them for rhetorical purposes. Indeed, these are the current "winners" in the evolution of overmemes in spreading control to foster reproduction of the overmeme (though modern democratic politics is coming on very strong the past 80 years or so. Even atheists participate in killing religion to the benefit of the political memes by looking positively on, say, taxing religion, or declaring it impermissible to reference politics, a point that is a purely invented modern conceit, and has nothing to do with anything other than giving politics a little more power than religion. Yet many around here feel the siren call to righteousness in feeling it's a valid position. They can even be an apologist for it. Sigh.)

 

[Evolved Wookie]

That's not what the bible says.

At least One of you is wrong.

Fixed that for ya!

 

[Safe-Keeper]

When a whole continent is under oppression for a long time (say more than 40 years) and all the people in that country keep praying for help from the Almighty, then yes the prayer will be answered.

What's the purpose of prayer, then, if it suddenly only works if a whole continent does it? Also, how do you know this? How many instances do you know of which a whole continent was under oppression for 40 years and every single person (does this include people in coma, babies, etc.?) prayed to Yahweh for help? I'm guessing zero.

I also could've sworn that earlier in the thread you argued that God did answer individuals' problems. Why the change in attitude?

 

[CriticalSock]

The Lord answers prayers:
When a whole continent is under oppression for a long time (say more than 40 years) and all the people in that country keep praying for help from the Almighty, then yes the prayer will be answered.
Otherwise if a person is suffering because of say some marital problem then he’ll have to be prophet for the Lord to step in.

Why a whole continent? Why more than 40 years?

 

[ugot2bekidding]

Why a whole continent? Why more than 40 years?

Shot in the dark here...that's how long the Jews roamed the desert after the exodus.?.?

 

[Ali]

Why a whole continent? Why more than 40 years?

I’m being very optimistic in saying 40 years: from what I see it’s probably 140 years.
I chose a continent because there’s more chance of finding a couple of decent people.

 

[Autolite]

Is God evil?

No. God isn't evil. Satan is evil. God is just more like one of your run-of-the-mill sociopaths...

 

[P.J. Denyer]

They are killing themselves and us, heterosexuals.
They have and are deceiving themselves and others.
I know of a woman right now who has aids and is not using protection and not disclosing the facts to her partners.

You are equating someone deliberately spreading a potentially lethal communicable desease with consensual sex between consenting adults of the same gender? Or are you saying that this woman is herself gay and therefore claiming on a sample basis of one that all homosexuals are doing likewise?

Wow, that is bigotted. I can only feel pity for someone who has a value system that distorted.

 

[Ali]

My conjecture:
It seems that many of you people have done so many things deserving severe punishment that you’ve decided to turn against the Lord by simply denying his existence.

 

[slingblade]

My conjecture:
It seems that many of you people have done so many things deserving severe punishment that you’ve decided to turn against the Lord by simply denying his existence.

Okay, who forgot to wipe the baby smoothie moustache off his or her upper lip?

 

[realpaladin]

If we take the existence of a God, for the sake of the argument in this thread, for granted, it is still debatable whether good or evil exist.

Try talking with a Hindu about Kali...

 

[Ladewig]

My conjecture:
It seems that many of you people have done so many things deserving severe punishment that you’ve decided to turn against the Lord by simply denying his existence.

Your conjecture fails. I have no belief in God, but if I am wrong, I am sure I will go to Heaven based on my good works.

 

[Mashuna]

My conjecture:
It seems that many of you people have done so many things deserving severe punishment that you’ve decided to turn against the Lord by simply denying his existence.

I thought Yrreg was the only person who thought stuff like this. Now he's got a friend!

I'm sure you'll both get on famously.

 

[Ali]

My conjecture:
It seems that many of you people have done so many things deserving severe punishment that you’ve decided to turn against the Lord by simply denying his existence..

Your conjecture fails. I have no belief in God, but if I am wrong, I am sure I will go to Heaven based on my good works.

I’m afraid my conjecture still stands:
I’ve powers that are given to me by the Lord: so if you’ve no belief in God then where did I get my powers from? So you’ve got me as proof.
As for your good works, you’ve got no proof.

 

[Mashuna]

I’m afraid my conjecture still stands:
I’ve powers that are given to me by the Lord: so if you’ve no belief in God then where did I get my powers from? So you’ve got me as proof.
As for your good works, you’ve got no proof.

Hey, it's not just Yrreg you can be friends with. Greatest I Am is posting around here somewhere about the telepathic conversations he had with God. You can be friends with him too! Maybe you can all have meetings in the treehouse, or something.