God is Good?

This is a bit of a blog post I wrote a while back that covers some of my basic moral objections to the idea of a God and why I am opposed to organized religion. I hope you can take something from it and please feel free to give me your thoughts on it.

"God is Good"

Or, well, he’s ok. Or maybe sometimes he’s kind of a jerk. But at least he’s not just blatantly evil, right?

I have absolute confidence that if God were to have his lengthy list of acts truly scrutinized as harshly as we would a human’s, and then if we were to compare that God to today’s villains, Bush and Cheney would almost appear to be philanthropists in comparison.

But honestly, what if we were to actually gauge the actions of God on the moral scale? Is he really ‘goodness’ embodied?

(All references to ‘God’ in this essay are to be understood as the Judeo-Christian God, though many concepts can be easily applied to other religions.)

Murder. Genocide. Tyranny. Extreme Irresponsibility.

An adult human being guilty of any of the above crimes is, of course, to be held highly accountable for them – likely with severe consequences. Likewise, any person in a position of leadership or power is to be held even more accountable, as they are given greater responsibility — Just as; conversely, we do not expect much responsibility or action from an infant. So is it not fair to say that an omniscient and all-powerful GOD should at the very least be held equally as responsible for his actions if not exponentially more so than the average man or woman

Let’s say a severe car accident occurs between two vehicles. Both parties are extremely injured, putting them in critical condition. It is highly unlikely that either will survive without immediate medical attention. The paramedics receive their emergency call, but instead decide to go out to a nice lunch, and not concern themselves with duty or responsibility. Both victims of the car accident soon perish, as their wounds are neglected and they are left to die.

Is there anyone who would not consider this morally reprehensible? The paramedics – who have within their power a likely means to aid and possibly save the victims — instead decide to ignore that power completely and check out for the day. Our system would condemn them and put them behind bars for such a disgusting display of apathy and irresponsibility.

So if a God who sees all things, and with a snap of his almighty fingers can heal all wounds and solve all problems (requiring far less effort than the paramedics must offer on a daily basis), yet he chooses to ignore this crisis – is he not to be deemed morally despicable? Is he not to be examined with an even GREATER scrutiny?

He would already be aware of the problem, since of course, he sees everything. He would be capable of an effortless and immediate solution, yet chooses not to employ it.

And when a child dares to ask why a loving God would allow such a thing, the child receives the equivalent of a slap in the face to his or her intelligence.

“Oh because God has a plan, and allowing two people to die painfully from severe crash wounds is quite obviously a necessary and indispensable part of it…He works in mysterious ways, little Bobby. Best not to ask questions. We can’t expect to understand.”

Now, let’s move on from irresponsibility and discuss actual proactive violence and destruction

First of all, what sort of ridiculous notion suggests that you should follow the laws of a God that does not even follow his own laws?

Murder is bad for you and me, and punishable by eternity in hell — but the one who created that law can drown the entire Earth in a massive flood, get away completely free, and we’re supposed to find that acceptable?

I can’t possess mild jealousy, but God can be so jealous for human worship and devotion that he can have a sadistic contest with Satan to see which of them Job likes better when everything and everyone in his life is utterly destroyed?

(Continued...)

Maybe it is just that God is so powerful; so far above the level of meaningless, small humanity, that constructs like morality and responsibility no longer apply to him?

This suggests God as a tyrant.

Which, I feel, the story of Adam and Eve can exacerbate.

So, assuming we’re all somewhat familiar with this story, there is a detail that just nags at me.

(Aside from the mystical notion that eating a piece of fruit will immediately endow you with all the knowledge of the universe…)

What would a ‘good’ God feel threatened by or stand to lose by Adam or Eve eating from the ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?’

In fact, if God is what defines goodness, then shouldn’t it be a good thing to eat from the tree? Wouldn’t this prove to your creations that you are what you claim to be?

Instead, much like a dictator over a host population, knowledge of truth is shielded. The serpent convinces Eve not to fear – to think for herself. And since consciousness, obviously, is a horribly evil example of ‘temptation’ – the two are punished by the God who knows all but somehow has the patience and temper of an angsty teen.

I believe this is enough to get the point across…

I have posed the question in many forums why would God allow for such suffering and killing within his creation, espeically the suffering and death of so many innocent children!

I have seen many different answers to that question, everything from because there is no God to God gives manknind the freedom of choice.


Well my conclusion is that God is a preception. A preception according to each individual. A belief that has neither substance or origin. Merely a faith in something to allow a person to move in a direction based on the belief which guides them through life.


I for one do believe that there is some kind of higher power, but not a God like most believe in. This higher power did not create us, has no control over us, nor is it going to intervene and save us. This higher power is of itself and is a part of a greater whole, to which in such a vast universe of exsistance, there are so many sand pebbles that it is even impossible for this higher power to save each pebble from being swept out to sea.




Cheers!!!!

Ok first you have to realize God said this in the NT


" Love yourt enemies and your neighbors as yourself "

" Pray for your enemies "


and so his heart is love itself, and the fact is that you little creatures above me he placed that love in you, and thus you understanding is dim and humility is weak.

So if God is a murderer yet in the New testament taught pure love and forgiveness to your own enemies, then how can he blatantly be stupid enough to contradict himself?

It's not possible.

The fact is that HE reads hearts, not us. He knew who was evil in the OT and not and he knew who would grow up evil.

Sometimes God takes teenagers out and lets them die because he forsees their lifestyle and how much evil they will build up so he lessens their punishment in hell by taking them out earlier.


nobody loves their enemies. Before I learned about Christ, I could not stand my enemies and I hated them/

Yet Gods bad?

Then why didn't I have the ability to love my enemies before I learned of Christ?

because it's all grace. Grace is nothing more then love God implants in the soul and your understanding is to childlike, like feeding you milk, to understand what I'm saying.


God, not me, I suck, God placed in my soul the ability to love my enemies. Before I knew of God I hated enemies, wanted to beat them up, but now I am different.

Because goodness is from God, not us.

many more examples when I was younger of how heartless I was before I knew of God. His grace which is love that is infused into the soul comes into a soul and changes it from within.


So before you start judge=ing God, the one who gave you your heart, from a couple sentences in the old testament, try thinking of what grace is and why he came to this Earth and most of all try thinking about where your love comes from.


This is what pride does to a soul combined with little understsanding.


peace.

Then why didn't I have the ability to love my enemies before I learned of Christ?

Then why do I have the ability to love my enemy when I do not follow or pay any attention to him?

I don't think that's the sole factor. And he kills these teens knowing that they would turn out to do heinous things. So why does Jeffrey Dahmer get allowance to murder and rape those boys as well as the several other serial killers?

-Kyo

Kyo zero

I'm talking from personal experience and how before I learned about God I hated my enemies. What I'm trying to say is that love are graces God puts in the soul. I could give you many examples in my own life how Iv'e changed.


Now as for Jeffrey D. I believe I meant God takes the souls who are not completely evil but the goodness in them allows God to take them earlier, and another fact is that do you know if jeffrey converted or changed? We don't know what's in his heart. Btw I said (sometimes). God also allows some evil to stay and fullfills his will with each instance but for the good of everybody.

Or God allowed him to go on the killing spree to take the ones he killed out sadly, but he does everything for a reason and allows things for a reason.

But I'm telling, not a single one in ats or in the world is good without him. You can only run on two things in the soul.

Pride and humility plus grace.

He put everything good in our souls, every love, every look of compassion on a homeless person, all of that are moveme nts in the soul God puts in people.

You will learn after death what I'm saying.

peace.

[edit on 7-12-2008 by JesusisTruth]

Well I think you're a great person but you can trust me that he didn't put it there for me

-Kyo

OK so why does anyone even want to know if GOD is good. Read the Bible if you only see bad things that God has done than look at yourself. God or whatever gave us the ability to decide for ourselves. If you don't believe than don't. If you see the bad you will always see the bad. GOD does not stand over you saying believe in me. He just gives you two places to go one good the other bad. But the choice is yours.

Some Christian's are way overboard on their beliefs. I will not say I God is good in everything he did and I am not even going to say I know why he did what he did. But I am not going to say he was wrong in what he did. If the bible never was wrote we would of come up with some other higher being to believe in. So why do we always lay the blame on at God's feet. Why don't we lay the blame at the door where they belong. What just because their is a God the world should be perfect? I think that as a person with my own mind that if I do something wrong it is my fault. Not God's for allowing it to happen.

I agree silver...completely...I am just saying I can and am good without his prescense in me

Nice post

-Kyo