If your deity asked you to kill your child, would you do it?

[Chakra]

My God would never test me like this, since he hates unnecessary bloodshed and violence anyway. But even if he did ask me to kill anyone, it's a big "no".

 

[Useless2015]

Honestly, if something presented itself as a deity and commanded that I kill a child I'd have to say that isn't a deity worth honoring. If a deity at all. I'd refuse. Rather be possibly punished by a psychopath than loved by one.

What if your child grows up to be complete psychopath killing alot of people including you?

 

[use_your_brain]

the other question what would the God do if we disobeyed His commandment? If He didn't do any harm stuff nor thread us with hell then I prefered to not obey Him.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

What if your child grows up to be complete psychopath killing alot of people including you?

Hmm. That is a relevant point. There are many cases of psychopathic children who torture and kill animals and other people. A lot of people have this image of children as being only good and innocent. That's true of most kids, I'd say, but there are exceptions to that...

 

[Draka]

What if your child grows up to be complete psychopath killing alot of people including you?

And what if they grew up to be the next Gandhi? We hear stories all the time of some parent tripping out and killing their children, some claiming some god told them to. Are we to assume that these people are good godly people and all those babies would have become axe murderers? I think not.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

And what if they grew up to be the next Gandhi?

Gandhi was a terrible person, so you may want to use someone else as your example.

 

[Draka]

Gandhi was a terrible person, so you may want to use someone else as your example.

True that. . Not the nicest guy. First name that popped into my head.

Personally I'd go more for the next Freddie Mercury but hey, I'm strange.

 

[Useless2015]

And what if they grew up to be the next Gandhi? We hear stories all the time of some parent tripping out and killing their children, some claiming some god told them to. Are we to assume that these people are good godly people and all those babies would have become axe murderers? I think not.

You have succesfully avoided my question. Can you please answer in yes or no?

 

[Quintessence]

You have succesfully avoided my question. Can you please answer in yes or no?

For those of us who are a little slow, could you explain the relevance of the question? Are you suggesting humans can know with certainty what a child will do and become in the future somehow? That we somehow have the information to prejudge someone in this fashion? Otherwise, considering the extremely small statistical probability of what you are suggesting occurring... well... I don't get the question?

 

[Draka]

You have succesfully avoided my question. Can you please answer in yes or no?

Yes or no what? I can't answer in a yes or no as your question is not a yes or no question. I don't know what it is actually. My response...?...and what if they do? What if yours do? What if my child invents a cure for cancer? What if what ifs mean nothing? You want me to what? Go ahead and kill my child on the off chance that some iffy vision I had or voice I heard in my head told me to because...hey...what if my kid will do something bad? That is a big what if. I do know one thing for sure, there would be no if about me being a bad person if I murdered my child.

 

[Theunis]

And - according to the story - Abraham didn't say "no! I refuse! My God would not want me to kill my son!" Abraham accepted that God might want his son killed, and he's held up as a noble example of faith because of it.


What do you mean? You were the one who used the word "God" in the first place.

Sometimes I am sure Abraham knew it was just a test because he believed that his God was a God of life. (Just guessing!)
Not me in the first place. This was more a general statement based on what others said long before I followed their example..

 

[Aiviu]

If it seems to me that my deity would ask me to kill my child under whatever given reasons. I clearly have to understand that i have the wrong faith. That i believe in a deity of failure. Then the faith or the passion i have towards this deity has to be killed but not the child. Only the deities created by man himself will make one believe in everything they think.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Sometimes I am sure Abraham knew it was just a test because he believed that his God was a God of life. (Just guessing!)

So Abraham only pretended that he was willing to gut his son and managed to fool God?

Not me in the first place. This was more a general statement based on what others said long before I followed their example..

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

 

[SSDSSDSSD3]

If Vaheguru asked me, (which he wouldn't because Vaheguru is compassionate), I would probably have to. I'd probably think this hardly though since I could be getting mad.

 

[Midnight Rain]

I would not. I don't have children but even without having them I know I wouldn't. Even if I had a firm belief in god(s) I wouldn't. There are a number of reasons why but the most preceding is that I could be wrong. What if I am wrong? What if it isn't god?

for example in the Christian religion I heard often that the devil would whisper in your ears and make you think it was god. How can you shed the doubt that it wasn't the devil were you a true believer?

 

[Theunis]

So Abraham only pretended that he was willing to gut his son and managed to fool God?


I'm not sure what you mean by this.

I did say it was a guess.
this referred to changing deity to God. Some deities are actually as demi-gods

 

[Useless2015]

For those of us who are a little slow, could you explain the relevance of the question? Are you suggesting humans can know with certainty what a child will do and become in the future somehow? That we somehow have the information to prejudge someone in this fashion? Otherwise, considering the extremely small statistical probability of what you are suggesting occurring... well... I don't get the question?

Just like the small statistical probability of God asking you to kill your child?

Yes or no what? I can't answer in a yes or no as your question is not a yes or no question. I don't know what it is actually. My response...?...and what if they do? What if yours do? What if my child invents a cure for cancer? What if what ifs mean nothing? You want me to what? Go ahead and kill my child on the off chance that some iffy vision I had or voice I heard in my head told me to because...hey...what if my kid will do something bad? That is a big what if. I do know one thing for sure, there would be no if about me being a bad person if I murdered my child.

How come you are able to answer a what if question concerning God and not other 'what if' questions?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I did say it was a guess.

Hmm. So...
- God didn't want Isaac dead, but wanted to make sure that Abraham was willing to kill Isaac if asked.
- Abraham only pretended to be willing to kill Isaac, but this was enough to satisfy God.

If Abraham was being tested, exactly what about Abraham was being tested in this scenario?

this referred to changing deity to God. Some deities are actually as demi-gods

You used the term "God"; I followed suit.

 

[Draka]

How come you are able to answer a what if question concerning God and not other 'what if' questions?

Your "what if" question doesn't make any sense. You ask what if my child becomes something later in life while we are talking about the possibility of killing them as a child. We would not know what they would become later when asked to kill them now, now would we? Unless you suppose me clairvoyant. Your "what if" could only be considered upon reaching that age. And if, as you say, my child were to kill me, then I would be able to do nothing about it now would I? How am I to answer "yes or no" to any of that? I can't. Makes no sense. Unless you'd like to rephrase the question to something actually able to be answered?

 

[Quintessence]

Just like the small statistical probability of God asking you to kill your child?

I'm not seeing how that answers the questions I posed.