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Does there exist a "chosen" people in the eyes of God

dfnj

Well-Known Member
I've always wondered about the idea of a "chosen" people. It seems to me the idea of a "chosen" people has been used to justify empire building and invasion by scapegoating or labeling other people as sub-humans not worthy of being sacred in the eyes of God. So my question for the good people participating in these forums is do you believe there exists a "chosen" people and if so who are they? And if not, do you believe God loves each of us as equals in the eyes of God? Does God love some people more than others?
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
Absolutely! Every single person or society who eventually conceives of the idea of a god almost simultaneously- concludes that this here-to-fore unknown critter -- like mother -- likes me best.

Of course, coupled with the very idea of God (note the capitalization) such an idea is simply dopey.
 

Mox

Dr Green Fingers
I've always wondered about the idea of a "chosen" people. It seems to me the idea of a "chosen" people has been used to justify empire building and invasion by scapegoating or labeling other people as sub-humans not worthy of being sacred in the eyes of God. So my question for the good people participating in these forums is do you believe there exists a "chosen" people and if so who are they? And if not, do you believe God loves each of us as equals in the eyes of God? Does God love some people more than others?

I do not subscribe to infantile notions of racial supremacy, so no, I don't believe in a chosen race/people.
 

dfnj

Well-Known Member
I do not subscribe to infantile notions of racial supremacy, so no, I don't believe in a chosen race/people.

I was referring to scripture like this:

Deuteronomy 7 New Life Version (NLV)
God’s Chosen People
7 “The Lord your God will bring you into the land you are taking for your own. He will drive away many nations in front of you, the Hittites, the Girga****es, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations bigger and stronger than you. 2 When the Lord your God gives them to you and you win the battles against them, you must destroy all of them. Make no agreement with them and show no favor to them. 3 Do not take any of them in marriage. Do not give your daughters to their sons. And do not take their daughters for your sons. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you. And He will be quick to destroy you. 5 But do this to them: Break down their altars. Crush their objects of worship. Cut down their female goddess Asherim. And burn their false gods with fire.
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
I've always wondered about the idea of a "chosen" people. It seems to me the idea of a "chosen" people has been used to justify empire building and invasion by scapegoating or labeling other people as sub-humans not worthy of being sacred in the eyes of God.
That's a petty flimsy straw man you're working on there. How long do we have to wait for the implicit Jew-baiting?
 

dfnj

Well-Known Member
Absolutely! Every single person or society who eventually conceives of the idea of a god almost simultaneously- concludes that this here-to-fore unknown critter -- like mother -- likes me best.

Of course, coupled with the very idea of God (note the capitalization) such an idea is simply dopey.

Every person on the planet is ultimately the great great great great...grandson or granddaughter of the very same two father and mother.
 

InChrist

Free4ever
I've always wondered about the idea of a "chosen" people. It seems to me the idea of a "chosen" people has been used to justify empire building and invasion by scapegoating or labeling other people as sub-humans not worthy of being sacred in the eyes of God. So my question for the good people participating in these forums is do you believe there exists a "chosen" people and if so who are they? And if not, do you believe God loves each of us as equals in the eyes of God? Does God love some people more than others?
I don't believe the Bible means "loved more" when using the word chosen, rather it means chosen for a particular purpose. Such as; a person elected to a certain office fulfills the duties of that office.
 

dfnj

Well-Known Member
That's a petty flimsy straw man you're working on there. How long do we have to wait for the implicit Jew-baiting?

Please explain to me how this is "Jew-baiting" ? So you personally believe some people are "chosen" over others? It seems to me an omnipotent God would be more egalitarian don't you think?

Is just asking this question anti semitic because if it is the moderators could delete the whole thread. The last thing I would ever want is to be labeled anti semitic. If the topic of this thread is too offensive it should be deleted.
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
Every person on the planet is ultimately the great great great great...grandson or granddaughter of the very same two father and mother.
Simplistic and inaccurate, unless you assume that any genetic modification happens exactly once, and that closely-related modifications cannot conceive together. It's just horrendously more complicated than that, I'm afraid.
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
Please explain to me how this is "Jew-baiting" ?
Please explain to me where I claimed your post to be Jew-baiting. It seems to me that someone who proves himself to be so thoroughly incapable of understanding a simple sentence should probably focus more on reading comprehension and less on trolling for debate.
 

Mox

Dr Green Fingers
I was referring to scripture like this:

Deuteronomy 7 New Life Version (NLV)
God’s Chosen People
7 “The Lord your God will bring you into the land you are taking for your own. He will drive away many nations in front of you, the Hittites, the Girga****es, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations bigger and stronger than you. 2 When the Lord your God gives them to you and you win the battles against them, you must destroy all of them. Make no agreement with them and show no favor to them. 3 Do not take any of them in marriage. Do not give your daughters to their sons. And do not take their daughters for your sons. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you. And He will be quick to destroy you. 5 But do this to them: Break down their altars. Crush their objects of worship. Cut down their female goddess Asherim. And burn their false gods with fire.

I see.

Orthodox jews might believe that they are their God's chosen people.

Which is fine with me because everyone is welcome to their God in my view. So long as people do not use this belief to justify violating the human rights of others. That wont wash.
 

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
27 jun 2018 stvdv 013 24
Every person on the planet is ultimately the great great great great...grandson or granddaughter of the very same two father and mother.

Hypothetically: Reincarnation is true
So I might as well be the same person as my great great great grandfather
Good Lord, I might be Adam if you think of that
 
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stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
27 jun 2018 stvdv 013 25
I was referring to scripture like this:

Deuteronomy 7 New Life Version (NLV)
God’s Chosen People
7 “The Lord your God will bring you into the land you are taking for your own. He will drive away many nations in front of you, the Hittites, the Girga****es, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations bigger and stronger than you. 2 When the Lord your God gives them to you and you win the battles against them, you must destroy all of them. Make no agreement with them and show no favor to them. 3 Do not take any of them in marriage. Do not give your daughters to their sons. And do not take their daughters for your sons. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you. And He will be quick to destroy you. 5 But do this to them: Break down their altars. Crush their objects of worship. Cut down their female goddess Asherim. And burn their false gods with fire.

I believe this type of verses is more useful if interpreted spiritually. Overcome your internal enemies, not taken to be external enemies.
You have these also in Indian Scriptures. God is about Love and subdue your inner foes. That is the way to "freedom"
 
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Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
I've always wondered about the idea of a "chosen" people. It seems to me the idea of a "chosen" people has been used to justify empire building and invasion by scapegoating or labeling other people as sub-humans not worthy of being sacred in the eyes of God. So my question for the good people participating in these forums is do you believe there exists a "chosen" people and if so who are they? And if not, do you believe God loves each of us as equals in the eyes of God? Does God love some people more than others?

Perhaps it would be good to start with why God would choose a people to be his own nation in the first place?

Why would he even need to do that given that the Bible says..."For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life."? (John 3:16) God loves humankind and would love to grant everlasting life to all, but it is not unconditional. (2 Peter 3:9)

There is a story that begins in Genesis and culminates in Revelation...it explains the whole thing. People don't seem to be able to see the "big picture" of why God has done what he did, when he did it....and what all this is leading to......they have bits and pieces but don't know how to fit them into God's original purpose.....it really isn't that complicated.
 

74x12

Well-Known Member
I've always wondered about the idea of a "chosen" people. It seems to me the idea of a "chosen" people has been used to justify empire building and invasion by scapegoating or labeling other people as sub-humans not worthy of being sacred in the eyes of God. So my question for the good people participating in these forums is do you believe there exists a "chosen" people and if so who are they? And if not, do you believe God loves each of us as equals in the eyes of God? Does God love some people more than others?
The chosen people are out of every nation on earth. God seems to love variety.

Revelation 5:9 King James Version (KJV)
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
People choose, and are not chosen. The problem is that for the most part their culture, chain of ancestors, natural law, and the evolution of human nature has made most of our decisions for use, and the choices are many varied and conflicting,. .
 

Shaul

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Perhaps you should define what you mean by “chosen”. You seem to imply chosen is aggrandizement. It could mean chosen to serve and bear burdens on behalf of others, sort of like being “volunteered” for a thankless job.
 

Magpie1978

New Member
I believe that we all are chosen in one form or another - what I mean is each of us has a role or task to perform within our lifetime, perhaps only something that seems insignificant or minute but the results of our actions have a great impact in the grand scheme of things.
To answer your questions about races being more superior over another - in my opinion the more dominant race always seems to be the ones with the most money, weapons or power - so in a material sense they have material superiority...... but if there was a huge natural disaster for example a major asteroid collision with earth and all the material wealth, food, etc was wiped out giving a level playing field then all men from all races would be equal and need to work together for the greater good of rebuilding civilisation
 

wizanda

One Accepts All Religious Texts
Premium Member
do you believe there exists a "chosen" people and if so who are they?
The Children of Israel is a promise made to Jacob, that there will be a holy people selected out of all the nations who 'shall reign with God' in the age of enlightenment.

Judah as a whole decided to divorce the Lord in Zechariah 11 for 30 pieces of silver; so many of them have chosen not to come, and they still hate the Lord with vengeance, thus clearly won't be welcome.
do you believe God loves each of us as equals in the eyes of God?
The CPU is beyond our logic, it is beyond the dimensions of unconditional love, and wisdom; so partiality isn't wise, and isn't unconditional.
Does God love some people more than others?
There are certain things God finds pleasing as they're the right Way to be, and thus some people do get more favor due to their overall character.

In my opinion. :innocent:
 
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