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The wrath of God

JJ50

Well-Known Member
Does the idea of God's wrath seem negative or harsh? I often hear people say something like, "God of the OT was wrathful, but loving in the NT". Yet both the OT and the NT portray God as a holy Judge who expresses anger and brings judgment against wrongdoing, injustice and evil. It appears His very character of love, holiness, purity, perfection, and orderliness is contrary to all disorder.

How many have considered that God cannot be love, as the scriptures indicate, if He is not displeased with wrongdoing, does not exercise justice. and have plans to eliminate injustice and evil ?

If god exists it should save all the wrath for itself, as it supposedly created human nature.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
I think pulling passages out of historical context with the intention of making God appear unloving reveals ignorance and a disingenuous interest in sincerely trying to understand what the scriptures are saying or why something happened as it did...

Exodus 21...
Bible Says It’s Okay to Beat Your Slave, As Long As They Don’t Die? Exodus 21:20-21?

Numbers 31...
The Killings of Numbers 31
You really need to find a better source than your apologetics one that younused. Of course if one does one quickly finds that Biblical slavery was probably just as bad as slavery in the South.
 

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
My thoughts are that, if there is a god, it would be a being of pure love and pure logic. Therefore anything deficient or devoid of compassion or reason cannot be of god. This of course rules out the abrahamic depiction of such an entity.
 

blü 2

Veteran Member
Premium Member
both the OT and the NT portray God as a holy Judge who expresses anger and brings judgment against wrongdoing, injustice and evil. It appears His very character of love, holiness, purity, perfection, and orderliness is contrary to all disorder.
Not quite.

The god of the bible is murderous, vengeful, threatening, intolerant, homophobic, freely admits to telling lies and making evil, orders invasive wars, total massacres of the conquered, except that the virgins are to be spared and divided among the troops, instigates human sacrifices (not just the famous one), supports slavery, and so on.
How many have considered that God cannot be love
Speaking as a loving parent and grandparent, and friend, I can confidently say that God doesn't act like a loving parent or friend. [He] just sits on [his] hands, and neither says nor does. Except, to be fair, George Dubya Bush said Jesus approved his invasion of Iraq in advance (assuming Jesus is God).
 
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ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Does the idea of God's wrath seem negative or harsh? I often hear people say something like, "God of the OT was wrathful, but loving in the NT". Yet both the OT and the NT portray God as a holy Judge who expresses anger and brings judgment against wrongdoing, injustice and evil. It appears His very character of love, holiness, purity, perfection, and orderliness is contrary to all disorder.

How many have considered that God cannot be love, as the scriptures indicate, if He is not displeased with wrongdoing, does not exercise justice. and have plans to eliminate injustice and evil ?

I dont believe murdering the entire fauna* and flora of a planet except a close buddy, the buddies close family and about 17 million animals to be loving or just.

* Including innocent children and pregnant women along with their fetus.


I do not believe a god who murders the innocent firstborn children of an entire country just to make a point to be rational.

Seems more of a manic psychopath to me
 

Remté

Active Member
I dont believe murdering the entire fauna* and flora of a planet except a close buddy, the buddies close family and about 17 million animals to be loving or just.

* Including innocent children and pregnant women along with their fetus.


I do not believe a god who murders the innocent firstborn children of an entire country just to make a point to be rational.

Seems more of a manic psychopath to me
What are you talking about?
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
I'm not under the impression that the threat of God's wrath is such a good way to keep the sheep in line, at least I don't see that in the Bible.

Threats of the consequences of disbelief, threat of God's wrath, are dominant throughout the history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam., and scripture
 

wellwisher

Well-Known Member
Yes.
But more importantly, it seems irrational.

Why would an omnimax entity be wrathful when His creations exhibit the traits He gave them?
He wouldn't, is the rational answer. But various religionists will keep on giving me irrational answers to support their other irrational beliefs.
Tom

Humans are free moral agents, meaning we have the ability to make choices. The animal has no similar choice, but rather they follow instinct; plan. Humans have lost instinct ,in exchange for choice.

As an analogy, say you were part of AI; artificial intelligence, development team. The goal of AI, is for a computer program and hardware, that can make its own choices, and not just be an automaton that obeys its programing, 100%. It supposed to have free will, and be able to make decisions that are not anticipated. This is how you will know the AI is alive.

Since destruction is easier than building, the first baby steps of the AI, will be simple and often destructive. The two year old child can destroy your 1000 piece puzzle, much easier that it can help you build it. On the one hand, you will marvel at its autonomous behavior, but on the other, if it started to erase the code, you would be pissed. Yet, you would try to be patient, since this is the growing pains of the AI.

Once the AI gets over the hump, and starts to become more constructive than destructive, then the marvel combines with your sense of pride in the new invention. The Old Testament God had to deal with a new AI firmware, within the human brain, that gave it autonomy. This autonomy was good, but the growing pains began very destructive, like the terrible two's of childhood. This created mixed feelings and frustrating days in the earth lab.

By the time of Jesus, the AI had finally stabilized; age four, and was on the upswing, but not yet perfect. Forgiveness of sins is now more acceptable, since the destruction of code, now appears to lead to the AI, writing its own code. This is marvelous and requires we withhold judgment and be patient.
 

sealchan

Well-Known Member
Does the idea of God's wrath seem negative or harsh? I often hear people say something like, "God of the OT was wrathful, but loving in the NT". Yet both the OT and the NT portray God as a holy Judge who expresses anger and brings judgment against wrongdoing, injustice and evil. It appears His very character of love, holiness, purity, perfection, and orderliness is contrary to all disorder.

How many have considered that God cannot be love, as the scriptures indicate, if He is not displeased with wrongdoing, does not exercise justice. and have plans to eliminate injustice and evil ?

I think that whenever God is shown to persecute the innocent He is portrayed as an amoral agent wanting to influence moral behavior...not the best example. It tends to inspire power complexes in its victims.

This is why the story of the crucifixion of His son is a step in the right direction.

The problem, I think, is that the Jewish Testament was written for an physically and emotionally abused people who suffered in the extreme ways described. God cannot be the force of either Nature or factual History and come out being a moral agent.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I do doubt it indeed. Doing evil corrupts the soul. No escaping it. The more evil one does the less they notice the decay of their soul.

Why do you assume "doing evil?" Am I to conclude that without fear of God's wrath that you would be an evil person?
 
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