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Servant or Slave of God

gnostic

gnostic

The Lost One
For me, the whole "servant"-thingie in regarding to religion (i.e. Servant of God), has a whole slavery connotation to it. The "master and servants" is precisely the same as "master and slaves".

I simply find it unsettling to use the word servant to describe our relationship to any divine being, because it is only a little better than using the word slave. I am just as uncomfortable with the whole reward and punishment scenario, or the last judgement business that both Christianity and Islam like to use, mainly because reward and punishment underlies again the master rewarding and punishing a slave relationship.

I find it a far better to describe us as the "Children of God", but not us as "Servants of God". But, of course, we can only use word children if God actually exist.
 
lets_debate

lets_debate

Member
'Children of God' is a more father-son scenario and Islam clearly denies that Allah (God) has any children or parents etc. Allah is free from human nature and human restrictions.
'Slaves of God' is a more fitting terminology because Allah created us and we live on this earth according to his 'laws'. If you say, "No, I make my own laws and do whatever is forbidden in the Qur'an (eg. drink alcohol etc.)"; then obviously you are breaking the law. Think of some other restrictions and laws we got on earth; Gravity, Time; the list is endless; God is free from all this. We have to abide by the rules and restrictions of this Supreme Being as he has the power to forgive or punish the sins of any person just like a master over his slave. Therefore, Our relationship with God is more like a master-slave relationship.
 
lets_debate

lets_debate

Member
Kcnorwood said:
A master/slave relatioship? No thanks!
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Deny it as much as you want but do you think a father would punish his children by putting them in eternal hell if they do not worship him? Do you think a father would ask his 'children' to worship him?
On the contrary a Master has the power of doing this. God is all merciful, he loves all his creations and creatures but if you do not obey God's command he can punish you or pardon you.
 
Gentoo

Gentoo

The Feisty Penguin
Personally, I'd rather work with God than for him. It's a symbionic relationship.
 
Kcnorwood

Kcnorwood

Well-Known Member
Merciful? Says who? God says he will send people to hell for not follwoing him what kind of father is that? I believe I'll pass. We dont have kids yet but there is NOTHING they could do that I would sent them to a place like that. I'm so glad that your God will send those who he loves to such a place.

How is he so Merciful? The bible is full of rape killing Human Sacrafices & the NT isnt all that great either. You can justify that anyone way you want to. Everyone keeps saying that there is no such thing has hell & God would never send anyone to such a place but then again I dont think they are reading the bible.
 
R

Random

Well-Known Member
gnostic said:
I find it a far better to describe us as the "Children of God", but not us as "Servants of God". But, of course, we can only use word children if God actually exist.
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No, we can use the word "children" to describe ourselves when we behave like nasty randomly evolved children, which we do frequently. That doesn't require God and has nothing to do with whether He exists or not. In any case, as JC said one cannot serve Two Masters: these two could be God and the World or it could be the Self and Humanity. Choose which side you're on. Implicit in the idea of being a Servant of the Lord is the feudal caste system from which all religions derive their ethics of relation. So, since God cannot be mastered we are all therefore inferior to Him, yes? So we can serve but little else. Hence, the emphasis on humility, submission and meekness.
 
ayani

ayani

member
really, i think it depends on the religious imagery one feels most drawn to. the starting idea is that God is great, worthy of our recognition, and worthy of worship. basically that God is someone we should get to know.

the servant / master ideal is one. as are the ideals of lover / beloved, father / child, guru / student. the human religious imagination is broad. what works for or inspires one person won't work for another.

that's one thing i admire about Hinduism- many ways of approaching and imagining God.
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
In the cultures that produced the Bible - both the Hebrew culture of the OT and the Greco-Roman / Hellenistic Jewish culture of the NT -

There is no distinction between the relationship between father/child and master/slave.

Fathers had every bit as much authority over their children as they had over their slaves, and indeed more power in some cases in certain circumstances. Under Roman law, for example, a father could have his son imprisoned or killed without cause, but slaves had some legal protection.
 
Bishka

Bishka

Veteran Member
Gentoo said:
Personally, I'd rather work with God than for him. It's a symbionic relationship.
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I believe I work with God, not the classic Christian idea, but that's mine.
 
cardero

cardero

Citizen Mod
I wouldn’t mind working for GOD if only there was something that I knew I could do for Him that He couldn’t do better if He did it Himself.
 
ayani

ayani

member
Halcyon said:
How could God need a servant, or a slave?
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that kind of reminds me of the Jewish ideal of bringing light to a fallen world...

that in order to do good, we submit ourselves to the will and law of God- we lose our self and we gain God. kind of the way a servant could lose his will out of love and obidience to his master's will.
 
Halcyon

Halcyon

Lord of the Badgers
gracie said:
that in order to do good, we submit ourselves to the will and law of God- we lose our self and we gain God. kind of the way a servant could lose his will out of love and obidience to his master's will.
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And free will evaporates.

Either we have the free will to do good from our own intention, or we submit ourselves to God's will and become the puppets of an all powerful master.
 
ayani

ayani

member
Halcyon said:
And free will evaporates.

Either we have the free will to do good from our own intention, or we submit ourselves to God's will and become the puppets of an all powerful master.
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well, sure. that's kind of the idea.

not puppets, really. more like servants. flutes through which His tune is played for others to hear, to bring joy into the world.

but of course, the idea of submission of the self to God is not appealing or even remotely desirable to all. which is ok.
 
Halcyon

Halcyon

Lord of the Badgers
gracie said:
well, sure. that's kind of the idea.

not puppets, really. more like servants. flutes through which His tune is played for others to hear, to bring joy into the world.

but of course, the idea of submission of the self to God is not appealing or even remotely desirable to all. which is ok.
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Sure i get that, but wouldn't it be better to alter your own will to bring it in line with God's, than to lose your will and let God pull the strings for you?
 
Kcnorwood

Kcnorwood

Well-Known Member
beckysoup61 said:
I believe I work with God, not the classic Christian idea, but that's mine.
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Thats the problem though the bible says one thing & there are people who want to take the bible & change it so they can justify it. I'm pretty sure that God doesnt see it that way.
Still amazes me that people want to go to heaven & spend there enitre afterlife serving somone. I agree with Halycon why does god need slaves & or servents? Its he perfect or just lazy?
 
ayani

ayani

member
Halcyon said:
Sure i get that, but wouldn't it be better to alter your own will to bring it in line with God's, than to lose your will and let God pull the strings for you?
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well... assuming that faith and surrender is needed to allow God to work through you, and assuming that faith is the result of a human effort, then yes one's own p.o.v. can be changed and tweaked to allow room for faith and surrender.

kind of like a "meeting God half-way" situation.
 
Ðanisty

Ðanisty

Well-Known Member
I'm neither a servant or a slave to God or Lucifer. I could choose at any time not to associate with any deity which, as far as I'm concerned, says a lot more about my loyalty than if I had no choice in the matter. The idea of being God's slave and eventually learning to enjoy that sounds a lot like Stockholm Syndrome to me...nobody every thinks that's a good thing.:areyoucra

I prefer to refer to myself as Lucifer's comrade.
 
cardero

cardero

Citizen Mod
Ðanisty said:
The idea of being God's slave and eventually learning to enjoy that sounds a lot like Stockholm Syndrome to me...nobody ever thinks that's a good thing.:areyoucra
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I'll Frubal to that.
 
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