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‘Free will’ is not an excuse for God allowing atrocities.

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
G-d does not want to punish anybody.
If we don't heed His warnings, then we have to accept the consequences. There are always consequences.

Pride comes before a fall. You could say that it is "G-d punishing us", but can't you see that it is directly a consequence of our actions, and not G-d "striking us down" by some feat of magic?
God doesn't have to punish anyone either. He chooses to do that. And I see clearly, I've paid for my mistakes, I've paid for the mistakes of others, beared my own guilt and have been wrongly accused, but it's not god striking me down.
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
The Abrahamic God sends people to be tortured in hell just because they believe differently. That's not justice. That's not mercy. That's sick and wrong.
That is not justice or mercy so it is a good thing that is not what the Abrahamic God will do. Rather, it is only what some believers 'believe' He will do.
 
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Sgt. Pepper

All you need is love.
There's many more. The Abrahamic God is a monster.

Yes, the God of the Bible most certainly is a monster. In fact, he is sadistic, bloodthirsty, and barbaric. In Isaiah 45:7, God admits to creating calamity and disasters. He openly admits to making trouble and bringing bad times. He creates calamity and disasters, and then sits back and watches his creation tear itself apart from the inside out, and he doesn't absolutely nothing to stop it.

An estimated 6 million of God's "chosen people," the Jews, were victims of cold-blooded murder during the Holocaust. An estimated 6 million Jews, (men, women, and children) were gassed to death inside the Nazi concentration camps. Where was God, then?
 

muhammad_isa

Well-Known Member
The Abrahamic God sends people to be tortured in hell just because they believe differently...
There we are. It seems that you have a good reason to claim that G-d is not "nice".

..so I say that this is false. G-d does not torture anybody.
G-d does not differentiate between races and religions.

It is all about our sincerity and actions. That is what leads us into states of heaven or hell.
 

muhammad_isa

Well-Known Member
God doesn't have to punish anyone either. He chooses to do that.
It is true that reality is reality. There are consequences for our actions in reality.
..so you are really complaining about reality, and not G-d.

Yes, G-d created this reality. He didn't have to.
There isn't a lot we can do about it, apart from either following His guidance, or ignoring it and pleasing ourselves.

I, for one, see the wisdom of His guidance, and therefore take it seriously.
 

muhammad_isa

Well-Known Member
He won't scare or move me with threats of punishments that he himself chose to enact.
Well, that's rather silly, imo.
You wouldn't throw yourself into a burning fire, I assume.
You can see the immediate result of that.

..but just because you can't see [or wish to ignore] the result of following your own desires, you are proud to denounce G-d and His guidance.
You can't defy G-d anymore than you can defy gravity.
This is reality, whether we like it or not.
 

Sgt. Pepper

All you need is love.
In my experiences the hypocrites that do that get drunk on Saturday then go to church on Sunday acting like they are perfect.

Sadly, I've experienced that, too. Most of the time it was some pastor's kid who would raise hell on Saturday night, and then act all saintly and pious on Sunday morning.

Not in mine. It was the pastors, teachers, church, the True Believers and most devoted doing it. Like the guy I thought was a friend who said I was demonically possessed after I left the church. I don't doubt his faith.

Oh, I've been accused of being demon possessed, I've called a child of the devil and Satan's minion, and I was told that I'm going to hell because I voted for Joe Biden. However, none of that pales in comparison to a pastor telling me that I'm a cursed soul and God hates me, and he's punishing me for the sins of my biological parents. You see, that's how this pastor explained to me why I had been severely abused by my adopted mother and older brother while I was growing up. I suffered abuse daily, starting shortly after I was adopted at 4 1/2 until I left home when I was 18. I suffered this severe abuse, despite my frantic prayers to God to save me.
 
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Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
You wouldn't throw yourself into a burning fire, I assume.
You can see the immediate result of that.
To save someone I care about there's a chance I would.
but just because you can't see [or wish to ignore] the result of following your own desires,
What are those consequences?
You can't defy G-d anymore than you can defy gravity.
I recall Jonah ran into some troubles for defying god.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
However, none of that pales in comparison to a pastor telling me that I'm a cursed soul and God hates me, and he's punishing me for the sins of my biological parents. You see, that is how this pastor explained to me why I had been severely abused by my adopted mother and older brother while I was growing up. I suffered abuse daily, starting shortly after I was adopted at 4 1/2 until I left home when I was 18 years old. And I suffered this abuse, in spite of being a devout Christian and frantically praying to God to save me.
That's horrible. So much for god not punishing the child for the sins of the parent.
My woes heavily revolved around being born male but being trans and having attractions towards men. Add in how damn near everything is a sin to hardcore Evangelicals and I was severely depressed and anxious about god hating me, and offending god and going to hell.
 

DNB

Christian
Of course they are sorry. Sorry they got caught out. But are they truly sorry, or would they just go on in their old ways like Pharaoh?
G-d knows what we are.
That's true, ...there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, which would imply rage, indignation and resentment, not contrition or remorse.
 

DNB

Christian
It's easy to say "they weren't real Christians" because it dodges responsibility.
Not every man who dons on a police man's uniform, is a law abiding citizen. That goes without saying. Not every politician is honest, nor every lawyer or judge. Not every self-proclaimed Hindu abides by the Bhagavad Gita, obviously.
 

Ashoka

श्री कृष्णा शरणं मम
Not every man who dons on a police man's uniform, is a law abiding citizen. That goes without saying. Not every politician is honest, nor every lawyer or judge. Not every self-proclaimed Hindu abides by the Bhagavad Gita, obviously.

But police should still be held accountable not only for the corrupt cops, but for the systemic oppression that the police force causes. Just like Christians should be held accountable for the damage they have caused in the world. It doesn't matter if their are "good cops" because the overwhelming majority of them are bad, just like, even though there are "good Christians" the majority of them are not good, and go to church every Sunday saying amen to a sermon about their enemies burning in hell (I was a pastor's kid, I saw this first hand, it absolutely happens.)

Have you ever read the Bhagavad Gita?
 

DNB

Christian
But police should still be held accountable not only for the corrupt cops, but for the systemic oppression that the police force causes. Just like Christians should be held accountable for the damage they have caused in the world. It doesn't matter if their are "good cops" because the overwhelming majority of them are bad, just like, even though there are "good Christians" the majority of them are not good, and go to church every Sunday saying amen to a sermon about their enemies burning in hell (I was a pastor's kid, I saw this first hand, it absolutely happens.)

Have you ever read the Bhagavad Gita?
Charlatans, hypocrites, hustlers, and the pretentious exist in all religions. We are not discussing whether or not the authorities of any particular religion should squash such transgressive behaviour. First, there is no over-arching hierarchy in Christianity (despite what the pope thinks), and we cannot monitor every adherent's conduct.
Not every Hindu abides by the definitive laws or ideals of Hinduism, and it is beyond the more sincere follower's ability to restrain or eradicate such hypocrisy.
If Jesus didn't say it, then those who do it are not Christian. This goes without saying, and I am surprised that this even requires any explaining or defending?

No, I have never read the Bhagavad Gita.
 
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