I'm always gobsmacked by this perspective. The "loving" God who creates us broken. And all we have to do to achieve redemption is abandon our critical faculties. Sweet deal that.
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An Atheist Meets God: A Cartoon
- Thread starter Skwim
- Start date
I'm always gobsmacked by this perspective. The "loving" God who creates us broken. And all we have to do to achieve redemption is abandon our critical faculties. Sweet deal that.
Shadow Link
Active Member
"Believing" here seems to imply the superior verdict. I see Believing more as a design to obtain rank within the levels of consciousness or awareness. When we really think about Judgment and how we all could come to an agreement arriving at a reasonable truth, it would be how we have judged ourselves and others through motive or intent. When carefully considered, this truth would echo through all levels of human moral consciousness, providing that the attribute of "Just" is in affect.
I get thinking God is of great character and loving him. I get God thinking God is all-powerful and fearing him. But thinking he's an egotist and worshipping him has never made sense to me.
That is not, however, what is said in the cartoons. Nor, by the way, is it what most versions of Christianity preach. Rather, they preach that all the GOOD you do will not erase the fact that you didn't believe without evidence, but believing without evidence CAN erase all the BAD you did. After all, the baby raper who repents and "accepts Jesus" gets rewarded. The guy working in a homeless shelter who can't see God for all the misery around him is punished for it.
Christians seem to think that's not a bad deal. I happen to think it's perverse.
The worship is for your benefit. To worship God is to obey God, to obey God is to follow the Commandments, to follow the Commandments is to make oneself a better person, and ultimately benefit everyone around you. God loves the just, the compassionate, the good, the righteous. The worship of God expands the heart and mind, fills you with a strong connection to the creator:
@Muslim-UK - it sounds like you are calling two very different entities by the same name "God" there.
As I said, I understand people loving God if they believe God to be of great character...which I guess you do, right?
Yes, all goodness comes from God alone.
I was answering the part you had trouble understanding, "But thinking he's an egotist and worshipping him has never made sense to me."
God has absolutely no need for our worship. Before our branch of Homo Sapiens starting with Adam and Eve, peace be upon them, there were many previous creations of mankind. They have vanished from the face of the Earth, and God tells us to go and walk in their former Cities and think about them, reflect on what happens when civilisations of people do not worship God, they destroy themselves spiritually, and God replaces them with a people who are thankful for his favours.
And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghut." And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers. Qur'an 16:36
DavidFirth
Well-Known Member
There is plenty of evidence, bro. You just choose to ignore it.
I see what you mean, but we might be on different wavelengths here. My comment was not about the nature of God, but rather that humans have different conception of God. Some see him as a being of great character, some of retribution, but there are some who seem to see God as an egotist, but worship him anyway.
It's that last group I can't understand.
DavidFirth
Well-Known Member
A bad attitude never helps, dude.
I fall into the earlier category and view God as loving and fully deserving of my worship. This group you mention might justify their worship based on the fact, God created them, is wrathful but deserves their worship none the less. Perhaps they fear his punishment? For most people across the many faiths, it seems illogical not to worship God.
An ironic statement if I ever saw one.
I don't think so.
Even ignoring the thorny matter of defining "worship" and "God", your statement is explicitly denied by Jainism and not really true of many other faiths. Even many nominal Christians don't really see a point in worship.
According to most Abrahamic scripture god is very insecure and is in desperate need of our worship. And god gets very angry indeed if we don't worship him. If not angry, then he is the opposite of loving and merciful, he is cruel and vindictive.
I've got an awesome attitude. I'm a humanist, I don't believe we're created broken, I believe we behave well because it's the right thing to do, not because of fear of punishment.
You're much more into the Bible than I am, its not to be taken seriously, God is Great!!
Looncall
Well-Known Member
Funny how the exact same system is used to justify atrocities isn't it?
Perhaps good folk draw good things from it and vice versa. There is a risk that good folks will end up with the bad things.
It might be better to ditch the oogity-boogity stuff and let the good folks get on with being good.