is God good ?

[friendofbill]

Atheism: the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs.

Makes perfect sense.

 

[Greatest I am]

Atheism: the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs.

Makes perfect sense.

As a Deist, my closest labe, i think that it beats believing this.

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

GIAm,

Your attempts to be offensive are cute, but- ironically- you are not actually being offensive because you are portraying views that nobody actually has and confusing them with something else.

If there are no actual literalist here then I thank God for that.
I do not try to offend, I try to bring reason to literalists.

Regards
DL

 

[bananabrain]

the O T shows God's hate as it shows him killing innocents as in the days of Sodom and Noah.

i think you'll find it's a little more complicated than that. but don't let your ignorance of how the Torah works get in the way of your preconceptions.

b'shalom

bananabrain

 

[Greatest I am]

i think you'll find it's a little more complicated than that. but don't let your ignorance of how the Torah works get in the way of your preconceptions.

b'shalom

bananabrain

I won't.

All word/s of all religions are good for thought.
None should be taken literally. They are all man made.

Regards
DL

 

[bananabrain]

who says jews take the words of the Torah "literally" in the way you mean? that's precisely my point. as for the rest, you are of course entitled to your opinion, but asserting it as fact is not an ideal tactic.

b'shalom

bananabrain

 

[Gatekeeper]

Maybe we ought to define "good".

Then:
Good for who?
Good for you?
Good for me?
Good for us?
Good in an abstract way?

Further:
What may be good for one could be bad for another?
So the question can become quite relative then.

It might be easier to define bad or "evil". I usually chalk good up to be something beneficial (To me) and/or beneficial (To others).

Lets take an order attributed to God in 1 Samuel. God apparently gave the Israelites the order to kill every man, woman, child, suckling, oxen, sheep and cattle. Would a "good" God do this?

1) It's premeditated murder

2) It would have caused those who carried out the order to break Gods "Thou shalt not kill" command.

Wouldn't such an order be considered bad or "evil"? I think many evil deeds have been attributed to God unjustly. It's been going on for ages. In a more recent history we have the crusades. Isn't it possible (If not probable) that 1 Samuel shows the lengths mankind will go to justify their own evil ways?

GK

 

[shawn]

It might be easier to define bad or "evil". I usually chalk good up to be something beneficial (To me) and/or beneficial (To others).

Lets take an order attributed to God in 1 Samuel. God apparently gave the Israelites the order to kill every man, woman, child, suckling, oxen, sheep and cattle. Would a "good" God do this?

1) It's premeditated murder

2) It would have caused those who carried out the order to break Gods "Thou shalt not kill" command.

Wouldn't such an order be considered bad or "evil"? I think many evil deeds have been attributed to God unjustly. It's been going on for ages. In a more recent history we have the crusades. Isn't it possible (If not probable) that 1 Samuel shows the lengths mankind will go to justify their own evil ways?

GK

There has been plenty of evidence to show that it is very probably that many of the stories we read in the scripture, literally never happened, or not to the degree that has been written.
The stories are devices used to assist with remembering and to serve as props in the fable.

 

[Gatekeeper]

There has been plenty of evidence to show that it is very probably that many of the stories we read in the scripture, literally never happened, or not to the degree that has been written.
The stories are devices used to assist with remembering and to serve as props in the fable.

Evidence? I'd like to see that ....

Why would our ancestors attribute such things to God? What good could possibly come from using such tales as "props", or in remembering something that God never ordered? I think the scriptures serve as a tool to discover what we ourselves relate to most.

(Primitive man = Primitive God)

Perhaps the question is valid after all ....

"Who Made Who"

 

[shawn]

Man may appear primitive looking through the lens of history, but the lens is biased....and its conclusions are incorrect.
IMO our whole understanding of our origins and prehistory is far from the truth.
Look at how even modern events are biased and spun to favor this angle or that, then magnify that by millenia.

 

[Gatekeeper]

Man may appear primitive looking through the lens of history, but the lens is biased....and its conclusions are incorrect.
IMO our whole understanding of our origins and prehistory is far from the truth.
Look at how even modern events are biased and spun to favor this angle or that, then magnify that by millenia.

o.k .... if the conclusion is incorrect, then what is correct? That we've not evolved as a species? I see ancient tribes (Discovery Channel) still existing in the jungles who eat the flesh (Genitalia) of their deceased, and who still sacrifice animals to appease their gods. Why would I not view our ancestors to be just as primitive .... Those who slaughtered livestock on an alter to appease the so called Lord of hosts?

Don't think for one second that those stories are contrived, Shawn. Even in our modern world these things take place.

(Primitive man = Primitive God)

Either I'm missing something Major, there is truth to the stories of God demanding blood sacrifice, or I'm spot on in my assessment. What do you think? If I'm missing something major, then please be so kind and fill me in on the missing pieces....

 

[shawn]

Just consider how long it would take us....right now, if there was a major catastrophe, to descend into barbarism.
It wouldn't take very long, and the frightening part is that it would take thousands of years to climb back up the ladder.
So present history looks at our ancestors as being primitive and us as being modern and supposedly we are at the highest station that humans have attained to.
I don't believe it myself.
Too many buildings which we can't replicate with all our technology today.
And we still don't know why they are there and why they are built in correspondence to the stars.
Lots of anomalies....too many.
And the answers are buried in the far distant past which we have no record of.
Also, there have been many who have found that not all of what is written in the scriptures is literally true.
I have read many articles on that theme over the years, but if you want links to them you will have to get them yourself.

I am not being argumentative, just posting my thoughts after a hard day working with stone, so I am not going to write out a big essay.

And if we never figure out what the true history is.....well....so what.
As long as we are working in love then we will do all right.
[youtube]YDqXRq1h0WA[/youtube]
This link has much better sound quality:
Neil Young & Crazy Horse-- Love And Only Love_ÔÚÏßÊÓƵ¹Û¿´_ÍÁ¶¹ÍøÊÓƵ Ò¡¹ö

 

[Courage]

So is God good ?

In an absolute sense then Yes. In a relative sense it is equivalent to the quetion that if a shepherd is good. A shepherd is good to his sheep. Whether a shepherd is good to the wovles? I guess that depends.

 

[shawn]

That particular shepherd made both the sheep and the wolves.

Sharks, alligators, rattlesnakes and ebola virus too.


So now what.

 

[wil]

That particular shepherd made both the sheep and the wolves.

Sharks, alligators, rattlesnakes and ebola virus too.


So now what.

It's all good...unless you are the rat the snake eats, or you eat the beef with ebola...but that is a matter of perspective.

I'm getting quite comfortable with the realization I've got to quit looking at things from the http://www.interfaith.org/forum/perspective-of-the-rose-12624.html

There is a comedian that does a fine job with the shark concept on this.

He states there have been no shark attacks. Not one. Not one human has been attacked by a shark. All humans have decided to place themselves on the shark's dinner plate and been sampled or eaten.

Human perspective; 'I was attacked."

Shark perspective; "hmmmm thank you G!d for putting this tasty morsel here."

 

[Nick the Pilot]

Wil,

I am reminded of a quote from the old TV show Kung Fu. In the show, Master Po asks young Grasshopper, "Where is evil? In the rat which steals food, or in the cat which kills the rat?"

The answer was, in neither.

 

[Dogbrain]

That particular shepherd made both the sheep and the wolves.

Sharks, alligators, rattlesnakes and ebola virus too.


So now what.

"All things dull and ugly,
all creatures short and squat.
All things rude and nasty,
the Lord God made the lot."

 

[Dream]

Indications are that you have to get yourself on the good side by a strong and continual effort. In other words, things can go good for you or they can go bad. You have to grow in favor. You can be hit by problem after problem if you don't watch where you are going, and then to you the world is an evil and cruel place.

 

[Quahom1]

Indications are that you have to get yourself on the good side by a strong and continual effort. In other words, things can go good for you or they can go bad. You have to grow in favor. You can be hit by problem after problem if you don't watch where you are going, and then to you the world is an evil and cruel place.

Evil will win, unless Good is very, very careful.

 

[wil]

Good Luck Bad Luck!
​

There is a Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"

Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad luck? Who knows?

Everything that seems on the surface to be an evil may be a good in disguise. And everything that seems good on the surface may really be an evil. So we are wise when we leave it to God to decide what is good fortune and what misfortune, and thank him that all things turn out for good with those who love him.

Author Unknown