Is God Good or Evil, Righteous or Wicked?

[ProjectX1963]

Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, "Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all – old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin your task right here at the Temple." So they began by killing the seventy leaders. "Defile the Temple!" the LORD commanded. "Fill its courtyards with the bodies of those you kill! Go!" So they went throughout the city and did as they were told.
(Ezekiel 9:5-7)

Is that not some really wicked to do, for someone who's supposed to be the pinnacle of all that is good and loving.

I thought it would make for an interesting discussion. One could look at the American prison system, nearly 76% of violent criminals are Christian and no, most of these Christians did not convert after conviction, they were Christian at the time of their crime. The greatest genocides in human history stemmed from the Christian faith. If you examine secular societies in comparison to religious societies; secular societies will consistently have less crime, unemployment, corruption and more freedom, share of wealth and a higher standard of living. Nearly every single advancement towards morality (ceasing native genocide, freeing the slaves and women’s suffrage) was opposed by the church and Christian organizations.

[A Fistful Of Dollars]

If the God of Abraham does exist, I don't want to meet him :|. The old testament is full of that kind of . But I bring this up to Christians and its like.. oh.. well... that was the old testament god... hes better now...

[florin87]

only God is good. no other entity in all creation can be described as good.

there is no difference between God in the old testament and God in the new testament. the only thing that differs is our interpretation of God's actions.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,
On a white heal-all, holding up a moth
Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth--
Assorted characters of death and blight
Mixed ready to begin the morning right,
Like the ingredients of a witches' broth--
A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,
And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What had that flower to do with being white,
The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?
What brought the kindred spider to that height,
Then steered the white moth thither in the night?
What but design of darkness to appall?--
If design govern in a thing so small.

-- Robert Frost

[Hakkapeliitta]

Well, since God is such vast and incomprehensible being and his motives likewise being beyond our grasp, it doesn't really matter what we think he is. In his mind, what we consider evil might be good, what we consider heaven might be hell etc. Though the God of the Old Testament is obviously just a very powerful human being.

[ProjectX1963]

Well, since God is such vast and incomprehensible being and his motives likewise being beyond our grasp, it doesn't really matter what we think he is. In his mind, what we consider evil might be good, what we consider heaven might be hell etc. Though the God of the Old Testament is obviously just a very powerful human being.

This is such a typical answer... how could anyone interpret the slaughter and genocide of millions, slavery, mass rape, racism, selfishness, and greed that God is more than willing to be a party to as "good" deeds. We couldn't even worship other Gods... there's nothing righteous about that law whatsoever, it's just God displaying childish, human, jealousy and obsessive control over mankind, explain to me righteousness in the decision to murder people, because the reasoning behind it escapes me.

[brandbll]

Well, since God is such vast and incomprehensible being and his motives likewise being beyond our grasp, it doesn't really matter what we think he is. In his mind, what we consider evil might be good, what we consider heaven might be hell etc. Though the God of the Old Testament is obviously just a very powerful human being.

God is such a vast and incomprehensible being, but God is comprehensible enough to know that God is a male?

BTW if you want a good source on the ways of the christian god, just read Mark Twain's Letters From Earth, he gives a good perspective on it all.

[Hakkapeliitta]

God is such a vast and incomprehensible being, but God is comprehensible enough to know that God is a male?

So he seems to be. In all of his vastness and incomprehensibility. I'd hazard a guess that his male orgarns are in fact so far beyond our comprehension and they fold space to such extent that when you stare into the fractal form, you see only what you want to see, (penises I guess). And Goddamned! Without the best of both worlds How the hell he would be God otherwise? Maybe She has a Fractal Pussy that cannot be figured out?!

[Prince of Darkness]

Time means nothing for God.
So getting killed during your twenties or dying in the age of 89 means no difference to the Eternal Being.

[Hakkapeliitta]

By our standards of course its not good. But God's standards could be different, and from his point of view why would our standards mean anything at all. To many, God is Good and as such he does only good, even if to us it appears as evil.

[Salem1]

By our standards of course its not good. But God's standards could be different, and from his point of view why would our standards mean anything at all. To many, God is Good and as such he does only good, even if to us it appears as evil.

So basically, if it doesn't make sense even at a stretch then ''god did it''

[The Dude]

By our standards of course its not good. But God's standards could be different, and from his point of view why would our standards mean anything at all. To many, God is Good and as such he does only good, even if to us it appears as evil.

Yes, there are a million ways to apply fantasy in order to excuse other fantasy. Very interesting. Still bollocks.

[motiv-8]

Yes, there are a million ways to apply fantasy in order to excuse other fantasy. Very interesting. Still bollocks.

For an atheist, you are oddly comfortably with asserting things without evidence and taking them for granted as true. I had thought that was contra to the atheist ethos.

[The Dude]

For an atheist, you are oddly comfortably with asserting things without evidence and taking them for granted as true. I had thought that was contra to the atheist ethos.

Wait, are you blaming me for calling the "god works in mysterious ways" excuse nonsense? Because it is. Of all possible means of defending god as a loving and kind deity, it's by far the weakest one because it resorts to pure fantasy on a level where suspension is disbelief is no longer even possible.

"Really, I don't know why my god enjoys setting wild bears onto children, stoning people to death in front of city gates and killing every unmarked inhabitant of a town, and I know that it seems sort of messed up but you just sort of have to trust him that he's doing the right thing. Yes, I know you have no reason to. Do it anyway. It'll work out, I promise."

Yeah, well. No.

[Lord Rahl]

Wicked to do thousands of years ago? Not at all, especially in war.

[ProjectX1963]

Wicked to do thousands of years ago? Not at all, especially in war.

War is wrong, and murder is wrong, and murder during war is wrong, wether it be today, tomorrow, or thousands of years ago.

[Lord Rahl]

War is wrong, and murder is wrong, and murder during war is wrong, wether it be today, tomorrow, or thousands of years ago.

I'm not talking about whether it's "wrong" or not. You're imposing contemporary mores on ancient warfare. In my opinion that is not an appropriate thing to do.

[Hakkapeliitta]

So basically, if it doesn't make sense even at a stretch then ''god did it''

If your starting premise is "an omnipotent God exists", then anything can be constructed to make sense. But I don't know if many theists have that as a premise, rather than as something that they've come to conclude through experience. Still, as far as theism goes, "an omnipotent God exists" is usually pretty fundamental part of it.

Also, sorry if post #5 gave the impression that I'm a theist, as I'm not.

[Irishpsycho]

God told the Israelites to do that because they were a fickle people who were tempted to follow any idol they saw or heard about from others. In the Old Testament the Jews were the chosen people and thus protecting their loyalty to him was far more important than the lives of any people who stood in their way.

And concerning advancements, I dont know what "the church" you are talking about but if you mean the Catholic church you should know that the Catholic church was always against native genocide, was one of the earliest supporters of the abolition of slavery, and did not oppose womens rights. Please get your facts strait before you accuse a billion person religion of being evil.

[Himster]

When good people describe god he is good, when evil people describe god he is evil.

There is no objective description of god.