Why do Christians trust YHWH?

[Cinjin]

Yeah, we is all brainwashed dumb folk.
Cain't help ourselves.

That's actually the sad part professor.
My father is brilliant in many ways. Unfortunately, he chooses to adopt the mind of a superstitious primitive by making a very conscious choice to simply ignore the myriad of problems and contradictions that accompany his beliefs.
You make light of the OP by playing the part of a fool, but the reality of it is Robbypants has a very legitimate point. There is no way you would EVER trust someone that had the track record that your god has. EVER!

When someone said we Christians are all brainwashed, Barry McGuire (eve of destruction song) replied, -
the difference is we have CHOSEN Who we want to wash our brains........

Meh, the same way the Hindus and the Muslims have chosen. It means nothing. You're all brainwashed regardless of what holy book you subscribe to.

[professor]

Seriously.
A grotesque caricature is created in your mind, then we are questioned as to why we adhere to the monster?
I perceive that is called a straw man.

[Chad32]

Either they grew up on the happier parts, and ignored the horrible parts, or they just think there's nothing they can do about it, so they might as well go along with it. You don't want to be tortured in hell for eternity, do you?

Sometimes I wonder why christians even stay in the religion at all, and I realize that some really don't. They leave, and never look back. Some do because it's easier. They don't want to be ostracized, or risk being wrong.

Stockholm syndrome at its finest.

Are you saying the genuflect out of fear rather than love, and just don't want to admit it?

Anecdotally, this matches my situation fairly closely. Once I started to realize that I was doubting, I tried to make myself believe more out of fear than anything else. The more I thought about God, the less I saw him as all-loving.

Different christians have different reasons for being christians. Some do out love, and some out of fear. Some people take the carrot, and some people take the stick. Others still may do it out of apathy. As I said before, some just go to church, says they're christians, and don't let it influence their lives any more than it has to. I'm sure there are even more than fit between those three points.

[tor]

Christians trust god for the same reason children trust parents(even if they are shitty parents).
They feel the one who knows more is automatically trustworthy even though he could turn out an omniscient scumbag.

[Cinjin]

Christians trust god for the same reason children trust parents(even if they are shitty parents).
They feel the one who knows more is automatically trustworthy even though he could turn out an omniscient scumbag.

Wait .... WHAT??

That doesn't even make sense. I don't know any children who think their parents are going to turn out to be omniscient scumbags.

[tor]

Christians trust god for the same reason children trust parents(even if they are shitty parents).
They feel the one who knows more is automatically trustworthy even though he could turn out an omniscient scumbag.

Wait .... WHAT??

That doesn't even make sense. I don't know any children who think their parents are going to turn out to be omniscient scumbags.

They think god has good reasons for not preventing evil but it can turn out that he does not give a fuck. Knowing more doesn't equal acting in your best interests.

[Senshi]

So, according to the Bible, YHWH is the source of all of our morality. He tells us not to kill, steal, rape lie, or covet, yet, he frequently breaks his own rules. He's on record for murdering the crap out of lots of people. Even children! So, you ask an apologist "what the shit?" and they'll say something to the effect of "God has no moral imperative not to kill us" or "those rules are for us, not God" or "who are you to question the Almighty!?"

Fair enough, I suppose (not really), but how do you know God isn't lying at any given time? He has no moral imperative to tell the truth, the rules about lying don't apply to him, and hey, who are we to question him? The apologetics are pretty clear on this.

So, how does a Christian trust any single word written in the Bible or allegedly said by God? Any traits they give him (like holding to his covenants) are all told to us... by God. How do we know he holds his covenants?


So, Christians: how can you trust God?

You don't even need to be a god to receive unconditional respect and obedience. All you need is some charisma and a couple of alpha-male displays. Evolutionary psychology evokes that humans have developed a natural attraction towards the more powerful and resourceful because following them increases the chances of survival. Our fascination with power, money, and rank in society is a projection of our genetic make-up. We were always fascinated with these ideas and consequently fascinated with those who displayed them. Blindly bowing to the powerful is a major cause of corruption in society. You don't need to go as far as the heavens to see it.

[Chad32]

Christians trust god for the same reason children trust parents(even if they are shitty parents).
They feel the one who knows more is automatically trustworthy even though he could turn out an omniscient scumbag.

Wait .... WHAT??

That doesn't even make sense. I don't know any children who think their parents are going to turn out to be omniscient scumbags.

They don't. That's why the children trust them.

[Cinjin]

Seriously.
A grotesque caricature is created in your mind, then we are questioned as to why we adhere to the monster?
I perceive that is called a straw man.

A straw man it would most assuredly be ... if the statement was indeed a misrepresentation.
Obviously, you must have evidence to the contrary?

Did your god not command the killing of women and children?
Did your god not authorize the brutal cutting of babies from the womb?
Did your god not commit genocide by drowning nearly every living thing on the planet?

I could go on, but I'll leave you with those three.

[ThomM]

So, according to the Bible, YHWH is the source of all of our morality. He tells us not to kill, steal, rape lie, or covet, yet, he frequently breaks his own rules. He's on record for murdering the crap out of lots of people. Even children! So, you ask an apologist "what the shit?" and they'll say something to the effect of "God has no moral imperative not to kill us" or "those rules are for us, not God" or "who are you to question the Almighty!?"

Fair enough, I suppose (not really), but how do you know God isn't lying at any given time? He has no moral imperative to tell the truth, the rules about lying don't apply to him, and hey, who are we to question him? The apologetics are pretty clear on this.

So, how does a Christian trust any single word written in the Bible or allegedly said by God? Any traits they give him (like holding to his covenants) are all told to us... by God. How do we know he holds his covenants?


So, Christians: how can you trust God?

First - the bible is NOT a trustworthy document - it contains LOTS of things that are NOT true - cannot be true - never were true - along with many contradictions - and outright immorality. Anyone who trusts the bible has never actually read the bible.

And the problem is that the construct of morality in religion is actually NOT morality - it is coercion. A moral person does the right thing - simply because it is the right thing to do - NOT because there is a reward if you do it - or a punishment if YOU do not. And it clearly is against the notion of free will - the claim that you have FREE CHOICE is not true on the religious construct. THE actual statement of the god is - either do EXACTLY as I say (but not as I do) - or I will eternally punish you.

So - where is the morality as claimed by the religious? IT is not there to begin with.

AND a learned and intelligent person can easily see this - and can see through the claims of the theists