To the topic, 
"your god" is really the god of your own imagination, it certainly isn't the God of the Bible, and the reason you may disagree, is because you don't know the Bible, just like millions don't... (There is also the possibility that you are a sworn enemy of God, that you know the Bible, but have chosen otherwise.)
So when you are asking how to reconcile "your god" as a mass murderer, you are asking someone to argue from that perspective. 

Then I would have to agree with the 'arguments' put forward. But who wants to stay in the dark?

(December 6, 2017 at 11:05 am)Khemikal Wrote: If these folks really want their god to be relevant going forward, so that people turn to them rather than away from them..they're going to have to honor the time-tested tradition of a re-write.  

The new testament is getting awfully old.  Maybe god can poke his head back in and chat up some nobody in the middle of nowhere....again?

Last time he did that, we got the Mormons.

---

(December 8, 2017 at 6:55 am)Starhunter Wrote: To the topic, 
"your god" is really the god of your own imagination, it certainly isn't the God of the Bible, and the reason you may disagree, is because you don't know the Bible, just like millions don't... (There is also the possibility that you are a sworn enemy of God, that you know the Bible, but have chosen otherwise.)
So when you are asking how to reconcile "your god" as a mass murderer, you are asking someone to argue from that perspective. 

Then I would have to agree with the 'arguments' put forward. But who wants to stay in the dark?

Everyone has their own interpretation of who or what Yahweh/Jehova/Jesus is, whether they're a christian or not. Some people just read the bible, and come away disgusted instead of awe inspired. I guarantee you that if you look hard enough, you'll find another seventh day adventist that will tell you that you have it all wrong.

(December 8, 2017 at 6:55 am)Starhunter Wrote: To the topic, 
"your god" is really the god of your own imagination, it certainly isn't the God of the Bible, and the reason you may disagree, is because you don't know the Bible, just like millions don't... (There is also the possibility that you are a sworn enemy of God, that you know the Bible, but have chosen otherwise.)
So when you are asking how to reconcile "your god" as a mass murderer, you are asking someone to argue from that perspective. 

Then I would have to agree with the 'arguments' put forward. But who wants to stay in the dark?

But that is because what you call "the God of the bible" is the god of your imagination.

Lots of atheists know the bible far better than you do, though I confess I am not one of them.  There are too many great books to waste my time with that tripe.  Sorry but the bible is not a page turner.  Way too many begottens recorded without the least bit of salaciousness to help it all go down.  Not for me.

But I apologize for the title of this thread.  You're right it is absurd to talk about God, the mass murderer .. just as it is absurd to talk of God the manufacturer of galaxies.  On this we can agree.

Honestly to cling to a tired old book like the bible takes a magnitude of persistence for staying in the dark I can't even begin to imagine, and wouldn't want to.

(December 8, 2017 at 7:13 am)Chad32 Wrote: Everyone has their own interpretation of who or what Yahweh/Jehova/Jesus is, whether they're a christian or not. Some people just read the bible, and come away disgusted instead of awe inspired. I guarantee you that if you look hard enough, you'll find another seventh day adventist that will tell you that you have it all wrong.

You mean that if your child fails the english exam, he or she could use that excuse - "everyone has their own interpretation..." 

Or should it be "evury wun haz thair owne entirpretashion."

The Bible has been accurately translated and printed in English.

Sorry, your argument fails when it comes to reading and comprehension of the Bible.

---

(December 8, 2017 at 7:19 am)Whateverist Wrote:

(December 8, 2017 at 6:55 am)Starhunter Wrote: To the topic, 
"your god" is really the god of your own imagination, it certainly isn't the God of the Bible, and the reason you may disagree, is because you don't know the Bible, just like millions don't... (There is also the possibility that you are a sworn enemy of God, that you know the Bible, but have chosen otherwise.)
So when you are asking how to reconcile "your god" as a mass murderer, you are asking someone to argue from that perspective. 

Then I would have to agree with the 'arguments' put forward. But who wants to stay in the dark?

But that is because what you call "the God of the bible" is the god of your imagination.

Lots of atheists know the bible far better than you do, though I confess I am not one of them.  There are too many great books to waste my time with that tripe.  Sorry but the bible is not a page turner.  Way too many begottens recorded without the least bit of salaciousness to help it all go down.  Not for me.

But I apologize for the title of this thread.  You're right it is absurd to talk about God, the mass murderer .. just as it is absurd to talk of God the manufacturer of galaxies.  On this we can agree.

Honestly to cling to a tired old book like the bible takes a magnitude of persistence for staying in the dark I can't even begin to imagine, and wouldn't want to.

The Bible claims and promises to enable any reader to become knowledgeable and prepared for eternal life. It's a small price to pay.

The old English of the Bible is not even as difficult as Shakespear. 


Try reading the easy bits first, like the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke etc.

Thanks but no thanks. I prefer to let god be a mystery and spend my reading time on good novels.

(December 8, 2017 at 7:35 am)Starhunter Wrote:

(December 8, 2017 at 7:13 am)Chad32 Wrote: Everyone has their own interpretation of who or what Yahweh/Jehova/Jesus is, whether they're a christian or not. Some people just read the bible, and come away disgusted instead of awe inspired. I guarantee you that if you look hard enough, you'll find another seventh day adventist that will tell you that you have it all wrong.

You mean that if your child fails the english exam, he or she could use that excuse - "everyone has their own interpretation..." 

Or should it be "evury wun haz thair owne entirpretashion."

The Bible has been accurately translated and printed in English.

Sorry, your argument fails when it comes to reading and comprehension of the Bible.

If that english exam was about interpreting the works of a book full of metaphor and allegory, and the teacher failed my kid because he interpreted things differently than the teacher did, then there would be an argument there. If there's no concrete evidence available saying "this is definitely what the author intended".
I believe you mean that translations of the bible have been translated into english, because there are no original manuscripts to directly translate into our language. It's copies of copies. even the dead sea scrolls, which may be the oldest writings we have, weren't original. So yeah, I find the english translations skeptical.

(December 8, 2017 at 7:13 am)Chad32 Wrote: Last time he did that, we got the Mormons.

IKR?  It went well for Joe, though.  Laying aside what we think of mormonism today, it obviously spoke to alot of people then.  The same has always been true of these myths.  They're created with the audience in mind, and their success or failure depends upon how well they've tapped into the pulse of that culture and time.  Their maintenance requires that the culture remain static, that the myth change, or that someone compel adherence in the absence of conformity between the myth and the culture as it is.

Our boy Star here, his church provides all three of these services.  Churches by their nature promote traditional normativism, his has turned the failed apocalyptic message of the NT into a global conspiracy more relevant to the internet tinfoil times we live in, and finally....it holds out the rod and the carrot.    

@star.

You seem unable to decide whether or not the narratives exist as described to be justified and reinterpreted in a friendlier light.  If you trust the interpretations, then trust them.  God commands his people to ethnic cleansing with a side of sex trafficking as a reward for their service.  Incensed that they fail to wholly carry out this attempted genocide (rather than that they engaged in it) he punishes his shock troops.  

These are the actions of a war criminal, who orders a regiment of men to raze a city in a particularly brutal fashion, and then disciplines his soldiers for displaying even the tiniest amount of compassion in contradiction to his orders.  That, is the accurate translation..which you trust, of the actions and motivations of the god you worship and a description of one of the "failures" of his chosen people.  Which, for reference, aint you.... it's Teh Jews.

NT god hasn't changed his mind on this, though "Paul" tries to change it for him. "Jesus" is every bit as tribal and ethnocentric; Do foreign bitches even deserve miracles, do you reckon? Probably not, but we can feed them scraps from our table.

So sayeth the lord.

(December 8, 2017 at 8:07 am)Whateverist Wrote: Thanks but no thanks.  I prefer to let god be a mystery and spend my reading time on good novels.

God will try to impress you of the truth, regardless. By the novels if he has to. Nature, the circumstances in life, love, people. 
Angels of God have watched over you since you were born, making sure that whatever happened to you was something you could handle, and would not affect your opportunities to connect with God. 
Will God ever give up on you? No. Will he force or manipulate you? No, that wouldn't be love. 
Will he do a miracle to wake you up? Yes if it works. 
Will he miss you if you are not saved? 
I don't know, because if he did, it would be forever, and I don't know whether he could handle that.
I don't have the guts to ask God that question, "will he miss the lost?" because I am afraid the answer is something I could not handle.

Like..."LOLNO, haven't you read my book - I hate those hookers!"............?

(December 8, 2017 at 10:47 am)Khemikal Wrote: @star.

You seem unable to decide whether or not the narratives exist as described to be justified and reinterpreted in a friendlier light.  If you trust the interpretations, then trust them.  God commands his people to ethnic cleansing with a side of sex trafficking as a reward for their service.  Incensed that they fail to wholly carry out this attempted genocide (rather than that they engaged in it) he punishes his shock troops.  

These are the actions of a war criminal, who orders a regiment of men to raze a city in a particularly brutal fashion, and then disciplines his soldiers for displaying even the tiniest amount of compassion in contradiction to his orders.  That, is the accurate translation..which you trust, of the actions and motivations of the god you worship and a description of one of the "failures" of his chosen people.  Which, for reference, aint you.... it's Teh Jews.

NT god hasn't changed his mind on this, though "Paul" tries to change it for him.  "Jesus" is every bit as tribal and ethnocentric;  Do foreign bitches even deserve miracles, do you reckon?  Probably not, but we can feed them scraps from our table.

So sayeth the lord.

God would like to do good to you, what is troubling you?