(March 31, 2017 at 11:46 pm)masterofpuppets Wrote: If God told you that you absolutely must kill someone who, in your eyes, is 100% innocent, would you do it? Why or why not? Assume that you are also 100% sure that God did indeed tell you this and you did not have a hallucination etc.
This question is not religion-specific in any way and is just a hypothetical situation.
This is a difficult question. I would have to be 100% sure it was God telling me to do so. But on the other hand, I would think that I would have difficulty killing someone without an immediate need to do so. It would certainly test me, and I would assume that there are things I do not know.
(April 3, 2017 at 9:15 am)SteveII Wrote:(April 1, 2017 at 1:14 pm)masterofpuppets Wrote: It seems that no theist answered my question properly. I'm not interested in responses saying God would never do that, or that God's implication is different. My question is simple. God is supposed to be the ultimate and perfect moral framework for everything. Therefore, in accordance with the situation of God telling someone that they 100% must kill someone, all theists should answer "yes, because God's intentions are perfect". If not, that is a contradiction of their beliefs.
"Thou shalt not murder" seems to apply. So, not murdering a person would in fact be obeying God. Since it is possible that your hypothetical personal instructions might be misunderstood, not originating from God, or a product of a mental defect, I would say not murdering is the right things to do. So, no dilemma, no contradiction.
I'm with Neo on this... the question certainly does seem to bring to mind the story of Abraham and Issac as well as at least one other I can think of that would apply. Also, the hypothetical removed the possibility of doubt as to the origins or the command. On the other hand, I would trust in God's sovereignty, and look to His nature which has been shown to us.
It is said that an argument is what convinces reasonable men and a proof is what it takes to convince even an unreasonable man. - Alexander Vilenkin
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther