RE: The justice and mercy of God
December 22, 2011 at 11:20 am
(This post was last modified: December 22, 2011 at 11:35 am by The Grand Nudger.)
Spiritual brinksmanship. 
Not the best of motivators, the fear of death (when it comes to morality, at least..and even less so when brinksmanship is an option). While it may come at any moment we spend a considerable amount of time not thinking about it. Many people, when contemplating their own deaths do so in the context of their last words, which could presumably be, "god, forgive all the terrible shit I didn't have a strong enough moral compass to prevent me from doing in the first place". It's legalism in place of a good life.
It's not even clear to me how one could be sinful or virtuous in the face of omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence in the first place. All these things which you may be rewarded or punished for are already known, there is no surprise, no test. A human life becomes a cog in the wheel of a being so much greater than themselves that the very idea of punishment or reward becomes as small and petty as we would be in relation to this being. Assuming that some deity invented this notion rather than ourselves is doing a disservice to the very idea of a deity. Heaven and hell, are, to me, platitudes crafted by human beings. Fantasies meant to console those who feel wronged or poorly compensated. Something of a Janus situation in our empathy, where good deeds not rewarded must be rewarded somehow, that some good deserves eternal reward that cannot be fully achieved in a human lifetime. On the opposite end, our empathy for others (and of course our self interest) leads us to conclude that some evils are so vile that punishment should have no end. My two cents and five bucks will buy you a cup of coffee....lol. (fucking inflation screwing with language....)
Not the best of motivators, the fear of death (when it comes to morality, at least..and even less so when brinksmanship is an option). While it may come at any moment we spend a considerable amount of time not thinking about it. Many people, when contemplating their own deaths do so in the context of their last words, which could presumably be, "god, forgive all the terrible shit I didn't have a strong enough moral compass to prevent me from doing in the first place". It's legalism in place of a good life.
It's not even clear to me how one could be sinful or virtuous in the face of omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence in the first place. All these things which you may be rewarded or punished for are already known, there is no surprise, no test. A human life becomes a cog in the wheel of a being so much greater than themselves that the very idea of punishment or reward becomes as small and petty as we would be in relation to this being. Assuming that some deity invented this notion rather than ourselves is doing a disservice to the very idea of a deity. Heaven and hell, are, to me, platitudes crafted by human beings. Fantasies meant to console those who feel wronged or poorly compensated. Something of a Janus situation in our empathy, where good deeds not rewarded must be rewarded somehow, that some good deserves eternal reward that cannot be fully achieved in a human lifetime. On the opposite end, our empathy for others (and of course our self interest) leads us to conclude that some evils are so vile that punishment should have no end. My two cents and five bucks will buy you a cup of coffee....lol. (fucking inflation screwing with language....)
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
