This is yet another indication that Christianity is man made.
It's hard for me to comprehend actual beings behaving they way that Yahweh and Satan do, their attributed motivations are so murky.
Yahweh is upset with all the sin on the world, so he solves the problem by sending himself to earth as his own son in order to sacrifice himself on a cross because blood sacrifice makes everything better because... because... well, that part's never explained. Anyway, he loves us so much that he's willing to die on a cross for us but can't seem to muster the power to change a rule he made in the first place. He can't forgive unless there is blood sacrifice and then belief in the blood sacrifice. The most important decision we can make that determines our fate on Judgment Day is what we believe (never mind that we can't really make that choice but let that go).
Yahweh doesn't care if we're good or bad people, just that we joined the right religion and practiced it in the right way. Now why the Creator of this universe would care what religion some tiny specs on a pale blue dot held, never mind need their constant validation and adoration, is beyond me. Just listen to the sycophantic groveling at church services and ask why any god would even want that. If I were God, I would not. I'd be more concerned about how people were treating each other and building constructively on the foundation I'd provided. But Yahweh is apparently not so secure. He's like a big, powerful guy who's plagued with low self-esteem on the inside and, more than anything, just needs a hug.
But for all the horrific torture in the afterlife and genocide on this planet, it might be a touching story. Little Yahweh gets bullied on the school grounds by all the rich kids like Zeus, Odin and Ra, who own much more prosperous civilizations and have way cooler names. They beat him up, enslave his people, steal his ambrosia money, etc. One day, while hanging by his underwear from the flagpole, he shakes his fist at the laughing bullies, screaming, "One day, you'll be sorry! My followers will wipe all yours out! I won't have to worry about my name because people will simply call me 'God' because I'll be the only one left!"
And so little Yahweh grows up to first take control of his own business, rising up from being just one god of many in a pantheon of some obscure tribe. Eventually, he takes out his competition to be the only god of the Hebrew people. The rest of the story, everyone knows. He started many other enterprises to diversify, Christianity, Islam, Mormonism, etc. His empire now dominates the planet. He has power and fame, but does he have love? His traumatic past might explain his rageaholic nature and bloodyminded persecution. The bullied has grown up to be a bully and seeks to even the score by bullying others. Power is such a pathetic substitute for love, fear a hollow stand in for respect. This god needs therapy.
Sorry, I digress.
On to Satan, the former punisher and tempter-of-mortals working for Yahweh who's later refitted into the role of dire enemy. The actual history of this character won't bear close examination but fortunately for Christianity, few people go to the trouble. Why does he need souls? Does he get to "win" if he gets enough? And why torment them? Why not organize them into an army to storm the gates of Heaven? Why continue to serve as the former role of punisher of mortals if he's serving the being that's supposed to now be his arch-enemy? And if he can win by acquiring enough souls, why does Yahweh send them to him? Does Yahweh make the rules or not?
Satan's story might make a bit more sense if he was actually leading a rag-tag revolution against a tyrannical Creator god who'd gone mad with power. Maybe he's vilified by the propaganda but don't all tyrants do this with rebel leaders? Maybe Satan's really the good guy, trying to save us from enslavement but all we hear is Yahweh's side of the story?
Sorry, once again I'm rewriting both stories to try to make them more believable. As originally written, neither character makes any sense. It's hard for me to comprehend why gods would behave this way but it's not hard to understand why a church might be motivated to make gods this way. The whole thing is easier to understand when it's understood to be a contrived story to make people go to church and obey church authority.
It's hard for me to comprehend actual beings behaving they way that Yahweh and Satan do, their attributed motivations are so murky.
Yahweh is upset with all the sin on the world, so he solves the problem by sending himself to earth as his own son in order to sacrifice himself on a cross because blood sacrifice makes everything better because... because... well, that part's never explained. Anyway, he loves us so much that he's willing to die on a cross for us but can't seem to muster the power to change a rule he made in the first place. He can't forgive unless there is blood sacrifice and then belief in the blood sacrifice. The most important decision we can make that determines our fate on Judgment Day is what we believe (never mind that we can't really make that choice but let that go).
Yahweh doesn't care if we're good or bad people, just that we joined the right religion and practiced it in the right way. Now why the Creator of this universe would care what religion some tiny specs on a pale blue dot held, never mind need their constant validation and adoration, is beyond me. Just listen to the sycophantic groveling at church services and ask why any god would even want that. If I were God, I would not. I'd be more concerned about how people were treating each other and building constructively on the foundation I'd provided. But Yahweh is apparently not so secure. He's like a big, powerful guy who's plagued with low self-esteem on the inside and, more than anything, just needs a hug.
But for all the horrific torture in the afterlife and genocide on this planet, it might be a touching story. Little Yahweh gets bullied on the school grounds by all the rich kids like Zeus, Odin and Ra, who own much more prosperous civilizations and have way cooler names. They beat him up, enslave his people, steal his ambrosia money, etc. One day, while hanging by his underwear from the flagpole, he shakes his fist at the laughing bullies, screaming, "One day, you'll be sorry! My followers will wipe all yours out! I won't have to worry about my name because people will simply call me 'God' because I'll be the only one left!"
And so little Yahweh grows up to first take control of his own business, rising up from being just one god of many in a pantheon of some obscure tribe. Eventually, he takes out his competition to be the only god of the Hebrew people. The rest of the story, everyone knows. He started many other enterprises to diversify, Christianity, Islam, Mormonism, etc. His empire now dominates the planet. He has power and fame, but does he have love? His traumatic past might explain his rageaholic nature and bloodyminded persecution. The bullied has grown up to be a bully and seeks to even the score by bullying others. Power is such a pathetic substitute for love, fear a hollow stand in for respect. This god needs therapy.
Sorry, I digress.
On to Satan, the former punisher and tempter-of-mortals working for Yahweh who's later refitted into the role of dire enemy. The actual history of this character won't bear close examination but fortunately for Christianity, few people go to the trouble. Why does he need souls? Does he get to "win" if he gets enough? And why torment them? Why not organize them into an army to storm the gates of Heaven? Why continue to serve as the former role of punisher of mortals if he's serving the being that's supposed to now be his arch-enemy? And if he can win by acquiring enough souls, why does Yahweh send them to him? Does Yahweh make the rules or not?
Satan's story might make a bit more sense if he was actually leading a rag-tag revolution against a tyrannical Creator god who'd gone mad with power. Maybe he's vilified by the propaganda but don't all tyrants do this with rebel leaders? Maybe Satan's really the good guy, trying to save us from enslavement but all we hear is Yahweh's side of the story?
Sorry, once again I'm rewriting both stories to try to make them more believable. As originally written, neither character makes any sense. It's hard for me to comprehend why gods would behave this way but it's not hard to understand why a church might be motivated to make gods this way. The whole thing is easier to understand when it's understood to be a contrived story to make people go to church and obey church authority.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
