How is Yahweh not immoral?
November 20, 2012 at 11:49 pm
(This post was last modified: November 20, 2012 at 11:49 pm by Darkstar.)
How is it that the god of the bible (Yahweh) is called a moral being? Sometimes I have heard theists (mainly Drich) say he is 'righteous'. From how the word has been used, one can only draw the conclusion that 'righteous' = objectively moral. Whenever a story of god's immorality surfaces, one of the following apologetic arguments is used as a retort:
Let's look at the first one. What did Jesus really say?
He does not appear to have made any attempt to overturn them. Now, what if he did overturn them? This could only mean that god had made imperfect laws before.
Now, we will examine the second defense. This defense hurts its own argument more than it helps. If the laws of the OT coincide with the inferior moral views of the day (i.e. slavery permitted, semi-regular mass murders, etc.) then this is more evidence that they were created by human minds. After all, Jesus said
Who are we to question his infalliable wisdom?
Oh, by total coincidence (seriously) that leads us into the final defense. Saying that we are simply not allowed to be critical of something god does is simply more evidence that his actions could not actually be defended if they were ever questioned. In order for this to be a valid argument, one would first have to prove that god was a perfectly moral being. Using the bible (it's true because it said it's true) isn't a very good method, but it seems to be the only method at all. Feel free to bring up particular examples of god's immorality for the theists to challenge (or ignore). The first immoral act of god's was his punishing Adam and Eve for commiting an act he deemed immoral. As god created them to be amoral, and even forbid them from eating the fruit that would allow them to understand morality, they could not possibly have known that god had commanded them not to eat it for any reason other thanit killing them. When the snake told them it wouldn't kill them, they no longer had any reason not to eat it.
- That was the OT.
- You just don't understand the customs of the day.
- Who are you to judge god?
Let's look at the first one. What did Jesus really say?
Now, we will examine the second defense. This defense hurts its own argument more than it helps. If the laws of the OT coincide with the inferior moral views of the day (i.e. slavery permitted, semi-regular mass murders, etc.) then this is more evidence that they were created by human minds. After all, Jesus said
Oh, by total coincidence (seriously) that leads us into the final defense. Saying that we are simply not allowed to be critical of something god does is simply more evidence that his actions could not actually be defended if they were ever questioned. In order for this to be a valid argument, one would first have to prove that god was a perfectly moral being. Using the bible (it's true because it said it's true) isn't a very good method, but it seems to be the only method at all. Feel free to bring up particular examples of god's immorality for the theists to challenge (or ignore). The first immoral act of god's was his punishing Adam and Eve for commiting an act he deemed immoral. As god created them to be amoral, and even forbid them from eating the fruit that would allow them to understand morality, they could not possibly have known that god had commanded them not to eat it for any reason other thanit killing them. When the snake told them it wouldn't kill them, they no longer had any reason not to eat it.
John Adams Wrote:The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.