(October 10, 2013 at 8:05 am)John V Wrote:In my post which touched off this long side-debate, I did not accuse John V of hypocrisy. I just alluded to the adherents of the prosperity gospel who have swallowed the idea that God wants them to be rich, which is obviously in opposition to JC's command to "sell all that you have and give it to the poor." On reflection, I would not even call the prosperity gospellers hypocrites. The dumb bastards probably don't even realize there are Bible passages which contradict the verses they have been fed, mainly from Proverbs, by some sleazy televangelist.(October 9, 2013 at 5:39 pm)Doubting Thomas Wrote: I do what I can.Really? Do you eschew all non-necessary expenditures for yourself so that you can give to others? Do you give all excess time you have to others? Do you seriously think anyone believes this?
I used to take that command seriously although I could never completely fulfill it. I wish now I had not even tried. I now think Jesus' extreme demands to take no thought for your own well-being and happiness are psychologically unhealthy, not to mention financially unsound. If I had not given so much in the past, I would now have a more comfortable retirement than I do, and I could presently give more than the modest amount I do to relieve suffering.
I do not think John V is justified to call people hypocrites because they say they want to alleviate suffering but do not do the maximum which is theoretically possible for them. It would result in a mental breakdown and the inability to give more. So giving what you are comfortable with involves much the same logic as his earlier example about a banker being allowed to have some good clothes so that he can make money.
As for the responsibility of God, we must consider proportionality. If DT gave $1000 a year from his $40,000 income, that would be 2.5 per cent. Supposedly, John's God is infinitely powerful; if he devoted 2.5% of his infinite resources to eliminating suffering that would do the job.
No, if there were a God, he would be responsible. Bart D. Ehrman, the prominent New Testament scholar turned agnostic made the following comment in his book God's Problem: How the Bible fails to answer our most important question—why we suffer.
Quote:When I was growing up, my family always said grace before dinner. ... there came a time in my life when I found that I simply no longer could thank God for my food. And the irony is that it was because I came to realize (or, at least came to think) that if I was thanking God for providing me with my sustenance, and acknowledging that I was fed not because of my own good efforts but because of his gracious actions toward me, then by implication I was saying something about those who didn't have food. If I have food because God has given it to me, then don't others lack food because God has chosen not to give it to them? By saying grace, wasn't I in fact charging God with negligence or favoritism?
If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people — House
