Replacing Religious Morality

[Doubting Thomas]

The dire consequences of sin are not some unavoidable pre-existing circumstance which God's powerless to alter (being only able to offer suggestions as to how we can avoid such a fate), they are punishments ACTIVELY IMPOSED BY GOD. He is offering to "save" us from his own wrath, not our own depredations.

It's roughly analogous to a mugger sticking a gun in your face and saying "Quickly! Give me your phone and wallet, that I might SAVE you from being shot in the face!" Then, after you hand over the goods, saying "Behold! In my mercy, I have DELIVERED you from being shot in the face! PRAISE ME!"

I've always thought a better analogy would be an abusive stalker holding a gun to a woman's head and saying, "Marry me or I'll kill you." That's what God wants, a marriage between us and him with him constantly holding the gun to our heads, and if we step out of line we're lucky he doesn't smack us around. Or in God's case, if we do something wrong he goes next door and smacks the neighbor around with a tornado.