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Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 12:28 pm
(This post was last modified: March 10, 2012 at 12:31 pm by Mystic.)
What do you deem a greater God?
One that punishes evil people or one that forbears evil people and will have mercy upon them.
Or how about one that doesn't punish all evil people but rather punishes only super evil people.
A Buddhist obviously will believe in the more compassionate one is greater. A Muslim will obviously believe the punishing one is greater.
But I'd like to see views of people whom don't have a religion and don't have a belief in God to start with.
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 1:44 pm
(This post was last modified: March 10, 2012 at 1:45 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
One capable of creating a creature that did not require any punishment in the first place. IOW, "I'll have the chicken."
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!
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 1:49 pm
(This post was last modified: March 10, 2012 at 1:50 pm by Phil.)
(March 10, 2012 at 12:28 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: What do you deem a greater God?
One that punishes evil people or one that forbears evil people and will have mercy upon them.
Or how about one that doesn't punish all evil people but rather punishes only super evil people.
A Buddhist obviously will believe in the more compassionate one is greater. A Muslim will obviously believe the punishing one is greater.
But I'd like to see views of people whom don't have a religion and don't have a belief in God to start with. I deem the god greater that can do all of the things you propose and at the same time have the quality of non-existence.
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 1:50 pm
(This post was last modified: March 10, 2012 at 1:51 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
LOL, it was rough not to go with that one when deciding my response Phil. Surely, the god that can accomplish things without even existing is more powerful than the one that does, by orders of magnitude 
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!
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 1:53 pm
(This post was last modified: March 10, 2012 at 1:53 pm by Mystic.)
*sigh*
I'm really interested to see what trait is deemed greater.
I guess I should rephrase the question.
What do you deem a greater trait out of these two traits?
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 1:55 pm
(This post was last modified: March 10, 2012 at 1:55 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Between a god that punishes evil people, and a god that punishes super evil people? I can't say that I have an opinion either way honestly, they both seem to be a shitty profession for a god.
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!
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 1:56 pm
(March 10, 2012 at 1:50 pm)Rhythm Wrote: LOL, it was rough not to go with that one when deciding my response Phil. Surely, the god that can accomplish things without even existing is more powerful than the one that does, by orders of magnitude
It is odd how theists claim god is so great and perfect yet they put a ball and chain around him and claim he must exist. That means he lacks the quality to not exist. A greater god would have all the qualities theists give him plus the quality to not exist. Take that Aquinas.
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 1:57 pm
(This post was last modified: March 10, 2012 at 1:58 pm by Mystic.)
(March 10, 2012 at 1:55 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Between a god that punishes evil people, and a god that punishes super evil people? I can't say that I have an opinion either way honestly, they both seem to be a shitty profession for a god.
OK I mentioned three possible traits not two, I was wrong about two:
1) Forbears and has compassion on all evil people
2) Punishes all evil people (severely)
3) Punishes only super evil people, but not all evil people.
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 2:00 pm
(This post was last modified: March 10, 2012 at 2:02 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
The third also seems an odd profession, but it does seem like this is the only likely profession for any god that might exist undetected, who has never been shown to punish anyone.
Heres the thing mystic, I (like most of us, I'd be willing to wager) want to see "evil" punished, but I know better than to decide that my definition of evil is absolute, that who I think is evil or should be punished actually should, at least beyond the realm of my own imaginings. This is why it's difficult for me to have an opinion on the matter, the question and each of the answers are complete non-starters to me.
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!
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RE: Punishing God vs Forbearing/Merciful God
March 10, 2012 at 2:00 pm
(March 10, 2012 at 12:28 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: What do you deem a greater God?
One that punishes evil people or one that forbears evil people and will have mercy upon them.
Or how about one that doesn't punish all evil people but rather punishes only super evil people.
A Buddhist obviously will believe in the more compassionate one is greater. A Muslim will obviously believe the punishing one is greater.
But I'd like to see views of people whom don't have a religion and don't have a belief in God to start with.
Deciding which god would be greater requires belief in a god - what a stupid question. But then, you are a deist, so no surprises there.
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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