All the problems with Christianity

[The Reality Salesman01]

If I knew for sure that God was telling me to do something, I would listen to Him. It doesn't matter how nonsensical or wrong it would seem to me.
But let me be very clear about something: If I want to know for sure that it's God telling me something, I'd better be SURE it's God. It can't be a feeling I have, because feelings can come from the world.

Wow...I've got to say, I am very surprised that you answered this question honestly. And, yes, In this the thought experiment I gave you, you are sure that it was God.

But, I'm curious, after carrying out what God tells you to do, how would you feel about it? Let me be more specific so that you might imagine the scenario:

Say you and are sitting in a park at the moment you hear God telling you to kill all left handed people. You are sure. You know it in every fiber of your being that it is God telling you to do it, just as you described.

In the park we see some kids playing baseball, one of them has his glove on his right hand, and he's throwing with his left. You then see him sign his name on a roster with his left hand, and now you have all the information you need to confirm that this kid is definitely left-handed. You explain to me what God has ordered you to do, and I believe you, and also want to do God's work, so I agree to help you. We follow this kid into the public restroom. When he walks in, I pick up a fire extinguisher and smash him over the head with it. I give you a knife and tell you to I'll look out while you slit this kids throat. You do it...

Are you telling me that in this thought experiment, as you watch this child bleed out on the floor, you don't have an ounce of remorse about the deed you've just performed? None?

[Esquilax]

Are you telling me that in this thought experiment, as you watch this child bleed out on the floor, you don't have an ounce of remorse about the deed you've just performed? None?

Lemme make another magic prediction, because I think they're fun: "God wouldn't tell me to do that." That's going to be the answer, because it usually is among people who profess such obeisance to god while still being relatively nice people, as Avo seems to be. It's a dodge, but you can see her setting up for it in her answer; she doesn't deal in feelings because they can be false. She goes back to the bible. It's reassuring in some ways, though unsatisfying since it ignores some crucial factors too.

[The Reality Salesman01]

If I knew for sure that God was telling me to do something, I would listen to Him. It doesn't matter how nonsensical or wrong it would seem to me.

This is the part of her post that I found to be most interesting. It also prevents her from giving that excuse. She seems to recognize that any previous instruction given in The Bible would be immediately overruled by a direct order given by God to her specifically. I of course am not optimistic about her next response, but her sincerity in the above line is certainly unsual. It's uncommon for Christians to be honest about their obligation to preemptively dismiss their own morality under these circumstances before it can be used as an excuse. It seems as though she's being honest about her responsibility that is incurred by accepting the doctrine in Christianity, and that God could potentially tell her to do something that is at odds with her own moral intuition. To do God's will is at minimum, one of the basic requirements required to earn His salvation, and questioning Him puts you at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm curious about the extent to which she's followed this type of scenario or her requirement to oblige. My guess is that most people probably don't analyze it too much.

[Tonus]

Lemme make another magic prediction, because I think they're fun: "God wouldn't tell me to do that." That's going to be the answer, because it usually is among people who profess such obeisance to god while still being relatively nice people, as Avo seems to be. It's a dodge, but you can see her setting up for it in her answer; she doesn't deal in feelings because they can be false. She goes back to the bible. It's reassuring in some ways, though unsatisfying since it ignores some crucial factors too.

It's based on the assumption that god would have good reason to ask such a thing of a person. After all, if god wanted all left-handed people dead, he could simply wave his hand (his right hand, presumably) and take care of it himself. Thus the believer must trust that god did not ask for this act randomly or without justification. Remember that Abraham was granted the gift of becoming the progenitor of god's favored nation on Earth because he was willing to kill his son at god's command.

Perhaps that is the most chilling part of it, the fact that the person doesn't need to know or understand why they must commit an act. They have to trust. The potential reward (for complying) is unimaginably great, and the potential punishment (for resisting) is unimaginably terrible. It isn't hard to understand why your average theist doesn't think it will ever happen to them. It's just as easy to understand what drives some people to commit unspeakable acts when they hear voices.

[The Reality Salesman01]

It reminds me of Dennett's analogy that compares religion to a lancet fluke:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicrocoelium_dendriticum

It hijacks the brain of it's host and makes it do things that are not advantageous to the survival to the creature it inhabits. The host commits suicide as an expense to the fluke's survival. It's pretty crazy stuff!