Christians, Prove Your God Is Good

[JesusHChrist]

Like praying:

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not yet

Covers every possible outcome. How convenient.

[MilesAbbott81]

OK. So that means it was God's will Ted Bundy did his thing... and Jim Bakker... and the Spanish Inquisition... and rape, murder, torture... all God's things. And all of this in reply to a thread entitled, "Christians, Prove Your God Is Good".

Riiiiiiight.

Yes, those are all God's "things," though if we are to believe what the Bible says, He takes no pleasure in them:

Ezekiel 18:32
"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord God. "Therefore, repent and live."

But this information is there, and cannot be denied:

Ezekiel 5:9-10
And because of all your abominations, I will do among you what I have not done, and the like of which I will never do again. 10 Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind.…

And what happened? Indeed, parents ate their own children when Nebuchadnezzar lay siege to Jerusalem due to famine.

But what is the end result? If everyone is saved, and granted eternal life in paradise, then what right do we have to complain? Pain is temporary, and "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22)

These things are intended to make you fear the Lord, to tell you that He doesn't tolerate evil, and it will be severely punished.

Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom...

If you think of it in terms of a righteous God wanting to create independent sentience, it makes sense. How else can we be free-thinking beings if we aren't well-acquainted with both ends of the spectrum in all things? That is why you see the duality in everything: light and darkness, wet and dry, pain and pleasure, good and evil. Things must be experienced to be defined, and in order to be righteous ourselves (which is the whole point, that is, to be made into the image of God), we must experience unrighteousness first. That is the purpose of evil.

I've said before it isn't a palatable truth, but it is still the truth.

[robvalue]

Wow, OK.

God also decided to make atheists, most of which think he's an absolute tool. Odd strategy. And he decided to totally not show them how great he is, but to continue to appear as a totally absent force which can be freely mocked.

And apparently, you're worshipping him because he is making you worship him.

What a fucking jobber he really is then.

[watchamadoodle]

He has spoken to me twice...

Thanks, Miles.
- So how many months or years ago did these experiences occur?
- Have you had any other experiences during that time such as visions, other voices, telepathy, etc.?

Here is an online test for early recognition of psychosis and an information page:
http://www.psychosis-bipolar.com/early-r...es-08.html
http://www.psychosis-bipolar.com/early-r...es-00.html

BTW I don't mean to suggest that you have psychosis, but it wouldn't hurt to be informed (just in case) IMO.

[Crossless2.0]

Here's MilesAbbott81 lecturing us about the total lack of empathy and morality in the human species (from page 8 of the Christians Unite thread):

What about the human race makes you think it has any empathy or moral code whatsoever?

If the world had morality, you wouldn't have billionaires and starving children existing simultaneously. If it had morality, the Holocaust would've never occurred, nor would the genocides in Rwanda and Darfur or those currently being perpetrated by ISIS. The world wouldn't allow the existence of evil regimes like Iran or China.

No, the human race is entirely devoid of morality, as it has proven time and time and time again, without fail.


Now here he is arguing that the Holocaust was, despite appearances, a good thing, 'cause God:

So God's will is always accomplished.

Even evil things are part of his plan.

Therefore Hitler's holocaust was planned to have happened beforehand by God, and it's actually a good thing, even if we can't see how?

Certainly it was, and it wouldn't be the first time God nearly annihilated His people. Israel sinned, therefore Israel was punished, but a remnant was spared, as prophesied, and out of the ashes of the Holocaust the nation was reborn. Good from evil.

Yes, it seems harsh, but the wrath of God is no joke.

"Contempt" doesn't nearly express what I feel toward this cretin.

[MilesAbbott81]

Wow, OK.

God also decided to make atheists, most of which think he's an absolute tool. Odd strategy. And he decided to totally not show them how great he is, but to continue to appear as a totally absent force which can be freely mocked.

And apparently, you're worshipping him because he is making you worship him.

What a fucking jobber he really is then.

No, I worship Him because He saved me from absolute misery. Have you ever wanted to die every single day of your life for twelve years straight? If you could imagine what it is like to be in such a Hell, then perhaps you can imagine how you might feel about the One Who pulls you out of it.

We all experience death and Hell at some point, whether in this life or the next. Some are destined to suffer more than others, and some of us are chosen to serve Him while others are not, but this is all a right He reserves as our Creator:

Romans 9:20
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

It is Satan who wants you to believe there are no consequences for mocking God:

Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

The fact that he allows people to mock Him means nothing:

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

[FatAndFaithless]

So Hitler was, quite literally, doing "God's work".

[Silver]

No, I worship Him because He saved me from absolute misery.

God is not needed to not feel miserable. Instead of substituting your misery for drugs or alcohol, or better yet finding a more rational means of alleviating the misery, you chose god as your unhealthy addiction.

[MilesAbbott81]

"Contempt" doesn't nearly express what I feel toward this cretin.

Say whatever you want, but if men weren't evil in the first place, God would not be punishing them.

You also ignore the bit where I mention everyone is saved eventually and given eternal life in paradise. It is the inheritance of every person who has ever suffered...is the price not ridiculously tiny in comparison?

If that weren't the eventual reward, then I would agree with you and others that God would not be worthy of worship, and that evil would be inexcusable.

---

God is not needed to not feel miserable. Instead of substituting your misery for drugs or alcohol, or better yet finding a more rational means of alleviating the misery, you chose god as your unhealthy addiction.

Who says I never substituted drugs or alcohol? I was actually a hopeless alcoholic for nearly a decade. It almost killed me.

[Faith No More]

So, by your logic, it is okay to rape someone if I give them a million dollars afterwards.

Alcohol may have been killing but you replaced it with another drug that is rotting your brain.