Is God aggressive?

**Beast Mode** · Jun 11 2012, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by montra

Jesus said that love is at the heart of all the law. He then gave us the Golden Rule to live by.

Now we're getting somewhere.

For the Golden Rule to be understood we need to define 'love'. If a law is unjust, is love still at it's heart? We can't really know until we define what 'love' Jesus was describing.

**montra** · Jun 11 2012, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by The Wyrd of Gawd

Jesus said that he was sent. Did he send himself? Did he pray to himself? Did he think that he had foresaken himself?

Who told your body to write the words on the key pad? Were your fingers sent as well?

**Beast Mode** · Jun 11 2012, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by doombug

By reading the Bible or whatever religious text there is with whatever religion someone practices. How can God be a role model for humans when humans are not Gods?

The same way your father can be a role model for you and even if you are not a father yourself. But that doesn't assume your father is a 'good' role model. IF your father were rather aggressive toward you I would assume he would not be the best role model.

**montra** · Jun 11 2012, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Beast Mode

Now we're getting somewhere.

For the Golden Rule to be understood we need to define 'love'. If a law is unjust, is love still at it's heart? We can't really know until we define what 'love' Jesus was describing.

Jesus gave the example of the Good Samaratan. He intentially used the example of a Samaratan because at that time Samaratans and Jews were rivals. Even though the Samaratan should have ignored the man in need because they were suppose to be natural enemies, he helped him anyway. Notice from the text that no words were exchanged between the two. He simply helped the man to an inn and told an innkeeper to care for him and payed him to do it. As we can see from the text, emotions as to whether we "like" them or not has nothing to do with the God kind of love. That kind of love is called agape in Greek. The Greeks defined love correctly having about 5 terms to describe 5 different kinds of love.

**doombug** · Jun 11 2012, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Beast Mode

The same way your father can be a role model for you and even if you are not a father yourself. But that doesn't assume your father is a 'good' role model. IF your father were rather aggressive toward you I would assume he would not be the best role model.

You are comparing apples and oranges here. My father is a human being living on Earth the same as me. Again, why would God need to be held to human standards of morality?

**montra** · Jun 11 2012, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by doombug

You are comparing apples and oranges here. My father is a human being living on Earth the same as me. Again, why would God need to be held to human standards of morality?

A better question would be, if God created us how could he do so without telling us something about himself? In other words, what you create is a reflection of yourself. It shows your intelligence, your values, your needs, your wants, etc. So the innate morality, or Golden Rule, that we now possess we use to judge the God who gave us such morality whether it be done in error or otherwise.

**Beast Mode** · Jun 11 2012, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by montra

Jesus gave the example of the Good Samaratan. He intentially used the example of a Samaratan because at that time Samaratans and Jews were rivals. Even though the Samaratan should have ignored the man in need because they were suppose to be natural enemies, he helped him anyway. Notice from the text that no words were exchanged between the two. He simply helped the man to an inn and told an innkeeper to care for him and payed him to do it. As we can see from the text, emotions as to whether we "like" them or not has nothing to do with the God kind of love. That kind of love is called agape in Greek. The Greeks defined love correctly having about 5 terms to describe 5 different kinds of love.

So which kind of love was Jesus describing when he says "Love your neighbor like yourself". Was he describing a love based only on self-interests? "I am interested in my own wants and needs and should accommodate all my neighbors in the same fashion", is that what is meant? And that still doesn't explain God's aggression towards mankind...so much so that he would KILL his own offspring to demonstrate his own power. Is that not aggression?

**doombug** · Jun 11 2012, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by montra

A better question would be, if God created us how could he do so without telling us something about himself? In other words, what you create is a reflection of yourself. It shows your intelligence, your values, your needs, your wants, etc. So the innate morality, or Golden Rule, that we now possess we use to judge the God who gave us such morality whether it be done in error or otherwise.

That's a good explanation. People who claim "God is immoral" seem to be trying to convince themselves they are better off without God by appealing to the human sense of fairness. What they don't realize is that God is not human and humans are not God.

**Beast Mode** · Jun 11 2012, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by doombug

You are comparing apples and oranges here. My father is a human being living on Earth the same as me. Again, why would God need to be held to human standards of morality?

Because I can demonstrate that my father actually exists. If God doesn't need to be demonstrated, then why do believers (and supposedly God herself) go through such lengths to do so, if it were not necessary? Why kill your own son if there is no need to demonstrate your power? That is the very definition of aggression.