A saw and a man

[Hmmm]

There was this guy who took a saw and cut the arm of a man. Nothing happened to the guy who did it. Your thoughts? At first thought, you might think, wow that was cruel, but then you learn more about the story.

The guy was a surgeon and the man had flesh eating bacteria and had his arm removed to save his life. This is the same about the God of the Bible, some say he's cruel and vindictive but these ones don't know the whole story. Its true the Bible has many accounts that would seem that way, but the reasons for Gods actions are there too and if you knew what they were, you might change your mind.

Back to our story of the man. If you relayed that story at face value to others, what would they say? Mean and cruel guy? Sick? Its only after you explain the reasons and get the whole story that the guy (surgeon) is actually a great guy who saved the man.

I only posted this thought because some of you rant about how God is so bad but I just shake my head because I'm sure you have no idea the reasons, which are also in the Bible, for his actions.

[Sneaksuit]

Are Gods reasons only in the Bible?

[cliffy1]

"And Man created god in his own image" - Mark Twain.
And when Man created god, he gave him all the quirks, hang ups and emotional instability that he witnesses in himself.
A murderer has a reason for killing, a thief has a reason to steal and a rapist has a reason to rape. It may not make sense to anyone else but it makes sense to the perpetrator.

[Hmmm]

Are Gods reasons only in the Bible?

Derail the subject you try are.

[Sneaksuit]

Derail the subject you try are.

Don't ask serious questions about religion if you don't want serious answers.

[Graham Adder]

This is the same about the God of the Bible, some say he's cruel and vindictive but these ones don't know the whole story.

You're right.
The whole story is that there is no god.
There. Now it's out.

I was raised Roman Catholic.
I spent a lot of my youth being brainwashed and conditioned to follow.
Then I grew out of that suit and found out the truth.

The god of which you speak, is actually a trans gender pedophile ego maniacal child abuser.
That's my truth, and you nor any other bible thumping sheep can tell me different...nor do you have any more right to discount my belief over yours. Neither has any fact based foundation, and both were contrived out of a perception one person had.

A saw and a man...pfft.

[fluffy]

I only posted this thought because some of you rant about how God is so bad but I just shake my head because I'm sure you have no idea the reasons, which are also in the Bible, for his actions.

Of course that begs the obvious question of where the authors of the Bible got their "answers" ?

The cool thing about toying with concepts for which there are no definitive rights or wrongs is that it gives us each the freedom to "design" a God that fits our personal specifications. It is important that if we choose to harbour thoughts of a higher power of some form that that form be something that feels right to us, just as it is important to accept that the form another's "God" might take does not necessarily have to march in lock-step with ours. Personally I think the Bible was meant to have a lot more flexibility than some people give it, and so far that's working pretty well for me. I like that I've found some comfortable middle ground between the extremes of yes-there-is and no-there-isn't but I certainly don't expect that that work for everyone. It's still a God of sorts so that would anger the fundamentalist atheists, and it's not an all-powerful cosmic intelligence responsible for everything and everyone all the time so that's bound to rub the thumpists the wrong way, but it does work for me and isn't that what really counts?

[Geckonidae]

There was this guy who took a saw and cut the arm of a man. Nothing happened to the guy who did it. Your thoughts? At first thought, you might think, wow that was cruel, but then you learn more about the story.

The guy was a surgeon and the man had flesh eating bacteria and had his arm removed to save his life. This is the same about the God of the Bible, some say he's cruel and vindictive but these ones don't know the whole story. Its true the Bible has many accounts that would seem that way, but the reasons for Gods actions are there too and if you knew what they were, you might change your mind.

Back to our story of the man. If you relayed that story at face value to others, what would they say? Mean and cruel guy? Sick? Its only after you explain the reasons and get the whole story that the guy (surgeon) is actually a great guy who saved the man.

I only posted this thought because some of you rant about how God is so bad but I just shake my head because I'm sure you have no idea the reasons, which are also in the Bible, for his actions.

I completely agree. If you read a story about a god sending bears to kill and eat children, that sounds cruel and vindictive. But once you know the whole story about those children making fun of some guy for being bald, it all becomes clear. There is no cruel and vindictive god, you're just reading stories written by primitive people who had ideas that don't fit with today's society.

[cliffy1]

Of course that begs the obvious question of where the authors of the Bible got their "answers" ?

The cool thing about toying with concepts for which there are no definitive rights or wrongs is that it gives us each the freedom to "design" a God that fits our personal specifications. It is important that if we choose to harbour thoughts of a higher power of some form that that form be something that feels right to us, just as it is important to accept that the form another's "God" might take does not necessarily have to march in lock-step with ours. Personally I think the Bible was meant to have a lot more flexibility than some people give it, and so far that's working pretty well for me. I like that I've found some comfortable middle ground between the extremes of yes-there-is and no-there-isn't but I certainly don't expect that that work for everyone. It's still a God of sorts so that would anger the fundamentalist atheists, and it's not an all-powerful cosmic intelligence responsible for everything and everyone all the time so that's bound to rub the thumpists the wrong way, but it does work for me and isn't that what really counts?

Precisely! Spirituality is a personal quest for the truth, whatever and wherever it turns out to be. There is no one true universal truth. There is only your personal truth. Dogma kills the truth by putting it in someone's little box and saying there is no need to look any farther. Writing something down is putting the contents in a box. It becomes inflexible.

[Hmmm]

I didn't start this thread to discuss mankind's quest for spirituality, it was very specific about the God of the Bible and peoples criticism of him. I thank most of you for your input though, not the one who spewed hate and insults but all besides.

Think back to the comments made in other threads about the God of the Bible being cruel and vengeful and other negative things. My point is, that if one were to name a particular instance where you think that he is, there will be an explanation, also within the Bible that gives the whole story and sheds light to his reasons. Hence the title of the thread.

[fluffy]

I didn't start this thread to discuss mankind's quest for spirituality, it was very specific about the God of the Bible and peoples criticism of him.

If that's the case then I think I should bow out. I don't "criticize" the God of the Bible, and although I acknowledge the right of those who believe in that particular concept, I don't share it.

[steven lloyd]

I don't "criticize" the God of the Bible, ...

The God of the Bible is nothing more than the construct of ancient peoples passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition before first being placed on parchment and then gathered together in a book (imagine if we still used that strategy in modern scientific endeavours). People do have the right to still believe in that concept as long as they don’t impose their outdated moralistic paradigms on other people’s freedom and civil liberties.

[Hmmm]

If that's the case then I think I should bow out. I don't "criticize" the God of the Bible, and although I acknowledge the right of those who believe in that particular concept, I don't share it.

I never have seen you do that, but some do.

my only hope for starting this topic to begin with is, that those who do think such things realize there is another side to the story and many details they may not be familiar with.

[Graham Adder]

...not the one who spewed hate and insults...

I find bible thumpers offensive and insulting.
I deal with it by accepting there are those who NEED to believe in something greater than themselves.
Not everyone is structured the same.
Some of us think freely and for ourselves based on our own experiences and truths.
That would be me.
Others prefer to be lead and not only follow "religiously", but even start to preach as though their belief system is the only truth out there.
Is that you?

[cliffy1]

Many of the reasons given in the bible for god's violence are illogical, irrational and sometime down right psychotic. I fail to see the how people can rationalize such behaviour.