Is God a malevolent being?

[Libertadia]

Why God cannot be a perfect AND malevolent being? After all, Evilness and Goodness it's just a human point of view. Didn't remember Lovecraftian gods? Cthulhu wasn't evil at all, but people saw him like if it were because he just didn't follow our human views on moral.

Anyway, I prefer to think of a deus ex machina that doesn't really care about us. Deism, it's called. Or maybe I believe in a god that really (and I mean REALLY) likes anarchy and freedom over everything else, so it doesn't matter if we kill each other -- killing is a human decision, right?

But, referring to Yahwe -- what can I say? He's a ruthless, bloodthirsty, genocidal serial killer. And Jesus Christ... well, I read the Gospels and he seemed a dangerous, arbitrary psychopath to me.

[Tarsonis Survivors]

the fact that it was intentional is irrelevant. The point is that there is a world of no strife. It is not this one. Half way between heaven and hell it is a mixture of both. Bitching about it sounds petulant and childish especially when we cause most of our own strife.

"LUL STOOPID AFRICANS! STOP BITCHING AND FIX UR OWN SHIET!"

over simplification but sure. Stop murdering Christians and white people, stop starving your own people, enslaving children with drugs and sending the to die in wars for prophet.

[Aleckandor]

Why God cannot be a perfect AND malevolent being? After all, Evilness and Goodness it's just a human point of view. Didn't remember Lovecraftian gods? Cthulhu wasn't evil at all, but people saw him like if it were because he just didn't follow our human views on moral.

Anyway, I prefer to think of a deus ex machina that doesn't really care about us. Deism, it's called. Or maybe I believe in a god that really (and I mean REALLY) likes anarchy and freedom over everything else, so it doesn't matter if we kill each other -- killing is a human decision, right?

But, referring to Yahwe -- what can I say? He's a ruthless, bloodthirsty, genocidal serial killer. And Jesus Christ... well, I read the Gospels and he seemed a dangerous, arbitrary psychopath to me.

It's like a Vietnam vet with a hippie stoner son.

[Norstal]

You're going too far ahead here. Certainly, humans, if one would make a program and that program has bugs or if one makes a lock and it doesn't work, they would fix it. They would HAVE to do it because of market forces, angry mobs, or just because they want to.

God...what does God have to lose? He can be as sloppy as He wants to. He's not a human. If he says what he made is perfect, then it's perfect because no one else is qualified to say that it's otherwise. Maybe this is the best that he can do. Maybe this is "perfect."

By what standard does said deity determine if something is perfect? If it's "because they say so", how does their omnipotent status make that some kind of abstract law?

I don't think you understand what omnipotent is. It's, as I've said before, the ability to do literally anything. Including the manipulation of logic and metaphysics. But that's not even what I argued.

The standards that Yahweh determined is from the standards he made himself. If I were the first eyeglass maker, I would set the standard for eyeglass making, would I not? It's up to other eyeglass makers to change that standard. But since we don't have any other gods, there's no one to set the standards of what a universe is.

How do you show them the errors of their ways, when they are stuck in hell for all eternity? How do you show those still alive the errors of their ways, if they will never see someone in hell/experience hell while they're still alive?

Why does it take eternal excruciating pain and torture to teach someone obedience?

Wouldn't a deity, despite not being affected by a fire, still know that it's painful to humans?

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I will, however, agree that humans would have no power to stop said deity at all by not worshipping them, and that the deity could do anything by that standard...I used to be religious but based on the notion that "Since god is all powerful, he can do whatever he wants and even if we don't like it we can't do anything about it, so bend over and receive your punishments". I see why people could view the deity as ever merciful, because the deity could torture everyone in as much pain forever and not be held accountable, or held to answer to a higher divine authority for their atrocities.

I just find it all to make existence to be nothing but a pointless rat race where we are just supposed to worship, despite the several difficulties encountered with trying to find the "One true religion" and the "One true denomination" and the "One true version of that denomination" and "The one true interpretation of the version of that denomination" and "Which version of the holy text is true", etc. Y'know, since the deity won't show themselves at all.

It's basically you being told that you may have an exam in mathematics, or physics, or chemistry, or biology, or language, and that it might be in any of the hundreds of specific fields of these topics, and it might be on any specific problems of those fields, but you will never be able to feel the exam or see the test-maker, and that you don't know which one to prepare for, and that you might not have any exam at all, yet if you don't get every question right on whichever exam turns out to be right (Oh, and you only have time for one exam), you will be punished with every nightmare unimaginable.

Again, you're getting too far ahead. Different congregations have different answers to the problem of hell and certainly, through our lens, God is the biggest douchebag invented by mankind. To a Christian and to God, if he even exists, he isn't. To give you an example, the Orthodox don't believe in the hell that so many protestants believe to exist. Rather, hell to them is a separation of God, just another realm, like the one you're living on. To them, it's just mere existence if you were to live in hell. Not a torturous flamey icey place.

I'm only pointing out that what God said, if he were to exist, are instantly the rules of the universe. If it's illogical, it's because we can't comprehend it. If it seems evil, it's good in his eyes. My personal opinion is that such a God certainly doesn't exist since men have some freedoms that would otherwise be constricted, but that's irrelevant.

[Norstal]

Well, so is Cthulhu, and God is at least as much real as Cthulhu is *nods*

I rather pick the Nine Divine

Fuck the Nine Divines.

My Horse Armor is invincible lulz

[Primordial Luxa]

I rather pick the Nine Divine

Fuck the Nine Divines.

My Horse Armor is invincible lulz

Careful with Cthulhu that's a religious group you don't want to mess with

[Mavorpen]

"LUL STOOPID AFRICANS! STOP BITCHING AND FIX UR OWN SHIET!"

over simplification but sure. Stop murdering Christians and white people, stop starving your own people, enslaving children with drugs and sending the to die in wars for prophet.

You've lost all credibility.

[Individuality-ness]

over simplification but sure. Stop murdering Christians and white people, stop starving your own people, enslaving children with drugs and sending the to die in wars for prophet.

You've lost all credibility.

He had credibility to start with?

[Primordial Luxa]

over simplification but sure. Stop murdering Christians and white people, stop starving your own people, enslaving children with drugs and sending the to die in wars for prophet.

You've lost all credibility.

No, no, no
I don't really think he has
he makes a reasonable point unlike you with your offensive capital letters

[Mavorpen]

You've lost all credibility.

No, no, no
I don't really think he has
he makes a reasonable point unlike you with your offensive capitol letters

The fuck is a capitol letter? Is it a letter that you write to D.C. or something?

[Primordial Luxa]

No, no, no
I don't really think he has
he makes a reasonable point unlike you with your offensive capitol letters

The fuck is a capitol letter? Is it a letter that you write to D.C. or something?

grammar nazi

[Curiosityness]

Well it definatley looks like it

[Ordya]

The fuck is a capitol letter? Is it a letter that you write to D.C. or something?

grammar nazi

Heil Webster!

[Mavorpen]

The fuck is a capitol letter? Is it a letter that you write to D.C. or something?

grammar nazi

What about them?

[Dokuritsu Nippon]

To the same extent that Darth Vader or Voldemort are, sure. Yahweh is a fictional villain as far as I'm concerned. Which wouldn't really be that much concern at all, except that, while there don't seem to be people going around as 'Sith' seriously advocating Darth Vader's positions or 'Death Eaters' that of Voldemort, society does unfortunately possess a large number of fundamentalists who want to impose Yahweh's supposed opinions on society at large. So to that extent, I have more an opposition to it.

[Libertarian California]

(My) God is neither malevolent nor benevolent. He is apathetic. Bad things happen not because he wants them to, but because he doesn't give a shit.


Now, to avoid arguments about my god being real or not, I'm going to throw this out there:

The god that I worship is one that I made up myself.

[Hallistar]

The standards that Yahweh determined is from the standards he made himself. If I were the first eyeglass maker, I would set the standard for eyeglass making, would I not? It's up to other eyeglass makers to change that standard. But since we don't have any other gods, there's no one to set the standards of what a universe is.

From the abrahamic perspective, I'll agree with the eyeglass maker example.

I'm only pointing out that what God said, if he were to exist, are instantly the rules of the universe. If it's illogical, it's because we can't comprehend it. If it seems evil, it's good in his eyes. My personal opinion is that such a God certainly doesn't exist since men have some freedoms that would otherwise be constricted, but that's irrelevant.

It's basically a might makes right scenario then. Why is it that we can't comprehend it if it's illogical, and that god's view is the right way anyways just because he said it's the right way? Perceptions and logic and philosophy and rules are already subjective / abstract anyways. What if all they're thinking is "I'm doing this for the lulz" or "This is prime time entertainment?"

I know they may have their own reasons and whatever plans, but I don't see what's wrong with thinking it's stupid anyways, even if we don't have powers that resemble omnipotency at all.

[Hallistar]

(My) God is neither malevolent nor benevolent. He is apathetic. Bad things happen not because he wants them to, but because he doesn't give a shit.


Now, to avoid arguments about my god being real or not, I'm going to throw this out there:

The god that I worship is one that I made up myself.

I have to admit, I find an apathetic deity much easier to relate to and understand.

[Primordial Luxa]

(My) God is neither malevolent nor benevolent. He is apathetic. Bad things happen not because he wants them to, but because he doesn't give a shit.


Now, to avoid arguments about my god being real or not, I'm going to throw this out there:

The god that I worship is one that I made up myself.

And that's what we all should do.
Intact there actual a name for what you described "LaVeyism"

[San-Silvacian]

What if God had like, gotten us for his birthday from MommyGod and DaddyGod and was like "Gee! This sure is swell ma and pa!" And for a few years it was his favorite toy. Sure, he dropped it once in the bathtub when he was playing with it, but he never gave up playing with it.

However when he was X years-old, he lost us for a long time. And when he found us, he played with it more and more until one day, he found the internet and realized how it was much better than a simple little toy. So he carefully set us in a childhood memory box and slid it under his bed.

I think I could believe this. Hell, I think is new religion time.

fyi, the Apocalypse is when his family has a garage sale and we're apart of it on sale for a nickle. We'll be sold to Sid and get an M80 strapped to us.

gff

[The Batorys]

Most Christian scholars regard these "Texts of Terror" as the Israelites putting words in God's mouth. If you want to see the heart of Abrahamic theism, look to the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah or the gospels.

What about the Christians that view the Bible as infallible and God's word? You can't just pick and choose which parts of the Bible are correct and which parts should be ignored.

Yeah, actually, you can.

People do. All the time. Everyone's faith, no matter if they are part of a big, organized religion or not, is slightly different. For even the members of the same religion, even if they both say that they believe the same things, imagines/interprets/pictures things slightly differently, as no two individuals' thought patterns are exactly the same.

Why not cherry-pick what one believes in the bible? I mean, what's included in the bible and what's not is due to just such cherry-picking. Even if you believe in biblical creation, you still have to cherry-pick, as there are two creation accounts in Genesis, and they contradict each other in some passages.

Telling someone "this is what you believe" is ridiculously arrogant and demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of spirituality, let alone the specific religion one is talking about.

While they are common in the USA, a huge number, perhaps even most Christians are not biblical literalists. Even the Catholic Church isn't biblically literal.


However, I still somewhat agree with your original premise that the deity Yahweh is a malevolent being. That's why I don't worship him. Not because I don't believe he exists or could exist, but because I, personally, think he's a dick.

This is mostly due to the idea that you can only have a good afterlife if you worship him, never mind if you're a great person. Also the requirement placed upon his followers to convert everyone else really irks me.

[Luna and Her Outlying Colonies]

"Is God a malevolent being?" There is no way to truly know. He is an omnipotent being whose mind functions on a whole other level. What is such to Him might not be to us and vice versa. If one takes the idea of a transcendent, monotheistic god seriously (which I take is assumed due to the nature of the question posed) he must come to terms with all the implications of such.

To me, it does not matter whether He is or not, seeing as we all owe our existence to Him. He built all this, so whatever He says or does in entirely justified, seeing as its His right as creator. Our feelings about such things are irrelevant, since we are but insignificant worms compared to His power. The inner workings of His mind are completely and utterly unknowable, though there are several documents claiming to be His revelation, the authenticity of which is pretty much up to one's own faith. (I myself tend to go with the Bible) Even then, these documents only provide the smallest of pictures.

But overall, it seems He is neither totally malevolent nor benevolent just as none of us are truly one or the other at all times.

[Dokuritsu Nippon]

(My) God is neither malevolent nor benevolent. He is apathetic. Bad things happen not because he wants them to, but because he doesn't give a shit.


Now, to avoid arguments about my god being real or not, I'm going to throw this out there:

The god that I worship is one that I made up myself.

And that's what we all should do.
Intact there actual a name for what you described "LaVeyism"

Except that it adds a bunch of rather silly "magic rituals", and rather inane (in my opinion) Randian political philosophy to such. And is basically a membership organization after your money for all the misfit goth kids to join, as far as I'm concerned. Meh.

[Primordial Luxa]

And that's what we all should do.
Intact there actual a name for what you described "LaVeyism"

Except that it adds a bunch of rather silly "magic rituals", and rather inane (in my opinion) Randian political philosophy to such. And is basically a membership organization after your money for all the misfit goth kids to join, as far as I'm concerned. Meh.

They actually make very little money besides the books sales and feel that it fills a useful role in mixer society.

[Norstal]

The standards that Yahweh determined is from the standards he made himself. If I were the first eyeglass maker, I would set the standard for eyeglass making, would I not? It's up to other eyeglass makers to change that standard. But since we don't have any other gods, there's no one to set the standards of what a universe is.

From the abrahamic perspective, I'll agree with the eyeglass maker example.

I'm only pointing out that what God said, if he were to exist, are instantly the rules of the universe. If it's illogical, it's because we can't comprehend it. If it seems evil, it's good in his eyes. My personal opinion is that such a God certainly doesn't exist since men have some freedoms that would otherwise be constricted, but that's irrelevant.

It's basically a might makes right scenario then. Why is it that we can't comprehend it if it's illogical, and that god's view is the right way anyways just because he said it's the right way? Perceptions and logic and philosophy and rules are already subjective / abstract anyways. What if all they're thinking is "I'm doing this for the lulz" or "This is prime time entertainment?"

I know they may have their own reasons and whatever plans, but I don't see what's wrong with thinking it's stupid anyways, even if we don't have powers that resemble omnipotency at all.

That is more of the psychological effect of religion. You will observe that Christians find it very, very hard to think of life without Yahweh. Conversely, some atheists finds it hard to live a life where God exists. Which is neither here nor there. I'm able to do both (thanks Critical Thinking!).

More often than not, is that you simply aren't exposed to these other ideas that makes it so that God might not be the best deity to worship. It's not stupidity, well, at least before the advent of the internet, since you have no resources to research other religions and expose yourselves to other ideas. What I really do think is that most people just make up their own gods anyway, even if they have the same name and same mythology. So in a psychological aspect, if there truly is a person who believes God does this and should do this, they might be a psychopath. But if an actual God does it, it would be a different story.