Thiests like to portray their god as who they want him to be. Please allow me to use some extreme examples: The god of abortion clinic bombers worship a vengeful god and are convinced that this is what they should do to please him. Ditto those who commit hate crimes against homosexuals, or terrorist acts. They are worshiping their god.
Certainly, most thiests in the USA are not like this. And I would in no way portray any thiest on JWD as such. But often, their standard of proof is much the same. Because in the end, they worship god as they want him to be.
So they will tell you that "god" is a god of love. One name I have seen on JWD is JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH. Weird. Usually it's just Jesus. For those of us ex JW's, it was Jehovah. No matter. We all tried to paint a cruel god as loving. Loving sells better.
It seems along the way that we forgot to check if it was true.
Whether you subscribe to divine personal revelation or insist on a holy book, god is cruel. Being agnostic, I don't believe he exists anymore. If he does however, there is MUCH he has to answer for. So here are a couple of reasons for believing that god is cruel, and if he exists, owes me and all mankind an apology before I will ever worship.
- God abandoned man. He did not protect us from evil things. He did not warn of Satan, if you believe that. He created us with urges for food, material shelter and sex, yet says that beyond a certain point to want these things is sinful, meriting punishment and death. It would have been much simpler to not create us to crave things he will destroy us for. But supposedly, god didn't.
- God supposedly hates homosexuals. He will destroy people of other faiths who have no choice but to serve god as their culture and enviorenment portrayed him. Billions will die as a result of the accident of their birth. He hates any disagreement at all, and esp hates a lack of faith. (what thinking people call credulity)
But lets move past the theological. Because it really is all about suffering. Human suffering and misery by the billions. People by the tens of millions held captive and used as pawn by petty dictators for their own whims. Women esp are treated like dirt. And I have seen that and it is horrible. Girls are taught that their whole purpose in life is for the man, and they are abused by the billions, as history teaches. What about food? 2 meals a day even? One?
JW's used an intro from the "Reasoning" book that went something like "If you had the power to change one thing, what would it be? ... Surely God will do the same..." Wow. I can't believe I ever used that. Whats the wait? Why the wait? BECAUSE THEIR IS NO GOOD REASON!
Other non JW thiests would say simply that God has a plan and his thoughts are higher then our thoughts. I can't help but think that those who feel this way have a queasy, uneasy superstitious fear of allowing that voice that says "I might be smarter then the god I worship" to populate their thoughts. But here's the point. If you and I would fix suffering if we had the power, then we are way ahead of god. God is cruel. People right now are starving, being beaten, dying, suicidal, and god is content to watch with some "plan"? Do you think a poor beaten mother of 5 gives a rats ass about gods plan as she watches another of her babies die while she herself hasn't eaten in weeks? That god wouldn't first communicate with the millions of starving women and children in other parts of the world before he communicates with a Christian is ridiculous! (how do I know god doesn't talk to them? Have you seen the pain and crying look on their faces? I do. Doesn't god? I would talk to them before I told some poor deluded fool that there is no faith in the world and that is why I don't reveal myself more....)
God is cruel.