How, then, can we not know if parts of the bible (OT, NT) in which God and Jesus display good qualities have been tampered with?
We know for a fact that all parts of the bible as it exists today HAVE been tampered with. Repeatedly and often.
Atheist reasoning
by d 36 Replies latest jw friends
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PSacramento
A very valid point Bohm, how do we know that it is not the "good" God of the NT that is false and that the "cruel and punitive" God of the OT that is the real God.
My only suggestion is that are very own human nature points to Jesus rather than to the God of "wraith, anger and jelousy".
We are made in God' image and as such, our qualities reflect God and the fact that we see what is wrong and unjust and unfair and say, " Hey, that's not right", when we have no real reason to feel that way at all, especially of we are the "dominate Homosapien", this fact leads me to conclude that God, if there is one, is a God of Love and Compassion, not of hate and anger.
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james_woods
If you strip away the romantic legends, the wishful thinking, and the plainly absurd - (about your God) - then ask yourself this:
Do I believe in the ancient Greek Gods - such as Zeus or Athena? Why not? - and then honestly apply those reasons "why not" to your own God.
The notion of the God of whatever time you live in is very much a function of the religious fashion of the day.
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PSacramento
Do I believe in the ancient Greek Gods - such as Zeus or Athena? Why not? - and then honestly apply those reasons "why not" to your own God.
I am not sure that everyone uses the same "test" as you may think they do James.
I recall reading one view that the Olympian Gods did exist and they were "fallen angels" that had shown themselves to Humans as such, so they could be worshipped.
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james_woods
I am not sure that everyone uses the same "test" as you may think they do James.
I recall reading one view that the Olympian Gods did exist and they were "fallen angels" that had shown themselves to Humans as such, so they could be worshipped.
AFTER the flood? I thought the "fallen Angels" were imprisoned after the flood.
But anyway, if you believe in the Olympian Gods - apply the test to the sun-Gods of the ancient Egyptians and the more-recent Incas and Mayans.
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AK - Jeff
James Woods - you make an excellent point.
If the people on this board that currently argue feverishly to produce a 'God of love' from the Bible - if those same people had been born in Athens 2500 years ago, they would be making the same specious arguments in favor of the Greek pantheon of gods. They would dismiss all reasonable information about contradictions, serious flaws. They would ignore all rational thought regarding the atrocities committed by those gods, and embrace any tidbit that could show their particular 'god of the day' to be loving, kind, compassionate, concerned, and just - including selective argumentation favoring 'figurative renderings' of particular writings/oral stories.
I find it intellectually repugnant to see people defend the Christian god, while at the same time dismissing wholesale the larger part of their own Holy Writ and Record of his acts in order to accomplish these theological gymnastics.
Just as the ancient Greek mythology was eventually replaced by more 'modern' theologies, so too, over time, this Christian foolishness will become just a thing of historical record. In the meantime, billions of lives are wasted in believing these fantasies.
Jeff
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PSacramento
AFTER the flood? I thought the "fallen Angels" were imprisoned after the flood.
Some where, some wheren't, depending on what you read of course.
But anyway, if you believe in the Olympian Gods - apply the test to the sun-Gods of the ancient Egyptians and the more-recent Incas and Mayans.
I think you miss that point, not all people reject those Gods the same way.
Remember, that "one less God" thing is a fallacy since monotheisim believes in one SUPREME God, the creator, not ONLY ONE god.
Those ancient Gods may well have existed and that is how those people saw them, as Gods.
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d
God is a figment of a person's hopes and fears.
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james_woods
depending on what you read of course.
Exactly. And - this is exactly my point: The fundamental problem with all "Godships". It all depends on what you read, or what you are told by some previous generation of teachings.
The God itself is mysteriously non-present, invisible, and detached from life's reality (except in human imagination).
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Low-Key Lysmith
The answer is simple: All of the parables that make God and his followers look awesome are the ones to be taken literally.
It really IS simple.
Christ shows us the Truth about his Father. So if something agrees with His teaching and example, then it is safe to say that it is true about God. If it does not, then it is not true. Perhaps the story is wrong; perhaps the translation is wrong; perhaps the scribes tampered just a bit too much. But very simply, there is no cherry picking. There is only the Truth about God through His Son, the Word of God.
Peace,
Tammy
Nice copout. Reeaaal nice. Just reinforces the idea that Christians love to pick and choose whichever scriptures to take literally, as long as they fit their agendas. So, same sex marriage is wrong because the Bible says so, but your God never committed genocide because that scripture was mis-translated or taken out of context? How convenient for you.
How do we know that the scriptures that deal with homosexuality weren't mis-translated or taken out of context? Fair question.