Is Biblical Morality Situational, Based Upon the Arbitrary Whims of Yahweh? (page 6)

sabastious

Killing entire populations just for living somewhere he wanted his people rises an insane level of asshole dickish douchbaggery.

The Torah depicts God allowing the Israelites to conquer surrounding nations by war. The Bronze Age is riddled with wars and skirmishes. The less knowledge we have the more violent we are. The Bible says God chose the righteous genetic traits of Abram who was a great warrior who won many battles. I find it odd that you use such descriptive insults to an entity that you believe doesn't exist in any way. Critisize Israel for the murders, not God if you are an atheist. If God did it then there is reason to beleive morality was involved in the decision. If God doesn't exist it was just par for the course in the Bronze (swords) Age.

-Sab

EntirelyPossible

The Bible says God chose the righteous genetic traits of Abram who was a great warrior who won many battles.

Sweet. Show me scripture that talks about genetic traits....

I find it odd that you use such descriptive insults to an entity that you believe doesn't exist in any way.

God is kinda like Emperor Palpatine. The character is a dick, even though he doesn't actually exist except as a character in fiction.

Critisize Israel for the murders, not God if you are an atheist.

Oh, sorry, you don't get to actually tell me who to criticize. I can criticize whomever I wish.

If God did it then there is reason to beleive morality was involved in the decision.

No, there isn't.

Knowsnothing

The Torah depicts God allowing the Israelites to conquer surrounding nations by war. -Sabastious

Deuteronomy 7:1,2

1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. [a] Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.

I ask, allowed or commanded?

sabastious

Sweet. Show me scripture that talks about genetic traits....

Genesis 6: 5 - The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
Genesis 6: 8 - But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 12: 2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

YHWH, the creator of DNA, knew how to select certain traits to create a "breed" so to speak. According to Genesis 6 the human brain was not salvageable for the most part. However Noah had traits of righteousness that God cataloged. By giving Noah the Earth he was effectively starting over the genetics of his creation. He then waited more time and then choose Abram the Warrior for further genetic refinement. His ultimate plan was always to create a nation FROM (KEYWORD) the LINE (KEYWORD) of Abram. It makes sense that they needed a promised land to reproduce and create more righteous people. I call this unnatural selection from natural selection. You are not going to find modern genetic terminology in the Bible, however the entire book is based off of genetics before we even knew what they were.

-Sab

sabastious

1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.

I am glad I am not God so I don't have to make decisions like that. My moral perspective is too narrow and therefore I could not destroy an entire nation with kids. That doesn't mean that total annihilation is not an option with a celestial perspective.

-Sab

sabastious

God is kinda like Emperor Palpatine. The character is a dick, even though he doesn't actually exist except as a character in fiction.

I'd say you are a little obsessed with a fictional character, but that's just my opinion.

-Sab

Knowsnothing

I am glad I am not God so I don't have to make decisions like that. My moral perspective is too narrow and therefore I could not destroy an entire nation with kids. That doesn't mean that total annihilation is not an option with a celestial perspective. -Sabastious

Your moral perspective is too narrow, but not because you are merely human. You fail to recognize the OT God for what he really is.

An All Mighty, All Knowing, Perfect entity would have no trouble approaching the problem a different, more compassionate way. In fact, he seems to have a change of heart in the NT.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

sabastious

You fail to recognize the OT God for what he really is. An All Mighty, All Knowing, Perfect entity would have no trouble approaching the problem a different, more compassionate way. In fact, he seems to have a change of heart in the NT.

The OT God must be interpreted so there is no cut and dry right and wrong.

Genesis 3 - 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

In Genesis Adam and Eve knew that they had the ability to hide from YHWH. This would indicate that YHWH has limitations, likely because of the laws he set up himself.

-Sab

james_woods

I think all of this debate can be simply answered by reference to Terry's thread on "accretion".

The Bible Morality is indeed Situational - but it was based on the arbitrary whims of the ancients who wrote it - different writers at different times.

This automatically imprints the image of situational morality on their god-image, Yahweh.

But it is also strong (I say irrefutable) evidence of evolutionary accretion in the bible writings.

GOrwell

@EntirelyPossible: Pretty much a catch-all Scriptural reason to explain why God does what God does is Romans 9:17-24 (ESV):

17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"
20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?"
21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory--
24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
(Rom 9:17-24 ESV)

Basically, anything God does is to show his power and to declare that he is God. The standard of morality that is showed is determined to be moral simply because God say it is moral. If you disagree, who are you? You are nothing. NOTHING. God will do what God will do.

Is Biblical Morality Situational, Based Upon the Arbitrary Whims of Yahweh?

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