Dichotomy of a Schizophrenic God (page 2)

bebu

I really enjoyed your post, Jim!

So, I have to accept that war is not always bad.

Me too. Because if there are a myriad of exceptions due to specific circumstances that we are aware of as humans, it follows (to me) that exceptions were morally allowable in the situations God allowed. The trouble is that most of us do not know more details of the groups beyond merely their names, so it can appear very unjust on the surface. Anyway, war/conflict is not the worst evil in the world, imo; there are worse things, and those can justify the waging of a war at times.

Perhaps the belief that JWs (and ex-JWs) have accentuates this feeling of schizophrenia; that is, they hold that death means an end of existence (unless God remembers you--and resurrects you). This is not the belief of Christendom. Souls are alive to God, their Creator, and life can still be extended to individuals who shared in the punishment of their nation. God turned Christ's suffering to glory; why not the sufferings of those other "innocents" as well, if they are actually His in the end? Redemption can turn up anywhere on the individual scale.

Also, an interesting thing to remember is that the Israelites did not wipe everyone out "at random"; they were specifically prohibited from harming certain nations or even provoking them to war (Dt chapters 2 & 3). Those tribes' lands were not to be Israel's, and they were not to take it. Why were the Canaanites' and other tribes' lands utterly forfeited? There's the real question, imo.) BTW, I do not think Armageddon is a world-wide event, if it is not a metaphor (or a metaphor for what occurred in the first century).

It is intriguing to search for the method. I have not found the search discouraging or disappointing, but have only found new dimensions that can satisfy (as well as spark new questions...)

bebu

PS: I'm off to go to a music festival for several days. See ya all later!

Golf

Amazing1914, this topic would be interesting to talk about face to face. I'm of the opinion that the scriptures have been tampered with thus creating confusion and contradiction.

This is an endless topic and for me it boils down to believing in a loving Creator or a schizophrenic God. Well, my Creator is 'not' schizophrenic. By the way, I don't have blind faith. As a high steel ironworker walking them steel beams many floors above ground takes 'faith' in yourself. Those who posses doubts will not walk the beam, they freeze, why, they have 'no' faith in themselves. What is faith based on? You know the answer.

Golf

erik

I have many of the same questions as you. And, I enjoyed your post. All except for your believing that the war in Iraq is a good thing. That war has had nothing good come out of it. Freedom there can be considered abstract. Maybe they are free of Sadaam. However, they are not free from a ruthless ideology of hate that surrounds them. Everyday they are exposed to the beliefs of terrorist networks and other anti American/West views.

Sorry for straying of the course. This topic is probably more suited for another thread.

Thanks again for your post.

Erik

jwfacts

I wrote something similar a while ago. What you say is very true, and if anything glosses over the gory details. Such as the flood. It is estimated a billion people were alive at the time of the flood, and yet Noah only built one ark for all the animals and people he expected to save. Obviously God had no intention of saving more than a few people.

I have come to the conclusion that Witnesses do not participate in war only because of the irrelevance of their numbers. Early Christians did not participate in war until they were large enough in numbers to be effective at war. If there were hundreds of millions of JWs and whole countries were made up of JWs the story would be different. If Poland had been 90% JWs when Hitler invaded I can not imagine them sitting there twiddling their thumbs. They would have taken up arms to defend their families and faith. Scriptures such as Romans 13:1-4 and Ecc would be used as support.

Mary

While I believe in a Creator, I've come to the conclusion that you have to take what the bible says with a grain of salt. I think all those battles and wars that Israel fought was due to their leaders' wishes, not God's. And I don't believe it was Jehovah who ordered the Israelites to slaughter the Canaanites or the Shiites or whoever the hell it was, and take posession of their land-----I think the Israelites did this on their own.

It's been happening throughout history: Leaders of nations declare to the masses that God wants them to fight this war----and the masses are usually more than willing to do "God's" bidding. But in reality, it's not God at all---it's humans.

IW

Amazing,

In your thread, "The Age of Man and Creation" on Channel C you wrote in part:

Think about the significance of Genesis again: God breathes life into Adam and he became a living soul or spirit in the image and likeness of God. God is not like humans. He lives in the spirit realm. But human spirits are in the image and likeness of God. Salvation is not of the flesh, but of the spirit. We still grow old and die. We still have weaknesses of the flesh. We still sin in the flesh. But, we are made alive in the spirit, first with the token of our being children of God. We are given a new birth, or born again in the spirit. But, our final destination is clearly defined by Paul as being with God in the spirit alone.

Excellent comment. I enjoyed your whole post on that subject by the way.

Would you consider reposting it here? I think many would find it interesting. Just a thought.

IW

Siddhashunyata

Thank you for showing clearly that the conflicting messages of the Bible cause anxiety in believers. The problem also shows up in the contrasting of Jesus' words to "not worry " while Paul speaks of "working out salvation through fear and trembling" also, the emphasis on "time" and the end is at odds with peace. Some have reconciled these conflicting ideas . How? By noting that the spiritual ideas have Buddhist roots whereas the time and militant ideas have Judaic roots. If this interests you , you might try reading The Original Jesus ( the Buddhist Sources of Christianity) by Elmar R. Gruber and Holger Kersten published in the USA in 1995 by Element Books ,Inc.

Satanus

our final destination is clearly defined by Paul as being with God in the spirit alone.

I don't posess the same theology as you, but i guess i probably agree w this as to how we may end up. However, it does call into question the christian idea that they will have a body like jesus, and jesus raised his fleshly body, transformed it, and took it w him. Or, do you see that as an intermediate situation?

S

Dichotomy of a Schizophrenic God

Share this