Comments on: The double standards of God http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/ Reasonable Thoughts on Religion, Science, Skepticism, and Atheism Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:58:15 -0500 hourly 1 By: Shawn Abbott http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-70825 Shawn Abbott Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:31:05 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-70825 Kathryn I am truly sorry for the pain that you are going through. It pains me to see a person so hurt by people that shouldnt even be teaching the bible or Gods will. you are not lower than a worm. Most diffinetly wonderfuly made. Yes a sinner ( as we all are ) Yes there is testing involved ( nothing more than you can handle ) Keep in mind things not all things that you would call going wrong are nessasarily from God. There are other powers at work. I agree many churches do more harm than good. Most people that point a finger at your choices probably need to remove the redwood tree from there eye first. The showering with blessings idea comes for faulty teaching. ( God has a wonderful plan for your life, just come to him and everything will be a bed of roses ) That is not what the bible says. It does say you will be hated and persecuted. Good things will come to you but its life is not going to be all warm and fuzzy all the time. It does sound like you have more then your share of bad. I urge you to keep praying. I will for you. your right that street metaphore is stupid. If God is going to bless you he will no matter what block you are on. He also knows what you can handle and will not test you with things that will push you beyond what is in your power to endure. The things in your life that seem like evil are probably just that. when you pray make sure you ask for forgiveness as the first thing. read the lords prayer and pray like that not word for word but use it as a standard for how to pray. We need to be right with God before we ask God for what it is we need. Remember God knows what you need an answer to prayer isnt always what is expected. God be with you Kathryn Kathryn

I am truly sorry for the pain that you are going through.
It pains me to see a person so hurt by people that shouldnt even be teaching the bible or Gods will.

you are not lower than a worm. Most diffinetly wonderfuly made. Yes a sinner ( as we all are ) Yes there is testing involved ( nothing more than you can handle )
Keep in mind things not all things that you would call going wrong are nessasarily from God. There are other powers at work.

I agree many churches do more harm than good.

Most people that point a finger at your choices probably need to remove the redwood tree from there eye first.

The showering with blessings idea comes for faulty teaching. ( God has a wonderful plan for your life, just come to him and everything will be a bed of roses ) That is not what the bible says. It does say you will be hated and persecuted. Good things will come to you but its life is not going to be all warm and fuzzy all the time. It does sound like you have more then your share of bad. I urge you to keep praying. I will for you.

your right that street metaphore is stupid. If God is going to bless you he will no matter what block you are on. He also knows what you can handle and will not test you with things that will push you beyond what is in your power to endure. The things in your life that seem like evil are probably just that.

when you pray make sure you ask for forgiveness as the first thing. read the lords prayer and pray like that not word for word but use it as a standard for how to pray. We need to be right with God before we ask God for what it is we need. Remember God knows what you need an answer to prayer isnt always what is expected.

God be with you Kathryn

]]> By: Shawn Abbott http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-70822 Shawn Abbott Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:45:00 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-70822 You are right she was dead, asleep is sometimes used in the bible for death. Lazarus was also dead for some time but refered to as asleep (John 11: 11-14 You are right she was dead, asleep is sometimes used in the bible for death. Lazarus was also dead for some time but refered to as asleep (John 11: 11-14

]]> By: kathryn http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-70819 kathryn Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:42:27 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-70819 i was born with a birth defect i cannot biologically have children i was told god wanted me to adopt and made my choice easier? i am single and 34 have never dated some said god called me to be single to totally focus on him and be content with him really christians have hurt me and i mean deeply hurt me and personally attacked me and some say they were trying to help bs!!!!!! christians are the number cause of atheism!!!!! i was born with a birth defect
i cannot biologically have children
i was told god wanted me to adopt
and made my choice easier?

i am single and 34
have never dated
some said god called me to be single
to totally focus on him
and be content with him

really
christians have hurt me
and i mean deeply hurt me and personally attacked me
and some say they were trying to help

bs!!!!!!

christians are the number cause of atheism!!!!!

]]> By: kathryn http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-70818 kathryn Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:39:45 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-70818 i am not sorry but i got really fed up at this finger pointing when things went wrong in my life and was assumed it was my fault and poor choices i made i was told i cheat myself out of blessings with doubt ok whats with the idea of god showering us with blessings everday where was this lie introduced when something good happens to me i am usually involved all i know when i pray i sure as heck do not expect the drastic opposite i feel like god is sticking it to but then again i thought about it god proves im right and hes wrong if i saw something bad againt him its like he causes something meaningful to me not to happen im no fan of god and do believe god wants nothing but to punish me christians have a comeback for everything and the finger is always pointed at us ok so if something goes right in our lives we had nothing to do with it i disagree!!!!! a bible study leader told the group how often do some people give up just 2 blocks short i will never understand the street metaphor god was going to bless us but we somehow gave up hmm so its ok for people to move on and let go but not give up hello moving on is giving up!!!!!!!! i am not sorry
but i got really fed up at this finger pointing when things went wrong in my life
and was assumed it was my fault
and poor choices i made
i was told i cheat myself out of blessings with doubt
ok whats with the idea of god showering us with blessings everday
where was this lie introduced
when something good happens to me i am usually involved
all i know
when i pray
i sure as heck do not expect the drastic opposite
i feel like god is sticking it to
but then again
i thought about it
god proves im right
and hes wrong
if i saw something bad againt him
its like he causes something meaningful to me not to happen
im no fan of god
and do believe god wants nothing but to punish me

christians have a comeback for everything
and the finger is always pointed at us
ok so if something goes right in our lives
we had nothing to do with it

i disagree!!!!!

a bible study leader told the group
how often do some people give up just 2 blocks short
i will never understand the street metaphor

god was going to bless us
but we somehow gave up
hmm
so its ok for people to move on and let go
but not give up

hello
moving on is giving up!!!!!!!!

]]> By: kathryn http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-70817 kathryn Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:31:42 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-70817 janet you are a friend indeed i too know excatly what you talk about i myself was there am really trying to recover The double standard of christianity really screwed me up. I didn’t know if I was lower than a worm, a sinner from birth, or a wonderful person made in the image of god. I didn’t know if god loved me or wanted to punish me (or “test” me if I was being a good christian, like Job in the bible) i literally sometimes feel i am job all i know christianity has really messed me up emotionally i try to recover but the church does more harm than good janet
you are a friend indeed
i too know excatly what you talk about
i myself was there

am really trying to recover

The double standard of christianity really screwed me up. I didn’t know if I was lower than a worm, a sinner from birth, or a wonderful person made in the image of god. I didn’t know if god loved me or wanted to punish me (or “test” me if I was being a good christian, like Job in the bible)

i literally sometimes feel i am job
all i know
christianity has really messed me up
emotionally

i try to recover
but the church
does more harm than good

]]> By: kathryn http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-70816 kathryn Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:28:35 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-70816 ok i am not sorry to say this jesus lied he lied to a family he told them their dead daughter who had indeed died was not dead but was only asleep no she was dead!!!!!!! not asleeep ok i am not sorry to say this
jesus lied
he lied to a family
he told them their dead daughter who had indeed died
was not dead but was only asleep
no
she was dead!!!!!!!
not asleeep

]]> By: Ty http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-62482 Ty Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:20:15 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-62482 Yeah, it's not a paradox at all. We are making two assertions regarding your god: 1) He does not exist, or at the very least, there is no evidence of his existence. 2) The made-up god you worship, based on the bible, is a vile creation. The act of worshiping this creature, made up or not, makes humanity worse, not better. Cthulu was invented by a writer. No one thinks he's real. But if I began acting as if he was real, and sacrificing people to appease him, it would be perfectly reasonable to say, "Cthulu isn't even real! And he's a vile disgusting god of chaos who wants to devour anything with warm blood? Why would you want to worship that?" Yeah, it’s not a paradox at all.

We are making two assertions regarding your god:

1) He does not exist, or at the very least, there is no evidence of his existence.

2) The made-up god you worship, based on the bible, is a vile creation. The act of worshiping this creature, made up or not, makes humanity worse, not better.

Cthulu was invented by a writer. No one thinks he’s real. But if I began acting as if he was real, and sacrificing people to appease him, it would be perfectly reasonable to say, “Cthulu isn’t even real! And he’s a vile disgusting god of chaos who wants to devour anything with warm blood? Why would you want to worship that?”

]]> By: Michael Hitchcock http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-62478 Michael Hitchcock Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:11:51 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-62478 Alistair - the paradox you propose is only a paradox if proposed by the same person at the same time. God cannot be both an invention and evil. However, it is perfectly consistent to argue against the existence of God, and as a seperate argument to point out that, regardless of his existence or otherwise, the Biblical description is that of a malevolent rather than benevolent entity. Alistair – the paradox you propose is only a paradox if proposed by the same person at the same time. God cannot be both an invention and evil. However, it is perfectly consistent to argue against the existence of God, and as a seperate argument to point out that, regardless of his existence or otherwise, the Biblical description is that of a malevolent rather than benevolent entity.

]]> By: DDM http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-62476 DDM Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:03:33 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-62476 "Choose me or eternal suffering" isn't really a choice... “Choose me or eternal suffering” isn’t really a choice…

]]> By: alastair http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-46131 alastair Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:31:37 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-46131 Hey guys, I wrote this on my blog (hopefully the link should appear on my name), but I'll just re-produce it here. I call this the atheist paradox. It goes like this. Atheists tend to put forward two main premises against Christianity, both which resound through the whole of Unreasonable Faith: 1) Marxist premise. God/religion is the opiate of the masses, and emotional/escapist fabrication that we invented as a response to the harsh realities of human life. 2) The Malevolent-God premise (i.e. this post). God is not a loving God as we claim to believe him, but one full of moral inconsistencies in the Bible (refer to above) revealing an evil character. This is a paradox because the more you forward one claim, the less the other makes sense. If our God is really evil and morally inconsistent, and the Bible was fabricated by an illuminati-like group of people, why would they want to write / collate such stories to ruin their credibility? Isn't that just poor fiction? If you can't solve this paradox, then Keller's claim of atheism being more of an emotional argument than a rational argument makes more sense :) Looking forward to your responses. I'll try and come back here, but maybe it'd best if you comment on the original link (http://givemesometruth.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/an-atheistic-paradox/) if you want a quick reply from me. Hey guys,

I wrote this on my blog (hopefully the link should appear on my name), but I’ll just re-produce it here.

I call this the atheist paradox. It goes like this. Atheists tend to put forward two main premises against Christianity, both which resound through the whole of Unreasonable Faith:

1) Marxist premise. God/religion is the opiate of the masses, and emotional/escapist fabrication that we invented as a response to the harsh realities of human life.

2) The Malevolent-God premise (i.e. this post). God is not a loving God as we claim to believe him, but one full of moral inconsistencies in the Bible (refer to above) revealing an evil character.

This is a paradox because the more you forward one claim, the less the other makes sense. If our God is really evil and morally inconsistent, and the Bible was fabricated by an illuminati-like group of people, why would they want to write / collate such stories to ruin their credibility? Isn’t that just poor fiction?

If you can’t solve this paradox, then Keller’s claim of atheism being more of an emotional argument than a rational argument makes more sense :)

Looking forward to your responses. I’ll try and come back here, but maybe it’d best if you comment on the original link (http://givemesometruth.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/an-atheistic-paradox/) if you want a quick reply from me.

]]> By: Janet Greene http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-43178 Janet Greene Fri, 29 May 2009 09:27:19 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-43178 The double standard of christianity really screwed me up. I didn't know if I was lower than a worm, a sinner from birth, or a wonderful person made in the image of god. I didn't know if god loved me or wanted to punish me (or "test" me if I was being a good christian, like Job in the bible). I didn't know if pastor-dad might try to kill me if god told him to, like the story of Isaac in the bible, just to test his faith. I thought I was missing something, because I tried so hard to believe the stories, but I didn't. I tried so hard to love god, but I didn't. I prayed and prayed, and nothing changed. I was taught that you just ask Jesus into your heart, and you are transformed. Well, my transformation came when I realized that christianity was a fairy tale, and got some intensive counseling. Now I am "reborn". I no longer suffer from the fear and guilt that strangled me most of my life. I no longer have abusive partners (who act like the god of the old testament). Instead of trying to love an invisible, non-existent being in the sky, I now love myself. This has enabled me, finally, to truly love others (which I couldn't do when I was always afraid - I was numb for years). I am now able to give out of a full heart, rather than out of guilt or obligation. This is what being "born again" is all about - ridding ourselves of destructive superstition, and trying to milk every moment we can out of this life. It's all we really know we have. Quit trying to live for the after-life - NOBODY KNOWS what happens after we die. And if you say you do, you are either lying or terribly misled. Enjoy life. It's too short to waste. The double standard of christianity really screwed me up. I didn’t know if I was lower than a worm, a sinner from birth, or a wonderful person made in the image of god. I didn’t know if god loved me or wanted to punish me (or “test” me if I was being a good christian, like Job in the bible). I didn’t know if pastor-dad might try to kill me if god told him to, like the story of Isaac in the bible, just to test his faith. I thought I was missing something, because I tried so hard to believe the stories, but I didn’t. I tried so hard to love god, but I didn’t. I prayed and prayed, and nothing changed. I was taught that you just ask Jesus into your heart, and you are transformed. Well, my transformation came when I realized that christianity was a fairy tale, and got some intensive counseling. Now I am “reborn”. I no longer suffer from the fear and guilt that strangled me most of my life. I no longer have abusive partners (who act like the god of the old testament). Instead of trying to love an invisible, non-existent being in the sky, I now love myself. This has enabled me, finally, to truly love others (which I couldn’t do when I was always afraid – I was numb for years). I am now able to give out of a full heart, rather than out of guilt or obligation. This is what being “born again” is all about – ridding ourselves of destructive superstition, and trying to milk every moment we can out of this life. It’s all we really know we have. Quit trying to live for the after-life – NOBODY KNOWS what happens after we die. And if you say you do, you are either lying or terribly misled. Enjoy life. It’s too short to waste.

]]> By: Janet Greene http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-43176 Janet Greene Fri, 29 May 2009 09:21:16 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-43176 The description of god in the bible is a great role model for abusive men. Jealous, controlling, obey-or-you-will-die, unpredictable (sometimes loving, sometimes murderous). It's also a great example of how to legitimize tyranny. Anyone who "loves" a god like this must be mentally ill. The description of god in the bible is a great role model for abusive men. Jealous, controlling, obey-or-you-will-die, unpredictable (sometimes loving, sometimes murderous). It’s also a great example of how to legitimize tyranny. Anyone who “loves” a god like this must be mentally ill.

]]> By: Janet Greene http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-43174 Janet Greene Fri, 29 May 2009 09:18:43 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-43174 There are so many things to say to you as a christian. But take this one, for example - if I am god, and I create billions of people, that I love as my own children, and know that 99.99% of them will burn in hell eternally because they didn't "believe", that is evil. I have a child, and there is nothing he could do that would make me want him to suffer. Real love is not about justice. It's about empathy. There are so many things to say to you as a christian. But take this one, for example – if I am god, and I create billions of people, that I love as my own children, and know that 99.99% of them will burn in hell eternally because they didn’t “believe”, that is evil. I have a child, and there is nothing he could do that would make me want him to suffer. Real love is not about justice. It’s about empathy.

]]> By: Roger http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-33164 Roger Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:34:03 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-33164 "God doesn’t send you to hell unless you reject Him. That’s what’s incredible, He gives everyone a choice, life or death, heaven or hell, blessings or cursings." Yeah, it's incredible...incredibly stupid, petty, vile, sadistic, and egocentric to the point of megalomaniacal. “God doesn’t send you to hell unless you reject Him. That’s what’s incredible, He gives everyone a choice, life or death, heaven or hell, blessings or cursings.”

Yeah, it’s incredible…incredibly stupid, petty, vile, sadistic, and egocentric to the point of megalomaniacal.

]]> By: reformedfred http://unreasonablefaith.com/2008/09/20/the-double-standards-of-god/#comment-33163 reformedfred Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:26:31 +0000 http://unreasonablefaith.wordpress.com/?p=719#comment-33163 "God cannot leave sin unpunished". He sure the hell can (no pun intended). Quit defending God you morons- he's big enough he can defend himself. You make it sound like God has his hands tied behind his back here. Can't leave sin unpunished. puh-leeze. If he's the guy in charge he can do whatever he wants, which really is what it comes down to. He *wants* to punish. Odd thing is, God doesn't seem capable of separating the sin from the sinner, does he? If he's so big on punishing sin, then put sin into hell and leave people out of it. Duh. “God cannot leave sin unpunished”. He sure the hell can (no pun intended). Quit defending God you morons- he’s big enough he can defend himself. You make it sound like God has his hands tied behind his back here. Can’t leave sin unpunished. puh-leeze. If he’s the guy in charge he can do whatever he wants, which really is what it comes down to. He *wants* to punish. Odd thing is, God doesn’t seem capable of separating the sin from the sinner, does he? If he’s so big on punishing sin, then put sin into hell and leave people out of it. Duh.

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