Quote: (05-20-2015 05:41 PM)billbudsocket Wrote:
Quote: (05-20-2015 12:56 PM)h3ltrsk3ltr Wrote:
I think that god is ok with the end justifying the means a lot. Also, while god apparently says that every sin is equal, there's a lot of times where he says it's ok to murder, lie...and I'm fairly certain he's granted more than one pussy pass.
Christians like to say you can't take these little inconsistencies into account because "it's not enough to read just one passage, you have to read ALL of it." I've literally heard that at least 100 times in my life. But how many Christians have actually read and comprehended the whole thing? I'd be surprised if it was half.
Could you post some examples here? Where does it say that every sin is equal?
"Theologians have sought for centuries to determine what the essence of sin is. Some have chosen sensuality, others selfishness, and still others pride or unbelief. In the Old Testament, God applied different penalties to different sins, suggesting variations in the seriousness of some sins. A thief paid restitution; an occult practitioner was cut off from Israel; one who committed adultery or a homosexual act or cursed his parents was put to death (see Exodus, chapter 22 and Leviticus, chapter 20)."
“For the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23), applies to all sin, whether in thought, word, or deed.
http://billygraham.org/story/billy-graha...gods-eyes/
Apparently, since god gets to be the ultimate decider, he isn't bound by rules and consistencies, one of the things in my mind that really makes him a true god (in the sense of mythical god-like-ness).
In the end, god get's to change the rules to suit his purpose. His end justifies the means. I'm being a little lazy by not finding more evidence to fit my point but even if I were to cite everything, this discussion of the
morality of what is in the bible lends itself to a discussion where people will only argue for what they've already determined to be the truth. Because of this, I think the best answer to OP's question is to treat the bible in the same way we might treat the Star Wars world. We can discuss its significance and meaning and even its relation to "reality" within the confines of science fiction.
That's not to say the bible is fiction. Regardless of what I believe, studying one of the oldest and most significant pieces of literature is bound to bring about a benefit of one kind or another to the student.
In regard to Roosh's question about god rewarding his "bad" act for a selfish reason, I'm going with the idea that god just liked Abraham enough to allow it. Abraham was useful to god in such a way that letting this happen worked within the "Master Plan"...or something like that.
Per Ardua Ad Astra | "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum"
Cobra and I did some awesome podcasts with awesome fellow members.