A question for believers in God

by expatbrit 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  expatbrit

  If you believe in God, then I'll make the assumption that you think God is a force of "good", and his commandments reflect this "goodness."

  Based on that assumption, would you say that God's commandments are good because:

  1. God commanding them makes them good? or
  2. God has knowledge of the inherent goodness of certain commandments, and selects them because of this goodness?

  What are the implications of your choice?

  Expatbrit

  Edited by - expatbrit on 8 July 2002 22:17:57

  Edited by - expatbrit on 8 July 2002 22:20:0
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  willy_think

  God is good and his commandments are good because they reflect this "goodness."
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  SpiderMonkey

  I'm gonna have to contradict your assumption here. I do believe in "God," but I see him/her/it differently than most do. I think that God's commandments consist of the laws of gravity, electromagnetism, and the like... Not anything written in a book by men who claim to have seen or spoken with God. These commandments aren't necessarily good or bad; they just "are" (in the physical reality that we interact with, at least). They seem good, because they're what we know, and can prove, and live our lives with confidence that they'll always make X happen if we do Y. There could be a whole different set of commandments, and they'd seem good to us, because that set of commandments would be all we knew. I find it impossible to accept any god who would issue "commandments" that were not known to, and accepted by, all of creation. Too arbitrary, IMO.
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  outnfree

  ExpatBrit:

  I don't know that I qualify to answer your question[s], not being sure what I believe just now. Sounds like you're taking an Ethics class, though.

  Just wanted to say I've noticed you posting lately and that I'm glad to "see" you around, you old Orangutan you!

  out

  Edited to say: Wait!!! That's no orangutan! What have you done with Expat?!!!!!!!

  Edited by - outnfree on 8 July 2002 22:59:24
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  Satanus

  I too, would take exception to cammandments from god. It seems to me that we are all little god units planted in high monkey bodies. This is all a big adventure, even more so because most of us don't remember our origin. It's just a big playground, where nothing really matters as much as they would have you think.

  I know you next response. 'Then i can do anything i want'. Exactly. Cavemen did just that. Barbarians did that too. In todays world, because of laws and peoples sensitivities, you can still try to anything, but you will likely suffer for it. Maybe one way to see it is that all the other god units are also seeking fulfillment. Maybe we need to balance our fulfillments against those of others.

  All commandments are manmade, civil law, if you will. Moses got his commandments from hammarabi, the babylonian. Babylon is where abraham came from. Read hammarabi's code. See how similar it is to moses.

  SS

  Edited by - saintsatan on 8 July 2002 23:55:32
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  Incense_and_Peppermints

  the christian commandments were written by men. it's irrational to think that god, who is perfect, would create a set of moral laws for imperfect humans living in an imperfect world to abide by; laws which go against man's very nature and tendencies, such as making an image to worship, coveting another's property, etc. they are in fact, impossible for imperfect humans to keep. i mean, throughout history, man has had to kill or steal to defend and protect his home and family, thereby breaking two of the 'biggies'. what about a child who has abusive parents? how could god expect him to keep that commandment to honor thy father and thy mother? so, no, the commandments are "not good because god is good".
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  jst2laws

  Hello Xpat,

  Good to hear from you.

  I believe in God but I feel God is often misunderstood by mixing the old revelation of God with the one Jesus portrayed. Why two different impressions is another issue. But the God of "commandments" is not the Christian God.

  1 John 5:3&4 says:

  3For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome, 4 because everything that has been born from God conquers the world. And this is the conquest that has conquered the world, our faith.

  As first this scripture might seem to be calling Christians to get in line and obey. But what are his commandments? Just two, Love God and Love your neighbor. Mat 22:37-40.

  37 He said to him: "You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.

  38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this, You must love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets."

  This is the summary and fulfilment of all the law and the Prophets. The old commandments were part of the "shadow" of the reality and the reality has only two laws written into hearts.

  Sorry to sound preachy but obviously I feel there are only two laws.

  Jst2laws

  .

  Edited by - jst2laws on 9 July 2002 0:13:12
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  expatbrit

  Thank you for your replies. I asked this question because it cropped up in some reading I've been doing and I wanted to get some instant input from believers.

  Once I've read a bit more and thought a lot more, I'll do a post about it, including the question above.

  Expatbrit
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  HomebutHiding

  It is adaptive to believe we answer to a higher authority, to think there is more beyond life as we know it. If we accepted that life ends when neural activity ceases, we would face the futility of it all, and likely would not procreate. It is adaptive for our species to procreate, so we make up reasons to justify it. This is my not-so-optimistic opinion, subject I hope, to change. HbH
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  StinkyPantz

  By your question it seems that you are assuming that if we believe in God, we believe in the God of the Bible. I'm not so sure I do, there are too many inconsistencies in the Bible to wholeheartedly believe in THAT God.

  But I do believe in a Creator and that he or they gave us some of their attributes and moral codes (good and bad).