Need help with my faith!

[Guest God's kebab]

Hi all!

I’m very excited to be among so many Christians! Praise be!

I do have a question which I’m hoping that someone will be able to answer. I believe that God is a kind and just Deity but there are so many incidences in the Bible where he gets a little irate. I was reading this article on God:

And now I’m questioning my belief. If this Mr O’Toole is correct, then surely the devil is better? He certainly seems to know his Bible.

Please help!

Kebab

Edited November 17, 2005 by traveller

[Leonard]

The O'Toole fellow is simply a congenital fool, and all of these idiotic claims have been answered for CENTURIES!!!

It is far too long to go into all of this right now, as I have to go to work. If you would like to list your questions one at a time, I'm sure everyone at Worthy would be ready and willing to clear this moron's nonsense out of your head! He is a clever writer and deceitful, and if you're not familiar with the Bible, he could trick you by putting his interpretation on the passages.

Anyway, if you'd like to PM me, I'll be glad to answer each question myself, or post them here on Worthy and you'll get clear answers.

[traveller]

God's kebab, I removed your link per out TOS with states,

8. Users may post URL's inside of Worthy boards, however if your URL that is posted leads to a page that is of anti-Christian content, or of such content that is offending or disturbing to other board users, the user posting such an address will be banned from Worthy Boards.

Now I understand you have questions, and you are free to ask them here. Many would be more than willing to answer.

[apothanein kerdos]

We often need to look at why God became "irate". Often times the people He orders to be killed or judges He does so because they have violated a command of God. Often times when people attempt to play the "moral card" against God two misconceptions occur:

1) A misconception of God's love

2) A misconception of what is moral

For one, God's love is all encompassing, meaning that because God loves He must likewise judge. He loves His creation so much that when someone harms His creation He has no problem killing that person. If a man killed a father's child, that father would most likely wish to kill the murder back, in retribution. This is a natural act. Likewise, the cultures that God ordered to be killed wer EXTREMELY evil. Human sacrifices of prisnors and babies, rape of young women and boys, basically cultures that defied all of who God was. Thus God ordered them to be cleansed of the land thus future generations of Jews would not fall into the same trap. The Jews did not follow these orders completely and we later see in Kings that they are deported to other nations for committing the same sins that the nations of Canaan had committed. Thus God killed off these nations because they violated His laws, ultimately saying "We hate you".

Secondly, we have a false perception of morals. We tend to view all killing and death as a bad thing. Ultimately, however, death and killing is not always bad. It can be a form or retribution, self-defense, judgement, population control (if ordained by God), and many other things. The killing of one man (such as Hitler) actually benefits the greater good and allows more good to come into the world. The eradication of an evil culture is not always bad as it can lead to much good. Thus God killing off an entire culture might have been the moral thing to do. Why kill children though who know no better? For one, in the Jewish and Christian belief it is often believed children go to Heaven for they know no better. While these children are deprived of life and the ability to choose, would it be better for them to live as orphans? What I'm getting at is that the Jews killed off the older people of the cities due to the sin they had committed...should the children just have been left behind as orphans? Or drug along the march and adopted into a family which would have increased the need for food and ultimately lead to the starvation of many. In the end, the moral thing was to kill off the children because it was done for the better good AND they most likely went to Heaven. I know it sounds horrible (under our culture's paradigm, it is), but we must look at it through these types of lenses.

In the end, we must not question God with American values because God, suprisingly enough, is not an American. We must look at it from the most basic moral functions, and when we do so, we see that God did all of these for the greater moral good.

At least, that is my belief. I know it sounds confusing so if questions need to be asked, feel free and I will clarify.

[Anne]

I don't think I can add much to what has already been said, but I would like you to remember that God (Elohiym) is much more than love, he is also God who feels, anger and Jealously, but he is just in his judgement.

Further, the devil thought himself better once too, and got himself kicked out of Heaven for it.

Anne

[Guest womanafterGod]

I don't think I can add much to what has already been said, but I would like you to remember that God (Elohiym) is much more than love, he is also God who feels, anger and Jealously, but he is just in his judgement.

Further, the devil thought himself better once too, and got himself kicked out of Heaven for it.

Anne

[sinnersavedbygrace]

Please don't doubt GOD's goodness. The link was removed, so I could not read it. Super Jew did a good job at answering. Although much more could be said. First off, we need to realize who we are. We are basically a ball of dirt. In the Old Testament, GOD is sometimes seen as being unkind, which couldn't be farther from the truth. GOD is just. "For the wages of sin is death" You sin you die, simple. What's so mean about that? Nothing when you think about it, it's called justice. It's called playing fair. However GOD doesn't like to play fair. huh? Yup, I said it. GOD would rather play merciful. The OT was a foreshadowing of the things to come. The New Testament, the testament of grace, not law and justice. The Old was perfectly fair, those who believed and played by the rules won, those who defied GOD's commands, lost. We can look upon the OT and thank GOD that we are not under the law anymore. The only unforgiveable sin now is "Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" I've heard two takes on this, 1) "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, is attributing to Satan a blessing/work that you absolutely know was done by GOD" and 2) "the rejection of Christ, because the HS leads you to conviction, but you reject". Either way, we have it far better then the OT of law and justice. We have grace. GOD is good, all the time. In the OT HE saved those who trusted HIM, in the NT it's pretty much the same, except HE took away the law, because no one can keep the law, and installed "Saved by grace through faith". Dear person, if you are beggining to doubt GOD's goodness, just pause....take a breath...and remember every breath, is a direct gift from GOD almighty to you, as well as every other good thing in your life, even your life itself, as well as salvation. In the OT GOD gave many chances for peoples to repent, for example, HE sent Noah to warn the people for more than 100 years, and they still rejected GOD and did not repent. HE sent Jonah to Ninevah, who did listen to GOD and repent, and were spared. Today we live under grace, however as one great pastor has said " the waves of GOD's holy wrath are pounding against the dam of HIS mercy" Those who reject Christ, will have chosen GOD's justice "the wages of sin is death" over HIS mercy "saved by grace through faith in Christ" Every good thing you have is a gift from GOD, even your trials are permitted by GOD, so that HE can deliver you and strengthen your faith, "for HE works all things for the good of those who love HIM" So concerning GOD's great goodness...indescribable ... furthermore ... "GOD was in Christ reconciling the world to HIMSELF" ALMIGHTY GOD DIED FOR YOU ON THE CROSS. How could HE get any more kind and merciful?

If this came across strong, I apologize, I wanted to state the facts and I was hoping this would be encouraging. Please don't let anyone force wicked lies into your head, about GOD possibly not being a good...great...almighty perfect GOD...when you are in doubt...think of the cross and smile