How Do We Keep Jesus at the Center of Christmas? He created my hell on earth. The Old Testament law and narratives do not stand alone. by Lita Cosner. Furthermore, the book of Joshua does not describe a genocide. The list of Old Testament stories rejected by critics often leads to a similar dismissal of the New Testament teaching of Jesus on the existence of hell. My grandma burned to death when I was three. This is important when we read the stories of the patriarchs and kings. These vocal atheists (Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris), both in writing and public debate, interpret the biblical God as a promotor of immoral acts, such as genocide, slavery, murder, rape, and … The team at Christi, Merry Christmas Eve- it’s Thankful Thursday! Copan takes the time to explain many of the Old Testament's seemingly inexplicable and tedious laws. What is "wrong" with Is It Faith or Works That Gets Us to Heaven? We appreciate your taking the time to comment. I want to end my life desperately but the “God of Love” has prepared a place worse than any death camp for people who don’t love and trust him. All sensitive Christians find problem passages. [1] Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2006), 31. Now look – there are terrible things written in the Old Testament, but do they point to a heartless dictator or is there another explanation? Gods (or sometimes Goddesses if feminine)are usually considered to be immortal, all-powerful beings. Remember: The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Guess what? Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion describes the God he doesn’t believe in as a "control freak", an "ethnic cleanser" and a "malevolent bully". I hate him but the bastard has my husband and others that I love. Is Christianity True? They are flawed individuals. If there’s an intelligent life-creation force, he reasoned, isn’t it just as likely that it’s a flying spaghetti monster as a beatific, omnipotent God? Creation has no hint of murder or slavery. When we were told that my husband David was terminally ill, having Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone, lung, bone and liver cancer of which they said lung cancer was the main killer, I became a 100 per cent convinced that if there is anything out there, it is an evil, callous, cruel monster. They are the principal objects of faith and often conceived as being supreme entities of creation. Would a Good God Allow Suffering? Sadly, there are many who read certain parts of the Bible and handily conclude that the God of the Bible – the Creator of all things - is such a being. He did however prove himself better than God for a while as for the most part he did let people die. examines the significance of the ‘God-question' and the impact of…, In the tradition of C.S. Making Sense of the Old Testament God aims to redress Dawkins and related rhetoric that mocks or maligns God's character in Hebrew Scripture. Leslie Scrase in The Unbeliever’s Guide to the Bible describes the God of the Old … If your morals align with a god that kills anyone that breaks any of his ridiculous laws then he is in fact not a moral monster. The laws of the Old Testament regulate this behaviour. Slavery was permitted in Old Testament law. The God of the Bible is a good God who demonstrates His love for people by giving His Son for the salvation of those who believe (John 3:16). So the moral teaching of the Bible cannot be summarised by a brief and brutal quote taken out of context from the Old Testament. But what of genocide or holy war in the book of Joshua? Stories of polygamy, genocide and slavery are highlighted in order to paint a picture of God as malevolent. To set things in order right from the start I need to tell you I am unequivocally convinced that God is not only NOT a monster, but on the contrary, He is a just, benevolent, wise, loving and thoughtful Creator. Moved. Is God a Moral Monster? He created a hell. It describes what happened but does not necessarily prescribe what should happen. It is not that they think he is a moral monster, but that they are afraid he is a moral judge, and that has implications for our behaviour now. What would you think of a powerful leader who sanctions rape, pillaging, the destruction of thousands of lives for the wrong doings of one, racism and genocide? The Bible describes history and its participants, warts and all. Stephen Fry has denounced God as “utterly evil, capricious and monstrous”, if he were to exist.. Jesus is now our best interpreter of what we read. He is malevolent, manipulative, selfish, egotistical, and in constant need of praise and devotion. Hell does not demonstrate cruelty on God’s part, but it does demonstrate his holiness and our accountability. Satan is, and all those who love his ways. Understanding the Covenant-Making God 34. We don’t want to be unfair, do we? It is a plan founded in justice and includes the fully fair treatment of every man woman and child who ever lived. God revealed himself and created a nation in a real, historical context. And in the light of the whole scriptural teaching, we find the reasons for its ultimate abolition (Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1; Philemon 15-16 and Galatians 3:28). Even those who put forward the Flying Spaghetti Monster theory do not believe its existence. Further, I get personally frustrated by those who make these monstrous claims because I truly believe their claims are based on cherry picking Scriptures from very specific contexts and parading those verses around as fact and proof of God’s character – or lack thereof. iStockphoto. [contact-form-7 id="2517" title="Submit"]. We also discussed on a recent Facebook Live event found here: https://youtu.be/XoR8WUx6s0w– Christian Questions. Sin disrupted creation and consequently we live in a world of evils and suffering. I see this treatment of the Bible and of God as rash, incomplete and foolish, and therefore it becomes the basis for an entirely unfair assessment of the character of God. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Happy New Year! Gods and Monsters is a 1998 period drama film that recounts the partly fictionalized last days of the life of film director James Whale, whose experience of war in World War I is a central theme. I think four points need to be clarified. Making God a Moral Monster – An Unnecessary Stumbling Stone. It was a world with a slave-based economy, with city states often at war with each other, with polygamous marriages to ensure the continuation of family lines. Part one overviews so-called "New" or "Neo-Atheist" approaches to the Old Testament. Far from being a matter of embarrassment, this helps to confirm the reliability of a text that does not gloss over the failure of its heroes. Is God a Moral Monster? Paul Copan's Is God a Moral Monster? His PhD examined aspects of the work of John Hick. It is published here by the kind permission of the editors and the author. Required fields are marked *. Buy Is God a Moral Monster? Site Policy & Cookies Contact us, https://www.bethinking.org/god/unapologetic-christianity-is-god-a-monster. View all resources by Chris Sinkinson. If God were such a monster, he would cast himself there too. B. Eerdmans, 1970), 244. Here’s his description of what he’s doing in the book. This is why you really need to listen to our December 12, 2016 podcast, “Why Do Some Think God is a Monster?”  This broadcast step-by-step explains the “why” of things…Why did God let evil in? VIDEO: CQ Kids – Why is Prayer Important? – Christian Questions, Your email address will not be published. Demon est Deus inversus – you’ve all been tricked. This book answers the question very well. This immediately >> begs the question, whose standard is the correct one? Check out Immortals Fenyx Rising! is one of the best theological books I have read. Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion describes the God he doesn’t believe in as a "control freak", an "ethnic cleanser" and a "malevolent bully". >> >> Why do you call God a "monster" for exercising His right >> to destroy something that He created? God’s judgment will be just. Part 3 Life in the Ancient Near East and in Israel. It is not our place in apologetics to sanitise the Bible. So, there is evidence of the biblical God's existence; there is no evidence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster's existence. Non-Christians sometimes assert that God is portrayed in the Old Testament as a cruel and ruthless deity that indiscriminately orders the execution of seemingly innocent men, women, and children, or directly carries out their deaths by various means. One more reason to be glad we are free from this bureaucratic monster at last. It is not that they think he is a moral monster, but that they are afraid he is a moral judge, and that has implications for our behaviour now. Paul Copan takes on Neo-Atheists' claims of a petty, malicious Old Testament God. Lord bless, Chrisian Questions. Comment. >> You consider God a "monster". We pray for the Lord’s blessing, May the Lord be with you and yours today and throu, It’s Thankful Thursday! The Bible provided the moral impetus against slavery in the Roman Empire and against the slave trade in the New World. My brother died of cancer when he was a baby, my mum, dad,stepbrother and stepfather all died with cancer too. var sb_instagram_js_options = {"font_method":"svg","placeholder":"https:\/\/christianquestions.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/instagram-feed\/img\/placeholder.png","resized_url":"https:\/\/christianquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sb-instagram-feed-images\/"}; Live Podcast Every Monday 8-9:30pm Eastern. That in itself makes it interesting, and helpful, that the apologist and ethicist Paul Copan has written a new book addressing the subject: Is God A Moral Monster? Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics (Grand Rapids: Wm. Hebrew slaves were able to buy their own freedom. © 2011 Evangelicals Now This item was originally published in the June 2011 edition of Evangelicals Now. This product has moved. Dwelling on stories like these, along with aspects of the legal code dealing with slavery, capital punishment and warfare, vocal critics argue that the God of the Bible is a monster. > You consider God a "monster". Please also refer to Episode #1052 – “Is it God’s Fault We Have Evil in This World?” We read your comment on air and directly addressed your valid concerns. Is God a Moral Monster? Guess what? Human trafficking is condemned (Exodus 21:16). But it was regulated. If you saw someone about to burn to death and you didn’t do anything about it, you would be considered a monster and rightfully so. Did you get that? To understand this plan in the context of some of the horrible things written in the Bible people complain about is doable but certainly not easy. Some apparent evils have now become necessary – after all, not all wars are wrong, not every life taken is murder and punishment must involve some kind of pain or discomfort. Several things could be pointed out. Think about it – the Bible covers thousands of years of history from the dawn of mankind all the way through the few generations that followed the time of Jesus. How many across the entire union? What can we say in response? That’s exactly why God is wrathful against some of them. Even better, it explains the “where…“ Where is God leading us through all of this evil? It includes the fully fair treatment of every man woman and child who ever lived. We see if a little differently but definitely agree that God has to be repulsed at much of what mankind has done. What will be the end result? Why does God use evil as a tool? [4] All Bible passages are quote in New King James Version For a free sample issue or to subscribe to Evangelicals Now, click here. In the same way, If you had medication to stop people from dying in agony and didn’t give it, you would have to be some heartless monster. A lot of Bible skeptics accuse Scripture of portraying a God who, if He existed and did what was recorded of Him, would be deeply immoral. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. The fact is that there are very difficult moral issues raised by what we read in the Old Testament. The Bible is brutally honest about their shortcomings. Is the Bible Reliable? © 2021 UCCF: The Christian Unions, Registered Charity number 306137 (England & Wales) and SC038499 (Scotland). God's Ways and the Binding of Isaac 42. God is love, and God loves every person and every creature. Yet God is worse and people praise Him and say He is good and Pastors and Vicars and Priests and such like have a very comfortable nice big house and as we know many are millionaires. 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