Is God A Moral Monster?

But you started a thread asking if God is an immoral monster.

And I don't see Dibby53 stating they don't believe the Bible. I think that accusation needs to stop. People debate scripture in this forum as a matter of course. This does not mean they don't believe the Bible It means they have questions.
The Bible isn't that which we should believe in. That would be idolatry. The Bible is God's guidebook for the people of God. It is not an idol. Having questions about the scriptures does not mean we question God.

He has admitted it. It was not a accusation. We have spoken a lot. He doesn't believe that Moses and onwards until Jesus followed the God of Jesus.

I do not speak until I am certain. It wasn't a accusation with no evidence and investigation. We have communicated often.

Of course, I believe the Bible. The problem is ignorance. For example some among us say the earth is only 10 thousand years old. That is utter poppycock. I have just been reading some posts here and I notice Adam was sent out of the garden to till the soil. Ploughing is relatively modern in human history and quite honestly I am beginning to lose patience with much of the drivel on here including your comment that I do not believe the Bible to be accurate. Let us be clear where the problem lies, it lies not with the Bible but with ignorance.

Your comment regarding Jesus never saying the scrolls are not corrupted is a fine example of your misunderstanding. The scrolls are true, it was peoples understanding that was corrupt and they needed a teacher the same as yours. Now, get a grip will you!

Thank you for clarifying your earlier remarks. I was not aware of what you shared concerning them.

I do believe however, that accusations that a Christian doesn't believe the Bible, as I've been accused a time or two, does need to stop.
That would not apply to you as I wrongly believed in my prior remarks to you, thanks to your illuminating the exchange between yourself and Dibby53.
It is a Bible discussion forum. We should be able to debate scripture, share our personal understandings, without being charged as one who doesn't believe the Bible.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Since my views, or lack of them, have come up let me clarify.

I do not believe the bible is inerrant or infallible. And I am not a literalist. Since the bible books were written by human beings with all sorts of agendas, cultural biases and different experiences of life. They did not know the things we know today about science, outer space, genetics etc. They don't claim to.
Evangelical Christians say that God somehow overode their flawed humanity to write through them. Kind of like a form of automatic writing. So that we have ended up with something perfect. I don't believe this. In fact I think such a view can be dangerous to morality (For instance, in the genocide passages a literalist believer is forced to justify murders because to question this would mean they are questioning God, rather than an account written by people).
There is no evidence for an infallible and perfect bible ( only God himself is infallible and perfect). Science disproves a literalist understanding of Genesis creation. Scholarship shows that some biblical accounts are based on earlier sources (for instance, Moses birth is a retelling of the birth of Sargon the Great, king of Akkad who was also laid in a basket of rushes and placed in a river).
The archaeological work of Israeli scientists is also casting new light upon the bible.

Does this invalidate the bible? No. It makes it a far more interesting story of human reaching towards God and a spiritual understanding that is evolving. To me this culminates in the understanding that God is Love and that God is Light, in him is no darkness at all. This is a different understanding to older scriptures in which God is responsible for the light and the dark.
This is why I can unequivocally say that God would not be responsible for ordering wholesale slaughter. Since I am not a literalist I am not trying to take disparate aspects of biblical accounts of God's character ( many unsavoury) and trying to patchwork quilt them all together.

Is God a moral monster? NO! But do humans sometimes become moral monsters and blame God? YES!

I do believe the Biblical account of creation is correct, and here is why. I also believe the historical content to be accurate. That is why I am a believer.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/...QxCe0dSfbk1rvJTqiZr0EskFRirwX-J6eWUXwCN2A/pub

An interesting marriage of science and scripture. It suggests God works through evolution? Not something I have a problem with.There are probably many interpretations of the creation story.

An interesting marriage of science and scripture. It suggests God works through evolution? Not something I have a problem with.There are probably many interpretations of the creation story.

Do you believe macro evolution has enough evidence? I suppose you must define evolution from your belief.

I just do not see it but actually the more we learn, the theory just keeps getting weaker. Intelligent Design or ID is becoming quite popular. It may not lead you to the Christian God but it does atleast admit the evidence that some events or some structures in nature from reason and experience we know only comes from intelligence.

Do you believe macro evolution has enough evidence? I suppose you must define evolution from your belief.

I just do not see it but actually the more we learn, the theory just keeps getting weaker. Intelligent Design or ID is becoming quite popular. It may not lead you to the Christian God but it does atleast admit the evidence that some events or some structures in nature from reason and experience we know only comes from intelligence.

I do believe that all we see is a result of intelligence. What is evolution if it is not the evolution of intelligence? However, it maybe a philosophical position rather than scientific one. Since science deals in verifiable facts with evidence.
In our discussion it may not say anything about the morality, or otherwise of the intelligence at work.

Ignore the scripture if you wish. It is still there.
And you claim I make wrong statements. You make scripture to say and not say what you want to believe. And then argue from that errant perspective.
That's Eiegesis, not proper Exigesis.

I do believe that all we see is a result of intelligence. What is evolution if it is not the evolution of intelligence? However, it maybe a philosophical position rather than scientific one. Since science deals in verifiable facts with evidence.
In our discussion it may not say anything about the morality, or otherwise of the intelligence at work.

Joshua 11
14The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they struck down all the people with the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed. 15As the LORD had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

It's important to understand the strategy that Satan is employing via the Amalekites and other violent nephilim tribes. Satan is attempting to destroy the bloodline of the coming Savior by interbreeding nephilm (half angle, half human) over hundreds of years so that when the time of the Savior finally arrives there will not be a pure bloodline available at Christ's appointed time . Of course we now know that Satan failed in his is plan to take out the Messiah, thankfully.

Try Eisegesis - eis is Greek for in, into. So reading into the text! In other words, putting your own meanings into the words of the Bible.

Try Exegesis - ex in Greek for out. So taking out of the text what is actually there.

Stop using words you can't even spell. I've had you on ignore for a pleasantly long time. Gave you the benefit of the doubt, realized you are still pretending to be something you aren't. Like a Greek Scholar, when you haven't gotten a clue what the words mean, let alone spell them correctly.

Way I see it? To give "my reasons" to why?
Once ya get "past the basic principles of the doctrines of Christ?" May even refer to this as "common salvation?" People mature at different rates. That is, those that mature at all.
Which means that what a verse, er passage, er story, er prophecy, means to one reader of the Bible, may take on a more fuller, er less fuller, (depth of understanding) dependin', on one's level of maturity.

It seems, the more one relies on the Bible, and not the Spirit of God, to "lead/guide/direct" one? The more the God and Father of Jesus Christ, including Jesus Christ, become less God, and more "an idol."
Which is more or less what one is saying when the phrase "God in a box" is used.

To which "love" covers some of that. But, not all.
As some people, given an "inch" take a "mile."
Deuteronomy 32
15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.
17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
19 And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.
20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

IOW? Love? When it is, or becomes "oppressed/seduced/beguiled" into being the sole focus of the believer?
Leaves said believer open to being blindsided, by the remaining "fruit of the Spirit", which has been neglected, for "loves" sake. And, to a non-understanding of why "bad things happen to good people."

Way I see it? To give "my reasons" to why?
Once ya get "past the basic principles of the doctrines of Christ?" May even refer to this as "common salvation?" People mature at different rates. That is, those that mature at all.
Which means that what a verse, er passage, er story, er prophecy, means to one reader of the Bible, may take on a more fuller, er less fuller, (depth of understanding) dependin', on one's level of maturity.

It seems, the more one relies on the Bible, and not the Spirit of God, to "lead/guide/direct" one? The more the God and Father of Jesus Christ, including Jesus Christ, become less God, and more "an idol."
Which is more or less what one is saying when the phrase "God in a box" is used.

To which "love" covers some of that. But, not all.
As some people, given an "inch" take a "mile."
Deuteronomy 32
15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.
17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
19 And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.
20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

IOW? Love? When it is, or becomes "oppressed/seduced/beguiled" into being the sole focus of the believer?
Leaves said believer open to being blindsided, by the remaining "fruit of the Spirit", which has been neglected, for "loves" sake. And, to a non-understanding of why "bad things happen to good people."