Why do Christians worship their God?

[3sigma]

According to the Bible, your God indiscriminately kills children and babies. One aspect of Christianity that I find hard to understand or accept is why anyone would worship something that they know does such things. Why do Christians worship, revere, admire, respect or have any kind of “personal relationship” (whatever that means) with something that they know indiscriminately kills children and babies?

 

[Adoniram]

God does nothing "indiscriminately." I don't know where you would get such an idea. Certainly not from the Bible. There is "purpose" to everything God does, whether out of love or in judgment. Sometimes we do not understand everything God does, but that is because we have a very limited perspective on what is really going on. The Bible says "now we see through a glass darkly, but then, face to face; now I see in part, but then shall I know even as I am known." (1 Cor. 13:12) We don't see the whole picture, but God is not limited in His perspective.

I don't know why children die, but I certainly don't blame God for it. Many Christians, myself included, believe that when children under the age of accountability die, they are immediately ushered into Heaven. When you compare life in heaven to life here on earth, I'm certain that those who experience an untimely demise (to our understanding) have no regrets whatsoever. Perhaps God is saving them from a fate worse than death.

 

[3sigma]

God does nothing "indiscriminately." I don't know where you would get such an idea. Certainly not from the Bible. There is "purpose" to everything God does, whether out of love or in judgment.

Well, according to the Bible, your God does kill babies indiscriminately. By ‘indiscriminate’ I mean not marked by careful distinction; deficient in discrimination and discernment. In other words, it doesn’t care which babies it kills. And yes, it purposely kills babies. So your God purposely kills babies indiscriminately. The question is why would you and other Christians worship, revere, admire, respect or have any kind of personal relationship with something that you know does such things?

 

[Glorthac]

You fail to realize that God is God. He can do whatever He wants with His creation, He owns it. What right do you have to complain to God?
Why do we worship God? Because He had the right to kill us at birth, yet He saved us instead.

 

[Revived]

As Christians, we are instructed to die to self and focus on our treasures in heaven, the very place these children and babies peacefully reside.

Blessings,
Derrick

 

[3sigma]

Why do we worship God? Because He had the right to kill us at birth, yet He saved us instead.

I don’t understand. How does being saved from stillbirth lead to your worshipping something that indiscriminately kills babies? The two seem unconnected. In fact, one would think that being saved from being killed at birth yourself would lead to your despising something that killed babies indiscriminately.

 

[3sigma]

As Christians, we are instructed to die to self and focus on our treasures in heaven, the very place these children and babies peacefully reside.

The term “die to self” makes no sense. Could you rephrase that, please? When you say you are instructed to “focus on your treasures in heaven”, do you mean you think more about what you believe you will receive in the future than more immediate and Earthly things such as your friends and family?

However, your response doesn’t explain why you would worship something that indiscriminately kills babies. Could you explain that, please?

 

[drich0150]

According to the Bible, your God indiscriminately kills children and babies. One aspect of Christianity that I find hard to understand or accept is why anyone would worship something that they know does such things. Why do Christians worship, revere, admire, respect or have any kind of “personal relationship” (whatever that means) with something that they know indiscriminately kills children and babies?

It would be like if I were to ask How can you be apart of a society that indiscriminately kills women, children and babies? You worship and tithe through obeying it's laws and paying taxes and possibly voting when the opportunity arises, and yet you don't to seem to have an issue. Why with God? Perhaps it has to do with the stage of development the baby is in, in it's mothers womb, or perhaps it's a matter of the women and children's color of skin and relative distance from a CNN camera crew that places you in a position of self righteous indifference.. Either way these deaths are apart of this and most "western" countries legacy. A legacy you don't seem to have issue being a part of.


As far as directly answering you question, God has not indiscriminately killed anyone after the Death, burial and resurrection of His Son.(Marking the actual beginning of Christianity) If you think you know otherwise please submit chapter and verse.

Besides "death" is not the end it is only a period of transition, From this life to the next. The only difference being is, in this life we can deny the existence of God. In the next we can not. The only one's who hold so very tightly to this life are the one's who are not prepared for the next one. This is why death for them is so final, so wrong, and this is also why "dying well" (dying peacefully After a long well spent life.) is so important. Because this is all there is, before there is Hell to pay. (Even if they can't admit it to themselves.) For the believer Death is a birth into eternity, and the sooner the better. For the "thinker" Death is death.. Ironically this isn't far from the truth.

 

[freeport]

According to the Bible, your God indiscriminately kills children and babies. One aspect of Christianity that I find hard to understand or accept is why anyone would worship something that they know does such things. Why do Christians worship, revere, admire, respect or have any kind of “personal relationship” (whatever that means) with something that they know indiscriminately kills children and babies?

Everybody dies and everybody is born and yes, God is ultimately behind both. Those who die are raised again -- 'death not ends it'. Death is as an illusion which tests us, as does all the evil in the world.

One has to see beyond all the evil in the world, then their perception is cleansed.

 

[jimmyl]

Well, according to the Bible, your God does kill babies indiscriminately. By ‘indiscriminate’ I mean not marked by careful distinction; deficient in discrimination and discernment. In other words, it doesn’t care which babies it kills. And yes, it purposely kills babies. So your God purposely kills babies indiscriminately. The question is why would you and other Christians worship, revere, admire, respect or have any kind of personal relationship with something that you know does such things?

[Citation Needed]

Please point me to the passage in the Bible that says that God order the murder of random children for no particular reason. Please note that judging a wicked nation is actually a reason, regardless of whether you agree with it or not.

It has also been pointed out several times that innocent children will go to heaven, and so the temporary suffering they endured on earth is repaid in eternal joy.

Your response to these answers is typical of a skeptic. Rather than providing a counter-argument you simply state that the question wasn't answered to you satisfaction and then restate the question. Basically, you shake your head and go, "Nuh-uh!" Being a skeptic is easy. You just have to deny everything anyone tells you. I suspect that no answer will ever be good enough for you. You don't believe because you don't want to believe, and questions like this seem to you to be good ammunition to attack Christians.

 

[jimmyl]

In answer to the question in the title of the post: Christians worship God because they believe that he is real. This belief is based on the historical evidence surrounding Jesus, on their thoughtful reasoning, on personal experiences; it's not just blind faith. There is an element of faith involved however, just like there is an element of faith in atheism. You choose to believe that there is no God, even though you can never scientifically or empirically prove that there is no God. Ultimately, you choose atheism because you want to. Christians choose Jesus because they want to.

Now, in some ways Christianity is uncomfortable, even to those who believe it. It requires humility. You must believe that you are intrinsically evil and must rely on the mercy and grace of God in order to ever be made into anything worthwhile. You must be willing to accept that God, being able to see and understand the whole of time and space, will do things that you do not understand because you are not in possession of all the knowledge of God. Perhaps that is at the center of your confusion? Why would Christians believe in something that results in humility and faith, rather than pride and confidence and comfort? Oddly enough, while it doesn't produce pride, a relationship with God does produce confidence and comfort, because when a person puts their faith in God, they find out that He does actually love them and care for them and learn from experience that ultimately His plans are for good, and not evil. That is why we worship Him.

 

[ebia]

According to the Bible, your God indiscriminately kills children and babies. One aspect of Christianity that I find hard to understand or accept is why anyone would worship something that they know does such things. Why do Christians worship, revere, admire, respect or have any kind of “personal relationship” (whatever that means) with something that they know indiscriminately kills children and babies?

Since I don't accept the premise of your first sentence, the question is a bit problematic. If you thought God had behaved that way that you might have a problem.

The God I worship is the one I see in Jesus of Nazareth.

 

[3sigma]

It would be like if I were to ask How can you be apart of a society that indiscriminately kills women, children and babies? You worship and tithe through obeying it's laws and paying taxes and possibly voting when the opportunity arises, and yet you don't to seem to have an issue.

I don’t see how your God is like a society. A society is a group of people with a similar culture. Your God is allegedly an individual that indiscriminately kills babies. I pay taxes to support the government. That is hardly the same as worshipping a divine or supernatural being.

As far as directly answering you question, God has not indiscriminately killed anyone after the Death, burial and resurrection of His Son.(Marking the actual beginning of Christianity) If you think you know otherwise please submit chapter and verse.

All you are saying is that your God hasn’t killed babies indiscriminately since the last time it killed babies indiscriminately. So what? It’s still the same immutable God, is it not?

 

[3sigma]

Please point me to the passage in the Bible that says that God order the murder of random children for no particular reason. Please note that judging a wicked nation is actually a reason, regardless of whether you agree with it or not.

Genesis 7:21-23 claims that your God deliberately killed every fœtus, baby, toddler and child on the entire planet. It didn’t discriminate among them. It didn’t spare some and kill others. It indiscriminately killed every single one of them.

It has also been pointed out several times that innocent children will go to heaven, and so the temporary suffering they endured on earth is repaid in eternal joy.

I’ve noticed that and, frankly, I find it rather disturbing. It is as though you and the others here are saying that because babies go to heaven, your God did them a favour by killing them. It follows from this that you should admire and respect child murderers because they achieve the same outcome. However, I hope that this isn’t the way you and the others here behave. I hope that you would condemn child murderers. In which case, why do you not also condemn your God for committing the same acts? Why do you worship it when it does such things?

In answer to the question in the title of the post: Christians worship God because they believe that he is real.

So you believe that your God is real. I get that. However, if you believe the Bible then you must also believe that your God indiscriminately kills babies. So here we have something that you just know is real and you know it kills babies. Why would anyone worship such a thing? I don’t understand this. If I believed that your God was real and killed babies, I would have nothing but utter contempt for it.

 

[3sigma]

Since I don't accept the premise of your first sentence, the question is a bit problematic. If you thought God had behaved that way that you might have a problem.

Genesis 7:21-23 proves the premise. Now that you know that your God behaves that way, do you have a problem with it?

The God I worship is the one I see in Jesus of Nazareth.

Don’t Christians believe in the triune God? Aren’t they all one and the same? Why would you worship something that has indiscriminately killed babies? Doesn’t this Jesus you worship say that he will send his angels to burn anyone who doesn’t obey him (Matthew 13:41-42, John 15:6, 2 Thessalonians 1:8)? Why would you worship someone like that?

 

[jimmyl]

Genesis 7:21-23 claims that your God deliberately killed every fœtus, baby, toddler and child on the entire planet. It didn’t discriminate among them. It didn’t spare some and kill others. It indiscriminately killed every single one of them.

Genesis 7:21-23 claims that God wiped out everyone on the planet because humanity had become so evil and vile that the slate had to be wiped completely clean. There was a reason for this decision. God, knowing the whole of space time and able to see and understand the consequences of various decisions believed that the suffering and evil that would have resulted from allowing humanity to continue as it had justified the decision. You are oversimplifying the story in order to support your claim.

It follows from this that you should admire and respect child murderers because they achieve the same outcome.

Child murderers do not have the same intention as God, nor do they have the same authority. To say that the two are the same suggests that you believe that the end always justifies the means.

Furthermore, nobody has said that they admire and respect God because he kills babies, so it absolutely does not follow that we "should admire and respect child murderers because they achieve the same outcome." We admire and respect God because he is God. That is the difference between the two. You are really bending logic in order to sustain your argument.

If I believed that your God was real and killed babies, I would have nothing but utter contempt for it.

I'm pretty sure that if you believed that God was real you would have contempt for Him, period. You've latched onto a straw man that sounds impressive and gets people riled up because you like to attack God, or at least the idea of God.

 

[ebia]

Genesis 7:21-23 proves the premise.

I don't agree. FWIW, in my view Genesis 6-9 is a narrative way of answering the question "why doesn't God just wipe out evil by force?"

Now that you know that your God behaves that way, do you have a problem with it?

I don't "know that [my] God behaves that way".

Don’t Christians believe in the triune God? Aren’t they all one and the same?

Indeed, but it is in Jesus we see God most clearly. It is to Jesus, first and formost, that Christians should look to see what God is like.

Why would you worship something that has indiscriminately killed babies? Doesn’t this Jesus you worship say that he will send his angels to burn anyone who doesn’t obey him (Matthew 13:41-42, John 15:6, 2 Thessalonians 1:8)?

I don't understand those passage to say what you interpret them as saying, so ... no.

 

[drich0150]

I don’t see how your God is like a society. A society is a group of people with a similar culture. Your God is allegedly an individual that indiscriminately kills babies. I pay taxes to support the government. That is hardly the same as worshipping a divine or supernatural being.

So your saying indiscriminate death of women and children isn't the issue here. your just not happy with God, does that sound right?

All you are saying is that your God hasn’t killed babies indiscriminately since the last time it killed babies indiscriminately. So what? It’s still the same immutable God, is it not?

again, death is only an issue to those who fear it, or simply don't understand it

 

[MLEN]

3sigma,

If you don't mind me asking...what is your faith/belief system please?

Sincerely,

 

[Bible2]

Why do Christians worship their God?

Christians worship God because he is the Creator of everything: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11).

As Creator, God has the right to do with his creatures whatever he wants: "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?" (Romans 9:21-24).

God is so great, so infinitely vast, that even all of humanity together is worth less than nothing compared with him: "All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity" (Isaiah 40:17).