Ask a Christian philosopher a question

[bhsmte]

Ask yourself why you are attracted to other things besides the Jesus portrayed in the scriptures and you will have the answer to your question.

Sure, some don't believe the story.

 

[bhsmte]

Maybe they'll go shoot up a school, and after, tell God about how they don't think He exists.

Ever since this thing began, there's been nothing but controversy and absurdity in them.

Hilarious.

 

[bhsmte]

As they impact your relationship to Him though, that is the topic. But you aren't one of His people, are you?

I can't have a relationship with a deity I don't believe exists. But, I can sure know when other priorities should come before certain pleasures.

 

[bhsmte]

Been there, done that. Government had no business in supporting or denying or fractionalizing or denominationalizing the Faith of each Christian. It had no business in meddling in church affairs. Sadly, that has been turned on its head by the president, congress, and the courts.

What has the government done to meddle in church affairs? Please be specific?

 

[Archaeopteryx]

I started this thread in the hopes of providing an arena wherein I could address, systematically, questions that I knew people wanted to put to me which up until now, I was unable for sundry reasons, to worthily address.

Sundry reasons? How about outright refusal?

 

[Christopher M Nance]

The Hebrew word קַנָּא is more accurately translated as "zealous". The idea here is one of intense regard and concern and love that God has for His beloved people. Those who love are jealous of them that receive the love of the one who is the object of their love. Those who love are also jealous for the one loved.

God wanted His people to love Him because in so doing, they would have been doing what was in their best interest and He wanted them to do what was in their best interest because He loved them. In this, it is seen that this communion of love is reciprocal.

Ask any man or woman who is committed and dedicated totally to their spouse out of love whether or not they are jealous for their spouse and zealous to ensure that they are taken care of and loved and honored above all.

That's not what I'm asking. For God to be Jealous (or Zealous). Would there not be another God for him to be jealous of? Also does God not transcendant of these emotions? And not just jealousy, but love too. They say that God loves his creations, but I say, without God, there is no love because God IS love. It can be furthermore argued that even comparing God to any of these humanly emotions is to wrongly describe God, because God transcends and encompasses all. That being said. I just want to know the God as referred to by the book of Exodus, what in existence is God worried that people will worship other than HIM.

 

[bhsmte]

Sundry reasons? How about outright refusal?

Yes, that was hilarious.

 

[chris.j.b]

I'm not sure who you are anonymous person that we should ask you questions, but since you are soliciting questions, hey why not.

My question is this: Who told you what is in the bible?

If you say the holy spirit told you specifically, how are you better than a Mormon who says the Spirit told him about the BOM?

If you say the church, how did you know what is the church logically prior to deciding what is in the bible? After all, different historic churches have different bibles (Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Ethiopian), not to mention Mormons, gnostic groups, and so forth.

If you say you're not entirely sure what is in the bible, how do you know there isn't an inspired book that clearly contradicts your theological viewpoints?

If you say the church fathers, which church fathers since basically only Jerome was 100% in agreement with the Protestant bible, and even he seems to quote non-protestant books as scripture in many cases.

And if you say church fathers, how do you know they are the authentic guardians of the tradition since there were many other "heterodox" groups (heterodox judging a-priori that the church fathers are orthodox), and yet your theology would consider the church fathers to be heterodox. So why pick one heterodox group over another one?

 

[Eyes wide Open]

I would think that certainly He would be jealous of something they put ahead of Him, yes. An obedient Christian will be healthy and not gluttonous. Gluttony is a cardinal sin, meaning that it does kill one's spiritual life. This does not mean to say that He would necessarily abandon them completely. He is long suffering and patient, allowing us to return to Him willingly (read the prodigal son story to see that).

Jealousy is a human emotion. If I see it described as a symbolism of us moving away from something and that our creative applications are less functional as a result then fine. But I don't see it described that way.

 

[oi_antz]

Jealousy is a human emotion. If I see it described as a symbolism of us moving away from something and that our creative applications are less functional as a result then fine. But I don't see it described that way.

It is not clear to me why you are taking issue with this. @bhsmte too.

 

[Eudaimonist]

What I'm saying is that what may appear as an instance of God "lying" is in fact His revocation of an overly sinful person's license to access God's continued providence and truth.

Would you state that more plainly for me?

Are you saying that God turned off the truth-spigot for those people, and God left them mistakenly thinking that they were still speaking divine truths? How is that not telling lies? And why does it say that God deceives people instead of "God let them deceive themselves"?

Perhaps there are translation or context issues here, but if not that would make the Bible telling a lie, because that's not the plain reading of the text. Your defense seems to be one of obfuscation. What context or correct translation would lead a reasonable person to conclude that your interpretation of the passages is correct?


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Chris B]

It was the church which had the upper hand, why would it want that? With the separation it lost control and power. You will need unearthed proof to back your statement because history says otherwise.

My read history agrees with that way round... it was to stop any particular church using state power to punish other churches of which it did not approve. The earlier Quaker minority of New England in a Puritan majority, for example.

 

[anonymous person]

Question (from an atheist)

I would consider myself a sincere atheist in that, as far as I can tell, my beliefs and thinking were come by honestly and reasonably.
Am I correct that the bible and Christianity denies that there can be any such a thing as a "sincere atheist"?
(That is, that we must be some some measure insincere or self-deceiving since the existence of God is "obvious" in nature or otherwise.)

Chris
(a cousin in concept: in considering myself an "ex-Christian" am I also, from the Christian perspective, claiming membership of a non-existent category? (it's a genuine category with numerous members, from my perspective.))

If by sincere atheist, you intend to signify a person who will have an excuse when they stand before God for their unbelief, then yes, the epistle to the Christians in Rome written by the apostle Paul denies that such people could exist because God, being who He is, cannot hold someone accountable for failing to believe in Him if He had not given them sufficient light to make unbelief inexcusable.

 

[anonymous person]

Using what criteria is the ability to lie being judged a weakness? If I can defeat the Nazis by lying, my ability to lie is a strength, not a weakness.

For God, lying would be evinced as a weakness. Reference sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the article linked. For us, lying may sometimes be justifiable and indeed obligatory, and I think you get the reason why. If by lying to a gestapo agent of the Nazi regime, I secure the safety of five children I have hiding in my attic, then in this particular and specific context, lying is morally obligatory.

As far as criteria for determining great making-properties, there is no complete agreement across the board among philosophers on what these are although several like omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence are taken as foundational. Anselm appealed to intuition when deducing certain properties or attributes which the greatest conceivable being would by necessity possess. For example, it simply seems self evident that it is better to be self-existing than contingent on another for existence. It simply seems self evident that it is better to be good than not. etc. etc.

 

[anonymous person]

Does God always act in such a way as to work towards the greater good?

Certainly.

 

[anonymous person]

What is your political position? Minarchist here.

My political position is this:

"It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected. The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen."

George MacDonald

And personally, I maintain that God always has been and always will be sovereign over the affairs of men, the political realm not excluded.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

Certainly.

Perhaps you could elucidate the "morally sufficient reasons" you alluded to in the thread on the Flood, which you appear to have abandoned?

 

[anonymous person]

Can Christian moral/ethics guide a decision in the trolley problem to a correct choice?

I think it can.

 

[anonymous person]

Since Christianity is not a intellectual pursuit what advantage would a philosophical perspective offer?

The question seems to assume that there is no place for intellectual pursuits within Christendom. I see no reason to believe that at all.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

If by sincere atheist, you intend to signify a person who will have an excuse when they stand before God for their unbelief, then yes, the epistle to the Christians in Rome written by the apostle Paul denies that such people could exist because God, being who He is, cannot hold someone accountable for failing to believe in Him if He had not given them sufficient light to make unbelief inexcusable.

Bear in mind that what you said earlier implies that god is responsible for damnation.