Does God have a right to take life?

[Tree of Life]

Assuming the God of theism exists, He is responsible for creating and upholding the world. The world, being His creation, belongs to Him and he has rights over it. At every moment He is sustaining our lives and it would only take his drawing away from us for us to be obliterated from existence. We are living on His land, breathing His oxygen, inhabiting His bodies that He made.

Does this God have the right to discontinue our lease, as it were, and end our lives? Why or why not?

 

[Ana the Ist]

I suppose it depends on what you mean by "right".

I'd say god has the same right to kill that anyone does.

 

[Tree of Life]

Interesting. You don't believe that as the owner, creator, and sustainer of creation that God would have special rights that His creatures do not?

 

[com7fy8]

God is right; He does not just have the right; He is right to remove any person from this world, when He sees fit. And He is good; so He does perfectly what is good, with each person who dies. But the person's character will have a lot to do with if the person benefits from what God does with that person. The person can end up down in even worse than the selfish stuff that person had in this world. Or, the person will reap so much more and better than how that person was loving in this world.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, and he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." (Galatians 6:5-6)

So . . . it is good for me, how God has taken my life which was very selfish and cruel, even on purpose. And now I would say I am learning how to feel for others and care about how our Father and Jesus feel.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Interesting. You don't believe that as the owner, creator, and sustainer of creation that God would have special rights that His creatures do not?

Does he own people in the way a slaver does? Are we talking about that kind of "ownership"?

Or is it more like a child to a father?

 

[Chicken Little]

it has nothing to do with what he wants . it is all about legalities .

 

[Tree of Life]

Does he own people in the way a slaver does? Are we talking about that kind of "ownership"?

Or is it more like a child to a father?

He owns people the way an author owns his characters.

 

[Ana the Ist]

He owns people the way an author owns his characters.

Well...you're not talking about agents of free will. So there aren't any rights.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Lol

 

[Ana the Ist]

Well Tree...maybe it would help your OP if you could flesh out this concept of ownership so that this vague god doesn't sound like a slavemaster.

If you can do that, maybe I'll reconsider why something should have the "right to kill" me simply because it made me or it's more powerful.

 

[katerinah1947]

Assuming the God of theism exists, He is responsible for creating and upholding the world. The world, being His creation, belongs to Him and he has rights over it. At every moment He is sustaining our lives and it would only take his drawing away from us for us to be obliterated from existence. We are living on His land, breathing His oxygen, inhabiting His bodies that He made.

Does this God have the right to discontinue our lease, as it were, and end our lives? Why or why not?

Hi,

Although you have made some erroneous statements, your first question will be answered in the affirmative.

God has the right to cancel any and all of our lives at any instant.

To ask why, presupposes to me, that your notion of God is not my Understanding of Him, from The Bible for me.

That book, says that prior to God, you nor I existed. And it says, that He made us. If I and you are made, what rights do we have with Him? None, I would say, apart from any that He gives us. Even our rights, yours and mine come from Him, in the context of The Bible.

And unless He has given you or me, the right to decide our lifespans, then of course He still retains that right over me and over you.

LOVE,
...Mary., .... .

 

[Chany]

No. We are not talking about the creation of things like fictional characters or machines, things without real hopes, dreams, desires, needs, and lives. We are talking about persons. Ana is right; as of now, there is no difference between God and a slave owner- might makes right, so because I'm more powerful/above you, I can do with you what I want.

Let's say I made a new species. This species is different from humanity, but they fit in the category of personhood. They have rational thought. They feel emotions. They have desires and hopes for their lives. Does the mere fact that I created them give me license to treat the persons in this new species in anyway I desire? Even though I gave them existence, it does not follow I have complete ownership over them. Their personhood grants them a status I cannot casually cast aside.

 

[quatona]

Assuming the God of theism exists, He is responsible for creating and upholding the world. The world, being His creation, belongs to Him and he has rights over it. At every moment He is sustaining our lives and it would only take his drawing away from us for us to be obliterated from existence. We are living on His land, breathing His oxygen, inhabiting His bodies that He made.

Does this God have the right to discontinue our lease, as it were, and end our lives? Why or why not?

Who or what gives a God "rights" (and "obligations", as well)?
Do you feel that that ANY morality can be applied to a God?
(I´m asking because if you don´t there isn´t even a basis for discussing this particular question, in the first place.)

 

[quatona]

He owns people the way an author owns his characters.

I find that equation curious. Unless you are positing that characters in a book can actually think, feel, suffer, act etc. I fail to see the point of the analogy.

So what if an author creates a character who starts thinking about the author, his "rights" and "duties"? What if an author writes a book in which all characters contemplate on their relationship with the author? Would that be a good idea? Would that make for a good story?

 

[GrowingSmaller]

The RCC (catholics) answers life is greater than us, so we cannot own or rightly take it. Life belongs to god, to take or give according to the divine plan. I like theodicy set to music. I owe knowing this one to some LDSs.

 

[Chriliman]

Assuming the God of theism exists, He is responsible for creating and upholding the world. The world, being His creation, belongs to Him and he has rights over it. At every moment He is sustaining our lives and it would only take his drawing away from us for us to be obliterated from existence. We are living on His land, breathing His oxygen, inhabiting His bodies that He made.

Does this God have the right to discontinue our lease, as it were, and end our lives? Why or why not?

God is life. So anything of God will be alive forever. Satan did not have the right to want to be God. When satan did this he no longer had a right to live with God. This is where all confusion began. God is currently working to clear up all confusion and bring back all that is of God and separate it from what is not of God, so perfect order can be restored forever like it was originally intended from the beginning Before man fell for satans evil schemes.

 

[Dave Ellis]

Assuming the God of theism exists, He is responsible for creating and upholding the world. The world, being His creation, belongs to Him and he has rights over it. At every moment He is sustaining our lives and it would only take his drawing away from us for us to be obliterated from existence. We are living on His land, breathing His oxygen, inhabiting His bodies that He made.

Does this God have the right to discontinue our lease, as it were, and end our lives? Why or why not?

No, because sentient beings are not property. If I have a kid, I do not have the right to raise them for a couple years and then kill them when I feel like it.

The only system where a god would have "the right" to do such a thing would be a tyrannical dictatorship. And even then, just because that god has the right to do something, it's still heinously immoral.

 

[anonymous person]

No. We are not talking about the creation of things like fictional characters or machines, things without real hopes, dreams, desires, needs, and lives. We are talking about persons. Ana is right; as of now, there is no difference between God and a slave owner- might makes right, so because I'm more powerful/above you, I can do with you what I want.

Let's say I made a new species. This species is different from humanity, but they fit in the category of personhood. They have rational thought. They feel emotions. They have desires and hopes for their lives. Does the mere fact that I created them give me license to treat the persons in this new species in anyway I desire? Even though I gave them existence, it does not follow I have complete ownership over them. Their personhood grants them a status I cannot casually cast aside.

Staying within the context of the hypothetical, you would not exist if God had not made you. If you do not exist, then your dreams and desires and needs also would not exist for they are part and parcel of who you are.

Your analogy is not analogous, for God does not set aside anyone's personhood by taking their life. For the person continues to exist, just not in this world. They retain their personhood nontheless.

 

[anonymous person]

No, because sentient beings are not property. If I have a kid, I do not have the right to raise them for a couple years and then kill them when I feel like it.

The only system where a god would have "the right" to do such a thing would be a tyrannical dictatorship. And even then, just because that god has the right to do something, it's still heinously immoral.

You do not have the right because you did not give them life. God did. You were part of the means by which God caused said kid to be born but this does not equate to you being the giver of life for the very life you have is not a result of anything you have made, but rather, God's spirit which sustains you.

 

[katerinah1947]

No. We are not talking about the creation of things like fictional characters or machines, things without real hopes, dreams, desires, needs, and lives. We are talking about persons. Ana is right; as of now, there is no difference between God and a slave owner- might makes right, so because I'm more powerful/above you, I can do with you what I want.

Let's say I made a new species. This species is different from humanity, but they fit in the category of personhood. They have rational thought. They feel emotions. They have desires and hopes for their lives. Does the mere fact that I created them give me license to treat the persons in this new species in anyway I desire? Even though I gave them existence, it does not follow I have complete ownership over them. Their personhood grants them a status I cannot casually cast aside.

Hi,
Please. Leaving out his leading words of "Assuming God of theism exists", is what you have done here.
You have completely changed the question he asked, to a statement of your own. Then you answered your own statement.
The question started this way. Assuming God of theism exists. .....
LOVE,
...Mary., .... .