Is God psychotic?

[Winken]

Don't you think God possesses a unique prerogative as the Giver and Sustainer of Life also to be its Taker? Do you think God is obliged to make our lives long and comfortable and our end pleasant and quick? If so, why? If not, why would taking the life of children be a horrible act on God's part? He can do whatever He likes with the life He gives and sustains, can't He?

Have you ever considered that the pagan nations around Israel were their enemies and attacked Israel many times before God commanded reprisals? If the pagan nations surrounding Israel that commonly indulged in sexual perversion, idol worship, human sacrifice, and general moral corruption are representative of sin, what attitude toward sin do you think God is exemplifying in His severe treatment of these pagan nations ?

Are you aware that the OT descriptions of the utter destruction of the enemies of Israel employ "war language" that was common at the time and was akin to the way sports announcers today describe the victory of one sports team over another? Have you ever heard an announcer say something like, "The Blue Jays destroyed the White Sox tonight, crushing them in a 7-2 victory"? Or, "The Edmonton Oilers wiped out the Montreal Canadians in a 6-2 massacre of their opponents"? We understand of course that no real massacre occurred and no one was literally destroyed. It's just hyperbole so common to the description of sports events we don't even really notice it. Well, this was the same way descriptions of military victories in the time of the OT were made. Hyperbole was typical and would have been understood to be hyperbole. And this is what we see in Scripture where we read of a nation being utterly destroyed man, woman and child by the Israelites in one chapter and then three or four chapters later we read of that same nation fighting with Israel again.

You might do yourself a favor and read Paul Copan's book "Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God." He goes in to significant detail countering the objections of Dawkins and his ilk to the God they think they see in the Old Testament.



Have you ever watched, say, the Olympic final of the 100 meter sprint? When the winner crosses the finish line and raises his hands in victory and runs a lap to the adulation of the spectators, is he just being an insecure attention-seeker? Of course not! He has just proven he is the fastest sprinter on the planet! That deserves the applause and cheers of the audience. He has earned the victory lap he takes. Now think about God for a second. He has done things that are far, far beyond incredible! He is awesome, and powerful, and pure on a level that beggars description! The momentary victory of an Olympic sprinter fades to nothing before the glory, and supremacy, and brilliance of God! But you would begrudge God the worship and praise He absolutely deserves! How does that make sense? It isn't that God craves our worship, but that He deserves it. God is totally worthy of all the praise we can give Him. And giving Him the praise He is due is the fundamental purpose of our existence. It's what each of us was made for. All of Creation was made to proclaim the excellence and glory of God.



But here's the thing: the universe is not about you - or any other human person (or about all of humanity, either). The universe is God's and its basic purpose is to serve God's will and display His power and greatness. All that has transpired in the Fall of Man, and the corruption of Creation by sin, and the Redemption of humanity through Christ has served as the stage upon which God has displayed His perfect and incomparable qualities.

God's omniscience allows Him to see not only the world that is but all the worlds that could have been. And of all the possible worlds He could have made, being a good and loving God, the one He has created is the one in which He knew the greatest number of people would freely choose to walk with Him. In every other possible world fewer people would have freely chosen Him, so this world is an illustration of God's goodness as well as His omniscience.



Why does God doing as He pleases in His universe amount to "selfish, psychotic and hate-filled" behaviour? You have reduced God to your own human level, seeing Him through the same lens that you use to assess other human beings. But God isn't a human being. Not even close! While we possess some aspects of God "image," He is far, far more unlike us than like us. Accusing Him of pathological vanity doesn't really say anything true about God but it does say a great deal about how diminished and distorted He is in your thinking!



Have you come out all over in boils? Has a bolt of lightning struck you? Has your home been destroyed by a divine hail of fire? No? Why wouldn't a selfish, psychotic, hate-filled God strike you down the moment you said the slightest unpleasant thing about Him? How is it that this incredibly nasty God has allowed you to continue to live (I assume fairly comfortably) - as He does countless other people who also shake their fists in His face on a daily basis? That doesn't really make any sense if God is as you say He is...

Selah.

Spiritually outstanding!

 

[Winken]

This thread contains POWERful Christian revelation!

 

[com7fy8]

I’ve always wanted to the charismatic connection with God that I always promised existed (hearing from God, having purpose etc..).

We do hear from God. And God does have His personal purposes for each of us. This is not only charismatic.

God uses the Bible with each of us, to speak personally to us. But there are things which are not directly dealt with by the Bible, and God does personally guide us about everything, if we submit to Him.

"The LORD will guide you continually," we have in Isaiah 58:11. But His guiding is not only by speaking to us, but in us He is working us to do whatsoever He desires >

"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13 > also consider 1 Corinthians 6:17)

So, He does not only speak to us.

Also, Colossians 3:15 says that we all "in one body" are called to be ruled by God's own peace in our "hearts". This is personal, in each heart of each child of God. Every one of us can submit to how our Father personally guides us "continually" (Isaiah 58:11) in His very own peace

Therefore, in order to do this, we need to refuse to give in to and go along with bitterness and lusts and the sorts of thinking which come in bitterness and lust stuff. But prayerfully seek how God corrects us into His peace, then see how He makes us clear in our thinking and discovering how He creatively guides us.

And the Bible tells us other things which are anti-God and anti-love, and therefore we must not trust how these things would have us become and think and see things >

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

This is not about special charismatic gifts, but about growth in Christ (Galatians 4:19) and His grace (2 Corinthians 12:9). Trust God to grow and develop us to share with Him, like this, in His love. It takes time for a child to grow to become more and more able to personally share with the child's parents. We grow as God's children, trusting Him to do this with us, and being prayerfully careful about where our attention is going.

 

[orangeness365]

God is holy and good, and we are fallen. Everyone is evil even from their youth Genesis 8:21. Everything that God does has to be taken into account that we are evil and He is good. Part of being good is showing mercy and love, but there also comes a time for justice. Because God is good he alone can also exercise vengeance, Romans 12:19. Because God is good he allowed for love of Him to be a choice, and because He is good, he allows for inherently evil beings to come back to paradise and be forgiven. God is perfect and holy, and everything He does is designed to bring as many into Heaven as possible, as will accept Him.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Doubtful... I cannot give you a total and complete remission of your questions and doubts, but I think I can point out and suggest some considerations.

One. God kills babies.
Actually, yes. However, reading the rest in totality, God is the one who determines when everyone dies. Every one. My late father passed away at age ninety-six. Some children die in child birth. Most of us look at those sort of things and respond with something on the order of "A good age, full of years and blessed" or "He (she) didn't even have a chance to live"

However, upon what basis is this sort of opinion made? If God is God, then He decided when my father and when the baby would die AND God was right in His determination on both occasions.

I admit, when a young child dies I wonder "Why so young?" But God is under no obligation to explain His thinking to me (or you, or anyone else). Either God knows what He's doing or He doesn't.

Two. Glory.
Yes. He's God. Humans, including Christians often settle into the routine thought of God being 'just another guy' with more tricks and powers than the rest of us. He isn't. He's GOD. I agree, if God were a man and acted the way He does, demanding obedience, requiring submission and so forth, he would be intolerable. But He isn't; He's GOD.

Have you ever dealt with 'important' people? Going to see the President or CEO of a company, one makes an appointment and fits into his schedule. No one - generally - gets to merely walk into his office and start shooting the bull.

Getting to see the Governor of the state is more convoluted and tedious. An appointment with the President of the United States? Maybe next year. And expect to be stripped searched three or four times.

A person who demands traffic be stopped for him, certain music to be played when he enters a room, people to salute him and all sorts of special 'favors' would be considered a megalomaniac. Unless he is the President of the United States. Such treatment is 'normal' for the POTUS.

So how about for God? Who else gets the glory? Who else deserves glory?

Three . Who's right?
Your initial post indicates you have judged God and found Him lacking. In one paragraph you say you hate Him. In doing so, you - no less than many others, perhaps everyone - have judged God by your own standards.

Think about that for a moment. A created being is passing judgement on God? That, I recall, was Satan's downfall. Not that I think or assume God has finished with you and doesn't want you around any more. However, I suggest you consider your thinking and perhaps attempt to admit this to God. (Not to me and not to your pastor and not to your Sunday School teacher.) Talk with God about it - it's not like He hasn't heard. God will discuss it with you and answer you. But you have to be ready for the answer. Ready to accept it, even if you don't like it.

I'll be praying for you. It can be done and it's easier than you might think. There's lots of us who have done it already.

 

[Trichakra]

In the subject.

Confusing Questions