Some folks like to say "God is mean / evil"

United States
April 15, 2007 9:21am CST
Some people like to say that God of the Old Testament is mean, and, or, evil.. But this is like saying "oh those parents are mean" when they spanked their child.. But what isn't mentioned, or known, is that said child bludgeoned their sister til she was handicapped for life, or worse yet, dead..
2 people like this
6 responses
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Apr 07
It's because they want God to be a big Santa Claus who forgives them for what they do wrong, who does not judge, and literally lets them get away with murder. However man is a sinner and only God can forgive him. Let me see, God only punished people in the Old Testament when they were bad. If there was someone in the house who did something against God, like stealing or disobeying Him, anyone in the household had the right to tell the priests or leave the area immediately so they would not feel God's wrath. There is also a rule that children should not be punished for their parents' sins.
• United States
15 Apr 07
Well, all I could say to this is judgment would be exacted upon those in accordance to what he/she has committed. In your discussion, and I must agree to this, the punishment is not even enough. So perhaps the point here is, why look at the punisher, and not at the person being punished? Why is there condemnation? What is the impact of one's actions? We could even realize that the punishment is not even enough, if we only open our eyes to the reality of what people have done to merit such punishment. Happy myLotting!
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@info2go (241)
• Philippines
16 Apr 07
If god is so omniscient then why would he create sinners in the first place to be punished later if he knew about it all along. I would not say sinners doesn't deserve to be punished, but according to the bible there is a place in the afterlife we call Hell - come on! that's eternal burning. The book of Matthew tells us that when Jesus returns to earth, he will send his angels to gather people and cast them into a furnace of fire, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. [Matthew 13:41-42] And he will order people to "go from my sight to the eternal fire that is ready for the devil and his angels. [Matthew 25:41] In the beginning there was nothing... and so on and so forth... Then God created man and 'suffering' also began to exist. You get the drift.
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
15 Apr 07
The people that say God is mean or evil do not know him. As for his having whole nations destroyed they should look at those nations to see what those nations were like. Some of them were sacrificing children to a god that was blood thirsty and the only way to stop it was to destroy that nation completely. Archeology show infants put in the corner stones of some homes. God was a very patient God too Hi didn't just send his people out to wipe out other nations with out giving them a chance to change. They really should study more of the bible plus the history.
• United States
16 Apr 07
..God has the power to resurrect also.. in this garden of his called earth, these nations were heavily steeped in the pratice of human sacrifice.. And since he "can see the end from the beginning" he knew they had to be taken out of the world (as Deebomb also posted:) - however, they weren't completely and caused much havoc abd sufferings..
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@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
15 Apr 07
But if God wiped out the whole nation, including killing children, then wouldn't God be doing the same thing he's condemning the people for?
1 person likes this
@MntlWard (878)
• United States
15 Apr 07
How about them kids who God sent lions to eat because they were making fun of Elisha's being bald? Do you not think that was even a tiny bit mean?
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Apr 07
hi! Actually it says.. 2 Kings 2:23,24 "From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths." ...this just goes to prove you don't have to be perfect to know God.. God didn't do it.. Elisha did.. One time I got mad at my sister in law (who I love so dearly) and I thought "**** ***, Julie" and at that very moment, pretty much, she hit her head on the corner of a cupboard and could've used about three stitches.. I learned a good lesson from my foolishness.. and that is to not curse others.. anybody can do it.. and since God is Life itself and the power of the universe, we can think of it as God doing it.. but He didn't.. :))
• United States
17 Apr 07
..God is Life itself, so results and judgements are said to come from /God.. It was primitive times, where the religion of the region was human sacrifice.. and all manner of unthinkable things.. How do you tell such folks.. results/judgement is coming? And be heard? For instance He could look at the world now and all the pre-born which are killed and he could be very angry and might describe some of the results and consequences that will come "because you spilled the blood of the innocent upon your land, the land will become parched and your tongue will cleave to the dust.." This is what he sees.. if you tell primitive people something like that, they just might listen up, and [1] quit butchering the innocents (always a last straw in those days to God.. and [2] the results/judgements would be avoided, cause they had been warned.. [Even being so outspoken about it though, usually man does not 'listen'.. Now if He was to say to such primitive people, gee, guys, please don't do that.. Especially in those days of fierce war gods, he would have been laughed to scorn.. Besides what gets passed around as criticisms of God, are often just like this one with Elisha.. where, through free-will, Elisha, did it, but it is equated and passed around as, God did it.. blessings!:))
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
15 Apr 07
You know, I see your point, really I do. But if we take what the Bible says literally, the God of the Old Testament encouraged his followers to a lot of really heinous acts, including slaughtering entire nations of people, including children. Not only that, but the many atrocities against women allowed in laws that supposedly came "from God" are not something I can just overlook. Sorry, but I can't equate that to spanking. I'm not saying that I have something about the Christian religion as a whole. I don't. But that particular part of the the Bible is simply horrific. Taken as a history, as things people did in that time period, it's pretty much on par with the history of many other nations of that time. But taken as the words of of a God, it does definitely paint that God as a bloodthirsty creature.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Apr 07
The times were horrific ..actually if one were to read things in context, you'd find it was much better than other lands of the day.. and some of the laws were, "if You, earthly father, insist on giving (selling) your daughter into a fixed marriage, you will [a!] at least find a pleasant and good place for her!" He called it "slavery" because He was being brutally honest.. [Many like to say God supported slavery, cause it's in the Old Testament.. they don't realize the 'slavery' referred to was a debt system, and God said "ok, I insist every seven years, all debts be forgiven!" Gee, I wish I had my debts under that!! And employment too!] And wars are wars.. and God would come with smoke out his nostrils (tongue in cheek:) to defend His people when they were being (unjustly) invaded.. And would give them victory.. God's not yet ruling the world and world forces.. it's 'free-will' that's presently unfolding.. But He has interfered two or three (globally) dire times.. and one of those times was when He wanted the nations heavily steeped in human sacrifice taken out of the arena.. As pure evil is quite virulent.. something mankind still has not learned..
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Apr 07
P.S. ..thanks for posting and thinking about this issue.. :))
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@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
17 Apr 07
"And wars are wars" Yes, atrocities happen in all wars, religious or otherwise. I completely agree with you, actually. I didn't say that I really believe the Christian God is evil, only that if you take what the Bible says literally he was. There's so much in the Bible of people basically claiming that "God said to do this", and therefore much of what God's followers did in that time period is attributed to God. It's the same with any religion, actually.
@info2go (241)
• Philippines
16 Apr 07
"God is mean and evil." Miseries outweigh the good things in life, If you only know how much people are suffering outside your country then you'll know God cannot be bothered to reach out a helping hand, but he created them still. It's like giving birth to a child only to let him out in the streets to beg for food and experience the all not-so-good things.
• United States
17 Apr 07
..because God is Life, he lives through, experiences and suffers all sufferings which occur.. but he endowed thinking ability (to angel and man) anyway..
@info2go (241)
• Philippines
17 Apr 07
Thank you for your efforts in giving kind feedback to my comments, I appreciate that but, I'm afraid that that doesn't convince me enough to believe that there is a God or about the argument that he is a true loving God indeed. I care not to lengthen this argument as I thins I have said everything I want and it's up to the people what they think is right for them to think. After all the depictions in the bible, all I can say is that it still manages to describe god as 'bloody clean.'