Ok, well, since you don’t like my “preconceived ideas,” let’s just go with what you’ve written: I’ve placed in bold a passive grammatical construction that hides the agent, the grammatical subject doing the “demanding” in that sentence. Who is it that demands blood as the debt for sin? Who established this system of blood sacrifice and atonement?
Humble maid:
Thank you again for keeping an open mind. It is the Law that demands the Blood. Revelation 5:9 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the **book, and to open the seals **thereof; because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed to God, in thy blood” The only one that can loose the seal of the Law was Christ. WHY? Because he was God the Son(divine being) the **ultimate price **for the offense of rebellion(sin). “For you are bought with a great price” (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Let’s reflect on the fact that in this story, the god character is supposedly all-powerful. He could have, for example, just erradicated Sin with a snap of his fingers. He could have chosen all kinds of ways of atonement (i.e. not involving blood). He chooses instead a bizarre blood ritual, involving pain, torture, and crucifixion, in which he sacrifices himself to himself in order to redeem mankind.
I understand your POV. Let me digress. As I mentioned above that Jesus can be the only one to loose the seal because it is God who established the law and only God can fulfill it. He took it upon Himself to go to His people on Earth and bring them back home to Him from the principality of this world (Hell) who is ruled by Satan. Satan was not going to give up his station that easily. Remeber that he was thrown out of Heaven and hurled onto the earth where he plots the ruin of men. Why is he allowed to do this? Free will. Satan decided against worshipping God. He knew that if he could mislead humans he could make them fall under his authority and that the only way God could get them back was to execute the Law which demanded a life for a life; Jesus for Adam and his descendents. This life to be exchanged for the ransom had to be done out of pure love hence the blood of the lamb(pure and untarnished). As for the bizarre rituals, pain, torture etc… this was inflicted because of the hatred in some men; instigated by satan not endorsed by God.
I’m starting to get a good idea of the values of this being, and they’re not the sort of values I would admire in anyone, fictional or not.
I realize your way of thinking but again you need to learn more and read more to understand God’s ways. Then it will make sense completely. It is hard for you because like myself when I was a child I could not understand concept of evil or good; children are innocent. Therefore when I heard of atrocities and how men get away with it, it didn’t ring well with me. I was told that God was powerful and punished those who were bad. Why then can’t he just thunderbolt them out of existence. Then I learned about Free Will and the laws governing the universe in which God created. Even He must abide by what He has sealed. This is why we know He is Loving because of His creation and plan of salvation given freely of His Beloved Son.
Yes. This god character has willingly set up a system in which someone’s non-belief or denial – a thought – results in that person suffering for an eternity.
Again, the god character in the story is all powerful. He could have chosen to judge people only on the basis of their deeds and not on the basis of their thoughts or beliefs – he chose to create a system whereby something that an individual thinks results in an unpleasant afterlife.
He doesn’t want to send you to an eternity of suffering. Let me give this analogy please. If I asked you to come to a banquet at my house and that it would be the greatest thing you ever attended and a special prize is to be given, would you come? Let us say that you decided you couldn’t for whatever reason(too busy, got work, don’t feel like it, you don’t like my cooking etc) Later on you realize that those who came received a great prize beyond compare.(eg. a free trip around the world and money incentive or perhaps everlasting happiness and life) would that have likely changed your mind to attend the banquet? You then chastise me for not telling you that there was this wonderful prize. Would this be my fault or yours?
Let’s take another scenario to show what is the result of forfeiture. We are at war and our city is being bombarded with heavy artillery and my house is the only safe refuge since it is invisible to the enemy’s radar; I step outside and see you and urgently ask you to come in. You don’t like me because of some rumor you heard of me and decide to reject my request and seek refuge elsewhere. In the end, those found outside the house became victims of war, but those found in my house remained safe and sound.
Jesus is inviting you to His banquet and asking you to take refuge in His Father’s House. Why do you refuse Him?
I do not approve of a being who values such an unjust system.
As I have demonstrated that God’s system is not unjust but most loving. It is Satan whom you should pick a bone with. If you don’t believe in either then don’t assume that it is this god that is the problem but realize that man has brought both good and destruction.
As you mentioned the values are what you set in your mind. God calls us to be greater than what is known to man and his fallible reasoning. Go further AntiTheist…reevaluate and digress on this…
I think he understood, and left. Get a good night’s sleep. Luv ya.
