Why do believers use one set of rules for Humanity and another set of rules for God?

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This is a thread asking why believers use one set of rules for Humanity, and another set of rules for God. I’m going to list the inconsistencies below:

Lying: "“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
Of course, virtually everyone knows the above biblical verse is not true. Those who believe try and “worm their way out” by saying that a prayer is dependent on God’s will, and it is ultimately God’s will that is done. But nowhere in these verses, or those to follow, does it suggest that an answered prayer is dependent on God’s will. This amounts to lying by omission - lying by deliberately leaving out a crucial truth. This is punishable by law in some jurisdictions. Businesses can be sued for such an action. Yet believers believe this is somehow acceptable for the one who they worship, the one who is supposed to be the bastion of virtue. We find similar empty promises and statements with devotions such as the rosary: “You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary” (11th Promise).

Deadbeat dad: “Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years” (Exodus 12:40).
Israel, God’s people, spent 430 years (although some sources suggest 400) years in captivity. This was willingly allowed by God for no good apparent reason. Believers will respond by saying suffering is good (a maxim that defies human nature) and that God is right for having left the Israelites in bondage for so long. If an earthly father, on the other hand, left his child and did not see him, he would be regarded as a deadbeat dad. He would be an abomination. He would be insulted, degraded and possibly spat at. He would be displayed on the Maury show like a circus animal. Even Jesus wonders why his father would forsake him: ““Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Again, we find that one set of rules is used for Humanity, and another set of rules is used for God.

Drugs and the Garden of Eden: “"The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:14)
Scripture tells us that God threw Satan out of Heaven: “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!” (Revelation 2:12). Satan ended up in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve gave into sin by doing what God told them not to do. They are punished for it. Yet if a parent left drugs or prescribed medicine on the table that is easily accessible for children, the parents would be punished for it. No “free will” argument will make their excuses any more believable. Indeed, we find today that the crux of Dr. Conrad Murray’s case is about why he would leave strong drugs with strong effects in the midst of Michael Jackson, knowing that Michael Jackson was an addict. It begs the question, why would God leave Satan in the midst of Adam and Eve, knowing they would be tempted? Why put them in that situation. There is no distinction between God and grossly negligent parent who leaves drugs on the table that is easily accessible for the children to obtain. Same goes with firearms, 18+ material, and so on and so forth.

Jihad: “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar” (Joshua 10:12-13).
Not much needs to be said here other than this is not different from Islamists who believe Allah is on their side. And of course, Joshua defeats his enemies, and this was with God’s help. This is God permitting what is probably best summed up as “biblical jihad”, the same God who goes on to say: “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39)

There are many other examples. Too many to list. The question is, why do believers use one set of rules for Humanity, and another set of rules for God?

Thank you in advance.
 
Excellent question… and there will be only evasions. They will probably quote Isiah 45:9

Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,
those who are nothing but potsherds
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’

And fail to realize that we do not question God… we question the apologists!
 
It is absurd to expect the Supreme Being to fit in with the notions of a miniscule speck in such a vast and majestic system which dwarfs every objection into insignificance…

Where were you when Creation occurred? :confused:
 
This is a thread asking why believers use one set of rules for Humanity, and another set of rules for God. I’m going to list the inconsistencies below:

Lying: "“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
Of course, virtually everyone knows the above biblical verse is not true. Those who believe try and “worm their way out” by saying that a prayer is dependent on God’s will, and it is ultimately God’s will that is done. But nowhere in these verses, or those to follow, does it suggest that an answered prayer is dependent on God’s will. This amounts to lying by omission - lying by deliberately leaving out a crucial truth. This is punishable by law in some jurisdictions. Businesses can be sued for such an action. Yet believers believe this is somehow acceptable for the one who they worship, the one who is supposed to be the bastion of virtue. We find similar empty promises and statements with devotions such as the rosary: “You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary” (11th Promise).

Deadbeat dad: “Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years” (Exodus 12:40).
Israel, God’s people, spent 430 years (although some sources suggest 400) years in captivity. This was willingly allowed by God for no good apparent reason. Believers will respond by saying suffering is good (a maxim that defies human nature) and that God is right for having left the Israelites in bondage for so long. If an earthly father, on the other hand, left his child and did not see him, he would be regarded as a deadbeat dad. He would be an abomination. He would be insulted, degraded and possibly spat at. He would be displayed on the Maury show like a circus animal. Even Jesus wonders why his father would forsake him: ““Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Again, we find that one set of rules is used for Humanity, and another set of rules is used for God.

Drugs and the Garden of Eden: “"The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:14)
Scripture tells us that God threw Satan out of Heaven: “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!” (Revelation 2:12). Satan ended up in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve gave into sin by doing what God told them not to do. They are punished for it. Yet if a parent left drugs or prescribed medicine on the table that is easily accessible for children, the parents would be punished for it. No “free will” argument will make their excuses any more believable. Indeed, we find today that the crux of Dr. Conrad Murray’s case is about why he would leave strong drugs with strong effects in the midst of Michael Jackson, knowing that Michael Jackson was an addict. It begs the question, why would God leave Satan in the midst of Adam and Eve, knowing they would be tempted? Why put them in that situation. There is no distinction between God and grossly negligent parent who leaves drugs on the table that is easily accessible for the children to obtain. Same goes with firearms, 18+ material, and so on and so forth.

Jihad: “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar” (Joshua 10:12-13).
Not much needs to be said here other than this is not different from Islamists who believe Allah is on their side. And of course, Joshua defeats his enemies, and this was with God’s help. This is God permitting what is probably best summed up as “biblical jihad”, the same God who goes on to say: “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39)

There are many other examples. Too many to list. The question is, why do believers use one set of rules for Humanity, and another set of rules for God?

Thank you in advance.
Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,
those who are nothing but potsherds
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’
 
This is a thread asking why believers use one set of rules for Humanity, and another set of rules for God. I’m going to list the inconsistencies below:

Lying: "“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
Of course, virtually everyone knows the above biblical verse is not true. Those who believe try and “worm their way out” by saying that a prayer is dependent on God’s will, and it is ultimately God’s will that is done. But nowhere in these verses, or those to follow, does it suggest that an answered prayer is dependent on God’s will. This amounts to lying by omission - lying by deliberately leaving out a crucial truth. This is punishable by law in some jurisdictions. Businesses can be sued for such an action. Yet believers believe this is somehow acceptable for the one who they worship, the one who is supposed to be the bastion of virtue. We find similar empty promises and statements with devotions such as the rosary: “You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary” (11th Promise).

Deadbeat dad: “Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years” (Exodus 12:40).
Israel, God’s people, spent 430 years (although some sources suggest 400) years in captivity. This was willingly allowed by God for no good apparent reason. Believers will respond by saying suffering is good (a maxim that defies human nature) and that God is right for having left the Israelites in bondage for so long. If an earthly father, on the other hand, left his child and did not see him, he would be regarded as a deadbeat dad. He would be an abomination. He would be insulted, degraded and possibly spat at. He would be displayed on the Maury show like a circus animal. Even Jesus wonders why his father would forsake him: ““Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Again, we find that one set of rules is used for Humanity, and another set of rules is used for God.

Drugs and the Garden of Eden: “"The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:14)
Scripture tells us that God threw Satan out of Heaven: “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!” (Revelation 2:12). Satan ended up in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve gave into sin by doing what God told them not to do. They are punished for it. Yet if a parent left drugs or prescribed medicine on the table that is easily accessible for children, the parents would be punished for it. No “free will” argument will make their excuses any more believable. Indeed, we find today that the crux of Dr. Conrad Murray’s case is about why he would leave strong drugs with strong effects in the midst of Michael Jackson, knowing that Michael Jackson was an addict. It begs the question, why would God leave Satan in the midst of Adam and Eve, knowing they would be tempted? Why put them in that situation. There is no distinction between God and grossly negligent parent who leaves drugs on the table that is easily accessible for the children to obtain. Same goes with firearms, 18+ material, and so on and so forth.

Jihad: “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar” (Joshua 10:12-13).
Not much needs to be said here other than this is not different from Islamists who believe Allah is on their side. And of course, Joshua defeats his enemies, and this was with God’s help. This is God permitting what is probably best summed up as “biblical jihad”, the same God who goes on to say: “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39)

There are many other examples. Too many to list. The question is, why do believers use one set of rules for Humanity, and another set of rules for God?

Thank you in advance.
The only real questions here are - why does an fundamentalist atheist cling to biblical literalism?

And why present such double-barrelled fundamentalism on a catholic forum when the Catholic Church does not preach an exclusively literal interprtation of Scripture?
 
The only real questions here are - why does an fundamentalist atheist cling to biblical literalism?
This didn’t really address my question but is nothing more than a mere ad hominem attack. How can you answer a question with a question? This was sort of expected though, as nothing shakes a theist more than when you question their belief with the Bible. The Truth will set you free, but not everyone wants to find out the Truth.
And why present such double-barrelled fundamentalism on a catholic forum when the Catholic Church does not preach an exclusively literal interprtation of Scripture?
I don’t need to be schooled on Catholic hermeneutics, but thank you for the offer. I know exactly how the Bible interacts with the deposit of faith.

The biblical verses I posted is not vacuous “fundamentalism”. I posted the standard interpretation of these verses, and asked why believers use one set of rules for Humanity and another set of rules for God.

This is to all other possible posters: Please, if you aren’t going to answer the question, don’t bother posting on this thread. I am not here to receive your insults, your name-calling or your derogatory remarks. I am not here to inadvertently prove just how little Christian charity you have. If you have nothing better to say, don’t say it. Reminds me of Galileo what had to say: "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them."
 
It is no great mystery that the professors in a school are not subject to the same rules as the students.

Human life, as we know it, was never intended to be for ever. The law of entropy, which governs the energy of our bodies, makes that clear. We are being prepared for eternity.

ICXC NIKA
 
It is ironic that a non-believer should ask why believers are morally inconsistent when morality is a meaningless myth in a purposeless universe!

If only matter exists nothing matters…
 
Considering that thousands of Christian sects exist because individuals take snippets from the Scriptures to suit their particular purpose there is no obvious reason why opponents of Christianity shouldn’t follow their example… 😉
 
Excellent question… and there will be only evasions. They will probably quote Isiah 45:9

Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,
those who are nothing but potsherds
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’

And fail to realize that we do not question God… we question the apologists!
atheists often know what believers might answer before they come to a Christian site. Even when there are multiple answers in a case like this, a person who was genuinely curious would just google the question and get a boatload of answers in about 2 seconds and could then spend the rest of the day sifting through those answers rather than play the wait game on msg board.

That’s how you know that atheist questions on Christian msg boards aren’t REALLY questions at all, but just an excuse for the atheist to surround himself with Christians…sometimes on a daily basis.
 
atheists often know what believers might answer before they come to a Christian site. Even when there are multiple answers in a case like this, a person who was genuinely curious would just google the question and get a boatload of answers in about 2 seconds and could then spend the rest of the day sifting through those answers rather than play the wait game on msg board.

That’s how you know that atheist questions on Christian msg boards aren’t REALLY questions at all, but just an excuse for the atheist to surround himself with Christians…sometimes on a daily basis.
Not just for company but in order to attack! 😉
 
This is a thread asking why believers use one set of rules for Humanity, and another set of rules for God. I’m going to list the inconsistencies below:

Lying: "“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
Of course, virtually everyone knows the above biblical verse is not true. Those who believe try and “worm their way out” by saying that a prayer is dependent on God’s will, and it is ultimately God’s will that is done. But nowhere in these verses, or those to follow, does it suggest that an answered prayer is dependent on God’s will. This amounts to lying by omission - lying by deliberately leaving out a crucial truth. This is punishable by law in some jurisdictions. Businesses can be sued for such an action. Yet believers believe this is somehow acceptable for the one who they worship, the one who is supposed to be the bastion of virtue. We find similar empty promises and statements with devotions such as the rosary: “You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary” (11th Promise).

Deadbeat dad: “Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years” (Exodus 12:40).
Israel, God’s people, spent 430 years (although some sources suggest 400) years in captivity. This was willingly allowed by God for no good apparent reason. Believers will respond by saying suffering is good (a maxim that defies human nature) and that God is right for having left the Israelites in bondage for so long. If an earthly father, on the other hand, left his child and did not see him, he would be regarded as a deadbeat dad. He would be an abomination. He would be insulted, degraded and possibly spat at. He would be displayed on the Maury show like a circus animal. Even Jesus wonders why his father would forsake him: ““Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Again, we find that one set of rules is used for Humanity, and another set of rules is used for God.

Drugs and the Garden of Eden: “"The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:14)
Scripture tells us that God threw Satan out of Heaven: “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!” (Revelation 2:12). Satan ended up in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve gave into sin by doing what God told them not to do. They are punished for it. Yet if a parent left drugs or prescribed medicine on the table that is easily accessible for children, the parents would be punished for it. No “free will” argument will make their excuses any more believable. Indeed, we find today that the crux of Dr. Conrad Murray’s case is about why he would leave strong drugs with strong effects in the midst of Michael Jackson, knowing that Michael Jackson was an addict. It begs the question, why would God leave Satan in the midst of Adam and Eve, knowing they would be tempted? Why put them in that situation. There is no distinction between God and grossly negligent parent who leaves drugs on the table that is easily accessible for the children to obtain. Same goes with firearms, 18+ material, and so on and so forth.

Jihad: “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar” (Joshua 10:12-13).
Not much needs to be said here other than this is not different from Islamists who believe Allah is on their side. And of course, Joshua defeats his enemies, and this was with God’s help. This is God permitting what is probably best summed up as “biblical jihad”, the same God who goes on to say: “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39)

There are many other examples. Too many to list. The question is, why do believers use one set of rules for Humanity, and another set of rules for God?

Thank you in advance.
Why would a former devout:rolleyes: Catholic come here behaving like none of these questions had ever crossed his mind? The lack of human understanding in the things of God is an age old question posed by people for thousands of years, it’s actually a Biblical thing and I can’t believe a former devout Catholic wouldn’t know the Biblical response to such an old query. Have you not even read the Bible that you don’t know the answer to this type of question?

To humor your question though: in non Biblical lingo, it’s (in a small way) comparable to a very small child questioning the things his parents do, except that the distance between us and God is infinitely larger than the distance between child and parent.
 
atheists often know what believers might answer before they come to a Christian site.
They might suspect… based upon prior experience. But sometimes… (very rarely) we encounter well reasoned responses. However, most of the time this is the “reply” we see, evasion, trying to turn the tables, ad hominems, etc… Of course it must be hard to see a question for which there is no reasonable answer, but in those cases there is always a perfectly valid reply: “this is what we believe, and that is it”. As a bumper sticker said: “Jesus said it, I believe it, that’s the end of it”. Why do you try to make faith to become reasonable? Are you ashamed of your faith?
 
Bohm Bawerk;8447216:
Freedom is also a meaningless myth if human beings are biological machines…
You seem to be hugely bothered by the “biological machine” argument.

But even assuming that you are right, that we are actually “spirits” of some kind temporarily residing in human bodies; that does not prove “human freedom.”. There could easily be deterministic laws governing spirits, as well.

ICXC NIKA
 
Not just for company but in order to attack! 😉
Yes but it’s just part of the God-fit.
And it helps to remember that people need to get through the fit before they can be over the fit. Almost every one of these so called “atheists” will get over the fit and end up back in Church, and when atheists return to the Church, they often end up making some of the most admirable Christians in the congregation.
 
They might suspect… based upon prior experience. But sometimes… (very rarely) we encounter well reasoned responses. However, most of the time this is the “reply” we see, evasion, trying to turn the tables, ad hominems, etc… Of course it must be hard to see a question for which there is no reasonable answer, but in those cases there is always a perfectly valid reply: “this is what we believe, and that is it”. As a bumper sticker said: “Jesus said it, I believe it, that’s the end of it”. Why do you try to make faith to become reasonable? Are you ashamed of your faith?
You guys aren’t coming here for answers in the first place, whether they be well reasoned or not.

As already stated in this thread…
a person who was genuinely curious would just google the question and get a boatload of answers in about 2 seconds and could then spend the rest of the day sifting through those answers rather than play the wait game on msg board.
That’s how you know that atheist questions on Christian msg boards aren’t REALLY questions at all, but just an excuse for the atheist to surround himself with Christians…sometimes on a daily basis.
 
This is to all other possible posters: Please, if you aren’t going to answer the question, don’t bother posting on this thread. I am not here to receive your insults, your name-calling or your derogatory remarks.
It seems to me that if you came in here, insulting our Father, calling him names and making derogatory remarks, then not insulting you would be charity. Gee, I wonder who taught charity. 😉
 
Code:
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Freedom is also a meaningless myth if human beings are biological machines…
It doesn’t bother me in the slightest because it is self-destructive. Biological machines cannot think independently, lack insight and are not responsible for what they think.
But even assuming that you are right, that we are actually “spirits” of some kind temporarily residing in human bodies; that does not prove “human freedom.”. There could easily be deterministic laws governing spirits, as well.
If that were true they too would be incapable of love - which presupposes an element of choice. It would also apply to God in Whose image we are made…

Do you believe we are bodies without souls?
 
Why do we use one set of rules for children and another set of rules for adults?

Why do we use one set of rules for strangers and another set of rules for our personal doctors?

Not all parties are the same. Humanity and God are not the same.

You said there were no “apparent” reason for these things. The difference between you and the believer is that the believer already recognizes the unquestionable goodness of God, so they can live with not knowing a reason for something. We acknowledge that there may be some explanations for these things that we cannot now comprehend. Can you acknowledge that?
 
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