Why is God such a jerk?

[stahrwe]

In a couple of recent posts Bible stories were presented which reinforce the idea that God is mean, vindictive, hateful, and murderous. Did I miss anything?

The subject line seems to be what comes up in Bible stories like where the bears attack and kill the children, Gehazi getting leprosy, etc.

Frankly, those stories fall into the category of amateur hour with respect to the central question. The real tough one is found in Matthew, where King Herod has the babies in Bethlehem killed just after Jesus beats it out of town with Mary and Joseph. What makes it more reprehensible is that God warns Joseph to haul tail but lets the others sit in town until the soldiers come. You might correctly surmise that this whole story is problematic to someone like me who believes that God is a loving God and not a jerk. The question is, can this story be reconciled with the actions of a God who is not a jerk? It took me 20+ years of thinking and reading to discover the answer. It was the impetus for writing my first book which has turned out to be two books.

[DWill]

In a sense, the critics you refer to are indicating a belief they wouldn't admit to if asked. Is this God of the Bible real? They would say no. Then why act as though it's anything unusual for there to be conflicting portraits drawn of a non-real entity? The name is "God," but this God is not the same to all people, at all times, so it's perfectly understandable that he might appear to be of a mixed nature when written about. Nonbelievers railing against God is a little like railing against a character in a novel.

[geo]

Indeed, it's no mystery why God is depicted as mean, vindictive, hateful, and murderous in the Old Testament. That's how people perceived him in those ancient times. Likewise the gods of ancient Greece were very humanlike, not at all godlike by modern standards. No mystery at all.

[stahrwe]

Indeed, it's no mystery why God is depicted as mean, vindictive, hateful, and murderous in the Old Testament. That's how people perceived him in those ancient times. Likewise the gods of ancient Greece were very humanlike, not at all godlike by modern standards. No mystery at all.

Why not perceive him as a Santa figure?

[geo]

Indeed, it's no mystery why God is depicted as mean, vindictive, hateful, and murderous in the Old Testament. That's how people perceived him in those ancient times. Likewise the gods of ancient Greece were very humanlike, not at all godlike by modern standards. No mystery at all.

Why not perceive him as a Santa figure?

I don't think that would make sense during this particular time period. A god that is vindictive and capricious would be more aligned with unexplained and seemingly random phenomenon such as floods, drought, plagues. It would have been difficult to explain the presence of random evil without a capricious and vindictive god. A Santa figure would not have resonated with people back then. As time goes on and people began to understand the physical world in more scientific terms, their god would naturally become less angry and less capricious.

[Frank 013]

Very well explained Geo... me likie

Later

[geo]

Very well explained Geo... me likie

Later

(Picking himself up off the floor)

Wow! Frank. This is indeed a pleasant surprise. Good to see you, man! How are things? Hope you stick around for awhile.

[Jim Watters]

I mean release the Frank.

[Chris OConnor]

Geo that was very good.

[Chris OConnor]

I agree with what Geo said. But I'll add that the way the OT defines and describes God is evidence that someone just made it all up. Clearly, if there is a God and he loves us as his own children he wouldn't do the nasty stuff in the OT.