If you don't believe the Bible.

[postroad]

Christians will often insist that certain texts can't be understood to actually mean what is plainly stated. Given enough believers I imagine that most of the Bible would be in dispute. The question is, why should the sceptic believe the Bible if Christianity does not.[/i]

[TheBeardedDude]

[Replying to post 49 by JehovahsWitness]

Here, let me make it more explicit.

If god decides what is and isn't moral, and then violates one of those aforementioned moral commandments, that should make god an immoral actor with respect to the violation of its own moral commandments. But you claim that god is incapable of committing an immoral action, meaning that even though god is the one to define morality, god's definition of morality doesn't apply to god in the same way it applies to humans. Double standard and special pleading.

So, for instance, if it is immoral to commit murder and then god murders someone, you'd call that moral even though god's commandments say it should be immoral. That makes you a hypocrite to call god's actions moral when they should be immoral if you applied the same standard of morality to yourself and god. But you apply one definition of moral to god and another to yourself and humanity.

[JehovahsWitness]

It is special pleading to give one moral actor a pass and to apply a different definition of moral and immoral to god than to humans. You can keep saying it isn't, but that doesn't make it true.

I keep saying it isn't true because by any definition of the term "special pleading" it isn't true.

For us the defintion of "moral" is "whatever God says is moral". That same definition is applied both to Him and to everyone else. For further on this point see post #49 above.

[TheBeardedDude]

[Replying to post 52 by JehovahsWitness]

But you DON'T apply it equally. God gets a pass on his actions and decisions because you consider them moral by default. Humans DON'T get that definition of morality. It's a double standard and hypocritical.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 50 by TheBeardedDude]

So what part of "God decides what is moral" is God not applying to himself?

[TheBeardedDude]

[Replying to post 54 by JehovahsWitness]

You are the hypocrite because YOU are the one making the moral claims about god and humanity.

Assuming god is real, it would make it a hypocrite for it to be the one to decide that it can make moral commandments that it can then break but it's actions get to still be moral. That's hypocrisy with respect to god. But your hypocrisy is in applying the different definitions of moral to you and god. Basically, you have to do what god says to be moral, but you don't believe god does.

[postroad]

[Replying to post 54 by JehovahsWitness] Did you miss the posts I had written?

[Tired of the Nonsense]

[Replying to post 50 by TheBeardedDude]

So what part of "God decides what is moral" is God not applying to himself?

So if God sometimes decides that there are times when disemboweling babies and children is moral (which the Bible indicates that He has), then we mortals should consider it moral as well? Where is your prized claim of free will?

[ttruscott]

[Replying to post 7 by ttruscott] Odd that Satan can overcome the Spirit? Is he simply more powerful?

Of course you find it confusing - it is a false bias and never happened.

[TheBeardedDude]

[Replying to post 58 by ttruscott]

Well, if you want to get technical then nothing in the bible happened so no wonder everyone is confused!

(it is a common belief among some theistic groups that Satan did indeed "overcome the spirit" in rebellion with god)

[ttruscott]

[Replying to post 11 by bjs]
Oh come now! Let's not be obstinant here. Even within the minuscule population of thirsts represented here there exists a "difference " of opinions on matters of doctrine so central to orthodox Christianity that few centuries past would have been settled at the stake.

You chose the C&A forum: Please list these differences of opinion on matters of doctrine that are central to Christianity and

please show your proof people were staked for these differences.