Does Good Come From God?

[EarthRider]

we don't have quick mart, i don't live in the ghetto bro

 

[miplank]

Just get the damn beer.

 

[EarthRider]

lol

 

[Strongbow]

Yea bish buy the damn beer already

 

[javaguru]

Gotta love it when atheists decree to the rest of us what gods may or may not think, know, or do. Man didn't create gods, but neither did the gods create man.

Read some Qaballah, will you Java? Even the Chicken Qabalah by Don Milo, seriously.

That being said, Yahweh is a bit of an asshat, but so are plenty of other gods. Most of the gods of polytheistic cultures have nothing to do with "rules" ... think on the behavior of say, Zeus. He's all about marital honesty, monogamy, consensual sex

The gods are archetypes, being essential human characteristics or even universal facts made manifest (the Hindu trilogy of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu is a good example).

Just sayin that religion has been a means of organizing the primitive cultures in which they originated and even polytheistic cultures had "rules" set forth by the priests and priestesses....they also ensured their status in society; Show me a major religious figure in the United States that lives a modest lifestyle. The priestly class has always been a major political force through their "divine revelations" about how society should be organized by the other politicians. God doesn't have a weekly broadcast about what he demands but there are plenty of people willing to be the spokes model for whatever god someone may worship. The politician and the priest are pretty much interchangeable in society, except in the United States we hold our politicians somewhat accountable.

 

[mrplunkey]

Just sayin that religion has been a means of organizing the primitive cultures in which they originated and even polytheistic cultures had "rules" set forth by the priests and priestesses....they also ensured their status in society; Show me a major religious figure in the United States that lives a modest lifestyle. The priestly class has always been a major political force through their "divine revelations" about how society should be organized by the other politicians. God doesn't have a weekly broadcast about what he demands but there are plenty of people willing to be the spokes model for whatever god someone may worship. The politician and the priest are pretty much interchangeable in society, except in the United States we hold our politicians somewhat accountable.

most heads of congregations do live modest lifestyles.

Sure, you can creatively define "major religious figure" to target an affluent subset, but they are only a tiny sliver of the entire collection.

 

[cindylou]

 

[EarthRider]

I really like Rob Bell, doing a lot of great stuff for community and world. I love his books too, great stuff

 

[cindylou]

I like Rob Bell too, but if you are a leader in a conservative church and say you agree with Rob Bell and his books, be prepared to lose your job/ministry/friends. Some things I don't agree with but we all see through a glass darkly... I could be wrong.

 

[EarthRider]

lol, yeah I hear you on that.

He studies from a Jewish perspective and looks at the scriptures the way the Jewish culture does. I personally think his theology is a lot closer to right then most conservative pastors.