Video games. I hate them but I used to play them all the time. This weekend my husband asked me to play so I sat down and played a Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game. I forgot most of the moves I had used so often as a kid. Playing the game got me thinking about what it means to be a superhero.
A hero is not universally recognized as someone who violently submits their opponent and then stands with their arms in the air while the one defeated trembles and cries at their feet. That may be a victor of sorts, but not a hero. A hero is one who does something so righteous that they are exhalted as being, perhaps, better than the average person. A hero saves the day.
I use this topic to lead into the question posed by Thomas Talbott as it relates to God:
Is the power of a conquering HERO to compel his enemies to obey him against their will?
Now, a ruling monarch may indeed force a subject to bow against their will and may even force them to utter certain words; but praise and thanksgiving can come only from the heart.
As God is Love he will not arm wrestle one into belief. It is more his style to set such an overwhelming example of love by dying on the cross as the suffering servant rather than a tyrannical monarch, that one will come to believe because of this act of Love. We see in the bible over and over God is referred to as "Father"...not Your Highness, or Your Honor, or Your Majesty, but Father. This is a huge statement as to the nature of God.
What does a loving Father do but take their sinful children back time after time, never ceasing to stop loving their children even after being wronged by them. Even when people on the outside of the situation look in and shake their heads. Each one of us knows families where the [adult-]children act like ignorant fools. And the parents are the suffering servants - they put up with, fund, house and continue to unconditionally love those stupid [adult-]children. Why would we think God the Father would act toward us any less loving when he knows the number of hairs on our heads and knows our thoughts before we think them? Our biological fathers aren't even privy to that information. And our biological fathers will pass away, but God the Father will not, so as long as your biological father lives, he will love and try and sway you to become a good person. Therefore, God, who neither dies nor goes away will continue to love and court you even after YOU die. God does not give up on his children.
Our Father never stops loving us and I believe He always has His hand on our shoulders through whatever we are going through. Unconditional loves means you have to do nothing to earn it, not even believe.
This wonderful truth conflicts with the traditional interpretation that God will judge and all those not in favor say 'nay' and then go to hell for eternity. Not so. Your real father, a human, wouldn't do that to you if you denied him...so what makes you think a loving deity would fall short of that? I believe God is love and therefore his judgements are conducted out of love. Any temporary punishment is for the benefit of the judged. A finite life (even one brimming with sin) does not warrant infinite punishment. That would be unjust and if God is Love, which I believe, He is also just.
The bible is not infallible. It was written and cut and edited and re-arranged all by humans like you and I. An imperfect channel to convey the Word perfectly! This is why we cannot rely 100% on the flawed conveyance of man. I think, in essence, the bible and all its mixed messages is a book of guidelines. And it is up to all of us to discuss it, talk about it, talk about what we agree with, what problems it has from it's original Greek and Hebrew translations into Latin, etc. and how it applies to our lives. I see the bible as a springboard, not a slab of concrete. One way allows you to achieve higher thought by expounding on it, one way simply holds you down with no give and you take those words as unbending and closed to any intellectual interpretation.
I use this topic to lead into the question posed by Thomas Talbott as it relates to God:
Is the power of a conquering HERO to compel his enemies to obey him against their will?
Now, a ruling monarch may indeed force a subject to bow against their will and may even force them to utter certain words; but praise and thanksgiving can come only from the heart.
As God is Love he will not arm wrestle one into belief. It is more his style to set such an overwhelming example of love by dying on the cross as the suffering servant rather than a tyrannical monarch, that one will come to believe because of this act of Love. We see in the bible over and over God is referred to as "Father"...not Your Highness, or Your Honor, or Your Majesty, but Father. This is a huge statement as to the nature of God.
What does a loving Father do but take their sinful children back time after time, never ceasing to stop loving their children even after being wronged by them. Even when people on the outside of the situation look in and shake their heads. Each one of us knows families where the [adult-]children act like ignorant fools. And the parents are the suffering servants - they put up with, fund, house and continue to unconditionally love those stupid [adult-]children. Why would we think God the Father would act toward us any less loving when he knows the number of hairs on our heads and knows our thoughts before we think them? Our biological fathers aren't even privy to that information. And our biological fathers will pass away, but God the Father will not, so as long as your biological father lives, he will love and try and sway you to become a good person. Therefore, God, who neither dies nor goes away will continue to love and court you even after YOU die. God does not give up on his children.
Our Father never stops loving us and I believe He always has His hand on our shoulders through whatever we are going through. Unconditional loves means you have to do nothing to earn it, not even believe.
This wonderful truth conflicts with the traditional interpretation that God will judge and all those not in favor say 'nay' and then go to hell for eternity. Not so. Your real father, a human, wouldn't do that to you if you denied him...so what makes you think a loving deity would fall short of that? I believe God is love and therefore his judgements are conducted out of love. Any temporary punishment is for the benefit of the judged. A finite life (even one brimming with sin) does not warrant infinite punishment. That would be unjust and if God is Love, which I believe, He is also just.
The bible is not infallible. It was written and cut and edited and re-arranged all by humans like you and I. An imperfect channel to convey the Word perfectly! This is why we cannot rely 100% on the flawed conveyance of man. I think, in essence, the bible and all its mixed messages is a book of guidelines. And it is up to all of us to discuss it, talk about it, talk about what we agree with, what problems it has from it's original Greek and Hebrew translations into Latin, etc. and how it applies to our lives. I see the bible as a springboard, not a slab of concrete. One way allows you to achieve higher thought by expounding on it, one way simply holds you down with no give and you take those words as unbending and closed to any intellectual interpretation.
When I was younger and lived at home, before I would leave the house to go out, my dad would say to me, "Use your head." I imagine God tells us the same.
"All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
Revelation 15: 2-4
"All nations that you have made will come to worship before you, O Lord, and they will glorify your name, because you are great and you do marvelous things; you alone are God."
Psalm 86: 9-10
2 comments:
Just wondering whether you are open to discourse as to why you may be mistaken.
I didn't see a direct way to message you privately.
So that we may all learn from an intelligent open debate or discussion, I ask that you post your comment and I will happily respond.
Thank you & God bless!
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