Is god 'evil' ?

Queen-Mise

In the last day or two I was made aware of the following term - Maltheist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misotheism

The term can range from a hatred of god or a belief that god has a malevolent intent.

This is something I have never thought of before. I think it may be very liberating to think of an 'evil' god. Everything good that happens would be an unexpected bonus.

What are other people's thoughts on this?

Ickle Magoo

In order to hate God or consider God malevolent then I would first have to believe there was a God...and I don't, so it's a bit of a non-runner in that respect. In saying that, theoretically, any God that creates creatures that bury though eye-balls or gives the gift of a child only to saddle them with a neural-tube defect incompatible with life would have to be fairly malevolent imo...

Zillah

I think God is evil the way that I think Darth Vader is evil.

Rev Hellfire

Zillah wrote: »

I think God is evil the way that I think Darth Vader is evil.

Still holding out that god can be redeemed at the end

Zillah

I find your lack of faith disturbing...



:pac:

Flamed Diving

Yes. Perhaps the most evil character ever created.

krudler

Well he spends the first few books of the old testament destroying the people and world he supposedly loved, seems a bit like a child throwing his toys out of the pram to me, and when you think about it, he's the biggest mass murderer in history, so yeah you could say he had some evil intentions, sorry "mysterious ways" when it came to mankind

fitz0

Epicurus pretty much nailed it -

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?"

This is all hinging on the presumption that there is indeed a god though.

smurgen

i hope there isn't a god. the thought of a god that can let a child like the child in the baby peter case suffer for so long is in my opinion evil and i want nothing to do with it/him/her

krudler

If you want a compelling reason not to believe in a god that would let such things happen to people, google "the dying room" Its a documentary about the orphanages in China where due to the communist policy of one child familes, kids are literally left to to die from neglect in horrific conditions, tied to chairs made from bamboo with makeshift potties under them, watch the video clip on youtube and you'd be hard pressed to not cry, now in a world where supposedly god has a plan for all of us and he loves us all, what kind of god would let these things happen?

phelixoflaherty

God is an Arms dealer

smurgen

yeah you're spot on.i was just thinking of that baby p as it is something that has stuck in my mind since i heard the details of the case. when i think of the things some people are put through in this world i really have to grit my teeth when i hear some idiot on about the bible or gods love or something.are these people on drugs?do these people not see what we see?

Pete M.

That's the same as asking is the Devil good?

If he were real, he (though thinking about it, would probably be a woman...) would be much better craic to hang out with.

Betcha Lucifer thinks God is evil and a right asshole for kicking him out of Heaven.

I like the Darth Vader suggestion though, that would make JC Luke and Queen Amidala the Virgin Mary.
Mary Magdelen could be Princess Leia.....

Daftendirekt

It's kind of difficult to be evil when you don't exist.


But assuming you're talking about the Biblical god, then yes. Evil, or amoral at least.

At best you could say he simply has many of the vices and insecurities of the average human, but less of the compassion.

krudler

Pete M. wrote: »

That's the same as asking is the Devil good?

If he were real, he (though thinking about it, would probably be a woman...) would be much better craic to hang out with.

Betcha Lucifer thinks God is evil and a right asshole for kicking him out of Heaven.

I like the Darth Vader suggestion though, that would make JC Luke and Queen Amidala the Virgin Mary.
Mary Magdelen could be Princess Leia.....

Hey Vader was born of a virgin,its a start:D

MrPudding

phelixoflaherty wrote: »

God is an Arms dealer

Hmmm, I thought god was a DJ...

MrP

Daftendirekt

MrPudding wrote: »

Hmmm, I thought god was a DJ...

MrP

The two aren't mutually exclusive.

No harm in having an extra income on the side!

rohatch

I like Dawkins description in the god delusion

"The God of the Old testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent, bully"


If a supreme being existed he would not really care what we did.

Zombrex

rohatch wrote: »

"The God of the Old testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent, bully"

In other words the type of god ancient man would have invented to justify the tribal world they found themselves in.

liamw

Wicknight wrote: »

In other words the type of god ancient man would have invented to justify the tribal world they found themselves in.

I don't think they probably even wrote it to justify anything. I reckon it's even simpler than that. Humans had a severe lack of knowledge back then about the world around them (can't blame them really, given that they have no alternative explanation, and it's the natural predisposition of the mind to attribute to supernatural). They also had a very different set of morals.

So they wrote a few books where their supernatural invention would adhere to current morals. If you look over in the other forum, you see that they still do it today. They take currently acceptable morals and try apply them to God, as if God invented them when it's clearly not the case. There is so much really convincing evidence on evolutionary psychology and evolution of altruistic behaviour, I think it's just not excusable anymore to stick to Bronze Age myth and it shouldn't be respected.

It's getting real difficult for Christians to align the Bible with currently acceptable behaviour though. Morals (as set by humans) have naturally shifted so much since the Bible was written. You see pathetic analogies like the slavery - employee one. It all seems like a very desperate attempt to get the Bible to fit in, where it really doesn't anymore.

Goduznt Xzst

Wicknight wrote: »

In other words the type of god ancient man would have invented to justify the tribal world they found themselves in.

"If triangles had a god, he would have three sides." - Charles de Secondat

rohatch

liamw wrote: »

There is so much really convincing evidence on evolutionary psychology and evolution of altruistic behaviour, I think it's just not excusable anymore to stick to Bronze Age myth and it shouldn't be respected.

well said

It's getting real difficult for the religious in general.