Subject:
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Re: The Brick Testament: A Family Stoned and a City Massacred
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Fri, 8 Oct 2004 18:58:02 GMT
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Viewed:
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2440 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler wrote:
SNIP
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First of all, I’m not sure that I would worship any being for two
reasons:
Any entity who requires my worship isn’t worthy of my worship.
Any entity who’d be bothered by my lack of worship isn’t worthy of my
worship. • SNIP
Dave!
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Sorry for bringing up an old thread, and for beating a dead horse. It’s not in
my nature to evangelize, but the Catholic in me has been bothered by these two
statements. I’ve been reflecting on it for a long time, and came up with a way
of describing God’s need for our love of him that has actually deepened my
faith.
Now I’m not trying to convert anyone, but for some strange reason I feel
compelled to defend my faith publically. I just feel the need to write it down.
Feel free to criticise me but I’m probably not going to continue with this
defense beyond what I write in this post.
First, for the sake of argument, let us assume certain doctrines of the Catholic
(Christian) faith are true:
God created Man in his own image and gave him free will.
God is without sin, whereas Man has sin.
Sins are evil and vice versa.
So assuming the above is true, then we can infer that
God + Sin = Man
Of course, this is really over-simplified, you know, removing that whole
dominion over heaven and earth that God has and Mankind falsely believes it has.
So if God + Sin = Man, then we can accept that everything that isn’t evil about
mankind is good (or neutral, but we’re simplifying this).
Which would mean that everything that is good about Man is also shared with God.
That is to say, God is the personification of everything that is good about
Mankind.
These good things are things like love, kindness, hope, faith, joy, mercy, that
sort of thing.
So if Man was created to be just like God (in his image), and if God is the
personification of everything that is good about Mankind, then we can infer that
all these good things about God are shared by Man, and vice versa.
Which brings me to my whole point.
A woman gives birth to a child. I’m not talking Jesus and Mary, just some
random woman and random child.
Now that woman, after successfully delivering that child, does not need that
child to survive. Biologically, a mother or father is not dependant on a child
in any way, shape or form.
But emotionally, there is a bond between parent and child, which we would call
parental love, that draws the parent to protect and raise the child. Sure it’s
a batch of chemicals surging through our bodies, but it’s there none the less.
It really isn’t easy to explain it, it just happens. The bond is instant and
permanent.
When I child grows up, the parent wishes that child to have a life of it’s own,
to live a happy life, and to prosper. Ideally, the parent does not control the
child, but rather does its’ best to steer the child in the ‘right’ direction.
If the child spurns the parent, then the parent hurts emotionally. The parent
will always long to be recognized and loved by it’s child.
I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a single person who would classify
the parental love between parent and child as anything but good.
So if parental love is good, and mankind displays parental love, and if mankind
shares all things good with God, then God should then display parental love as
well.
God created us, has tried to steer us in the right direction, but has never
controled us (that free will he gave us). He doesn’t need us, without us He is
still God.
God does not require anything from us, either. To require something from us, to
force us to do something, is to interfere with free will.
But if God has a parental love for Mankind, then the reason God needs our love
and recognition is simply because of this parental love. God is our parent
(father IMO), and He loves us regardless of what we do. He will always love us
and does not demand from us anything.
Yes, in the Old Testament God was pretty strict and stern, but so isn’t a parent
with any young child. The child needs guidance and needs to be steered in the
‘right direction.’ Similarly, God guided the people of the Old Testament in the
‘right direction’ by doing what He needed to do.
But now Mankind is all grown up. Mankind is an ‘adult’ now, with a life of its’
own. We’ve been given all the guidance and direction we need (the Bible), and
what we do with it is up to us. We may choose to spurn religion and a divine
being in general, or we may love and recognize our celestial parent.
God doesn’t require our worship, but He asks us to love him (and each other),
just as any parent would ask of its’ children.
God needs us because He loves us.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
--Anthony
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