Yahweh the Sadomasochist?
The Holy Spirit/the Father/Jesus wanted to forgive humanity for the sins of their first ancestors. So, for some odd reason it's decided that a penultimate sacrifice is neccessary for this. This sacrifice is that God will self-incarnate as a man to be brutually butchered as a scapegoat for the sins of humanity's inherited crime (eating a fruit that gave them knowledge of Good and Evil before knowing that eating that fruit was morally wrong).
So, let's try and get at the point of this all. Why would a Divine Being create an amoral (completely ignorant of morality, operating and thinking outside its confines) pair of beings knowing they would eat fruit that would give them moral knowledge and then structure up the divine justice system in an order in which all "the sin" is passed down (indeed, multiplied amongst) numerous descendants? Why, after all this happens, would he decided that the only sensible "payback" is for himself to be tortured for hours by the Romans?
The only sensible explanation is that God gets bored and longs for some carnial, earthly pain - i.e. he is a sadomasochist - and that he'll invent really filmsy excuses to get his fix.
PS: I am more STRIDENT than Awesomelyglorious.
Actually, I entirely agree with your analysis, and out of the spirit of being STRIDENT, I will continue beating this dead horse.
1) God could have created better worlds. Everybody knows it. Part of the story is that better worlds exist. But the problem is that Yahweh did not create a world in which there was no fall. (omniscience means seeing all possible worlds though, as well as the future, according to most theists)
2) Jesus as a sacrifice is silly, as guilt cannot be transferred like a payment, God cannot really be just and still pay the punishment for someone else(especially selectively as he does), finally, God chose all aspects of the outcome.
3) Why Hell? I mean, talking about the infinities of God's glory and wrath and all is just silly. The man basically invented a situation where another person will spill on his coat, and then proceeds to make a big deal about it, and then give the ultimate beat down for this essentially self-caused offense.
I get the feeling that this will all end up as a big pissing contest though that will alienate most of the theists on this forum. I dislike the idea, but I WILL NOT FAIL!
1) God could have created better worlds. Everybody knows it. Part of the story is that better worlds exist. But the problem is that Yahweh did not create a world in which there was no fall. (omniscience means seeing all possible worlds though, as well as the future, according to most theists)
2) Jesus as a sacrifice is silly, as guilt cannot be transferred like a payment, God cannot really be just and still pay the punishment for someone else(especially selectively as he does), finally, God chose all aspects of the outcome.
3) Why Hell? I mean, talking about the infinities of God's glory and wrath and all is just silly. The man basically invented a situation where another person will spill on his coat, and then proceeds to make a big deal about it, and then give the ultimate beat down for this essentially self-caused offense.
I get the feeling that this will all end up as a big pissing contest though that will alienate most of the theists on this forum. I dislike the idea, but I WILL NOT FAIL!
My bladder is full and eager.
First,
HOORAY for echo-chambers!! !
Since the election isn't until June 2011, it'll be ... what would you call it ... spurts of pissing contests punctuated by weeks of stasis.
And we should always keep in my these timeless words of wisdom, whether in theological or political disputes:
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postxf128417-0-15.html
"The only sensible explanation"
Learn the meaning "mystery". Note people who figure "sensible explanations" for even my actions [and vice versa to be fair] are usually wrong.
"I get the feeling that this will all end up as a big pissing contest though that will alienate most of the theists on this forum."\
Name ant three who were not alienated by unrestrained dissing contests long ago.
"My bladder is full and eager."
That may not be all that is full.
Carry on, kiddies.
Learn the meaning "mystery". Note people who figure "sensible explanations" for even my actions [and vice versa to be fair] are usually wrong.
I love this sort of knee-jerk appeal to ignorance that's just as an excuse to justify the Trinitarian Christ myth. If I told you about an Invisible Pink Unicorn and you asked how it could be "invisible" and "pink" simultaneously, I could equally proffer that dull cop-out.
Yeah you could say god is just into S&M. Or you could rationalise the whole thing:
In the days of the old testament humans obviously lived much more brutal lives. Also it appears they were quite difficult to control as they seemed to easily go and worship other gods. You can bet murder was committed frequently and coverred up as a "human sacrifice" etc.
The whole rational behind the new testament is basically saying: Human sacrifice is out now. God sacrificed himself for us so we don't need to do it anymore. Also the Romans who spread christianity across Europe had to convert countless pagans. They had to include sacrifice stories to get them onside.
I think the new testament was an attempt to change people from being brutal to being more civilised. Christianity is all about elevating humanity out of the natural world. Around 2000 years ago must have been a turning point in our development. And if Jesus existed he was obvoiusly someone who could see the problems of humanity and offerred some solution.
In all honestly, Robdemanc, if Jesus existed he was more likely insane rather than a visionary. And I don't really see how Jesus's crucifixion was either God or some visionary writer heralding a new age of "niceness" and an "end of suffering". Human life was miserable for centuries afterwards, partially thanks to the sense of complacency Jesus - or whoever wrote his lines - gave to the destitute ("Even though you're poor, you're blessed in Heaven. No need to worry about worldly inequalities!).
That's stuff the "mythical Jesus" did, not the "Historical Jesus".
Whoever Jesus may have been his name and said ideas were used to build the western world.
Whether we like it or not something happened around 2000 years ago to make people want to change, want to progress. Christianity would have been seen as a progression from Judaism, where sacrifices were still the norm. Telling a story of god as a sacrificial human (or writing about it) was perhaps a way to make the massess see that the practice of human sacrifice is no longer appropriate. Of course it took the Romans a good few hundred years to spread christianity throughout europe.
Another take on it could be: Christianity was invented to create a new world order. Paganism and other niche religions were to be erradicated by this new belief system. Those who invented it had found a better way of controlling people. It worked but I am sure it was brutally installed across Europe during those times.
That's stuff the "mythical Jesus" did, not the "Historical Jesus".
However, if you are wrong and Jesus is the son of God, those miracles could have actually happened. People are already denying the Holocaust, could be a few hundred years from now most of the evidence will have degraded and even more people would be calling it a myth.
Another example is the moon landings, people are already denying those.
That's stuff the "mythical Jesus" did, not the "Historical Jesus".
However, if you are wrong and Jesus is the son of God, those miracles could have actually happened. People are already denying the Holocaust, could be a few hundred years from now most of the evidence will have degraded and even more people would be calling it a myth.
Another example is the moon landings, people are already denying those.
People (like me) are also denying that the Prophet (in Islamic mythology) Muhammad was shot up to heaven when he died.
Whether we like it or not something happened around 2000 years ago to make people want to change, want to progress. Christianity would have been seen as a progression from Judaism, where sacrifices were still the norm. Telling a story of god as a sacrificial human (or writing about it) was perhaps a way to make the massess see that the practice of human sacrifice is no longer appropriate. Of course it took the Romans a good few hundred years to spread christianity throughout europe.
Another take on it could be: Christianity was invented to create a new world order. Paganism and other niche religions were to be erradicated by this new belief system. Those who invented it had found a better way of controlling people. It worked but I am sure it was brutally installed across Europe during those times.
Actually, Christianity existed in an apocalyptic parnaoid age and area alongside numerous other cults such as the Mystery Religions. Christianity, which was a highly factionalistic religion from the start, was competiting with Mithraism for urban poor converts in ancient Rome. It's rate of growth wasn't as spectacular as ahistorical Christians have made it out to be and, were it not for Emperor Constantine, the religion may very well have died out or retained its marginal, cultish, size.
http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=95
Growth examined.
http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=95
Growth examined.
I find the atheism growth rates a bit dishonest - it looks like he's including all "nonreligious" with "atheists/agnostics", when there are plenty of "nonreligionists" who are nevertheless "spiritual" (read: superstitious in an unorganized fashion).