Flawed Theology

Imagine a world where everyone knows God exists.  "Belief" in God isn't applicable in this world, because God's existence is so obvious that belief isn't required.  God's existence would be as evident as the existence of rocks, or trees, or gravity, or other people. In this world, when people pray, an audible voice answers (which can be corroborated by others or by recordings).  God appears to people as a physical entity (again, corroborated as not being a hallucination).  God gives us knowledge of the universe we wouldn't or couldn't have obtained otherwise.  God grants real miracles, like re-growing limbs.  God engages us in actual conversation.  There would be an on-going Wikipedia entry for God with concrete facts (visitations, what he said, what he did, what he wants, what he's like...).  And this hypothetical world would feel normal to us.  After all, if God DID exist, why would it be weird for there to be evidence for it? Needless to say, th

The Christian religion claims to embody all of Jesus's humanitarian teachings.  We should sell our possessions, feed the hungry, take care of the poor, and clothe the sick.  And that's all well and great.  That Jesus sure was a swell guy.  The problem is his dad. See, Yahweh is the polar opposite of his son.  Even though they are apparently the same entity -- simply different facets of it -- the characteristics of Yahweh are...a bit troubling.  Okay, terrifying . Here is a list  of six times God killed people in the Bible...but I'm going to highlight two incidents below.  Yahweh murders his chosen people because they ask for food Numbers 21 As the Israelites wander out of Egypt, they understandably get pretty hungry. They don't like what little food God has given them, and according to them, there isn't even any water.  The people get to grumbling.  I'm sure that was really annoying for God. The audacity of them! "Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die

Have you ever heard that you are wonderfully and miraculously made? That you are God's special creation?  I know I heard that a lot growing up, at church, in VBS, and from my family.  This is indeed a Biblical concept! Just look at the following verses. You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. (Psalm 139:13-14) We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.  (Isaiah 64:8) I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.  (Jeremiah 1:5) More verses here The Bible does unequivocally declare that each of us is deliberately made by God.  We are all miraculous works.  And so we praise God for our sons and daughters who are born with ten fingers and ten toes, and with all their parts in the right places.  Do we also blame God when our children turn out like this? A deformity called

Does the following sentence sound familiar? "I can't understand how we could have possibly evolved from single-celled organisms.  It can't be true." Or even: "I can't believe in a God that would condemn good people to hell." These are logical fallacies called  Argument from Personal Incredulity.   It asserts that a proposition must be false because it is difficult to imagine, is not easily understood, or contradicts one's personal expectations.   It can go the other way too: believing in something because it appeals to one's credulity.  For example: "I like the idea of cosmic justice, where bad people get punished.  So there must be a God." It's important to note that the person MAY reach the correct conclusion using the logical fallacy; but if the pathway to that conclusion is faulty, then it is still fallacious!   A very common path for a theist Why is this fallacious? Obviously, to declare something false because it is difficult

Guest post by Don Alabaster Let’s talk about God’s name and how it gives us clues about the origins of the Abrahamic faiths. Or maybe we should say his lack of a name.    “God” isn’t a name, it's a job title. You don’t go to work and refer to your boss as “Boss” or “Team Leader”.  Your Mom probably isn’t actually named “Mom”, either. But God does have an actual name! The Hebrew God of the Old Testament is named “Yahweh”, but even then it's not so simple.  Yahweh has many names sprinkled throughout the Hebrew Bible: YHWH (Yahweh), Adonai, Ehyeh, El, Elohim, El Shaddai, and Tzevaot, among others.  Rabbinic Judaism says that many of these names of God are so holy that they should never be erased.  I feel like I would have a lot of questions for this guy at happy hour Why did the Israelites end up with all of these names in their holy book? Because the Israelites were Canaanites before they were Israelites. The ancient Canaanite religion had an entire pantheon of gods and goddesses

Many people often gush about how the Christian God has blessed their lives. He has provided food, shelter, medicine, and the joys of life.  People pray before meals, thanking God for his generosity and for the food on their plate. Everything good is from God. There are many Bible verses that back this up, too.   "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!"  Luke 12:24 "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’"  Matthew 6:31 "Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything." Genesis 9:3 But have they ever stopped to think -- for just a moment -- about whether God