God and Morality

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Permalink Reply by Rob Lundberg on January 24, 2010 at 5:14am

The question is a one of mixed categories. The question "how can a good God command..." imposes a moral law right out of the gate. I would ask the questioner, what do you mean by "good" and even moreso, what do you mean when you use the name "God"? If there is good, then there must be a moral law. If a moral law then a moral law giver...God. Now the question is not trying to prove God, but just the fact that God being the Moral Lawgiver is telling Israel to "exterminate" a pagan people like the Canaanites who would never worship Him. This is totally different from the sacredness of human life. The question now becomes, is that which is in the womb a human life.

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Permalink Reply by Ray Ciervo on January 24, 2010 at 6:49am

Rob - yes, I'm aware of these tactics. On a recent trip to a very liberal European university campus this questions absorbed most of the time. The question isn't whether God is good - it presupposes you believe in the God of the Old Testament and that you worship this God who can command the "murder" or innocents. The questioner sees the tactics you've mentioned as "redirecting" and avoiding the difficult questions.

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Permalink Reply by Rob Lundberg on January 24, 2010 at 7:24am

As a way of iron sharpening, how did you handle the question? And what was the response?

Ray Ciervo said:

Rob - yes, I'm aware of these tactics. On a recent trip to a very liberal European university campus this questions absorbed most of the time. The question isn't whether God is good - it presupposes you believe in the God of the Old Testament and that you worship this God who can command the "murder" or innocents. The questioner sees the tactics you've mentioned as "redirecting" and avoiding the difficult questions.

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Permalink Reply by Ray Ciervo on January 24, 2010 at 8:15am

Those that argued were putting God in the wrong category - man. They wished to put God on trial as a man. This point was one that had to be continually made. The best rebuttal was "If" they were going to use the OT as a source of their argument, then they had to understand something of the God of the OT as Creator, Redeemer and Judge. Only God has the right to take what even may appear to be "innocent" life since he created it. God does not judge as a man does. Once again, the argument was not winnable satisfactorily. What we pointed out was that they wanted to skew the person of God into a human person, but judge him without reference to the context of the OT.
Although it didn't put them on their heels - it shut down the conversation.
Some failed arguments were that "babies don't go to hell." Their rebuttal was - so why not let them be sacrificed and just judge the adults.
"Why not spare the children and adopt them into the nation of Israel?" such is the argument for pro lifers adopting children who would otherwise be aborted.
To say the least, this was a night long discussion with a lot of "to and fro."

Rob Lundberg said:

As a way of iron sharpening, how did you handle the question? And what was the response?

Ray Ciervo said:

Rob - yes, I'm aware of these tactics. On a recent trip to a very liberal European university campus this questions absorbed most of the time. The question isn't whether God is good - it presupposes you believe in the God of the Old Testament and that you worship this God who can command the "murder" or innocents. The questioner sees the tactics you've mentioned as "redirecting" and avoiding the difficult questions.

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