why shall we praise God? even if he gave us a certain moral rules, what's the point of praying and adoring him?
Why shall we praise God? even if he gave us a certain moral rules, what's the point of praying and adoring him?
Joshua Perez
Cameron Ross
Avoidance of hell would seem to be a compelling reason.
Another more benign possibility is that you could marvel at the creation, and so be moved to worship a god.
Happily, it seems more likely to me that the historical conceptions of a jealous god are merely an externalized projection of what human beings would be like if they had absolute, irrevocable power. That is, the suggestion is that god is not real, because of how he has been historically described as an asshole who behaves and feels suspiciously like men, at times.
Aiden Adams
Well, He created man in His image so it would make sense He would have characteristics of man.
Nathan Reed
Literally the first sentence of augustine's confessions
come on man
Ryan Russell
In part, because it keeps us fixated on the eternal and infinitely good being, which is hardly a bad thing to centre your sense of gratitude and appreciation around. God is a person too, and it is an emotive and loving way of communicating with Him. You could also say that God infinitely warrants praise, not only for His being but for the redemptive actions of Jesus Christ.
James Clark
This is a good point, but it makes more sense to come at it from the opposite direction (that is, what I already said) since that view is buttressed by the simple fact that we don't all see god parting the clouds and barking orders on a daily basis. Or anything else along those lines.
Jackson King
what is the best theodicy answer / essay / book?
they all seem wildly unconvincing so far
Thomas Hall
It's been a none problem since Augustine, but you people never seem to get you assume an afterlife for the argument.
Augustine made an argument which is perfectly logically consistent and cannot be proven wrong, of course unless you deny the axiom.
It's an emotional problem and not a theological one.
It guides you to your highest good which without it cannot be attained.
Jeremiah Hill
But why do you want to be guided to the highest good?
Aiden Myers
if anything he is like a child crying out for love, we are his play things.
Joshua Hughes
> Welcome to Veeky Forums
> If you want to discuss history, religion, or the humanities, go to Veeky Forums.
Reported and hide. Bye bye.
Eli Perez
I assume you want your both temporal and eternal life to be a good one.
Other than that, none as far as I know.
Lincoln Gonzalez
the concept of "good" flies over my head man, also what do you mean with an eternal life in opposition to a temporal one? I only see people born and die, nothing else. And nothing in this world hints that there is an afterlife.
Owen Butler
Not the same guy but Plato/Aristotle argue that we always direct our intention towards achieving happiness. How we achieve happiness is through the attainment of good things, ergo we're always directing our actions to attain some sort of good for ourselves. Whether that good is wealth, honor, power, virtue, piety, or some combination of many things, is what they examine.
So to answer your question, you want a good temporal/eternal life because a good life is a happy/satisfactory one.
Brody Brooks
Unrelated but has anyone read "The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ" by Fleming Rutledge?
Hunter Gomez
This is the best answer.
John Cooper
I believe this is the most important question we have to face when discussing theology. Because, okay, Nietzsche stated "God is dead" and Dostoievski said that "if God did not exist, then everithing was permitted", which clearly implied that ethics and morality stem from an all-powerful, all-knowing God.
But the thing is, modernity has showed us time after time that God does not care at all about human issues, to the point of not intervening at all to save his children from countless wars and catastrophes. So we have to decide between two statements. In one hand, God is all-knowing and all-powerful but does not care about us at all. In the other hand, God does care about us but does not have the power to intervene. Therefore we either have an evil uncaring God, or a weak useless God. Therefore the lack of belief and the "death of God"
However, belief or not belief is absolutely irrelevant, at the end of the day what matters is if you want to praise a being that does not care about you in any sense, other than your own placebo. Agnostics and atheists are exactly the same (other than the annoying proselithism)
The real problem is, okay let's say we don't want to praise this God, as he has done nothing for us. Then how can we construct an ethical system? how can morality exist if it is not enforced by divine laws?
Jacob Harris
y do u all talk like fucken cunts
Grayson Bennett
On one of his talks bout Kirkergaard Rick Roderick pokes at that part of Christian theology
rickroderick.org
"So, the first thing you think when someone comes on a little too strong with religion, is you start running through the “Masters of Suspicion”, going: “What does he want? My billfold? What kind of… is he on some bizarre sexual trip? Is this another Jimmy Swaggart thing? What kind of power trip is it for him?”"
"Falwell has a line where he goes, you know: “I love the homosexual, but I hate his homosexuality”. For Nietzsche that’s a profound Christian remark. “Oh we Christians, we love our enemy… we love our enemies. If they hit us, we don’t even hit them back, but some day our kingdom will come” You have seen the bumper stickers “Someday our kingdom too will come”"
Ethan Walker
>Avoidance of hell would seem to be a compelling reason.
So, basically, we're bullied into subservience. No thanks.
Xavier Murphy
The entire work of Milton.
Hudson Edwards
"Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy power, and infinite is thy wisdom." And man desires to praise thee, for he is a part of thy creation; he bears his mortality about with him and carries the evidence of his sin and the proof that thou dost resist the proud. Still he desires to praise thee, this man who is only a small part of thy creation. Thou hast prompted him, that he should delight to praise thee, for thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.
It's a little more than the first line, but you're generally correct.
Evan White
While I don't find the argument of praising God to avoid hell convincing, I don't think there's any doubt that the fear of punishment has been helpful throughout history. Of course, such beliefs are not nearly as necessary today as they were in the past.
Cooper Moore
Nope. Only read Joseph Ratzinger on the subject and he's quite fantastic.
Jack Adams
William Sullivan
Unless like being tortured for eternity, then I guess you don't have much choice.
Bentley Lee
worshipping God will make you as fulfilled as you can possibly be.
Jacob Watson
If God exists he is an asshole that allows a trillion bad things to happen.
Luke Russell
>worshipping Allah will make you as fulfilled as you can possibly be.
FTFY
Carson Perez
Well, that's the fallout of free will.
Hudson Barnes
>le tortured for eternity maymay
>>>/reddit/
It's the same entity, you illiterate faggot.
Kevin Sanders
And here's where most people who seek out religion fail. Tell me what's the "correct" way of handling such grand concepts, like God and redemption?
Is it Jewish? Christian? Muslim? Will the theological readings of Aquinas help me find the answer? Or will Kabbalah scriptures do the trick? Or should I go full "subjective", and trust my own mind, and just read the bible?
Is the Abrahamic God, really that anal and pedantic about specifics?
And besides, if it happens that I am redeem by God, it's all part of his plan, it's his will, not mine's, and in the end of the day, I don't matter much, because, why would I matter, when I don't deserve it.
I mean, I'll be glad if I stopped existing, if that is God's vision, what I think, or my existence for that matter, don't matter, but that of God and his children, that is what's important, not me.
Amen!
Christian Hernandez
Why you all no like God yo?
Daniel Mitchell
But is it really free if he knows what's going to happen?
Eli Ortiz
God can work in contradictions we will never understand with logic.
Presumably you've heard about the paradox of God being able to create an immovable object and also be able to move it?
Logan Cruz
It doesn't really matter who you follow. God should be just a catalyst to give you strength, to keep you straight and pure. Something that keeps you away from falling into any degeneracies.
Just use any tools to becomes great even if must use God. No matter how you look at it, it's a great deal for God to be used if it makes you a better human being. Why ever feel bad about using God for your own gains? It's the right kind of selfishness.
If all people just used God for their personal betterment instead of using God for their personal agenda religion wouldn't be so dead right now.
Luis Perez
nigga you never read shit.
you sat in your bedroom and chewed on the idea a bit, maybe googled some shit, and never honestly sought truth in the pages of any of the books you've mentioned.
those are such entry-level questions