A unicorn is a material creature that can be grasped through empirical methods. One would need to simply observe a unicorn to prove its existence.
Does the same apply to God? What is God? God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Can you grasp the supernatural through empirical means? Can empirical science prove or disprove immaterial features of a deity?
Your comparison doesn't go. And this is what I mean about believers and non-believers starting off on the wrong foot. You have a desire to test things that you can see and feel. Not all things that exist outside of science's verification are observable unless you have found a way to prove or disprove that which exists outside of the universe.
What do you mean by study? What exactly did that study entail? What you have done is gone to a website that lists these grievances against God and the bible and copy and pasted them here. I'm more interested in seeing your experience and your take on why statements in the bible do not add up to reality as we know it and how this affects God's existence. I would prefer that you shared your personal view if that's reasonable to you.
This is what I think about the list you gave:
1. Are these verses within context?
2. Did you compare and contrast OT Law with NT Law of Grace?
2a. Why is the NT discounted? Is it intellectually dishonest to read a book halfway through and still claim to understand it?
2b. Can we plug that mentality in somewhere else? In a court of law, as a juror, can you sit through half of the proceedings and make a judgement on the innocence or guilt of the person in question?
3. Are these laws concerning death REGULATING existing laws of the land or God-ordained laws?
4. Did you research the different translations of the bible? Are NLT, NAB, NASB and the other translations given, seen as acceptable translations?
5. Did you have a decent understanding of Greek and Hebrew or have a guide handy when interpreting this scripture?
6. You're criticizing the morality that the bible seems to practice. On what grounds? What is your moral code and on what grounds is your disapproval at all important or necessary in judging a God's actions?
6a. Does your dislike of the moral code mean that God cannot exist?
7. Define good and bad. Now show how this definition of good or bad is absolute and worthy of recognition by all peoples. Explain how it is bad to kill a fortunetelling witch that enjoys hitting her dad.
What believers often desire (for you to take their faith at face value) does not always line up with what God desires. You can judge God by his desires or by his followers determination, but please do not confuse the two.
I would also like to see the issues you take with Hinduism and Islam since you say that you have studied them before. Perhaps in a different thread? I agree that this thread was not created with the intention of debate but I also see that the center of your disbelief is your disgust for the moral code described in the bible, not a logically mapped out web of facts and notions that place your understanding of the world above anyone of faith. But I do wish it were possible to banish people I do not like or am disgusted with to the metaphorical corn field. "You do not exist because your ways are unworthy in my sight DMV, IRS, nosy neighbor". It doesn't work that way, although it's a nice idea.
No it does not mean he cannot exist, the biblical god can, just like the invisible pink unicorn can and an infinity of other possible deities. And the invisible pink unicorn is just as godly as any other god, As I have imagined it It can have any features I wish it has, particularly features that mean you can't prove it doesn't exist. Sounds familiar?
Please understand: I do not at this time feel you are any less than I am as a human. I do not think I have moral superiority etc. I would probably like you if i've met you. This is not personal. To me this is just a back and forth. The thing is I do not respect religions any more than I 'd mein kampf or playmobiles. It's all the same to me.
If I think it's flawed I say it. If you can give me concrete examples as to why I'm wrong in my overall approach then fine. If you can offer proof of god's existence: cool!!.
If you can't your statements simply have no more value to me than any other story. Why is that? Well because then you don't have any more 'evidence' than I do in claiming whether god exists or not. And both of these statements are not equal. If i say I think god doesn't exist it's because there's no NEED for god in our universe for it to work. I think the need for god is inside believers, not the cold, deathly universe which was certainly not tailor made for us.
My point is: you do not know, neither do I. But I can quote a book. And no murder and genocide is usually not something people need to keep taking 'in context' and compare with 10 other translations as to whether it says murder, stone and rape or kill, stone and shame. Yes perhaps it would be a much better society is we just killed whole cities to get to the one unbeliever, pardon me for assume must people who are not part of ISIS would find that horrible.
The real question is: would you? Would you stone a woman for has sex before marriage? Would you kill a fortuneteller whether or not she was hitting her dad? Would you kill someone for being gay? That's what matters. Just answer that one question. I would appreciate it. Because if you say YES then in my eyes whether your particular god, out of all the gods of men in history, exists I would rather he didn't and I would definitely think its followers to be the enemies of progress and humanity at large. If NO then wouldn't that make you a hypocrite?
As to desires: same: you do not know what god desires. Or are you a prophet? Does god give you any testable evidence like say, lottery tickets?
Or is it the usual I feel my inner voice inside of me so it must be god. Doesn't that sound arrogant to you?
As to the new testament:
(there's much more)
Matthew
Those who bear bad fruit will be cut down and burned "with unquenchable fire." 3:10, 12
Jesus strongly approves of the law and the prophets. He hasn't the slightest objection to the cruelties of the Old Testament. 5:17
Jesus recommends that to avoid sin we cut off our hands and pluck out our eyes. This advice is given immediately after he says that anyone who looks with lust at any women commits adultery. 5:29-30
Jesus says that most people will go to hell. 7:13-14
Those who fail to bear "good fruit" will be "hewn down, and cast into the fire." 7:19
"The children of the kingdom [the Jews] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 8:12
Jesus tells a man who had just lost his father: "Let the dead bury the dead." 8:21
Jesus sends some devils into a herd of pigs, causing them to run off a cliff and drown in the waters below. 8:32
Cities that neither "receive" the disciples nor "hear" their words will be destroyed by God. It will be worse for them than for Sodom and Gomorrah. And you know what God supposedly did to those poor folks (see Gen 19:24). 10:14-15
Families will be torn apart because of Jesus (this is one of the few "prophecies" in the Bible that has actually come true). "Brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death." 10:21
Jesus says that we should fear God who is willing and "able to destroy both soul and body in hell." 10:28
Jesus says that he has come to destroy families by making family members hate each other. He has "come not to send peace, but a sword." 10:34-36
Jesus condemns entire cities to dreadful deaths and to the eternal torment of hell because they didn't care for his preaching. 11:20-24
Jesus will send his angels to gather up "all that offend" and they "shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." 13:41-42, 50
Jesus is criticized by the Pharisees for not washing his hands before eating. He defends himself by attacking them for not killing disobedient children according to the commandment: "He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death." (See Ex 21:15, Lev 20:9, Dt 21:18-21) So, does Jesus think that children who curse their parents should be killed? It sure sounds like it. 15:4-7
"Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." 15:13
Jesus advises his followers to mutilate themselves by cutting off their hands and plucking out their eyes. He says it's better to be "maimed" than to suffer "everlasting fire." 18:8-9
In the parable of the unforgiving servant, the king threatens to enslave a man and his entire family to pay for a debt. This practice, which was common at the time, seems not to have bothered Jesus very much. The parable ends with this: "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you." If you are cruel to others, God will be cruel to you. 18:23-35
"And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors." 18:34
God is like a rich man who owns a vineyard and rents it to poor farmers. When he sends servants to collect the rent, the tenants beat or kill them. So he sent his son to collect the rent, and they kill him too. Then the owner comes and kills the farmers and rents the vineyard to others. 21:33-41
"Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Whoever falls on "this stone" (Jesus) will be broken, and whomever the stone falls on will be ground into powder. 21:44
In the parable of the marriage feast, the king sends his servants to gather everyone they can find, both bad and good, to come to the wedding feast. One guest didn't have on his wedding garment, so the king tied him up and "cast him into the outer darkness" where "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 22:1-14
The end of the world will be signaled by wars, famines, disease, and earthquakes (6-7). And that's just "the beginning of sorrows" (8). Next believers will be hated and killed by unbelievers (9), believers will hate and betray each other (10), false prophets will fool people (11), iniquity will abound and love wax cold (12). But hey, if you make through all that, you'll be saved (13).
Only one more thing will happen before the end comes: the gospel will be preached throughout the world (14). Well, that and the abomination of desolations will stand in the holy place (15), many false Christs and false prophets will show great signs and wonders (24), the sun and moon will be darkened and the stars will fall (29), the sign of the son of Man will appear in the sky, everyone on earth will mourn, and then, finally, the great and powerful son of Man will come in all his glory (30).
Oh, and all these things will happen within the lifespan of Jesus' contemporaries (34).
Or maybe not. Jesus was talking about things he knew nothing about (36). (See Mark 13:32.) 24:3-51
Jesus had no problem with the idea of drowning everyone on earth in the flood. It'll be just like that when he returns. 24:37
God will come when people least expect him and then he'll "cut them asunder." And "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 24:50-51
The parable of the cruel and unjust master
The kingdom of heaven is like a rich man who distributed his wealth to his servants while he traveled. He gave five talents (a talent was a unit of money, worth about 20 years of a worker's wages) to one servant, two to another, and one to a third. When he returned, the servant with five talents had made five more, the servant with two made two more, but the servant with one talent only had the talent his master entrusted to him. The master rewarded the servants that invested his money (without his permission -- what would have happened if the stock market went down during their master's travels?) and took the talent from the single-talent servant and gave it to the one with ten talents. "For unto every one that hath shall be given .. but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." Then the cruel and unjust master cast the servant who carefully protected his master's talent into the "outer darkness: [where] there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 25:14-30
The servant who kept and returned his master's talent was cast into the "outer darkness" where there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." 25:30
Jesus judges the nations. 25:31-46
Jesus tells us what he has planned for those that he dislikes. They will be cast into an "everlasting fire." 25:41
Jesus says the damned will be tormented forever. 25:46
Mark
a personal favorite:
Jesus explains why he speaks in parables: to confuse people so they will go to hell. 4:11-12
I can believe in a god, sure. It would require a proof of it's existence. Like with most things in life. We expect some kind of proof that this particular thing is true to an acceptable degree. I would then require some way to know that this is indeed the same god as the one of, in your case I imagine, the new testament. I would then still inquire whether or not it's the only god.
As to its 'godly nature' I would need to understand or receive some strong evidence that there is something qualitatively different in its nature, that it's not just 'a more advanced lifeform', like say what we would be to ants or bacteria in a way (bad comparison but it ll do today). I guess I could start with testing its omniscience and omnipotence and whether these statements are true (a series of experiments should do it). If any statement is found to be untrue I would question any other statements that are not testable further of course.
I would also start off by checking if said god can actually hear prayer. I would 'test' all of the above by having other people (different profiles of people not people who are all 'like me' ) check and replicate. If omniscient and omnipotent I would expect it would make no difference if the 'tests' would occur 2000 light years away from earth (as long as i can actually observe it in my lifespan) or 1 mm from me and what topics it would be about (lottery tickets, what i'm thinking, what is written on page 244 of lord of the rings book 1, require as enough force to displace galaxies or enough precision to juggle protons, I would expect it could create matter from nothingness and break known laws of physics in observable replicable ways.
Lots of things. But you get the idea.
What would it take for you not to believe in god then?
