A deity that doesn't immediately strike down those who

[MineralMan]

claim to represent it, but who prey sexually on children, is either non-existent, impotent, uncaring, or evil. Why would anyone worship such an entity? Or fear it, for that matter?

[Nay]

1. Indeed. I figured that out when I was about 7 years old; I'm what they call a "natural

atheist." I remember being stunned that adults actually believed such a creature existed. I thought churches were like social clubs that told stories. I never in a million years thought the stories were to be believed, even when I was a child.

[wasupaloopa]

2. I haven't seen any diety that strikes down people have you.

[Major Nikon]

3. God killed 42 children for making fun of Eliseus' bald head

So there's that.

[MineralMan]

5. Mean, huh?

Bad-tempered, too.

[Major Nikon]

6. God killed about 2 million people in the bible that we know about

Satan only 10.

The body count alone makes god more of a shitheel than satan.

[MineralMan]

7. Hmm...

So it is written, anyhow...

[Mariana]

9. Satan killed those 10 with God's blessing, so to speak.

God gave him permission to do it.

[Major Nikon]

10. Yep, god was an accomplice or a conspirator at best

Last edited Tue Aug 21, 2018, 12:25 AM - Edit history (1)

But somehow satan is the bad guy. I'm pretty sure it's all in the marketing. I mean who can get mad at a bearded old man wearing white robes over a guy that wears red and has a tail?

[MineralMan]

4. I've never seen a deity at all.

Have you? I've read about some, though, and they always seem to be striking down someone. One I read about was supposed to have killed off everyone, except one family and some animals.

I've never seen a deity though, and never met anyone who had, either.

[guillaumeb]

8. Perhaps the Creator disagrees with your framing. eom

[Major Nikon]

12. I just spoke to Him on the red phone

He says it was pretty much spot on and he doesn't really care much for child rapists and their enablers, but the whole smiting thing never really worked all that well and has pretty much gone out of fashion.

[MineralMan]

16. :shrug: at overuse of the word, "framing."

I'll wait for some sort of relevant answer, but not for very long.

[Act_of_Reparation]

19. Since the Creator has saw fit not to show up...

...their opinion will not be considered.

[marylandblue]

21. He was subpoenaed, but failed to show

Interpol has put out an alert, but he hasn't been seen in years.

[MineralMan]

22. I don't think anyone has seen "The Creator" since he mooned Moses.

Or so the story goes, anyhow.

"Moishe, tell us again about the time you saw Elohim's butt! Please!? That's the coolest story, ever."

[The Genealogist]

11. I can see why people would fear that deity, if they believed in it.

He punished all the descendants of the first two people he created, because those two ate some fruit they weren't supposed to eat. He drowned all but a handful of people because they displeased him. He had a group of boys mauled to death by a bear, because they made fun of a bald man.

Remember, God is Love! Or else...

[Major Nikon]

13. He only punished half the descendants really

Man's punishment was to get a job and eat bread. Women got pain in childbirth and subservience to men. Not hard to figure out who got the shit end of that stick.

[The Genealogist]

14. Well, she is the one who gave the fruit to the man

Surely that outrageous sin is merits punishing every woman ever.

[Major Nikon]

15. You'd be surprised how many Abrahamic adherents subscribe to that very theology

[trotsky]

17. Something something free will.

That's the excuse here, right?

Priests have the free will to rape children, bishops have the free will to cover it up.

But the free will of children NOT to be raped somehow never makes it into the equation.

Yet they tell us this is god's plan, and wonder why we refuse to accept it.

[MineralMan]

18. Suffer, little children!

Someone is misreading something.

[Act_of_Reparation]

20. It's not like stopping evil from taking place violates free will anyway.

Free will is about choice, not the ability to realize that choice.

If I decide to go to Florida, but a hurricane (an act of god, no?) cancels my flight, my free will has not been violated.

[qazplm135]

23. the problem with the established Dieties...(Dietys?)

is that they were SO much more active back in the day. Burning bushes, killing, talking to folks, directly intervening in rescuing people, actively testing them (poor Job), or sexually assaulting them without prior consent (#metooMary).

Then it tapers off and stops. So you have the clear dichotomy of destroying whole towns/cities because of evil behavior (ignoring any good people in said towns/cities) back then, but now you have all manner of evil atrocities and nothing, not to mention no burning bushes.

[MineralMan]

24. What is a Diety? An aficionado of weight-loss programs?

If you mean deities, they never did exist, except in the imaginations of their followers. Nobody has ever produced any evidence of the existence of any deity, so, I simply don't accept their existence in the first place.

It's all fairy tales and children's stories told around nomadic campfires.