As a former (or recovered) theist (Evangelical Christian), I found this piece interesting. I'm currently writing my de-conversation/emancipation narrative. Most likely this will be the prompt that forces me to create a second Substack and YouTube channel.
Christians would have a number of counter-arguments to the analysis you provide above. Mostly, they come down to, "We cannot understand the mind of God and are not worthy to judge or question his plan." This blanket perspective covers a multitude of sins with a simple wave of the hand.
As has been pointed out before, when something positive happens, "God is good" and when something miserable happens, "God is mysterious and we cannot know his divine plan." In this way, Christians absolve God of sins far greater than any they have committed.
*Sigh*… it’s easy to attack a Straw-Man Christianity. How thoroughly you misunderstand it. No Christian delights in the fact that the Jews killed Jesus, and those that did in the past, or attack Jews for it, were wrong and misunderstood the Scriptures and the purpose for Jesus dying. His death is not an ends justifies the means situation— His sacrifice as exactly a scape goat for our sins was God’s plan from the beginning. It’s a way for God to satisfy both his justice and his mercy. No man can atone for all his sins and misdeeds— the payment for sin, even just one, is death. Are you willing to pay that? Jesus is a substitute atonement— it’s not people getting off scot-free for their sins. It means that God took the judgement He would have for them, for me, and put it on Jesus instead. That means when I meet my Lord one day and am asked to atone for my sins, I can show my “already paid in full” slip that points to Jesus. But the Bible makes it clear that this gift of grace from God does not give us the excuse to keeping sinning—- contrary to your Texas friend, if you have Ben forgiven and you know murder is wrong, you won’t knowingly commit murder just because you think you are assured of heaven. No, the Christian takes great care to live a life that is worthy of God, after being saved from the penalty of sin. Of course, until we meet our Lord, we will still sin, because we are not made perfect this side of heaven. But it’s about our hearts being orientated towards seeking Jesus and his commands and away from sin. So a person who truly seeks the Lord will not delight in sin, and therefore won’t use any kind of “the ends justify the means” justification for sin. But I don’t suspect you to understand this. I do tire of so many really, really bad straw-man Christianities that get put out there though.
As a former (or recovered) theist (Evangelical Christian), I found this piece interesting. I'm currently writing my de-conversation/emancipation narrative. Most likely this will be the prompt that forces me to create a second Substack and YouTube channel.
Christians would have a number of counter-arguments to the analysis you provide above. Mostly, they come down to, "We cannot understand the mind of God and are not worthy to judge or question his plan." This blanket perspective covers a multitude of sins with a simple wave of the hand.
As has been pointed out before, when something positive happens, "God is good" and when something miserable happens, "God is mysterious and we cannot know his divine plan." In this way, Christians absolve God of sins far greater than any they have committed.
*Sigh*… it’s easy to attack a Straw-Man Christianity. How thoroughly you misunderstand it. No Christian delights in the fact that the Jews killed Jesus, and those that did in the past, or attack Jews for it, were wrong and misunderstood the Scriptures and the purpose for Jesus dying. His death is not an ends justifies the means situation— His sacrifice as exactly a scape goat for our sins was God’s plan from the beginning. It’s a way for God to satisfy both his justice and his mercy. No man can atone for all his sins and misdeeds— the payment for sin, even just one, is death. Are you willing to pay that? Jesus is a substitute atonement— it’s not people getting off scot-free for their sins. It means that God took the judgement He would have for them, for me, and put it on Jesus instead. That means when I meet my Lord one day and am asked to atone for my sins, I can show my “already paid in full” slip that points to Jesus. But the Bible makes it clear that this gift of grace from God does not give us the excuse to keeping sinning—- contrary to your Texas friend, if you have Ben forgiven and you know murder is wrong, you won’t knowingly commit murder just because you think you are assured of heaven. No, the Christian takes great care to live a life that is worthy of God, after being saved from the penalty of sin. Of course, until we meet our Lord, we will still sin, because we are not made perfect this side of heaven. But it’s about our hearts being orientated towards seeking Jesus and his commands and away from sin. So a person who truly seeks the Lord will not delight in sin, and therefore won’t use any kind of “the ends justify the means” justification for sin. But I don’t suspect you to understand this. I do tire of so many really, really bad straw-man Christianities that get put out there though.