As a kid, I experienced intense feelings of jealousy whenever any of my brothers got an extra helping of a piece of fish or some other delicacy, or received special attention from one of my parents, or for a myriad other reasons. Even as adults, we all still feel some degree of envy when a friend, colleague or relative has some good news to share, especially if it was one about something we desired or wanted for ourselves. This is a very human trait, and one which is most pronounced in young children who, unlike most well adjusted adults, are unable to hide, or avoid expressing their feelings.
It therefore strikes me as odd that the Abrahamic god is so petty, and so irascibly intolerant of dissent that he is credited in the bible as referring to himself as "a jealous god." To give voice to such a puerile emotion, and by no less a being than the purportedly omnipotent and omniscient god, simply shows that even if such a being existed, he has such sorry credentials, as to be eminently unqualified for the attention he demands.
Many examples in the bible show that either god has a warped sense of judgement, or he was simply made up, and all the qualities ascribed to him were just what the writers of the bible felt were that of an ideal god. the story of the flood is one such example. God himself admitted regret at creating mankind and then having to destroy them using a flood, along with every living land creature except for those inside of Noah's legendary ark. Why did he not instruct Noah to also take 2 or 7 of every kind of sea creature? Why did he not kill off every sea creature? How come he only wiped out land dwelling animals? Were the sea creatures special or did the land animals partake in man's sins that warranted their being drowned en masse along with the rest of mankind, save for the 'ark 8'?
Children lash out in anger and frustration, and without thought when they get jealous and sometimes when they do not get their way. They may break other children's toys or belongings in a fit of rage engendered by jealousy. They have been known to even harm their peers. Most rational adults would not express the emotions of jealousy and envy in this manner. This is exactly what god has cloaked himself in, and his reactions in the bible to instances where his jealousy has been aroused have been fatal in some cases and just petty in the rest. Jealousy and envy are human emotions. For those who claim to talk to god via prayers, could you please tell him to let go of a perfectly human emotion? While you are at it, do not forget also to tell him to quit his obsession with our sex lives and to take his Pinocchio nose out of who we decide to worship (see the first of the ten commandments).
Christianity has promised us eternal life for the past 2000 years, or so, while in just the last 100 years, scientific and technological advancements and innovations have vastly improved the length and quality of our lives. Today, we can fly over very long distances and take it for granted, we have made giant strides in medicine to the extent that we have wiped out some diseases in the developed world. We have been to the deepest reaches space and the success of New Horizon has shown just what we are capable of. Religion or god did not make all these possible. We did it by ourselves and we can beat our chest with pride at our achievements. We should take credit for it and not give it away to an imaginary god whose propensity for pettiness exceeds that of even the most incorrigible child.
It therefore strikes me as odd that the Abrahamic god is so petty, and so irascibly intolerant of dissent that he is credited in the bible as referring to himself as "a jealous god." To give voice to such a puerile emotion, and by no less a being than the purportedly omnipotent and omniscient god, simply shows that even if such a being existed, he has such sorry credentials, as to be eminently unqualified for the attention he demands.
Many examples in the bible show that either god has a warped sense of judgement, or he was simply made up, and all the qualities ascribed to him were just what the writers of the bible felt were that of an ideal god. the story of the flood is one such example. God himself admitted regret at creating mankind and then having to destroy them using a flood, along with every living land creature except for those inside of Noah's legendary ark. Why did he not instruct Noah to also take 2 or 7 of every kind of sea creature? Why did he not kill off every sea creature? How come he only wiped out land dwelling animals? Were the sea creatures special or did the land animals partake in man's sins that warranted their being drowned en masse along with the rest of mankind, save for the 'ark 8'?
Children lash out in anger and frustration, and without thought when they get jealous and sometimes when they do not get their way. They may break other children's toys or belongings in a fit of rage engendered by jealousy. They have been known to even harm their peers. Most rational adults would not express the emotions of jealousy and envy in this manner. This is exactly what god has cloaked himself in, and his reactions in the bible to instances where his jealousy has been aroused have been fatal in some cases and just petty in the rest. Jealousy and envy are human emotions. For those who claim to talk to god via prayers, could you please tell him to let go of a perfectly human emotion? While you are at it, do not forget also to tell him to quit his obsession with our sex lives and to take his Pinocchio nose out of who we decide to worship (see the first of the ten commandments).
Christianity has promised us eternal life for the past 2000 years, or so, while in just the last 100 years, scientific and technological advancements and innovations have vastly improved the length and quality of our lives. Today, we can fly over very long distances and take it for granted, we have made giant strides in medicine to the extent that we have wiped out some diseases in the developed world. We have been to the deepest reaches space and the success of New Horizon has shown just what we are capable of. Religion or god did not make all these possible. We did it by ourselves and we can beat our chest with pride at our achievements. We should take credit for it and not give it away to an imaginary god whose propensity for pettiness exceeds that of even the most incorrigible child.
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