He is The Creator, so he can do as he likes. I think the work "just" is more a description of Him rather than a quantifying of his actions. As for the babies you mentioned, I think that might have had something to do with the Anakites (Nephilim) who were living there. They weren't strictly human from what I understand of them. Someone else here can probably explain better than I.
God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows are motives and intentions of our hearts. Therefore He is just in dealing with us anyway He pleases. The best thing we can do is " Do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God." Micah
When you answer questions concerning the "Justness" of God, what is your answer???
An example would be:
How was God "Just" in ordering the murder of babies as Israel took control of the Promise Land?
Thanks
mr-pirk
Unlike the moral relativists who defend the often violent, cruel and unjust behavior of the OT God, I dohave some absolute moral standards and one of those is that it is never, under any circumstances,permissable to murder children. Any one who does murder children or is complicit in it commits a monstrous crime. That is why I do not encourage my sons to read the Bible, what positive values could they possibly learn from a book that attempts toglorify and justify such dispicable behavior.
Hello Big Tiny ( A heck of a nick name you have there lol)
"He is The Creator, so he can do as he likes", so basically you are saying Might makes Right. To a degree, I agree. Scripture asked what right the clay pot has to ask the potter why the pot was formed as it was.
Before going deeper into this I would like to ask an additional question or two.
Would you say that God is fair?
For the sake of this thread, is interchanging the word "Fair" for the word "Just" be OK?
For me, I see God as both Fair and Just.
You mention the Nephilim. I too find them a mystery and wonder just how the different "what-ifs" might play into the actions we have seen God take and how we view the actions.
The other "What-If" that I ponder ,when considering God"s actions towards certain individuals is this, If the Soul is timeless going forward, is it timeless going backward? (Timeless to the point of the original creation.)
Chuck I agree with your post 100% when we are discussing children and adults. However I am having trouble applying it to babies.
Before addressing it farther I will wait for you to revisit the issue as it relates to babies.
Chuck the reason I think it is important to attempt to address these sorts of questions is because these are the types of questions the non-believing public will ask.
Ought Six, I agree, during this life we only see in part, when we arrive home we will have a better view.
California Doctor, you are the very person I had in mind when I started this thread. I am glad to see you"re interested. I hope as the thread progresses you will find it interesting.
Just to clarify something, your differing views of the proper punishment as it relates to age "I dohave some absolute moral standards and one of those is that it is never, under any circumstances,permissible to murder children", I would like to ask you about killing adults as a form of punishment.
What are your feelings about it?
Thanks for the wonderful replies everyone.
Thanks
mr-pirk
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A proud owner of a Flying Vee. Bestowed by the fine Gentleman VC1111 himself.
In addition to finding murdering all ready born children totally unacceptable, I want to add that I am also against abortion. As far as punishing adults with death, it seems to methat in the Bible there are numerous cases ofthe punishment being way out of proportion to the offense, such as stoning a man to death for collecting sticks on the Sabbath.
Hello Big Tiny ( A heck of a nick name you have there lol)
"He is The Creator, so he can do as he likes", so basically you are saying Might makes Right. To a degree, I agree. Scripture asked what right the clay pot has to ask the potter why the pot was formed as it was.
Might does make right when referring to His might making right, exclusively.
As for fair and just, I think they are close enough analogs for use as equivalents in this discussion.
As for the soul being timeless going forward and backward in time, I'll just have to wait to have that one answered. Maybe we only see time as linear because our experience is limited to this existence. Again, something I am willing to wait on for the answer.
it seems to methat in the Bible there are numerous cases ofthe punishment being way out of proportion to the offense, such as stoning a man to death for collecting sticks on the Sabbath.
caldoc; Only if we demand God to see, think, and act according to our very limited knowledge and understanding of the simplest things.
I'm going to take this in a whole 'nother direction. I've realized for some time now that my "christian worldview" is quite different from most christians. This doesn't mean I'm the odd man out when it comes to theological question or doctrinal interpretations.
The point has been made that "might makes right". I don't think this applies to God. He is indeed mighty and is at liberty to as he pleases, without giving an account for his actions. If you question this read through Job. (I love that book 'cause it's incredibly humbleing and has some beautiful "praises" in it.) God makes right(correct) not by his might but by right(as in rightful authority). It is His right to decide what is correct for us and what is just. Why? He is our creator and or provider. Even if He wasn't omnipotent it would be his rightful place to make the rules. A father who is a midget and weights 80lbs soaking wet still has the right, and the authority, to instruct his 200lb high school son. He doesn't derive his right through might...yet it is his all the same. The same is with God. Do not misunderstand, God's might alone is reason for reverance and obedience, but it is not the source of His authority. I believe that God had enough wit and ability for us to look at the Bible as a collection of books and as a whole. The whole book begans with "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Boom, right there...His role and status is established from the get-go. God said "Let us make man after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Just as marriage is a symbolic parallel to Christ and the Church, I believe we can veiw this as a symbolic parallel between our dominion over earth and God's dominion over creation. This is part of our "likeness" to God. As philosophical as this is getting I feel His authority simply comes from His status as 'creator' and 'provider'.
Lets leave it at that and pretend we've satisfied the question of why God has authority over creation.
I just reread the first 6 chapters or so of Genesis...wow, so many questions!!
Anyway, I've lost my train of thought and now its really late so I may try to answer the rest of the question (how is He just) later.
I get side-tracked so easily[&:][]
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Anything I say is my opinion, just that...and only that.
"...and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?
When you say "God is Just"""
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