NationStates Jolt Archive

Scenario 1:

You're a celebrity, known around the world for being a good person, helping other people, and making the world a better place. You're stranded in the desert, about do dehydrate to death. A guy walks by and tells you he knows of your good works and can take you to an oasis, as long as you have his name tattooed on your left arm.

Would you consider the guy good or evil?

Scenario 2:

You are, again, a celebrity, known around the world for being a good person, helping other people, and making the world a better place. A guy stops by your house, and invites your brother, that has a tattoo of his name on his left arm, to go with him to the best place on Earth, and stay there forever, not ever seeing you again. You don't get to go, OR stay in touch with your brother, because you don't have a tattoo. Oh, yes: He also takes your brother to that good place at gunpoint if need be.

Would you consider the guy good or evil?

Now for the last question...

It's easy to make an analogy with the "sola fide" doctrine and the Rapture, respectively.

As such, in this case, assuming the Rapture and "sola fide" are real, would you consider God good or evil?

If there's a difference between your responses in the man's case and in God's case, are you able to explain it without the "but it's God" argument?

Scenario 1:

You're a celebrity, known around the world for being a good person, helping other people, and making the world a better place. You're stranded in the desert, about do dehydrate to death. A guy walks by and tells you he knows of your good works and can take you to an oasis, as long as you have his name tattooed on your left arm.

Would you consider the guy good or evil?

Scenario 2:

You are, again, a celebrity, known around the world for being a good person, helping other people, and making the world a better place. A guy stops by your house, and invites your brother, that has a tattoo of his name on his left arm, to go with him to the best place on Earth, and stay there forever, not ever seeing you again. You don't get to go, OR stay in touch with your brother, because you don't have a tattoo. Oh, yes: He also takes your brother to that good place at gunpoint if need be.

Would you consider the guy good or evil?

Now for the last question...

It's easy to make an analogy with the "sola fide" doctrine and the Rapture, respectively.

As such, in this case, assuming the Rapture and "sola fide" are real, would you consider God good or evil?

If there's a difference between your responses in the man's case and in God's case, are you able to explain it without the "but it's God" argument?

Man I am so confused. What? Um, I guess I don't really believe in good and evil. That sort of dichotomy doesn't really sit with me well.

both are bad I guess but scenario one is slightly less so and more just exploitation

God allegedly is a higher being and as such we don't really matter to a degree less so than the ants we all killed as children (the real question is why you made this thread?)

both are bad I guess but scenario one is slightly less so and more just exploitation

God allegedly is a higher being and as such we don't really matter to a degree less so than the ants we all killed as children (the real question is why you made this thread?)

Still, higher beings are supposed to be, y'know, better than us.

Plus... I read about "Left Behind"... :p

Still, higher beings are supposed to be, y'know, better than us.

I wouldn't say I act in a fair manner to my monitor but it doesn't make me evil because what is a monitor

same applies here

Plus... I read about "Left Behind"... :p

why?:p

I wouldn't say I act in a fair manner to my monitor but it doesn't make me evil because what is a monitor

same applies here



why?:p

Mmm, you have a point. However, you don't expect your monitor to worship you, neither do you expect your monitor to believe you're good by its standards. See?

And... I guess I didn't know any better. It just seemed like a good idea at the time.

Plus I was curious. *Looks at the dead cat* >.>

Scenario 1: We seem to have a nut who's walking around in the desert with tattoo equipment for one reason. Frankly, he';s probably to delusional to understand good and evil.

Scenario 2: Ignoring the fact that I'm an only child, he'd probably need to mention the gun to get the brother to coem with him. Then I'd let them elave and call 911 as soon as they're out of earshot. So yes, he's evil.

Question 3: Now, I personally don't believe in the rapture or sola fide. But even if I did, I wouldn't trust a psychopath who supposedly killed 99.999% of the human and nonhuman population. So noyes, I think that Jehovah is evil. The kind of evil normally associated with Dong Zhuo, Saddam, Osama, and Hitler.

Out of curiosity, if sodom and gomorrah were two modern-day iraqi cities that a general put to the torch (along with the current inhabitants), would ANYONE here consider that general a good guy?

Still, higher beings are supposed to be, y'know, better than us.

Plus... I read about "Left Behind"... :p

Please keep doves away from me, as they are lesser beings than [insert your local hated felon] and are supposed to be, y'know, worse than him/her. :(

Snips.

:D

To be sure, I'm not against the belief/faith/worship in the case of any god, goddess, gods, goddesses or God, but what I have something against is the notion that said fair, just and merciful god would do certain things.

Unfortunately, if a deity was omnibenevolent and omnipotent, the world wouldn't have the current problems -- proving that we can't have such a deity with both traits. Thus if it turns out that we DO have a good deity, please let them be the omnibenevolence and not the other one.

Plus... I read about "Left Behind"... :p
"Left Behind" didn't sell too well in France... probably because of the title, "Gauche Derrie`re".

Kids, this is why you shouldn't trust bullshit artists such as Tim LaHaye.

"left Behind" Didn't Sell Too Well In France... Probably Because Of The Title, "gauche Derrie`re".

Chuckles...

For the first two, the men are evil.
Humans are evil from birth, thus no matter how good we appear to be, everything we do is geared towards evil, this goes even for the civilization we have built up. remember that a coin has two sides, and despite how much one thing may have helped humanity, it had an evil back story, or conclusion.

We revere gods because there is only one side of their proverbial coinage. A god thinks of one of two things, his subjects or himself (i use him because i do not feel it necessary to write him/her, any one who wanted to point out that argument is fool and should leave it for other threads.). One could be revered as a god simply for doing something continuously for others than himself. note figures like the Buddha.

If that example is true, god is not evil. if god does love his subjects then he is doing it to improve humanity. what other reason would a god have. in any case where a gods actions do not fall into good or evil, then it is fictitious, and that being cannot be a god. If God smote them because he was bored, per say, then he would be evil. it will always effect one or the other, and in this case, what does god have to gain from killing all but a few of his subjects. If this is the true god that humans crave to have exist, then he loves his subjects, and the 99% who die deserved their fates.

I myself, though not atheist, am not a huge believer in the Christiane religion, and i do not take after one or the other at all, this lecture of mine is one simply of free thought. based on facts, and of course, factual opinion.

I presume the tattoo is the equivalent of placing faith in god and the death and resurrection of jebus.

So if we are talking sola fide, there really is no possible conflict between 1,2 & 3. The man would treat anyone who was prepared to get the tattoo the same way, regardless of whether they were Bono or Adolf Hitler. It's only about forgiveness of sin, not judging the works of man, which are all worthless anyway. Therefore the man is merciful and therefore he is good, just or whatever

Likewise god and teh rapture.

*cuts away analogy with analogy-shears*

But IRL, after the man has saved you in the desert and tattoed you, you could always have the tattoo removed upon your return to civilization.
For a price.
*extends metaphor uncomfortably*

But IRL, after the man has saved you in the desert and tattoed you, you could always have the tattoo removed upon your return to civilization.
For a price.
*extends metaphor uncomfortably*

Uhm, I meant if the guy required you to have the tattoo beforehand... Or... I dunno... I wanna eat.

Uhm, I meant if the guy required you to have the tattoo beforehand... Or... I dunno... I wanna eat.

Oh. Well. That changes things.
Is his name "Mom"? Or possibly just a skull? Otherwise we're probably out of luck.

Oh. Well. That changes things.
Is his name "Mom"? Or possibly just a skull? Otherwise we're probably out of luck.

You DO realize LG will get pretty angry about the competition for absurd posts, right? :p

Kids, this is why you shouldn't trust bullshit artists such as Tim LaHaye.
Mega-seconded. 'sides, just look at the guy, and know that his intent to deny nature for favour of imagination isn't working out.
And Heikoku - nice thread. :)

Heikoku - nice thread. :)

Thanks! :D