Hypothetically speaking, and assuming God exists:
If you were demanded- by God - to kill an innocent child, would you do it?
Christians! : What would you do if....
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Christians! : What would you do if....
Post #1When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth
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Post #2
I would kill the child knowing that God has the power to raise him back up (I hope I would have that kind of faith) Given that I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt I was hearing from God
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Post #3
I answered yes. This was assuming that I knew it was God without any doubt what so ever. As you said God would send the child to heaven or stop him from being killed. I figured the atheists would be all over this condemning us for sure!
p4jc
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Post #4
Not only the atheists...Pastor4Jesus wrote:I figured the atheists would be all over this condemning us for sure!
The gods of old have my allegiance from here to Ragnarök... They also know that they would lose that allegiance if I were asked to do evil on their behalf.
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Post #5
Today I would say no but back then who knows.
The story of Abraham sacrificing Issac seems to be a story borrowed from neighbors and there is still some doubt about what happen as Abraham seem to come down from the sacrifice alone.
Of course Abraham, Issac and Jacob may very well have not even been related stories but stories of different tribes later written together in the 8th century.
It also looks like the peoples and kings of both Israel and Judah practiced child sacrifice such as the MLK sacrifices, fertility sacrifices, and even to the ancestors sacrificed children. One prophet say Yahweh never ordered such practice and another says He did. "Beloved" and "first born" were used for the gifts to Yahweh and were even sacrificed at Zion.
It was different before the exile.
The story of Abraham sacrificing Issac seems to be a story borrowed from neighbors and there is still some doubt about what happen as Abraham seem to come down from the sacrifice alone.
Of course Abraham, Issac and Jacob may very well have not even been related stories but stories of different tribes later written together in the 8th century.
It also looks like the peoples and kings of both Israel and Judah practiced child sacrifice such as the MLK sacrifices, fertility sacrifices, and even to the ancestors sacrificed children. One prophet say Yahweh never ordered such practice and another says He did. "Beloved" and "first born" were used for the gifts to Yahweh and were even sacrificed at Zion.
It was different before the exile.
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Post #6
Well, I doubt Atheists will be "all over this condemning" you - however, I am suprised at your response for several reasons and perhaps you would expand your answer to cover these points:Pastor4Jesus wrote:I answered yes. This was assuming that I knew it was God without any doubt what so ever. As you said God would send the child to heaven or stop him from being killed. I figured the atheists would be all over this condemning us for sure!
p4jc
- The child has not done anything negative: ie: It has not sinned
- You are killing the child for no reason other than because God told you
- The child has been denied the chance of "real" physical life
Also, something that is puzzling me:
Why would you not say "no" to God's demands, what stops you from saying "no, I don't think the child deserves to die just because you demand it"?
But yes, an interesting mix of responses to the poll
When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth
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Post #7
Besides the question as to how anyone knows " it was God without any doubt what so ever" why would God ask such a thing?VermilionUK wrote:Well, I doubt Atheists will be "all over this condemning" you - however, I am suprised at your response for several reasons and perhaps you would expand your answer to cover these points:Pastor4Jesus wrote:I answered yes. This was assuming that I knew it was God without any doubt what so ever. As you said God would send the child to heaven or stop him from being killed. I figured the atheists would be all over this condemning us for sure!
p4jc
- The child has not done anything negative: ie: It has not sinned
- You are killing the child for no reason other than because God told you
- The child has been denied the chance of "real" physical life
Also, something that is puzzling me:
Why would you not say "no" to God's demands, what stops you from saying "no, I don't think the child deserves to die just because you demand it"?
But yes, an interesting mix of responses to the poll
What kind of a moral force or model is a God that demands you do what you feel or even "know" to be wrong?
"Does the judge of all the earth do right" is still a good question.
It is a story the priest couldn't seem to part with long after child sacrifice had ceased to be a practice while the after life of the practice lived on in circumcision and other expressions.
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Post #8
In response to how one knows they're hearing from God without a doubt.....that would be a strong inner urging or pull within yourself alla holy spirit that lines up with the word of God. You might have a pull to do something that you think is of God, but if it doesn't line up with scripture you shouldn't pursue it.
On telling God no.........I simply accept that he made me, not the other way around. As you grow older don't you start to notice that "some" older people tend to know what they are talking about? Just seems foolish to put your wisdom and intelligence up against that of the creator's.
Why a good moral force would have you do this?..........Let me give you an example. When I was a small boy I was on the roof of my house getting a football or some other toy (I can't recall now) that was stuck there. I was afraid to get down. My dad told me to jump and he would catch me. Now apply this story spirtually, if nobody could see my father saying he would catch me and I said dad "aka God" wants me to jump, people would probably say I was a suicidal fool. We think it is the worst thing in the world for someone to die b/c we don't understand life beyond. If God had me kill an innocent child it could be as a favor to the child. It was said he never had a chance to experience "real" life, but I believe he would be getting to skip the heartache filled fallen life and go directly to what real life was intended to be, complete peace joy love and harmony in the presence of God.
On telling God no.........I simply accept that he made me, not the other way around. As you grow older don't you start to notice that "some" older people tend to know what they are talking about? Just seems foolish to put your wisdom and intelligence up against that of the creator's.
Why a good moral force would have you do this?..........Let me give you an example. When I was a small boy I was on the roof of my house getting a football or some other toy (I can't recall now) that was stuck there. I was afraid to get down. My dad told me to jump and he would catch me. Now apply this story spirtually, if nobody could see my father saying he would catch me and I said dad "aka God" wants me to jump, people would probably say I was a suicidal fool. We think it is the worst thing in the world for someone to die b/c we don't understand life beyond. If God had me kill an innocent child it could be as a favor to the child. It was said he never had a chance to experience "real" life, but I believe he would be getting to skip the heartache filled fallen life and go directly to what real life was intended to be, complete peace joy love and harmony in the presence of God.
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Post #10
1) This website is called "www.debatingchristianity.com"Jayhawker Soule wrote:I'm curious as to why this was focused on "Christians!"
2) Most topics on here are focused on Christians
3) It's just a title - the content of the topic is what is more important
4) If you want to apply it to other groups/religious followers - feel free to do so.
5) The exclamation mark was used for no particular reason other than to draw attention
When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth
- Sherlock Holmes -
- Sherlock Holmes -