God is...Love? This video proves he isn't!

[shernajwine]

I'll combine the next few points because they are short.

It does not envy
A little studious bible reading would show that any reference to God’s jealousy is in the context of idol worship. Every scripture that refers to God’s jealousy all share the same Hebrew adjective, qannâ'  (Strong's H7067),5 translated with the English word "jealous." The interesting thing about this word is that it is only used in reference to God. In no instance is the word qannâ' used to describe human jealousy. The reason that God is "jealous" is because He wants people to choose to love Him.6 Jesus said that the most important commandment was to love God.7 God does not want us to waste out time worshipping pretend gods that do not exist.8   http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/jealous_god.html

It does not boast/It is not proud
All the scriptures referenced in the video were man boasting of God not God boasting of himself. Does God want us to worship him? Yes, he desires our worship because worship is how we have a relationship with him, and worship isn’t just the act of getting on your knees and bowing. Worship is simply deep deep adoration. God created the universe and everything in it. The universe is so vast we cannot behold it, the universe contains so much power (energy) we can’t fathom it. God is bigger, and God is more powerful, I think he deserves worship.

It does not dishonor others
Malachi 2:3
This scripture is talking about how the people of Israel had become so complacent that they were bringing sick, blind, and diseased animals for sacrifice to the temples. If you understand Chrisitanity then you understand that forgiveness of sin requires a perfect sacrifice. The sick animals were an insult of the deepest to God who had already delivered his people out of so much and forgave them so much and here they were bringing their lame animals before him. The admonition of the priests was an expression of the utmost rejection of their insincere offerings. Not an actual action of spreading feces on anyone.

In this case, God was the one being dishonored not the other way around.

[shernajwine]

It is not self seeking

The video referenced Deuteronomy 6:13, let me add the next verse to put it in context:
Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you

Idol worship. I went over this earlier. If you are not worshiping God you don’t have a relationship with him. This is not solely for God’s benefit, it is for ours. He desires our worship he doesn’t need it. We need him. Not self seeking.

Matthew 28:17-20
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Not really seeing how this is self seeking. Being baptized is part of the path to salvation. Obedience to anything Jesus commanded culminates into one thing, love. Loving God, loving your neighbor, loving yourself. How is Jesus being self seeking?

The video referenced Luke 9:23, I’ll add the next verse for context.
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

How exactly is this Jesus being self seeking? Let’s add the prior verse and see how much more ridiculous this verse becomes when used to prove Jesus as self seeking.

And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Jesus is referencing the epitome of an unselfish act and telling his followers that in order to follow him they must be selfless!

That one is a big FAIL.

Acts 17:24-31
[i]The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[/i]

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

God gives everyone life and breath and everything else. He has done what he has done so we would seek him and reach out for him. Why? Because he loves us and wants us to draw near to him.

He doesn’t want us to draw near to cold stone idols who don’t save us. This is not self seeking, this is God seeking to save his creation.

The video referenced 1Corinthians 10:31, I’ll add the next few verses for context:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Giving God the glory so that you are not seeking your own good but the good of many so that they may be saved. Hmmmm doesn’t sound self seeking to me.

[shernajwine]

It is not easily angered

2Samuel 6:6-7

This is not God being easily angered, this is the result of what God said in Numbers 4:15. If anyone touched the ark, they would die.

Gen 19:26
This is not God being easily angered this God doing what he said he would do. He told Lot and his family not to look back. Lot’s wife looked back and suffered the consequences. This goes back to the beginning of my post about God being consistent in his methods of discipline.

As they perished not within the tabernacle, but in front of it, it seems likely that they may have been making an ostentatious and irreverent display of their ministration to accompany the shouts of the people on their way toward the tabernacle. The offence for which they were immediately visited with outward punishment was thus a flagrant outrage on the solemn order of the divine service, while the cause of their offence may have been their guilty excess. http://bible.cc/leviticus/10-1.htm

Not God being easily angered but people being irreverent and self seeking and suffering the consequences.

It keeps no record of wrongs

Rev 20:12
This scripture references the book of life which is a book of names of people who are saved. When you have faith the outward evidence is your good works, this is what this scripture talks about. Faith saves you, good works receives rewards in heaven.

[shernajwine]

Does not delight in evil

The video references these scriptures: Psalm 58:10 Pslam 137:9

For one thing God is not speaking in either one of these scriptures. In the first, David is expressing emotions of triumph over victory in battle. The emotion is justified whether the expression of it is a bit gory.
God never said to dash infants on rocks and nowhere anywhere near the verse does it indicate that God would be pleased with such an act.

It rejoices in the truth

The video references this scripture
2Thes 2:11-12
For this one I will reference this website.

http://fosterheologicalreflections.blogspot.com/2011/02/does-god-send-delusions-2-thess-211.html

[foreverinlove05]

The fact that we are all stained with sin does not negate the fact that the ability to love and hate is part of the image of God that was created within us all.

That's quite a statement. How is one supposed to respect a belief system when the followers assume everyone is "stained with teh evilz" and therefore should believe in their personal deity to stop the guilt-tripping insults? In order for someone or something to retain respect, it should be respectable of everyone and not toss around such blatant and idiotic curses. You wonder why the relgious get so much flak around this forum-- it's naive statements like this.

Then again, I'm probably starting an argument with a religious person which is pointless in itself. If one could argue rationally with the religious, there would be no religious people.

amen to that one!

[shernajwine]

Always trusts

For one thing the first scripture reference on the video doesn’t have anything to do with God’s trust?
Gen 16:4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

Anyway the video producer says “It always trusts, except when it tests”

I would argue that what does one have to do with other? Being tested builds character, God doesn’t test people to see whether they can be trusted, he allows them to be in situations so that their perseverance builds character and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us. Romans 5:4

Always hopes

This point isn’t even valid. The video producer says that love hopes you will suspend your irrational belief in it so that it won’t have to subject you to endless torture.
So it’s irrational to believe in being patient, slow to anger, forgiving, rejoicing in truth, not coveting, not being selfish??? I’m confused. Does the atheist believe love and it’s characteristics are irrational? I wouldn’t think so, but maybe the producer didn’t think of that.

God hopes that you will realize how much he loves you so that you will reach out to him and he can save you. If you don’t reach out to him you subject yourself to endless torture.

Always perseveres

The producer says that love perseveres till the end of time so as to allow those who believe in it to worship at it’s feet and those who don’t to burn in agony forever.
Well, I have been in enough debates about hell in this forum so go look up my posts on that. But in a quick response, I’ll reiterate what you already have heard in synopsis. God doesn’t send people to hell. If you don’t believe in God, then you have rejected his offer of salvation so that you don’t have to go to hell. Reject God=reject heaven, where else is there for you to go? The earth is going to be destroyed, there will be no other place for you to go.

In conclusion, this video is yet another example of the atheist taking scripture out of context and failing to recognize historical relevance, cultural relevance, and even metaphorical and poetic styles of writing by some bible authors.

It's a matter of
• A misunderstanding of God’s Word
• A misunderstanding of God’s character
• A misunderstanding of God’s creation

So I'll leave you with this link which talks about exactly that.
http://www.gotquestions.org/is-God-evil.html

[Huwee]

you people need Love in your life.Nothing more or less.(damn shame)

[queenofnines]

you people need Love in your life.Nothing more or less.(damn shame)

Your statements need to make sense to be taken seriously in this forum.  Nothing more or less.