Starke Reality: Question of the Week: Is God selfish and vindictive?

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In this issue . . .

Q: Is God selfish and vindictive?

A: This sort of attack has become very common in recent years, due in large part to claims like the following by Richard Dawkins.

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

First, consider the hypocritical nature of the attack. Since Dawkins is so adamant in his atheism, perhaps he could explain why any of these things are wrong from an evolutionary point of view. After all, if his philosophical naturalistic beliefs are correct, then there is no such thing as right or wrong. Hence, there would be nothing bad about any of these attributes he assigns to the God of the Bible. Only the Bible provides the basis for morality, so it is hypocritical and illogical for Dawkins or other atheists to appeal to morality while attacking Scripture.
When we approach these issues from a biblical perspective, we see these claims are actually based on a misunderstanding or ignorance of the overall context in which the biblical accounts occur. Keep the following points in mind: First, since God is the Creator of all things, He gets to set the rules. Second, God is perfectly just and must judge sin. Third, all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and deserve death (Romans 6:23). The fact that God allows us to live at all demonstrates His mercy.

Continue reading as we take a closer look at this issue and consider one particularly famous (or infamous) account in Scripture.

News to Note Quick Look

Fossilized footprints: Evolutionists claim that fossilized footprints found in Poland give clues as to the history of dinosaurs. Read more.

Pigmenting penguins: While structures found in fossilized penguin feathers make evolutionists reconsider their ideas about these early aquatic birds, creationists can enjoy the variety God has put within this fascinating animal kind. Read more.

Also:

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