Some Christians' Flexible Morality

Originally posted by RJHinds
Is "torment" the same as "torture" to you?

Of course, absolutely.

Tell me, would you feel happy pulling out a little birds wings, then watching them grow again, then pulling them out again - for only a year or two?

And THEN say Holy, Holy, Holy!

Yes, I can absolutely see it....

Originally posted by Suzianne
"Don't piss off their God" leaps to mind.

I guess that people who draw pictures of Mohammed learn much the same lesson.

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I am not so sure that what it is for is really that relevant. One can reasonably suppose that certain beliefs are one of the more horrendous evils. I also think there is the question of why a punishment is carried out. If you completely separate God from the discussion, I can happily, from the safety of my home state that is is never right to burn someone alive. But put me in different circumstances and I might change my tune. Suppose I live in a very violent society and I need to send a message to others? Suppose I believe that my survival is dependant on burning alive someone who is a mass murderer? I would probably do it and think myself morally justified in doing so.

Your second points are a bit wide reaching, would you be more specific please?
Is morality separate from God? ie can we judge Gods actions based on our own morality. Is God good because he conforms to our morals or are your morals based on what God declares to be good?

Originally posted by twhitehead
I am not so sure that what it is for is really that relevant. One can reasonably suppose that certain beliefs are one of the more horrendous evils. I also think there is the question of why a punishment is carried out. If you completely separate God from the discussion, I can happily, from the safety of my home state that is is never right to burn someone ...[text shortened]... good because he conforms to our morals or are your morals based on what God declares to be good?

When I was a child going to see cowboy movies, the killing of a villian was always accompanied by cheers from the children. Children knew the difference between good and evil then.

why do some adults have so much trouble with it today? Perhaps it is because they are evil themselves. 😏

Originally posted by RJHinds
When I was a child going to see cowboy movies, the killing of a villian was always accompanied by cheers from the children. Children knew the difference between good and evil then.

why do some adults have so much trouble with it today? Perhaps it is because they are evil themselves. 😏

Cowboys invariably killed Indians, who were invariably (incorrectly) portrayed as the villains. Children were deceived by bias images that deliberately presented Indians as 'less than human' in order to justify their destruction.You are still being deceived and need to put away childish things.

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Originally posted by divegeester
"Then it obviously question begs...then why do you think it is OK for your version of God to do it?"

Scripture references?

Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
Cowboys invariably killed Indians, who were invariably (incorrectly) portrayed as the villains. Children were deceived by bias images that deliberately presented Indians as 'less than human' in order to justify their destruction.You are still being deceived and need to put away childish things.

Children in my childhood days were able to tell the difference between good indians and bad indians. But I was not referring to indians when I spoke of villians. I was referring to the evil cowboys that the children could easily determine the difference, whether or not they wore a black hat. 😏

Originally posted by CalJust
Of course, absolutely.

Tell me, would you feel happy pulling out a little birds wings, then watching them grow again, then pulling them out again - for only a year or two?

And THEN say Holy, Holy, Holy!

Yes, I can absolutely see it....

No, I can't see myself as being happy with pulling out a little bird's wings. I also do not view "torment" the same as "torture" as you do.

I don't view the joy of the believers in Revelation as being happy with the torment of Satan and all his followers either. I believe their joy is with the fact that good wins over evil. And that is basically the same for the children cheering at the death of a villian on the screen in a movie theater.

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The one i saw was a Jordanian pilot. Is someone claiming it was an American pilot now?

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Not really. I have seen movies about Christians being burnt at the stake in the past. So whether ISIS cuts off their heads or burns them in a cage, it does not make their evil more or less evil.

However, if I saw ISIS all being burned in a cage, I might even be cheering myself, like children watching a movie when good triumps over evil.